Tire suggestions for deep snow and hot summers? 2021 CX-9
- Thread starter BigfurMN
- Start date
the best and honest suggestion I can give you, would be to have two seperate sets of wheels tires, one for summer, one for winter. if you don't want to or doesnt make sense $, youll be sacrificing one or the other to some degree
Maybe take a look at the Nokian WRG5 All Weather tires? There was a thread on them over in the CX-5 area. For our northern winters, All Weather is a bump up from All Season, better snow handling capability.
(They do make them in 20" size.)
mazdas247.com
(They do make them in 20" size.)
New Nokian WRG5 Tires
Available in 225/65/17 and 235/55/19 not 225/55/19 but should fit CX-5. For those who want all weather tires. https://www.nokiantires.com/company/news-article/nokian-tyres-unveils-remedy-to-problem-faced-by-three-in-four-north-american-drivers/
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You have to understand, a tire cannot perform well in both warm conditions, and in deep snow/cold weather. It is an absolute paradox. No such thing. If you want your car to perform safely in all conditions, you will need two sets of wheels/tires.
As noted above, unfortunately your best bet is two sets of tires. As described by Michelin, the Cross Climate is a nice A/S tire but not suited for deep snow.
From Michelin:
"The CrossClimate² is Michelin's Grand Touring All-Season tire developed for the drivers of sedans, coupes, station wagons, crossovers and SUVs looking for daily driving comfort combined with confident performance in dry, wet and light snow conditions. The CrossClimate² is designed as an all-weather tire to meet industry severe snow service requirements qualifying for the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol alongside its all-season performance and is intended to function as a one-tire solution for drivers that experience all four seasons but don't receive sufficient snowfall to require a dedicated winter tire."
Dangerous.
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- 2009 Mazda CX-9 GT
Been on Toyo Celsius for 4 years now (used to use snow tires). Ran it in 10-12" of wet snow, and icy conditions. They performed very well.
According this article, and Tire Rack, Three Peak tires are not qualified for severe snow.
"Anywhere you get all four seasons, and the winter part of that isn’t too severe, the 3PMSF should make for a useful improvement over standard all-season tires. Planning on deep snow or unplowed freeways? You’ll want to make a different choice."
Three Peak Mountain Snowflake Tires: What they can - and can't - do - Hagerty Media
If you’re taking I-70 across Colorado in January, you’re going to need real-deal snow tires. Not just because they’re a good idea, but because there might be a checkpoint along the way to make sure you’ve got them. If, on the other hand, you spend your whole life rollin’ in a 5.0 along Florida’s...
www.hagerty.com
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I don't snow plow with my luxury SUVs, and am not a lead foot driver. True snow tires, sure, are better than AW in absolute terms, but a good AW tire is fine for where I drive. Their design is better than a standard AS for snow traction, but not the same as a true snow tire.
I live in Central NY, pretty well known for lake effect snow. During the main part of a heavy storm I don't drive. By the time I've cleared the driveway, plows are at least starting to run, I'm comfortable driving.
My present car has Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady tires, another three peak tire. They've been solid year-round tires, for me.
I live in Central NY, pretty well known for lake effect snow. During the main part of a heavy storm I don't drive. By the time I've cleared the driveway, plows are at least starting to run, I'm comfortable driving.
My present car has Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady tires, another three peak tire. They've been solid year-round tires, for me.
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- Canada
Another vote for two sets of wheels, but it sounds like you know what you're doing and can adjust to conditions just fine with all-weather tires. Another tire to look into is the Continental CrossContact LX25. Found this thread comparing those tires in 17":
Continental CrossContact LX25 vs Michelin CrossClimate SUV (17 inch)?
I was wondering if anyone owns either tire and would be willing to offer a review. I currently have the Goodyear Assurance All Season tires and it's good but I'm looking for an upgrade.
What does "severe" mean in this context?
From Goodyear: "The 3PMS designation is an indicator that a tire has a strong level of winter performance, per the U.S. Department of Transportation’s requirements. Several tiremakers, including Goodyear, are developing all-season tires with 3PMS designation. These are tires that carry the 3PMS symbol, but can be used year-round. These products offer more snow traction than a traditional all-season tire, and they are a great alternative for customers. However, for someone who drives in harsh and unpredictable winter conditions, such as during a winter travel advisory, Goodyear would still highly encourage motorists to consider a dedicated set of winter tires. To designate a tire with the 3PMS symbol, the tire must maintain standards, including a certain level of grip on a surface covered in medium-packed snow."
From Nexen: "A 3PMS marking does not represent maximum winter performance. It is more a minimum. A tire that just meets the 3PMS level is a good step up in winter performance from most all-season tires, but has nowhere near the traction and control of a dedicated winter tire."
There is a new ice traction test and symbol being introduced. The 3PMS symbol represents that the tire has at least 10% more straight line acceleration traction than the reference All Season tire on medium packed snow; braking and cornering are not tested. The new ice braking test will require at least 18% more braking traction on ice than the reference All Season tire.
