New 2025 CX-5 with highway vibration problem; tires?

[DarkskiesIL]

Hi all,
I bought a 2025 CX-5. I love it - mostly, a really great car...
EXCEPT for a really annoying vibration I feel through the steering wheel between 70-80+ mph.

Googling brings up many stories of CX-5 vibration issues going back many many years.
At least some were solved with new tires. Some - 2nd hand report - took more serious repairs on drivetrain components.
The dealer seems great (sales and service) but balancing didn't fix it. So. I'll go back...

I've since read some grim reports on the OEM tires, Yokohama Geolandar G91. I should detonate them like that Tesla owner did his Model Y!
Maybe this is the same, G91A on tirerack? Google: tirerack Yokohama Geolandar G91A ... bad!!

As I am a meteorologist who goes storm viewing, wet traction / braking / hydroplaning resistance is everything.
So the G91's need to go. I'm going to negotiate w/dealer on buying 4 new tires...
>> Any tire suggestions?
>> I hear good things about Continental Crosscontact LX25, and Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3.

Thanks!!

 

[leeharvey418]

I’m not sure if all Geolandar G91As have been OE tires, but I know that I had them as OE on a 2007 RAV4 - one of those bad Tire Rack reviews is mine. You can’t really say anything about a replacement model of a tire when the same brand (including model and sub-model) gets used by an OEM and is subject to their specs. Tire Rack is pretty good about identifying OE tires, but especially with older models, getting valid survey results is a crapshoot.

 

[Jmaz]

I had those Geolandar's which came on my 2014 when purchased new. I grew to hate them and they were gone at 3000 miles. The good: decent ride and good handling on smooth roads. Good dry traction. No heavy rain to check hydroplaning. The bad: rough road really harsh ride and they wore quickly. At 1500 miles the fronts wore~ 2/32" and the rears ~ 1/32". I bought the CX-5 in March so never had chance to check snow traction but being so dissatisfied I checked the wisdom of the great internet for other opinions. Apparently these same tires were used as OEM for Subaru and they got slammed bad by the owners for having poor snow traction and Subie's are pretty good in snow. Just my story. Can't give a recommendation for a specific tire for the criteria you are looking for.

 

[DarkskiesIL]

I had those Geolandar's which came on my 2014 when purchased new. I grew to hate them and they were gone at 3000 miles. The good: decent ride and good handling on smooth roads. Good dry traction. No heavy rain to check hydroplaning. The bad: rough road really harsh ride and they wore quickly. At 1500 miles the fronts wore~ 2/32" and the rears ~ 1/32". I bought the CX-5 in March so never had chance to check snow traction but being so dissatisfied I checked the wisdom of the great internet for other opinions. Apparently these same tires were used as OEM for Subaru and they got slammed bad by the owners for having poor snow traction and Subie's are pretty good in snow. Just my story. Can't give a recommendation for a specific tire for the criteria you are looking for.

Thanks for your thoughts. I won't wait to find out how bad they are in the snow!

 

[leeharvey418]

Crap… I got so hung up on your questions about the Yokohamas, I ignored the rest of your post.

Are you mostly concerned about spring/summer storm chasing? Are you open to using dedicated winter tires? Is off-road capability going to be a concern?

 

[DarkskiesIL]

I’m not sure if all Geolandar G91As have been OE tires, but I know that I had them as OE on a 2007 RAV4 - one of those bad Tire Rack reviews is mine. You can’t really say anything about a replacement model of a tire when the same brand (including model and sub-model) gets used by an OEM and is subject to their specs. Tire Rack is pretty good about identifying OE tires, but especially with older models, getting valid survey results is a crapshoot.

Hey, thanks - and thanks for posting that review. I might get the luck that the tires don't fix the problem. Tirerack claims the G91A is OEM, though the sidewall says just G91. Either way, they have to go.

 

[DarkskiesIL]

Crap… I got so hung up on your questions about the Yokohamas, I ignored the rest of your post.

Are you mostly concerned about spring/summer storm chasing? Are you open to using dedicated winter tires? Is off-road capability going to be a concern?

These are all good questions and tirerack asks some of the same. My main priority is storm chasing w/wet roads. I'm in eastern IL, where heavy snow is pretty rare, so I can get away without dedicated snow tires. (I used to live in CO, and swapped winter tires on separate rims in snow season). And I'm not going off-road any distance to be a concern. So, that simplifies choosing a bit. And, unlike my old 6sp manual Mazda3, I won't be tearing around turns in the new car ... though I am pleasantly surprised how the CX-5 handles in general and on turns in particular.

 

[leeharvey418]

Great that you’re already doing your homework.

Two of Tire Rack’s top performers in the wet are available in 225/65R17 - the CrossContact LX25 and the Geolandar CV G058 (sorry if you’re gun-shy about Yokohamas, but they’re apparently pretty great tires). Those are on my short list of potential replacements on the CX-5 the next time I need them. Given that your use case sounds a lot like mine, I’d recommend them without hesitation.

 

[TheMAN]

if balancing the tires didn't fix it, then the tires are flat spotted... mazda's official fix is to drive the car around with LOW tire pressure to wear them down a little, then reinflate them back to spec... go try that

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2024/MC-10251369-0001.pdf

 

[Jmaz]

These are all good questions and tirerack asks some of the same. My main priority is storm chasing w/wet roads. I'm in eastern IL, where heavy snow is pretty rare, so I can get away without dedicated snow tires. (I used to live in CO, and swapped winter tires on separate rims in snow season). And I'm not going off-road any distance to be a concern. So, that simplifies choosing a bit. And, unlike my old 6sp manual Mazda3, I won't be tearing around turns in the new car ... though I am pleasantly surprised how the CX-5 handles in general and on turns in particular.

This new tire looks interesting.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-scorpion-weatheractive#:~:text=The%20Scorpion%20WeatherActive's%20innovative%20polymer,as%20quiet%20on%2Droad%20comfort.