215 50 R17 Recommendation

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Hi guys:

Looking to replace tires in the subject. Need all seasons.

The car is an 07 Mazda 6 - OEM was Michelin Primacy - which I didn't like enough to justify paying the Michelin premium. Replaced them with Kumho Ecsta ASX's. The Kumhos were pretty good, but lost wet traction as they aged, and really poor (now outright dangerous) in even the lightest dusting of snow.

Looking for a replacement that is cheaper than the Michelin / Continental recommendation I see on Tirerack. Longevity isn't a concern - the car sees light miles, and the tires will dry rot (or the car will rust out around them) before being worn.

Any help appreciated. I had Yokos (AVID?) on another car that I really liked. Also had OEM Continentals (Procontact) on a Honda that were nicely balanced for all seasons. How does Continental compare to Generals (Altimax?)?
 
I really liked my Cooper CS5 Ultras on my previous car (Acura TSX with 215/50/17s). Great in rain, decent in snow for an all-season.

My 2nd choice would be to maybe try the Kumho Solus TA31... $75 rebate currently at Tire Rack.
 
General Tire happens to be owned by Continental. General Tires are good for the money.
I just bought a set of Continental SureContact RX tires for my GTI: 225/40/18 for 592.11 out the door a week ago with a $100 web discount.
Very nice tires. They are specific to the NTB companies kinda like a mattress, but they are or were cheaper than Discount Tires house brand Continental out the door and mine has an AA traction rating while DT doesn't. Perfectly balanced and not out of round at 80 MPH and they have very good rain traction.
 
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I currently have the same as yours OEM tires Michellin Primacy mxm4 and I can not be happier. Throughout the ownership of my M6 I replaced many different brands and models. They sit at 32k miles so far. I got them at Costco. They will reach 55k easily and they still perform as brand new. Next time I'll look for them again.
 
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Since winter would be my most important concern, I would be inclined to pick an A/S tire(since you didn't mention changing to winter tires) that does well in the snow.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS&width=215%2F&ratio=50&diameter=17&tireSearch=true&filter=y
 
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Do you have separate winter tires? Or are you going to use a single set of tires year-round?

If you can only have one set of tires, and winter/snow traction is important, get the Vredestein Quatrac 5. An all-season tire with the mountain-and-snowflake symbol. They are better than other all-season tires in the snow, but they do not last as long, but that seems to be fine for your usage.,

Otherwise, get the Sumitomo HTR Z III
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Do you have separate winter tires? Or are you going to use a single set of tires year-round?

If you can only have one set of tires, and winter/snow traction is important, get the Vredestein Quatrac 5. An all-season tire with the mountain-and-snowflake symbol. They are better than other all-season tires in the snow, but they do not last as long, but that seems to be fine for your usage.,

Otherwise, get the Sumitomo HTR Z III


No winter tires here. Been living in the Mid atlantic for years and couldn't justify it. A little on the fence now that we moved a little north - but we do not get a ton of snow here.

Thanks for the recommendation.
 
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