So...the Severe Snow Service rating isn't so severe at all. And ice...including snow that has been packed and polished by many spinning tires at an intersection...isn't covered in the testing until the ice symbol gets here. All that said, tire companies design and test their tires to meet many parameters, including several that are at odds with other parameters. We get the compromise in performance that the tire companies choose to give us. For example traction and tread wear are at odds with each other...max traction = minimum tread life and vice versa.
The new ice traction symbol alongside the snow traction symbol:
From Goodyear: "The 3PMS designation is an indicator that a tire has a strong level of winter performance, per the U.S. Department of Transportation’s requirements. Several tiremakers, including Goodyear, are developing all-season tires with 3PMS designation. These are tires that carry the 3PMS symbol, but can be used year-round. These products offer more snow traction than a traditional all-season tire, and they are a great alternative for customers. However, for someone who drives in harsh and unpredictable winter conditions, such as during a winter travel advisory, Goodyear would still highly encourage motorists to consider a dedicated set of winter tires. To designate a tire with the 3PMS symbol, the tire must maintain standards, including a certain level of grip on a surface covered in medium-packed snow."
From Nexen: "A 3PMS marking does not represent maximum winter performance. It is more a minimum. A tire that just meets the 3PMS level is a good step up in winter performance from most all-season tires, but has nowhere near the traction and control of a dedicated winter tire."
There is a new ice traction test and symbol being introduced. The 3PMS symbol represents that the tire has at least 10% more straight line acceleration traction than the reference All Season tire on medium packed snow; braking and cornering are not tested. The new ice braking test will require at least 18% more braking traction on ice than the reference All Season tire.
So...the Severe Snow Service rating isn't so severe at all. And ice...including snow that has been packed and polished by many spinning tires at an intersection...isn't covered in the testing until the ice symbol gets here. All that said, tire companies design and test their tires to meet many parameters, including several that are at odds with other parameters. We get the compromise in performance that the tire companies choose to give us. For example traction and tread wear are at odds with each other...max traction = minimum tread life and vice versa.
The new ice traction symbol alongside the snow traction symbol:
Another MN fella here.
First question, where do you live?
If you're like me and live in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, a decent all season/weather tire is usually fine since the roads are typically cleared within a day of snow.
Ideally, as previously said, a separate set of wheel/tires for winter is usually the best option and I also agree that you won't find a tire that is great in both sub-zero/snowy conditions as well as high temp dry.
Not a CX5, but on my 14 Explorer Sport, I'm on my 3rd set of tires since I bought it 10 years ago.
1. OE Hankook Optimo - These were terrible in snow, but ran to about 60k miles and were good in warm/wet.
2. Michelin Premier LTX - These were signifncatly better than the Hankooks in the snow. All other situations were similar. These lasted about 40k miles.
3. Firestone Destination LE3 - Current on the vehicle with around 25k miles. These are on par with the Michelins for traction, but have gotten a bit noisy. They are wearing really well though. These were also about $300 less for the set compared to the Michelins.
For most situations I've been in, the Michelins and Firestones are good for my driving as long as I'm 'smart' with my driving.
For comparison, I have a 2018 Edge which I have 2 sets of wheel/tires.
Again, the OE tires (Pirelli Scorpion Verde) are not good in the snow but fine for dry/rain, so I bought a 2nd set of wheels with Blizzaks. The winter tires make it a beast in the snow. Another reason is that I was able to piece together used 18" OE wheels + winter tires for less than just tires are for my stock 21" wheels.
First question, where do you live?
If you're like me and live in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, a decent all season/weather tire is usually fine since the roads are typically cleared within a day of snow.
Ideally, as previously said, a separate set of wheel/tires for winter is usually the best option and I also agree that you won't find a tire that is great in both sub-zero/snowy conditions as well as high temp dry.
Not a CX5, but on my 14 Explorer Sport, I'm on my 3rd set of tires since I bought it 10 years ago.
1. OE Hankook Optimo - These were terrible in snow, but ran to about 60k miles and were good in warm/wet.
2. Michelin Premier LTX - These were signifncatly better than the Hankooks in the snow. All other situations were similar. These lasted about 40k miles.
3. Firestone Destination LE3 - Current on the vehicle with around 25k miles. These are on par with the Michelins for traction, but have gotten a bit noisy. They are wearing really well though. These were also about $300 less for the set compared to the Michelins.
For most situations I've been in, the Michelins and Firestones are good for my driving as long as I'm 'smart' with my driving.
For comparison, I have a 2018 Edge which I have 2 sets of wheel/tires.
Again, the OE tires (Pirelli Scorpion Verde) are not good in the snow but fine for dry/rain, so I bought a 2nd set of wheels with Blizzaks. The winter tires make it a beast in the snow. Another reason is that I was able to piece together used 18" OE wheels + winter tires for less than just tires are for my stock 21" wheels.
