2011 Mazda 3 s hatch: new tires

[Anubis]

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DWS are still in heavy demand so make sure the sites that sell them have them in stock. If not order sooner than you need so they will get here in time.
Had to wait a month to get my SiL's new set and went with a diff size to get some for my BiL.

last year when i got mine all the online places has a 2+ month lead time on them in the size i needed

my dealer got them for me in less then a week at the same price

 

[saratoga172]

They were in stock locally. Having them put on the car now. I'll be able to give a mini(20 miles or so) review tonight.

Most expensive tires I've bought. They better be worth it.

 

[Sid59]

They were in stock locally. Having them put on the car now. I'll be able to give a mini(20 miles or so) review tonight.

Most expensive tires I've bought. They better be worth it.

 

[saratoga172]

Got the car back a few hours ago and put a few miles on the new tires. Only about 50 or so, so I've barely gotten to get a feel for them yet.

They seem to be a harder compound to the touch, but they have a grippier feel to them compared to the stockers. They are much more smooth and much quieter. They seem to absorb bumps and such in the road much better. And even low speed handling is improved in the way of feedback into the steering wheel. Buttery smooth.

So far I'm liking them. Much more quiet on the highway which was my biggest gripe I had with the stock Yokohoma Avid S34's, and they are a smoother ride.

They do look like they sit out just a touch compared to the stock tire, but it's barely noticeable unless I'm stopped and you're standing right next to it.

Once I get some decent mileage on the tires I'll report back with how I like them. Now lets just hope I can get 40-50k or more out of them.

 

[saratoga172]

5000 mile Continental DWS update: Loveing the tires so far. Had them right about 3 months now with a little over 5000 miles on them. Still as quiet as the day they were put on. I ran the first couple thousand miles at 34-35 psi and the last 3000 around 38-40. Closer to 38 mostly. I've had only two hard rain days to test them in the wet.

35psi: Felt very nice on the ride side and absorbed the bumps and road imperfections magnificantly. Just a touch softer than I like and gives the car a slight roll feel in hard turns because of the sidewall on the tire. Ride quietness has improved immensely as well as grip. No rain test because it was dry the whole time.

38-39pis: It's amazing how much 3-4 psi difference can make. The car feels like a whole new animal now. Still a fairly smooth ride, but much more firm and sporty feeling. I really like the way the car feels as a whole and the feedback in the steering wheel is increased nicely. In hard turns the car just sticks. Much firmer without that slight roll feel and the car feels much more flickable and nimble. Sound has just slightly increased with air pressure, but went back to normal on a lower psi test run. Car is still quieter than previous tires. Had two heavy rain tests. Car hooked up almost as if it weren't even wet. I could barely feel any slipping at all even though it was the first real rain in a couple months. Much better wet handeling than my old tires. Can't wait to give the snow a go.

Overall impressions are very positive. Thanks for all the great suggestions. I will definitely be recommending these tires. After 5k miles they still look new and I can't see any visible wear. Tires will be rotated in the next 500-1000 miles. Whenever I get time to take it in. They are not sport tires by any means but IMO have an almost perfect balance between performance, quietness, mileage warranty, and wet/dry performance. They are simply a great all around tire.