Hello, I have a 2005 RX-8, bought new, Grand Touring option, 18-inch wheels. I've only put 17,500 miles on it and I'm not real pleased with the tire wear. They're Dunlops, they're at least half-worn and I am past the age where I'm burning rubber at stop lights. They'll last me a few more months at least and the wear is not uneven. I'm looking for similar performance but longer tire tread life. My Mazda service guy recommends Yokohamas and I was wondering what other forum members think about this. Advice please - thank you!!

 

Toyo Proxes T1R

 

The Yokahama Advan AD07's and AD08's are top performing tires but I wouldn't say they will give you much life. Personally I liked the life I got with my BF Goodrich KDW's.

 

^ +1 I'm using the AD07's and they perform great. They are much better then the OEM Bridgestone's.

Go Tirerack.com
I bought mine for 630.00 shipped. Last Week....

The AD07's are around 150 each (Closeout Price)

 

It really depends what you want out of the tire. There are exceptions, for for the most part everything is a trade off.

Tires get more grip by using a softer rubber, so sticky tires wear quicker.

More responsive tires have larger tread blocks (less void area) so they do more poorly in rain.

More aggressive tires have stiffer sidewalls, which respond well, but ride more harsh.

More aggressive tires are usually less quiet than touring tires.

The key is to decide what trade offs you'll make, and choose a tire appropriately.

Something to look for is the UTQG number, or treadwear, which is a good relative comparison tool for how long the tire will last. A higher number is a longer lasting tire. Take it with a grain of salt though, as these numbers are up to the manufacturer to determine, so aren't necessarily perfectly accurate.

Also note that tires have a huge price range (On tirerack, 245/40-18s range from $100 to $400 each!) so picking something that fits both your needs and budget is very important.

 

^ Every tire has its goods and bads
Like you said, everything depends on what you want out of the tire.
The 8 is a great handling car that is most deserving of an aggressive tire with lots of grip

Flipper if you aren't familiar with tire vocab. then you should checkout this link- http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tiretech.jsp

Here you will find all the info that you should want to know before buying tires.

Good Luck

 

If you are looking for a decent amount better than stock performance with long life and good weather performance I would go with the toyo proxes 4.

I used them for a while and the tread life is extemely long, was even able to use them in the winter (although they werent amazing), and they were an all around good tire for a DD.

 

how about recommendations for new all seasons for my mild but cold and sometimes wet/slushy winter? traction is my primary variable. thanks

 

See my post above...its an all season that I used to DD in N. NJ all year. I would recommend it

 

I prefer a dedicated set of snow tires and rims if you need to drive in winter. The car is not very good in snow with the stock tire size. The OEM tires are definitely not suited for snow AT ALL. A dedicated set with rims from tire rack is somewhere around 1200-1300 on your doorstep mounted and balanced. Definitely worth the piece of mind.