We traded our (4) OEM Bridgestone Duelers for (4) Michelin Latitude Tour HPs for $170 total installed. 245/60R18 We kept the full size spare as is.
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Slipping and sliding in the snow.
- Thread starter connib
- Start date
We traded our (4) OEM Bridgestone Duelers for (4) Michelin Latitude Tour HPs for $170 total installed. 245/60R18 We kept the full size spare as is.
CX9 SportOwner
Member
I'm disappointed in the OEM tires on dry pavement, and terrified of them on wet and icy roads.
They scrub way too much in turns, and I can smoke them if I get on the gas. And that's in an 07. Awful tires.
They scrub way too much in turns, and I can smoke them if I get on the gas. And that's in an 07. Awful tires.
In all honesty Bridgestones aren't bad on dry pavement. The fact of the matter is that the CX-9 was designed with such a good performance-geared suspension that one feels confident in taking a 40mph exit ramp going 60. Yet our car still weighs 4600 pounds. It is almost as if the CX-9's suspension is too good for the tire size. Any factory sized tire would probably lose traction therefore, as the tires are the weakest link in the chain. Notice how a Porsche cayeene and a Range Rover Sport have much wider tires than the CX-9. We would probably need tires that wide on our heavy car if we wanted to be able to take high speed turns like those higher end sport SUVs.
When I comparison shopped before buying the CX-9, I noticed right away that it could take turns way faster than any of the models that it directly competes with. (excluding the Acura MDX which wasn't out yet in late 2007)
When I comparison shopped before buying the CX-9, I noticed right away that it could take turns way faster than any of the models that it directly competes with. (excluding the Acura MDX which wasn't out yet in late 2007)
I'm not experiencing the tire issues everyone complains about. I have driven in slush and a little bit of ice and the only time I've slid is when I did it on purpose by slamming on the brakes hard or gunning it to try to break them loose. And even then it wasn't out of control.
I definitely am going to look into getting some 18" wheels and tires next winter just to be safe and because I want to be able to make it to the mountain. I think I found some nice shiny, aka gawdy, rims for about $400 that will fit. However, I still will need to go to Schwab's or America's Tire Company and buy me some tires from them so that it won't cost me anything to have the wheels pulled and remounted everytime.
Anyone have any suggestions on tires for the 18" rims? I know people have mentioned the blizzak's and the Pirellis in 20", but any suggestions for the 18's? I would imagine there are many more options.
I definitely am going to look into getting some 18" wheels and tires next winter just to be safe and because I want to be able to make it to the mountain. I think I found some nice shiny, aka gawdy, rims for about $400 that will fit. However, I still will need to go to Schwab's or America's Tire Company and buy me some tires from them so that it won't cost me anything to have the wheels pulled and remounted everytime.
Anyone have any suggestions on tires for the 18" rims? I know people have mentioned the blizzak's and the Pirellis in 20", but any suggestions for the 18's? I would imagine there are many more options.
CX9 SportOwner
Member
Mazda made the CX9 ride smooth, but corner well, too. Very rare for any car. (Cadillac CTS is a good example of that trade-off)
The 'luxury' CUVs improve cornering by putting wider tires on them. The problem is that those wider tires suck in snow. They also get better acceleration by using V8s with premium gas. (The Mercedes GL450 V8 at 70k is less than 1 second faster then the CX9 0 to 60 and has 17 CF less cargo volume.)
Mazda simply put more thought into every aspect of the car. If you compare it to all others like it, including the expensive ones, they don't compare. Seats that function better, features that are standard even on the lowest model, more room than all but one (Lamda), and great performance. None of them have the simplicity of designe like the CX9. They make up for it with gimmicks and gadgets like power folding ashtrays. This is why we bought a CX9.
If you think the Deullers aren't bad on dry, change your tires and you will see the difference. The Bridgestones don't match the level of performance of the rest of the CX9. In fact, the car has had to take over and recover from these tires losing their grip several times.
The 'luxury' CUVs improve cornering by putting wider tires on them. The problem is that those wider tires suck in snow. They also get better acceleration by using V8s with premium gas. (The Mercedes GL450 V8 at 70k is less than 1 second faster then the CX9 0 to 60 and has 17 CF less cargo volume.)
Mazda simply put more thought into every aspect of the car. If you compare it to all others like it, including the expensive ones, they don't compare. Seats that function better, features that are standard even on the lowest model, more room than all but one (Lamda), and great performance. None of them have the simplicity of designe like the CX9. They make up for it with gimmicks and gadgets like power folding ashtrays. This is why we bought a CX9.
If you think the Deullers aren't bad on dry, change your tires and you will see the difference. The Bridgestones don't match the level of performance of the rest of the CX9. In fact, the car has had to take over and recover from these tires losing their grip several times.
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CX9 SportOwner
Member
(gossip)
Slush and a 'little bit if ice' isn't the same as 1 or 2 inches of SOLID ice covering the entire road, covered by 6 inches of snow. and that's just here in Prescott, AZ. We need better tires because we don't get enough of that to justify owning two sets of tires, but still need to drive in it.
If your conditions aren't even as bad as ours, I'd get the Michelin Latitudes, or the Yokohama Paradas, both of which have good winter ratings from users. just watch the specs. There are Latitudes and Paradas that have lower speed ratings than the factory H as well as versions that meet it. If you do any interstate traveling, you want to maintain that rating, or exceed it.
