Tires OEM Mazda or SUMITOMO

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."

I had Sumitomo HTR ZIII tires on my Mk5 Rabbit. They were $82 each for 225/45/17. They grip incredibly well, quiet and comfortable and were good in the wet. Couldn't recommend them enough.

I have it on pretty solid authority that Sumitomo htr z3's are essentially Michelin pilot sports as far as grip goes with 75% of the tread life magic, for roughly half the price.

The Sumitomo HTRs are pretty good. Either the A/S P02 or the Z III. The Z IIIs are a bit sportier, and the P02s are solid all seasons with a 500 treadwear rating and a W speed rating. They also grip impressively well for a set of fairly cheap all seasons.

I have Sumitoma HTR ZIII's on my car and they work great for a street tire. I am surprised how long the rear tires are lasting.

I have a set of 205's from sumitomo on my 17x9" rear. They stretched nicely, ride good and were cheap as dirt.

I guess that's the end of my third set of Sumi HTR Z IIIs... I really like those tires for the price. And until that little scare... I ever had a clue the back tires were 1/2 slicks even in the rain.

The Sumitomo HTR Z III gets a lot of crap for being cheapbut performance is a very solid performer

Compared to my Winterforce snows that are now year round tires, the handling is great! They do feel a little soft and the last ones I had were very slippery until the wear bars but around that point they got pretty sticky! Plus they were dirt cheap and my last ones lasted forever!

those sumitomos are a good deal but i put those on my wifes passat wagon in april and all them ****s is hopping now. its like they are 'almost' shifted belts.