New CX-9 Grand Touring/Tire Concerns

Gladly replaced the Bridgestones at 29K miles. Local tire store recommended Goodyear Eagle RS-A (255/50R20). Can't comment on snow yet, but wet traction is worlds better and the car also seems to be less prone to poor tracking.
 
Gladly replaced the Bridgestones at 29K miles. Local tire store recommended Goodyear Eagle RS-A (255/50R20). Can't comment on snow yet, but wet traction is worlds better and the car also seems to be less prone to poor tracking.

If your CX-9 is navigation equipped, make sure you do a tire calibration. This should be done with every new set of tires, especially if you've gone to an off-size.

I did the calculations a while back when I was considering this size, the speedo error is about 3%. Like I said, though, the nav system can adjust for it.

In the end, I went with Yokohama Spec-X in the factory 245-50-R20 102V.
 
If your CX-9 is navigation equipped, make sure you do a tire calibration. This should be done with every new set of tires, especially if you've gone to an off-size.

I did the calculations a while back when I was considering this size, the speedo error is about 3%. Like I said, though, the nav system can adjust for it.

In the end, I went with Yokohama Spec-X in the factory 245-50-R20 102V.


Thanks for the info. I did not know we could do that. I am off to read the manual.

Tom
 
Bridgestones in snow

Here in Michigan we just had our first taste of snow covered roads. The Bridgestone Dueler HL 400's are maybe the WORST tire I have experienced on an AWD vehicle in snow. They border on being actually unsafe on packed snow. Check out the comments on this tire at Tirerack.com and you'll see that the responses are not complimentary about their winter performance. I have a set of Goodyear Eagle RS-A's being installed on Tuesday. I'll report on how they work.
 
Here in Michigan we just had our first taste of snow covered roads. The Bridgestone Dueler HL 400's are maybe the WORST tire I have experienced on an AWD vehicle in snow. They border on being actually unsafe on packed snow. Check out the comments on this tire at Tirerack.com and you'll see that the responses are not complimentary about their winter performance. I have a set of Goodyear Eagle RS-A's being installed on Tuesday. I'll report on how they work.

Don't get the RS-A's they won't be any better, RS-A's are a terrible tire in the winter.
 
I didn't get the RS-A's - one look at them and I could see they would be no better than the Bridgestones. I opted instead for Goodyear Wrangler HPs. They have a much more aggressive tread pattern and I am very pleased with them in pretty heavy and packed snow. They are a bit noisier on the highway than the Bridgestones but the snow performance is worth the noise.
 
I've been running the Yokohama Parada's on my old Dodge Magnum RT, in the 20" size, and these tires wear like iron, even in our superheated summer road conditions in Arizona. I keep praying for an unrepairable problem in one of the Bridgestone's so I can justify a trip to Discount Tire and put a set of Yoko's on my GT
 
Yeah, the Parada has been awesome (about 5k miles into the set). They were almost eight bills installed, but they put the Bridgestones to shame in every measurable respect. At a little over 3k miles, one of my Bridgestones suffered an unrepairable puncture, and a replacement was a week away and $235, so it was a no brainer.

I haven't looked in the last few months, but the Parada is probably the best m/s tire out there for the CX-9 at this time. The Toyo Proxes can be had for a bit less, some members here are running those.
 
One more vote against using the standard 20" Duelers on any winter driving.

I have the AWD and was lucky to get through the first two days of winter driving without screwing up my CX-9. I think the tires are dangerous on snow. I drive relatively conservatively and still slid around terribly on the stock tires. We have round-abouts where I live and the stock tires made them deadly even at slow speeds.

My FWD Honda Accord with stock tires (all season and relatively worn) was WAY, WAY safer than my AWD CX-9 with the stock tires.

Fortunately I just got 18" Blizzak DMZ3s mounted on spare rims today. Absolute night and day difference!

-Jeff
 
All Season Recommendations

As we all know the stock tires are worthless in any slush, snow or ice. I have looked at the Yokohama Parada Spec-X but after some reviews have found they may be just as bad as the stock Dueler HL400's so how about going to a 255/50-20 tire Dueler H/L Alenza? Anyone tried these?
 
CX-9 Replacement Tires to Bridgestone H/L 400

!!URGENT!! - If you are looking for replacement tires to the H/L 400 tires that came oem on the Mazda CX-9 GT LOOK no more. I have done research and asked around, checked Tire Rack and could not find a tire that had any good reviews, good years, pirelli, yokohomo, all of them had the same flaws as the 400's! I was not wanting to spend $ on replacement tires that were just as bad as 400's!

The standard tires on the GT version are 245/50-20, I spoke with the guys at Firestone and used a tire calculator and looks like I can order Bridgestone H/L Alenza 255/50-20 size tire and still have it fit. I should be getting them installed Saturday, if any of you decide to wait and see how they do for me, we are expecting snow on saturday and I will post back on how they do in the snow. So far from what I've read I have very high expectations. If you decide to go this route, the tires are brand new in this size and the tire shops might tell you they are not available yet, they are but the shop will need to order them from the factory.
 
Newbie here. I had to jump in this thread with my story.

I have a 2007 CX9 GT and have had nothing but trouble in the snow. They are beyond unsafe -- passenger cars pass us all the time, which is kind of embarrassing for an AWD crossover.

