Tires OEM Mazda or KENDA

Tires make more difference than anything. I too bought at used Mazda 3, and thought: "Oooh, this is dodgy in the rain . . ."

Then I got better tires (summers and winters) and realized: "Ohhh, I just had terrible tires."

Nevegal is a much better choice for cornering than ardent. I've done nevegal front/ardent rear before, but I really would be reluctant to push cornering speed on an ardent up front.

I have them on my 250l and they work great, they get the job done off road while still providing a lot of grip on road. The tire compound is quite soft which helps on road.

I had Kenda Kountachs and they served me well, only really got pinch flats ever and that was 100% my fault.

Nothing wrong with Kendas. They get the job done.

Talk to Daelen at MAP. He can set you up with Kenda Tires at a discount. With a KA you should make it through multiple events on one set of Kendas.

They had been recommended to me by a couple friends, but obviously you have to try it before you really know. This is *my* take on these tires **after only one ride**. I can corner better than I've ever been able to on a 29er. I feel more comfortable going through loose sand and dirt. Traction on most surfaces that I rode on (packed dirt, loose dirt, rocks, road, and gravel) was much higher. Due to the above, I was able to go faster through more areas of trail. Rolling over small objects was smoother. Rolling resistance is much higher than I had thought, but it doesn't stop you dead. To me, this simply means I have to work a little harder, which I have no problem doing.