205/65-16 a popular tire size?

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My Mazda6 i Sport has 205/65-16 tires. The tires on my vehicle look like they will need replacing in the next 5k miles and of course I'm beginning to do a little shopping and looking online like any good BITOGer would do.

I have checked many websites and it seems a lot of popular manufacturers simply do not make this tire size. For example, I have always liked Uniroyal tires and they do not seem to make tires in this size. I've also tried Goodyear and Dunlop but no dice.

It seems the only companies that make tires in my size are Michelin and Kumho. I have checked many tire distributor websites and it seems like most cars have almost 20 options of tires for other cars but I only seem to get 3 or 4 choices.

Is 205/65-16 not a popular size?
 
Tire Rack offers quite a few in this size.

205/65-16

Edit: I maybe wrong but doesn't Uniroyal make Continental for the US market? Maybe General, i forget.
 
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Tirerack shows 24 choices for 205/65-16.

Other sizes: 205/60-16, 215/60-16, 215/65-16, 225/60-16 ... have a lot more choices.

If the wheel width is 6.5" you can use 215/60-16 tire, it's a little wider and about 1.3% smaller in diameter. The 225/60-16 is a little too wide and about 0.5% taller.
 
I just purchased a set for my Hyundai Sonata(2011) size 205/65-16. It's true, there are not an abundance of choices from US companies in this size. I got the Kuhmo Exta LX Platinum for $90/ea with a $50 rebate on 4. Had them mounted and balanced on Weds. and they are great. The cost for mtg/ bal was $105 complete at my fav tire shop. (stick-on weights for alloy wheels and the TPMS added up to more than I have paid in the past). Initial impression after only 200 miles is that they have a much crisper turn-in and are very quiet. They are "V" speed rated. The OE Kuhmo's (KH-25) were cheap tires for this car. Tire- Rack's price was the best I found on these as usual. I would certainly try them on your Mazda.FWIW--Oldtommt
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Edit: I maybe wrong but doesn't Uniroyal make Continental for the US market? Maybe General, i forget.

AFAIK, the US part of Uniroyal is owned by Michelin.
 
should be able to use 215/60r16 without much issues. We did that one a 2003 Altima today at the shop. Drove great during the test drive afterwards. Went to 205-65r16 to the above mentioned size. Also slightly wider tire with a slightly shorter(stiffer) sidewall will generally handle better. Might notice a drop in mpg though.
 
Originally Posted By: 2oldtommy
I got the Kuhmo Exta LX Platinum for $90/ea with a $50 rebate on 4. Had them mounted and balanced on Weds. and they are great. The cost for mtg/ bal was $105 complete at my fav tire shop. Initial impression after only 200 miles is that they have a much crisper turn-in and are very quiet. They are "V" speed rated.


We had these tires on our Vibe (just traded it in for a lease on a 2013 Elantra). I would highly recommend these tires for an all around tire on something like the OP's Mazda6. The wear is great (had 50k on them and would have gotten the rated 60k if we'd have kept the vehicle), they wear evenly and don't get a ton louder with wear like some tires, and dry traction is good. Wet traction could be a bit better, but I wouldn't call it bad by any means. Can't speak for how they are in snow since we don't get much in KY. They are plenty sporty for the average person driving a commuter car or sedan. Their $50 mfgr MIR is through the end of the month I think.
 
The OEM tires on my Mazda are Michelin MXV8 Energy and the tread life has been somewhat lousy and I have noticed traction has gone downhill. My brother uses Michelin Primacy MXV4 and he has had long life with those (60,000+ miles) so I think the line of tire is more important to consider than the brand.

I did a little more searching and did actually find a Uniroyal tire that would fit for my application:

http://www.uniroyaltires.com/tire-selector/size/emetric/205/65/16/T/tiger-paw-touring/tire-details

My Dad swears by Uniroyal Tiger Paws...he got 80k miles out of the OEM tire paws and also on a replacement set of tiger paws on his old Chevy S10 and they worked well until replacement. I have also had excellent tread life and performance from Pirelli P4 tires.

Maybe this is the new norm, but I think 30k out of a set of tires is junk...especially if it is from a brand that sells for a premium. It seems to be pretty common these days however with OEM tires.

I have heard from some that Mazdas tend to chew tires. I had a buddy who had a Mazda3 who went through a full set of tires every 30k miles no matter the brand.
 
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I don't know what Tire Racks deal is, but I can get my hands on 6 different tire models from Uniroyal in that size. Try tirebuyer.com or an Indy shop. Uniroyal is part of Michelin along with BFG. Conti owns General.
 
Some cars eat tires like hot cake.

My E430 is only 140k miles and it is on 6th set of tires already. The OEM set(GY Eagle F1) lasted only 17k miles, aftermarket sets lasted on average about 25-27k miles.

My S2000 rear tires lasted on average less than 15k miles, the front is a little better at around 25k miles.
 
Originally Posted By: GMFan
The OEM tires on my Mazda are Michelin MXV8 Energy and the tread life has been somewhat lousy and I have noticed traction has gone downhill. My brother uses Michelin Primacy MXV4 and he has had long life with those (60,000+ miles) so I think the line of tire is more important to consider than the brand.

I did a little more searching and did actually find a Uniroyal tire that would fit for my application:

http://www.uniroyaltires.com/tire-selector/size/emetric/205/65/16/T/tiger-paw-touring/tire-details

My Dad swears by Uniroyal Tiger Paws...he got 80k miles out of the OEM tire paws and also on a replacement set of tiger paws on his old Chevy S10 and they worked well until replacement. I have also had excellent tread life and performance from Pirelli P4 tires.

Maybe this is the new norm, but I think 30k out of a set of tires is junk...especially if it is from a brand that sells for a premium. It seems to be pretty common these days however with OEM tires.

I have heard from some that Mazdas tend to chew tires. I had a buddy who had a Mazda3 who went through a full set of tires every 30k miles no matter the brand.


Tiger Paws sell well here for a reason...my S 10 had them...great tire.

May get the AWPs myself..
 
The first three tires shown on that list from tirerack are all great tires, I would have no issue running any of them on my own stuff. I've had really good luck out of the General Altimax line up, so that would be my first choice. The RTs are holding up great to my moms driving style...which is go fast, fast turns, and hard braking. This is also without proper rotation. She's got about 30k miles on them (they're on an 05 Malibu, 205/65/15) and I expect she'll get another 15k-20k miles out of them. I really can't complain, General rates them as a 70k miles tire, which I fully believe is possible with proper rotation on that car.

Another thing to consider on your car...if I remember right, the rear has a decent amount of camber and toe, which isn't the best for tire wear, but should improve handling. If you're not tracking the car, see if your alignment shop will adjust the alignment for better wear.
 
I have Pierlli P4's in 205-65-16 on my '04 Nissan Altima 2.5 S that I only use for the winter w/the OE steel wheels. They're an all season tire that does very well in the snow/ice. Very happy! They come in "T" & "H" speed ratings. I have the "T"s and love'em.

For a beefier look and a proper fit/speedo calibration, 225-60-16 would work nicely
 
I just put 205/65-16 Michelin Primacy MXV4s on my 2011 Hyundai Sonata. There are numerous tires available in that size. Here is a good list: http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?ds...chen=View+tires

The OE tires on the Mazda6 iSport are H speed rated. The Uniroyal Tiger Paws in the 205/65-16 size are T speed rated. Some shops may be hesitant to install T speed rated tires on a car that normally calls for H rated. They claim it is a liability issue that prevents them from doing so. Other shops don't care as much and will just put on anything that fits the car.
 
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