Hey guys, just wondering what wheel and tire setup you have for your CX-9. Any recommendations? Feel free to post some pictures if you have any!
Also, is anyone using OEM Mazda wheels from other Mazda models like the CX-5 or 6? I know the bolt pattern and center bore are the same, and most of them have a 45mm offset. Not sure about the width of the rims if they would accommodate a 255 or 245 tire.
Thanks!
Depending on where you live, there are different focuses for snow tires. Here in Ohio we get frequent snow, but it also frequently melts, so it rarely stays around and continues to pile up for more than a few days. I place more of an emphasis on dry cold weather handling (low temps) than constant deep snow (like in the mountains our out in the great planes states).
That being said, I went with Yokohama BlueEarth Winter V905's after a lot of consideration between those and the Blizzak DM-V2's. For my application, I wanted good snow performance, but was willing to sacrifice some deep snow handling for dry handling as I'm a sporty driver (my previous car was a 475 HP Mustang GT in Ruby Red) even in the winter months. The Blizzaks had a slight edge in deep snow over the Yokohama's, but the V905's provided better dry handling and don't float all over on the highway like the Blizzaks.
I stuck with the factory 20" wheels and will use them for the snow tires and buy a set of Flow Forged lightweight 20x8.5's for summer. I take a different approach than most people to get more performance out of a car.
No cold air intakes, no re-tuning the PCM (good way to crack a piston or bend a rod on a daily, especially as miles pile up) etc. Instead I use In Situ hydrogenated DLC coatings to reach super lubricity in the engine and drive train to regain losses and use ultra lightweight barrel forged wheels (lower rotating mass, you can shave around 45lbs of rotating mass over OE!), then repurposing the factory wheels for snow duty. Shaving nearing 45lbs of unsprung mass makes a huge difference in handling and acceleration and de-acceleration. I did the same thing with my GT (although that did have Ford's Power Pack 2 with the GT350 CAI and their own re-mapping the PCM, but that was covered under warranty unlike most hot calibrations).
Anyway, the Yokohama's have rounded shoulders unlike most other snow tires (similar to high performance all seasons, summer performance tires etc.), you don't get quite as much bite in cornering in snow as the Ice-X's or Blizzaks, but they corner like a V rated all season in dry cold weather. What works better for now doesn't work as good for dry pavement.
Since 80-90% of the winter is just cold with no snow here, I wanted to balance dry cold weather handling with enhanced snow capabilities and not have the car floating all over the highway either. These do a great job at preserving the CX-9's excellent chassis dynamics (for an 7 seater SUV that is). Braking and acceleration performance is on par with other snow tires, overall I think they are better balanced for how the car is used.