Blizzak LM-25 vs Parada Spec-X

[smittypig24]

Hi all,
I'm new again...I had a 2002 Protege5, but then sold it and ran a BMW 530i for 5 years. Now I'm back to Mazdas and happy about it!!!

I just purchased a 2008 CX9 AWD Grand Touring with 40k miles and it currently has some practically new Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 tires on it. I live in Northern Virginia and these tires are overkill for this area. We don't get that much snow and if we do, the roads are clear enough for just about any car. I'm thinking about taking them off and selling them and replacing with the Spec-X which everyone seems to like on their CX9.

I'm looking for opinions on this idea. Is there a market for used Blizzaks? Will there be a big difference in ride quality in summer? These blizzaks seem noisy to me, but then again, it's all I know on the CX9.

Any advice or opinions are welcome.

-Matt

 

[just_phil]

I'm running LM-25s here in NJ, on 18" CX-7 wheels. I used to have the same tires on my Subaru, and I'm rather happy with them. What size do you have? 20"? I think you should be able to sell them fairly easily, but then again, with this weather it may be better to wait until October or November.

 

[CTt3P5]

There might not be a market now since we are near the end of the season but you can always start a f/s thread here and put them on craigslist. Both are free, so if you get no bites right now, you wasted a few mintues to take some pics. I'd then try again in Sept/Oct as people will begin shopping for winter shoes.

 

[RoadKing01]

I just bought the spec-xs in November and they have performed well for me this winter. Of course this winter has been abnormally mild, but I was able to get around no problem in the little snow we did get. They are also quiet, handle well, and are a dramatic improvement over the stock bridgestones.

The blizzaks will wear like crazy in the summer and will not handle nearly as well either. You could just get a set of cheap(er) summer tires and swap them out in the winter. I do that on my hhr and it has worked very well for me. You will miss out on one of the best assets of the CX-9 running those tires in the summer.

What size are the Blizzaks? I may be interested in them depending on condition and price. I am sure that others on here would be as well.

 

[kornholio]

Why is it that the continental crosscontact lx20 all season is rated better than the yokohama parada tire? it is also more expensive.

 

[ceric]

The conti only has 160k review miles. That is not accurate.
On tirerack.com, the new tire starts with review score of 10, not 0.
Then, it starts to average out. The Spec-X has 5 millions review miles in comparison.
Also, the conti is T rated (109 max speed), and wet traction is rated at "B".
(Spec-X is V-rated (139+ mph) and "A" for wet traction)
The tread wear index is great at 720!!! (compared to 420)
It should late very well (thanks to harder compound and bigger tread depth)

From the tread pattern, it won't be a good summer tire. I can almost guarantee that.
(thanks to the same harder compound as well)
It will last, but no fun driving on it.
When it reaches 2M+ miles, let us see what score it gets.

 

[RoadKing01]

I'll take a softer tire with better handling over a harder tire with better tread wear every time. The cx9 is arguably the best handling 7 seat cuv on the road today. The yokos allow that handling to shine and still give you decent traction in the winter.

IMHO your tires are the single most important component of any vehicle. They are literally where the rubber meets the road. Inferior tires will compromise the even the best steering, braking, and Accelerating vehicles on the road.

The yokos are very highly rated on tire rack and highly recommended by most users on here. That was the biggest selling point for me. I cant wait until I make my annual spring trip to MB next month. It will be my first 10 hour trip in the CX and I am looking forward to seeing how well it goes. Last year I had rain in PA , snow in WV , and sunshine with 60 degree temps in the carolinas , and that was just the trip down. My conti DWSs handled the trip perfectly and I never had to drop below 5mph over the speed limit. Here's hoping the cx9 and yoko combo do just as well this year.