What have you done to your CX-9 today?

Did you notice any difference in the stiffness of the sidewalk going from a V rated to a H rated tire

Not really. There is not that much difference from a H to a V rating. She says it feels generally "softer". I took it out today on a wet twisty road put the whip to it and it felt like a new car/SUV. I would say not as stiff as the well worn Falkens but the grip was way better. I tried to have it break free on a hard corner at 65 and it was pretty amazing. First time I ever really pushed this rig and it is impressive for what it is.

I went with the Defenders on good advice here and they should do decently in the snow and rain here in Montana. Discount tire.. about $950 all in ( not tax here in MT) . I'm a Michelin fan and believe in good contact with the road. The Falkens were close to shot at 22k miles but most of those miles were highway miles and heavy chip seal here. Discount tire guy verified that most OEM tires are not great. Expensive but that's what you get when your rolling on 20" 255 rubber.
 
I have to add that with these new high end Michelin tires I notice a lot more torque steer under any type of acceleration and yes this is an AWD GT. The grip is better and the front end feeling is worse.

Compared to my Honda Ridgeline that is also FWD biased but sends power to the rear wheels with Honda's SH-AWD the difference is amazing. The Honda never feels like the front end is plowing and the CX-9 does.

No big deal but it's there..
 
Made a Home Depot run, 20 4x4x8s, 10 bags of gravel and bunch of other stuff. Weight was approx. 1100lbs. Drove fine, no problem for the CX-9 fit easily.

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I have to add that with these new high end Michelin tires I notice a lot more torque steer under any type of acceleration and yes this is an AWD GT. The grip is better and the front end feeling is worse.

Compared to my Honda Ridgeline that is also FWD biased but sends power to the rear wheels with Honda's SH-AWD the difference is amazing. The Honda never feels like the front end is plowing and the CX-9 does.

No big deal but it's there..

Well the honda AWD doesn’t have to compose with its maximum torque until 4700 rpm (instead of 2000 rpm for the mazda). So it has a lot more time to react. (and only 262 lb-ft to deal with).

But mazda should have seen it coming and pre-loaded the rear for accelerations. Good to know the michelin have more grip. I guess a low roll resistance slippery tire would reduce the torque steer, slip earlier and send the power faster to the rear, but who would want that? Straddle the bull and hold on for your life ! (This reminds me of the mazdaspeed3 insane amount of torque steer.) :)
 
Gave it a well-deserved wash, detail, polish and wax.

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The buildup of road grime, tar, and other stuff that got embedded into the doors and fenders was ridiculous this year. Thank God for Turtle Wax's Bug & Tar Remover, lol.
 
Installed the OEM 3 piece hitch. That thing is beefy! Now just need to install the harness.
 

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Installed the OEM 3 piece hitch. That thing is beefy! Now just need to install the harness.
Well done with the install! It looks very clean. Is this a 1.25 inch or 2 inch receiver ? I asked for the dealer to provide a hitch for my 2018 when i bought it assuming it would be the OEM one but it sits lower than yours and without bumper cut out. Mine is a 2 inch receiver.
 
Well done with the install! It looks very clean. Is this a 1.25 inch or 2 inch receiver ? I asked for the dealer to provide a hitch for my 2018 when i bought it assuming it would be the OEM one but it sits lower than yours and without bumper cut out. Mine is a 2 inch receiver.
N/A only offer 1.25". Interestingly, the Aussies get 2". I would've gotten the aftermarket 2" but this hitch was included when I got the car. I only plan to use for non towing purposes so I don't mind the class II 1.25".
 
N/A only offer 1.25". Interestingly, the Aussies get 2". I would've gotten the aftermarket 2" but this hitch was included when I got the car. I only plan to use for non towing purposes so I don't mind the class II 1.25".

Dealer must have installed an aftermarket 2” on mine then ( i am in Canada). But i agree it is more than i really need.
 
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Gave it a good wash. First time using a foam cannon (used autoglym polar blast), it worked pretty well. Unfortunately got caught by the rain so didn’t have time to clean the wheels after.
 
Installed the OEM 3 piece hitch. That thing is beefy! Now just need to install the harness.

looks very clean. I’ve seen others that are aftermarket and require removal of the bottom portion of the bumper cover/ protected entirely. Love the way your turned out.
 
Was at my parents for dinner this evening, and my brother and wife stopped by afterwards. My brother said to me, "You have to go check out my rental" (his Dodge is in the body shop). So, I head outside to check it out. My ride on the left, rental on the right. It was like a family reunion. 😃

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Was at my parents for dinner this evening, and my brother and wife stopped by afterwards. My brother said to me, "You have to go check out my rental" (his Dodge is in the body shop). So, I head outside to check it out. My ride on the left, rental on the right. It was like a family reunion. 😃

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Great pics of both generations. And angle if both would be awesome also. They look relatively the same height. I want to install a moonroof deflector on mine but idk if it’s worth it.
 
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