Last year my wife and I slid into a storm grate on the way home from church on a very slight decline while rounding a turn at about 15-20 MPH. We were lucky to salvage the rim ($750 each!), but I was forced to purchase two new Dueler 400s -- being told by the dealer that this was the only tire available.

Now, about one year later, we just had a nightmare trip to NH and back on New Year's eve. The two older tires are almost bald and I discovered that these tires are high performance and not even all-weather! How a company can stock these on an AWD vehicle is beyond me, but I digress. I also discovered that there are more tires out there. Also here.

I ordered four new Toyo PROXES S/T II 245/50 R20 102V today, which are due to be installed Monday. I also considered the Goodyear Wranger HPs, but opted for these instead, hoping for better handling with the sporty CX9 as I was told the Wranglers are more well-suited for a small truck.

I will report back with my experience with these tires.

Careful driving!
 
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tires will only do what they are intended to do, the Mazda sells zoom zoom which has a lot to do with responsiveness, feel, grip, and tightness, and nothing to do with snow/ice. The public has been oversold the goods on "all weather tires". Tradeoffs, its all about tradeoffs, where would a v or z rated tire ever be worthy in the winter, only stored in the garage, their compound is worthless at any temp below 40 degrees, which is fact.

Goodyear has a decent three compound tire that could be one of the answers, but sizing is a problem right now. I have no sympathy for someone that has the wrong tires in the winter, get the right tires and be safe!
 
!!URGENT!! - If you are looking for replacement tires to the H/L 400 tires that came oem on the Mazda CX-9 GT LOOK no more. I have done research and asked around, checked Tire Rack and could not find a tire that had any good reviews, good years, pirelli, yokohomo, all of them had the same flaws as the 400's! I was not wanting to spend $ on replacement tires that were just as bad as 400's!

The standard tires on the GT version are 245/50-20, I spoke with the guys at Firestone and used a tire calculator and looks like I can order Bridgestone H/L Alenza 255/50-20 size tire and still have it fit. I should be getting them installed Saturday, if any of you decide to wait and see how they do for me, we are expecting snow on saturday and I will post back on how they do in the snow. So far from what I've read I have very high expectations. If you decide to go this route, the tires are brand new in this size and the tire shops might tell you they are not available yet, they are but the shop will need to order them from the factory.

Any word on those Alenza's?

The Toyo's I ordered hit a snag and I am considering a last minute swap if your experience in the snow was positive and they fit well.

Oh, and if you don't mind would you please post the price you paid as well? Tire rack has them listed at $220. And if that size is acceptable, how about Pirelli Scorpion ice & snow tires?

Thanks!
 
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Got 2,000 miles on my Toyo Proxes ST II's. Still going strong. Very good grip in the wet. No winter use yet.

Have you had any snowy conditions yet Scott? I am anxiously awaiting the installation of these tires and would like some feedback on their performance in bad weather.

I have gone back and forth several times and have finally settled on these tires being the best fit for my needs.

Thanks!
 
We bought an '08 GT a few weeks ago and like everyone else have been completely flabbergasted at how terrible the Duellers are in snow. Even with light braking or slow turns the car has been sliding all over the place and we have had at least two near accidents. My wife is too nervous to drive it to work and has elected to drive an old Protege that we almost never use.

Obviously winter tires are better, but I never experienced such poor performance with the all-seasons of my previous SUV. These tires should NOT be on any CX9 sold in northern climates.

I am now trying to find winter tires (Blizzaks or anything else) but every place that I have tried in the Toronto area are sold out. So if I can't find any winter tires in a reasonable amount of time, I will probably try to replace the Duellers with all-seasons that have some decent (read: better) traction in the snow. Could anyone give a recommendation?
 
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We bought an '08 GT a few weeks ago and like everyone else have been completely flabbergasted at how terrible the Duellers are in snow. Even with light braking or slow turns the car has been sliding all over the place and we have had at least two near accidents. My wife is too nervous to drive it to work and has elected to drive an old Protege that we almost never use.

Obviously winter tires are better, but I never experienced such poor performance with the all-seasons of my previous SUV. These tires should NOT be on any CX9 sold in northern climates.

I am now trying to find winter tires (Blizzaks or anything else) but every place that I have tried in the Toronto area are sold out. So if I can't find any winter tires in a reasonable amount of time, I will probably try to replace the Duellers with all-seasons that have some decent (read: better) traction in the snow. Could anyone give a recommendation?

Have you tried the tire rack on the web?
 
brownghost,

Lots of people have added a second set of tires with good results. Check out this thread. The good news is you have new Duelers, so you can simply swap between seasons and prolong the life of the stock tires. The Duelers actually perform like a good ultra high performance tire in the warmer months based on my experience -- it's just snow and ice that render them useless. If you get a lot of snow in Toronto (and I assume you do), that's definitely what I would do. Get Pirelli Scorpions or Blizzaks or winterforce tires from Firestone on 18" rims. Check it out here.

I live in an area that doesn't get a tremendous amoutn of snow consistently (Coastal Southern New England). I just got Toyo Proxes S/T II 245/50R20 102Vs installed today and so far they are vastly superior to the Bridgestones in every way. The car was also badly out of alignment, so that's likely part of the improvement too. We are expecting a good amount of snow here on Sunday so these came just in time. I will report back with how they handle in snow Sunday evening.
 
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