What tire feels similar to the Toyo A36?

[husker3in4]

Ok yall, I have a 22 CX-5 Premium with 19" wheels. My OEM Toyos felt great, although were getting a bit noisy. They still had some tread left at 36k miles but I got a huge screw in them so I figured I might as well replace all 4. After some research, I bought Michelin Defender 2 tires, as I live in FL and have no need for snow handling and I figured Id go for the long tread life.

Now I may be in the minority, but as soon as I drove away with the new tires on I felt it. It feels.. gushy.. I don't know how to describe it, they feel nice and all, but those Toyo A36 that came with it felt a bit firmer and sportier when driving. I dont race around or anything, I but I prefer a firmer tire. I think the Defender 2s may be built more for comfort. The Toyos were smooth enough for me and I appreciated the firmness/responsiveness/performance feeling from them.

I think with Discount Tire I can simply exchange them for different tires, I woud just go for the Toyos again but I don't want to have to do this again in 36k miles, and those old Toyo's were getting a bit noisy. Is there another tire that will give similar feel/performance as the Toyo A36 that came with my CX-5, but have longer tread wear and maybe not start getting noisy after a couple of years? Honestly, the noise isn't that big a deal, but the tread life would be great if it was around 50k or more.

 

[dunhillmc]

Give the tires about 500 miles to break in before deciding to switch

 

[Mazdiod2]

New tires always feel a little softer and quieter because the rubber is still fresh. You'll get used to them. Try adjusting the tire pressure if you want to.

 

[jadmt]

what psi are they set at?

 

[N7turbo]

I don't share the opinion that the A36 (and specifically at this size, a 9" tire on a 7" wheel) are firm and responsive. I feel the opposite, actually.

Might want to compare these 3:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTires.jsp?width=225/&ratio=55&diameter=19&frontWidth=&frontRatio=&frontDiameter=&rearWidth=&rearRatio=&rearDiameter=&sortCode=57265&rearSortCode=&tireIndex=null

 

[jakeuten]

I've never heard bad things about the Defenders, so firstly I'd check that the PSI is correct. I've also heard rave reviews about the Pirelli Scorpion AS+ 3's. I don't have any complaints about the Continental LX25's. If snow is of zero concern, I'd look at Pilot Sport 4 all seasons. They have fantastic grip, even in cold pouring rain.

 

[vrsick]

My 2018 CX-5 had the Toyos. Was never impressed with them. The Toyos performed ok on all conditions. On my new 2024 CX-5 I decided to waste no time and replace the Toyos. Over the phone @ Tirerack.com they mentioned the Pirelli would be a good choice for the CX-5. I took there advice, I'm glad I did. Tires perform well. They do generate a little more noise than the Toyos. The only brand tire that I would never recommend is Continetal. I had those on another car, it was horrible on rain.

 

[husker3in4]

I don't share the opinion that the A36 (and specifically at this size, a 9" tire on a 7" wheel) are firm and responsive. I feel the opposite, actually.

Might want to compare these 3:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTires.jsp?width=225/&ratio=55&diameter=19&frontWidth=&frontRatio=&frontDiameter=&rearWidth=&rearRatio=&rearDiameter=&sortCode=57265&rearSortCode=&tireIndex=null

View attachment 332051

I had those up on Tire Rack, and the Cross Climates as well as the Pilot Sport 4

 

[husker3in4]

I have been looking at those, but the problem is, there is no rating for what I want which is apparently the stiff sidewall that will give me that tighter feeling vs the softer touring feeling.
These are the tires I had up, I didnt really consider the cross climates as I dont need snow performance at all, unless you think they will have firmer sidewalls and harder materials.

Do you think those Pilot Sport 4 All Season Tire or the Perelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 tire in my list will be closer to the A36?

 

[RedBaron]

Look for the tires with the worst rating/reviews for ride harshness!

One way to tell sidewall stiffness is to look for the load rating. The higher the load rating, the stiffer the sidewall will be.

 

[vrsick]

I can only speak for the Perelli Scorpion AS Plus 3. The side wall is solid compared to the Toyo's.

 

[HyFlyer]

"What tire feels similar to the Toyo A36?"​

(Sorry lol, had to )

 

[N7turbo]

I have been looking at those, but the problem is, there is no rating for what I want which is apparently the stiff sidewall that will give me that tighter feeling vs the softer touring feeling.
These are the tires I had up, I didnt really consider the cross climates as I dont need snow performance at all, unless you think they will have firmer sidewalls and harder materials.

Do you think those Pilot Sport 4 All Season Tire or the Perelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 tire in my list will be closer to the A36?

View attachment 332074

If you want sporty, the Michelin Pilot Sport AS is a solid choice, but it's a very different tire to the Toyo A36 (as it should be, they are in different categories). It's a shame that Continental does not make an ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus in 225/55/19 as it's the better choice on the street.

 

[vrsick]

A co-worker has these, Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax. He claims the ride is very soft. I went ahead and looked at the side walls. Indeed the side walls are soft.

 

[husker3in4]

Look for the tires with the worst rating/reviews for ride harshness!

One way to tell sidewall stiffness is to look for the load rating. The higher the load rating, the stiffer the sidewall will be.

Load index? Or load range? The numbers on the Defender 2s are higher: 103 XL vs the Toyo A36: 99 SL, so that would lead me to believe the side walls are firmer/stiffer on the Defender 2's right? But they feel squishier.

 

[RedBaron]

Load index? Or load range? The numbers on the Defender 2s are higher: 103 XL vs the Toyo A36: 99 SL, so that would lead me to believe the side walls are firmer/stiffer on the Defender 2's right? But they feel squishier.

It could be that you've become used to the hardening-with-age of the old Toyo's, so any new tire might feel softer.

 

[Mazdiod2]

It could be that you've become used to the hardening-with-age of the old Toyo's, so any new tire might feel softer.

Yeah, fresh, squishy, deeper tread...

They should put information on the tires about the material and number of plies, etc. but I haven't seen any web sites that post that information. I think the Cont LX25 has more plies than the Cont Crosss-whatevers, but I don't know if that's online anywhere.