Best Tires for the Mazda 3 2.0 DISI

This is the initial review as I have done only a few hundreds of kilometers in autumn wet and dry conditions. The tires have surprised me with comfort. Even with relatively low profile of the 205/50 R17 size they feel comfy and soft (which can be both good and bad thing depending on the situation). In the wet they feel safe even at motorway speeds and heavier rain. In the dry they are much more comfort oriented than handling oriented. There is no noticeable tramlining with these tires. I would recommend them especially if you are looking for comfy ride. In the 205/50 R17 size they have relatively large rim protector and my set was made in Japan, if those qualities matter to you.

Blind buy. I was not impressed at all at the grip levels these tires provided, both in dry and wet. My car is only 150hp and i was doing burnouts at the stoplights often (most of the times not even pushing it). These are going to last a lot given the remaining thread. Did not have any problems in the snowy/icy conditions though, I was never stuck and we get a lot of snow especially in the mountains.

The main reasons why I chose WinterContact TS 830P are: non-directional tread (more regular tire wear due to possibility of changing rotation direction), conti seal technology (my Mazda has no spare wheel), high performance winter tire (better road handling and feedback). The tires replaced Pirelli Winter Snow Control 3. In comparison to the Pirellis the Contis are significantly quieter even after 21,000 km. The wet grip is very good and I have never had any issues with aquaplanning. In the dry they provide quite good amount of feedback and stability for winter tires even at temperatures above 10°C. In the snow traction I do not feel any difference from the Pirellis. The fuel consumption is higher than it used to be on Pirellis. After 21,000 km they have approximately 6 mm of tread remaining. It seems they might last up to 40 - 45,000 km. Very similar to Pirellis.

Primacy 3 was chosen to improve comfort and tread life in comparison to factory fitted Toyo Proxes R32. Both were improved but not significantly. Overall I consider Primacy 3 to be one of the best tires I have ever used. After fitting them I was pleasantly surprised by their wet grip. In situations where ABS would kick in on Toyos, Michelins were still gripping the wet surface. The rolling resistance of the Michelins should have been theoretically lower then Toyos (C rating over F rating) but in reality the fuel consumption remained the same. In the dry the handling and stability of Toyos seemed to be slightly better but they suffered from tramlining quite a lot. The tread life of Michelins was better. After 50,000 kms the tread was worn from initial 7 mm to 3 mm. Toyos were approximately 20-25% worse in this aspect. On the other hand the Michelins are more expensive. At 3 mm of remaining tread I have decided to replace the Michelins with new tires as their aquaplaning resistance started to deteriorate and the comming spring often brings heavier rains.

This is the initial review of the new tires I put on Mazda 3 (2010). I was trying to choose tires that would be very safe (short braking distances, good aquaplanning resistance) and also provide reasonable feedback for spirited driving. The expected tread life or rolling resistance was not considered as the car is used as a second car in the family and covers only 6,000 - 7,000 kms per year. The Nokians have replaced Michelin Primacy 3.
For now I had the opportunity to drive only in the dry and I would summarize my findings:
Advantages:
- surprisingly good comfort (at least the same as Michelins), I was expecting harsher ride as the Nokians are supposed to be UHP and Michelins touring tires and also Nokians are 93Y and Michelins were 89W.
- better handling and stability than Michelins
- noise level is similar but slightly less bothersome then Michelins (on the other hand Michelins were also more pleasant when new :-) )
- 8 mm tread depth (Michelins had 7 mm when new) and perfect tread depth indicator built in the tread
- nice and sophisticated tread features and cool look (very important for tire geeks :-D )
- no tramlining (Michelins were more sensitive and the factory fitted Toyos R32 were very sensitive)

Disadvantages:
The Nokians have no rim protection in 205/50 ZR17 size! What the hell, Nokian?! I would rather pay few extra euros in change for unscratched alloys. It is dissappointing in comparison to "cheap" Matadors I have on the other car in 235/50 R18 size which have huge rim protector (largest I have ever seen :) ).

Overall it seems like the Nokian Powerproof is very good match for Mazda 3 ride capabilities.

I purchased Antares ingens A1 last spring and really surprised how well they work. Solid in wet & dry conditions and been wearing very well. Should easily get 60k KM out of them. Pretty pleased for the amount of money I spent. Beats paying twice that for premium brands.

The tires give slightly less feedback in comparison to OE Toyo Proxes R32 but the wet grip is surprisingly good. They are comfy and wear regularly. They seems to have at least 20000 more miles ahead.

Tried this Advan model after coming from a set of Michelin PS3 and I was very surprised at how much on par the Fleva V701 is with the Michelins.
Although slightly noisy, the grip and performance more than makes up for it.
Highly recommended for those of you with a spirited driving style and love B-road excursions as well as highway highspeed runs

Sorry to say that it was a bad experience. I had a Toyo tire that came with my Mazda and those lasted more than a pair of brand new Bridgestone Potenzas. Seriously not even lasted a year, I had to fix them at least 3 or four times. Now I have to look for new tires as these are unusable for going to the highway.

I switched from Toyo Proxes R32 to Michelin Primacy 3. The Michelin feels slightly softer with a bit less precise steering but with improved comfort. The noise is very similar - very low. It is too soon to comment on wear. Even though the Michelin has C grade fuel consumption on EU label vs F grade for Toyo, I can see no fuel consumption improvement. The rim protector on sidewall is much smaller then it was on Toyo.
Overall I like the Primacy 3 very much. It is great for long distance travelling as it is silent and comfy with very good dry and wet grip.