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Looking to buy new tires for my 05 Mazda 6 and interested in new tires! Dealing with flatspots right now so dont wanna deal with that later. Also Ride and Noise comfort is really important! W4s have better noise rating but are 120 more for the set. is it worth it?
Both are very fine products in their own respect. If you live where good all season traction is a must then the Sumitomo may be the choice. The Yokohama products you are looking at are directional tires may not give the all season traction that you may need. Also, be aware of exactally how a directional tire can effect noise levels especially when they start to wear. Do to their having all the "harmonics" rotating in the same direction they are typically louder than their non directioanl counter part. On the plus side, a directional tire does have the ability to "shed" water more efficiently than a non directional tire. The Sumitomo being non-directional and can also have the rotation reversed if they start to wear irregular. You can not do this with directional tires. Tread design can more often be the determining factor over brand and may be the case in this situation...and that is my 2 cents! By the way, flat spots are usually the result of a mechanical issue rather than a flaw in the tire.