I have always liked these 18-by-7.5-inch cast alloys on our long-term 2010 Mazdaspeed 3, and maybe the best thing about them is that they still look great after almost 18,000 miles in our test fleet. No curb damage, save for a small scrape on the edge of the driver-side rear wheel of all places.
The small lip on the P225/40R18 88Y Dunlop SP Sport 2050 tires undoubtedly has given us some protection when parking. Of course, the Mazdaspeed 3's compact footprint certainly helps as well, as it's pretty difficult to misjudge its perimeter too badly.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 17,892 miles
skyggge says:
06:54 AM, 09/ 1/10
Yay, you guys are finally catching up to me and my mileage. Was 5-6k ahead of you for a long time, now only 3k ahead. 21k, still no problems whatsoever.
On a side note, just got the Dunlops replaced with Continental ExtremeContact DWS's.
Don't do it. While a fantastic price, and amazing warranty (primary reason I went with them), the turn-in becomes very noticeably softer. Even though they provide almost the grip of the Dunlops, the softness gives you far less confidence to throw it into turns. The tire noise is definitely very subdued compared to the Dunlops, and make for a bit softer ride.
All my gripes aside, I simply cannot afford to be blowing through summer tires right now, so I know I'll be plenty happy with my Continentals when I won't be replacing them after 25k miles.
What's the treadwear looking like on you guys car?
eldaino2 says:
07:29 AM, 09/ 1/10
i swapped out my worn pirellis on my GTI with the dws.
turn in is only slighty softer, but as a friend of mine put it, the ride after the switch made it feel like a 'true german car'.
we have lots of rain and occasional snow to contend with, so something sporty but that can also handle those situations with aplomb was important. the treadwear rating and price are fantastic too. for anything other than an all out high grip tire, these are excellent.
and yes, the mazdaspeeds wheels look awesome
ed124c says:
07:49 AM, 09/ 1/10
That is a very flattering picture of the Speed3, but of course, we know what happens when you move around to the front.
How about a few "renderings" of a revised front end?
roadburner says:
08:31 AM, 09/ 1/10
I love those wheels; I was fortunate to find a set of take-offs that will wear the summer/track rubber on my 2007 MS3; the dull and uninspired stock wheels will now be used with my winter tires.
shaddai says:
09:44 AM, 09/ 1/10
Holy wheel weights batman! Look at all those! Bottom left of the wheel...
liquoredonlife says:
10:42 AM, 09/ 1/10
My guess is that they counter the weight of the TPMS sensor.
adamb1 says:
10:51 AM, 09/ 1/10
Yes, wheel weights counterbalance TPMS.
liquoredonlife says:
10:59 AM, 09/ 1/10
I like the 225 size tires on these wheels too. There's about a 3/8" of tire overhang that protects the rim when you're parking by braille.
cello_one says:
11:06 AM, 09/ 1/10
I like the rims. We have a Buick Lucerne parked in the driveway for the week with an exceptional amount wheel weights.
Balance this!
roadburner says:
11:58 AM, 09/ 1/10
The 2010 wheels also look as if they would afford better brake cooling as opposed to the 2007-2009 wheels.
sodaguy says:
12:33 PM, 09/ 1/10
Those brake pads must be aggressive as the rotors show a HUGE lip.
slickersdrip says:
02:22 PM, 09/ 1/10
I love those wheels... same basic design as the new RX-8 R3 wheels:
http://www.msprotege.com/members/coolmazda5/2009_Mazda_RX-8-R3_Wheel.png
Little Wankel engines for every two spokes! I want a set of those on my 2004 RX-8.
feloniousmonk says:
03:41 PM, 09/ 1/10
slickersdrip says:
02:22 PM, 09/ 1/10
"I love those wheels... same basic design as the new RX-8 R3 wheels:
http://www.msprotege.com/members/coolmazda5/2009_Mazda_RX-8-R3_Wheel.png
Little Wankel engines for every two spokes! I want a set of those on my 2004 RX-8."
I was thinking the same thing. Mazda's working little rotor shapes into the design of every car it makes. Mazda do love the shape of their failed experiments.
roadburner says:
03:52 PM, 09/ 1/10
"I love those wheels... same basic design as the new RX-8 R3 wheels"
The shop I bought my 2010 take-offs thought that they were RX-8 wheels. I had to tell them that the wheels had the wrong offset(52.5 mm) and width(7.5") to be RX-8 wheels.