Hey everyone! Question... I have the factory tires on my 17" rims and I hate how fat the tires look. Do you have any suggestions for a lower profile tire that will look more sporty on the rim? And if you have a suggestion, what size would fit the stock 17" rim?

Thanks!
~Sandy

 

The 17" stock rims are only 7" wide, so your choice of low profile tires is rather limited.
I traded in the stock 215/50 Michilin to 225/45 Pirelli P zero nero m+s because the perfect fit 235/45 needs 18" rims. I did this for the much better performance, not the profile/look.
You need at least 18" rims to seriously change the profile.
Go to www.tirerack.com for your research and www.tiredepot.com for calculating the prefect fit.

 

if you want to lower your profile .... you betta lower your ride too , seriously . Already the 17 in. look small with their sidewalls hardly reaching the fenders ..... you also run the risk of putting a dent in that mag a bit more along with altering your speedometer reading and computers at that too .... check your overall diameter reading before purchasing , oh yeah expect a harsher ride significantly with a mediocre upgrade in lateral handling .... best choose a better brand tire with an overall better handling sidewall characteristic ....

 

In October I replaced the original Michelins (due to tread wear @ 29k) with the Yokohama Avid V4S. Decision was based on on performance reviews and cost. Survey Results at www.tirerack.com were extremely helpful. Anyway, I'm very happy with the Yokohamas and aside from Deep Snow traction, they have outperformed the Michelins in every way (and I'm only saying the Michelins were better in Deep Snow, NOT that the Yokohamas are bad). And I didn't know it until I saw them on my 6, but IMO they look cool as hell too.

[IMG]local://upfiles/2800/CF60159D5B944AC187E3C89176E99761.jpg[/IMG]

 

best thing to do is look up all the tires that come in the factory size, so you dont mess up the speedo. then with those choices go with a good tire like some of the better bridgestone all season performance tire, there are some really good goodyears like the eagle f1's gs's and i highly suggest you stay away from toyo tire, ive had them and they suck. also i loved my nitto neogens. but as for the stock michelins i personally think they are the weak link in the handling of the 6's.

another thing to think about, you dont need z rated tires your just spending more money on useless junk. these cars stop at 125 so find tires that are ratd to at least that, but anything over is not needed

 

Thanks so much for your feedback. Those Yokohama's look great. I think I will go that route. Luckily I live in North Carolina and don't really have to worry about snow very often.

 

Hey all! I have a 2004 Mazda 6s. The 17 inch stock Michelins were so-so. I replaced two of them with a couple of Falken tires that were recommended by a friend. They work ok on his car, but he replaced all four and has a Mercedes. I don't know if mine was improperly alligned or because I only replaced the two but the two new ones are shot already with only about 15k miles on them. I was wondering if any of you have a recommendation for a replacement tire. Something good in the snow for winter, but also something good for summer driving as well. All Season, Ultra High Performance would be good. I AM a very "spirited" driver. I like to stay in front and I've probably had 30+ speeding tickets in my 10 years of driving. I tend to corner hard as well. OK...so, after all of that, any recommendations for a good tire that will last me, say 40k miles at least? The other two remaining original Michelins that I still have on the car are currently in the back. They have just turned 60,000 miles. Time to replace those as well though. What do ya'll think?

 

I'm running 18x8 RX-8 wheels and 225/45ZR18 tires on my wife's Mazda6 and they fit quite nice...I'll have to post pics tomorrow.

 

Please do that would be awesome...I will be in the market for a set of new tires soon as well...