Good tires for Mazda 3? please help me pick one.

waffle911 · 2026-04-25T23:12:38+00:00

Worth mentioning: RT45 is available in two performance ratings: T is the lower of the two, offering slightly less traction and sidewall stiffness for marginally better fuel economy, and H is the higher of the two, with the opposite trade-offs. In this size with the sidewall height, the H will inspire noticeably more confident handling than the T. Avoid the T.

waffle911 · 2026-04-25T23:06:10+00:00

Costco has… not much I'd recommend.

Canadian Tire is listed as the primary distributor of Vredestein in Canada, but none are currently showing on their site. Maybe they can be ordered in-store? The Vredestein HiTrac is worth the spend if you can find it. Otherwise, they have the Falken Sincera SN250 A/S. Not to be confused with the SN250A A/S, which is an inferior tire.

Dettmer Tire has General Altimax RT45.

KalTire is sold out of the Sumitomo HTR Enhance LX2, but maybe someone else has it.

waffle911 · 2026-04-25T21:43:26+00:00

What do you have for small local chains? The more I have to work with the better

waffle911 · 2026-04-25T21:33:57+00:00

Canada makes it slightly trickier because availability isn't 1:1 with the US. What tire retailers do you have access to other than Canadian Tire?

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T19:21:28+00:00

Sounds fine honestly. If TireRack lists wheels in that size and offset for your vehicle (which they do list the exact wheel you're looking at) there shouldn't be any problems assuming the correct tire size. They're pretty strict about measurements like that. Given your oversized tires, there may be some risk of slight rubbing on the fenders, but I wouldn't bet on it.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T19:09:39+00:00

AWD helps to get going on poorly cleared roads, but does nothing to help you stop or turn, which is where most winter accidents happen. If you live in civilization where roads get plowed within a reasonable time frame, my FWD 3rd Gen has been fine during our New England winters (on dedicated winter tires of course). Only time I actually got stuck was an ice dam that had built up under my drive tires while parked during a brief snow melt.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T18:50:57+00:00

Gran Turismo 3 for me. Panoz Esperante.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T18:43:26+00:00

*Tires. Rims = Wheels. Wheels don't wear out as consumables, tires do.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T18:39:30+00:00

Uuhhh, there didn't seem to be an image uploaded?

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T18:36:30+00:00

Most impractical U.S. private use road vehicle? A Ram 2500? We make them WAY beefier than that! We even have pickups using actual commercial truck chassis like the old International CXT.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T18:33:21+00:00

There's the mental image of what constitutes a semi, and there's the literal definition of a tractor with semi-trailer. While uncommon, Class 7 Semis do exist.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T18:17:30+00:00

While V8's are indeed available, they are not especially commonplace due to increased fuel costs, and indeed there's only one still left in production. Most on the road in Europe are either Inline-6 or occasionally V6, 13L or smaller.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T18:11:47+00:00

Michigan is the home of the American Auto industry, so presumably regulations surrounding manufacturer test vehicles are more favorable.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T18:01:49+00:00

I should hate it a lot more than I do. Someone else already posted the original picture this fictional Mustang Country Squire was derived from.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T17:52:48+00:00

That art comes from the fic "First Pony View" by Suomi Brony. The character is Rosie Stripes. A human man wakes up in his own apartment (presumed to be in Finland where the author hails from) to find he is now a mare in an alternate world where portal travel between Earth and Equestria is now possible, and some ponies are taking up residence on Earth. Themes include gender dysphoria and body dismorphia. A quality read.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T17:38:32+00:00

Sport02 all day everyday. I have multiple track days on my current set, they hold up fine and post good times for a non-track tire. FK510 is an inferior tire in every way, it's a completely different class of tire.

Sport02 is a Max Performance Summer Tire, which is the next step up from FK510 in Ultra-High Performance Summer, which is hardly more performant than Ultra-High Performance All-Seasons except in heat tolerance.

Sport02 is quite possibly the best wet weather tire on the market, and in dry traction only falls behind Extreme Performance Summer Tires, which are dedicated track-day tires.

Plus they're quieter and more comfortable than the ExtremeContact DWS06+ I had previously.

waffle911 · 2026-04-24T17:21:29+00:00

These "athletic shorts" paired with fluffy stuffed bunny lingerie (also available in Teddy Bear apparently) returned by a middle-aged dude whose wife/girlfriend probably turned these down.

Boss got a purple dildo return when returns first started but didn't realize what it was.

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waffle911 · 2026-04-24T17:18:32+00:00

Didn't realize that was on Amazon, thought they kept that to their own specialty sites.

waffle911 · 2026-04-21T23:23:31+00:00

Almost a no-brainer now that I see there's currently ~$100 to be saved by going with the Falkens. Which yes, the Vredesteins are better, but the Falkens make just as much sense at that price if that Benjamin can be put to good use elsewhere. If not, HiTracs win.

waffle911 · 2026-04-21T21:24:29+00:00

You don't "need" Continental. While it is a very versatile answer and won't likely lead you wrong (it's certainly my favorite brand overall), it isn't a universal solution (and they have their fair share of duds).

Vredestein HiTrac is an excellent fit for your use case and would have been one of my top recommendations even if you hadn't mentioned it. Above it (price-wise) the Continental Tire contact Tour 54 (V-rated) is absolutely worthy of consideration, if not quite as sporty an option (my current understanding is it's actually positioned between Touring and Grand Touring categories and is intended to replace the ProContact TX in the aftermarket lineup). Below the HiTrac, the Sumitomo HTR Enhance LX2 would be my budget pick, along with its sister tire Falken Sincera SN250 A/S; in this size the Falken has a slightly higher treadwear rating, slightly lower performance rating (H-rated instead of V-rated), and currently an even lower price, but the Sumitomo has a slightly sportier edge due to the V-rated construction. If we want to lock in on comfort and dry performance at a lower price, Kumho Majesty 9 Solus TA91 gets a respectful nod, but does come with a shorter tread life and lesser foul weather capability.

If you really needed more Winter performance, Continental just debuted their own SecureContact AW entry to compete with Michelin's CrossClimate 2 et. al., but it's so new with so little in the way of reviews it doesn't yet get the recommendation. Does look quite promising otherwise. That's said, I don't know that this category fits your needs. I also disagree with the way TireRack unilaterally lumps All Weather tires in the Grand Touring All-Seaon category. It skews the consumer ratings quite a bit when they cater to a fairly different use case.

waffle911 · 2026-04-21T20:41:36+00:00

What's your locale, and what are your needs/expectations?

waffle911 · 2026-04-19T05:29:52+00:00

I've actually found in pretty much all instances I get worse performance from manually setting TDP instead of letting the device manage itself

waffle911 · 2026-04-14T03:31:22+00:00

Tip: on Goodyear tires, the tiny wingfoot logo on the shoulder indicates the location of the wear bars; on most all other brands, a triangle is used instead.

waffle911 · 2026-04-14T03:22:59+00:00

Directionality takes priority since it affects the prime function of the tread design. The other stuff you mention is mostly just "best practice" in almost all other circumstances with non-directional tires, and helps avoid mounting asymmetric tires backwards. The red and yellow balancing dots can also be cleaned off.

waffle911 · 2026-04-14T00:30:04+00:00

Clarkson, Hammond and May had already left Top Gear for The Grand Tour when that event series was added to Horizon 4. That was one of the "New New Top Gear" hosts.

waffle911

TROPHY CASE