Slush and a 'little bit if ice' isn't the same as 1 or 2 inches of SOLID ice covering the entire road, covered by 6 inches of snow. and that's just here in Prescott, AZ. We need better tires because we don't get enough of that to justify owning two sets of tires, but still need to drive in it.
If your conditions aren't even as bad as ours, I'd get the Michelin Latitudes, or the Yokohama Paradas, both of which have good winter ratings from users. just watch the specs. There are Latitudes and Paradas that have lower speed ratings than the factory H as well as versions that meet it. If you do any interstate traveling, you want to maintain that rating, or exceed it.
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CX9 SportOwner
Member
Yes there are some good tire threads, particularly for winter.
Touch on wood .. but during the occasions I've been driving the CX-9 around metro Detroit, I haven't had any issues thus far. I've an 08 GT with those 20" rims since Sept 08.
Folks living around metro Detroit can attest to the awful snowy and icy conditions we had. Well, maybe not as bad as the winter of 03 (iirc).
Perhaps I'm coming from driving cars and I do understand SUVs can go where my car can't go, but it surely can't stop like the cars. So, I always leave plenty of space, and gently applying on the brakes. I won't do what other SUV drivers often do on the first few days of snow, which is to drive like it is still dry and impatiently overtaking the other cautious car drivers. Not to say folks here are doing that.
Like another poster said, after reading the stories on this forum, I purposely went out and hit on the brakes on a straight away. Sure enough, ABS kicked in full force, and I can feel the SUV slipping.. though not sliding all that much. It is in a controlled manner which allowed me to still steer.
Folks living around metro Detroit can attest to the awful snowy and icy conditions we had. Well, maybe not as bad as the winter of 03 (iirc).
Perhaps I'm coming from driving cars and I do understand SUVs can go where my car can't go, but it surely can't stop like the cars. So, I always leave plenty of space, and gently applying on the brakes. I won't do what other SUV drivers often do on the first few days of snow, which is to drive like it is still dry and impatiently overtaking the other cautious car drivers. Not to say folks here are doing that.
Like another poster said, after reading the stories on this forum, I purposely went out and hit on the brakes on a straight away. Sure enough, ABS kicked in full force, and I can feel the SUV slipping.. though not sliding all that much. It is in a controlled manner which allowed me to still steer.
Motor Tend, Long Term Test Update, Mazda CX-9, April 2009 Edition
As the forcecast predicted, it was snowing, uh, the equivalent of cats and dogs. Road conditions were such that, if we'd been in California, the road would have surely been shut down. Despite all this, the CX-9 was as surefooted as a mountain goat.
Tire slippage? Drifting? Traction control going berserk? No, no, and no. Bottom line: the [AWD GT] CX-9 is a great winter SUV for all but the absolute worst conditions.
Motor Tend, Long Term Test Update, Mazda CX-9, April 2009 Edition
Amazing! They either got a magically much better set of tires than I did or their almost "worst conditions" are a lot different than mine.
On the other hand a year ago I did drive my CX-9 through snowy areas a few times and thought it was fine. Big difference when I moved to a snowy area and actually drove it through a range of fresh snow + ice conditions. So I can see where you might get by with an okay experience in specific conditions and conclude that it handles fine.
But based on my experience and those of others here; I couldn't recommend that anyone trust the tires to handle unanticipated bad weather conditions (say crossing a stormy pass somewhere far from home) - it might be okay; but quite possibly not.
-Jeff
I don't blame MotorTrend for stating that. The CX-9 by far is the best vehicle I have ever driven in the snow. With the stock tires during the first few months of ownership I drove well over 100 miles during a blizzard that dumped 8 to 10 inches in a few hours, and the CX-9 handled it just fine. That being said, now that I have dedicated snow tires, the traction went from good to amazing.
MotorTrend editors are constantly driving stock cars with factory tires and no after-market modifications. Therefore their idea of being "as surefooted as a mountain goat" is only in comparison to other SUVs with factory tires.
I should also note that even though I think the CX-9 is decent in the snow, it does not have the best stability control. When I play around in snow covered parking lots, I can get the CX-9 to spin around and lose control despite the stability control doing its best to keep the car straight. When I used to drive my BMW 3 series with snow tires in the snow, I could never get the car to spin- the stability control was much quicker to respond and also more powerful controlling the individual brakes on each wheel. I recently drove an Audi Quattro A6 with winter tires, and it too had better stability control.
MotorTrend editors are constantly driving stock cars with factory tires and no after-market modifications. Therefore their idea of being "as surefooted as a mountain goat" is only in comparison to other SUVs with factory tires.
I should also note that even though I think the CX-9 is decent in the snow, it does not have the best stability control. When I play around in snow covered parking lots, I can get the CX-9 to spin around and lose control despite the stability control doing its best to keep the car straight. When I used to drive my BMW 3 series with snow tires in the snow, I could never get the car to spin- the stability control was much quicker to respond and also more powerful controlling the individual brakes on each wheel. I recently drove an Audi Quattro A6 with winter tires, and it too had better stability control.
CX9 SportOwner
Member
I guess that extra 20k helps with traction control.
You meant stability control, not traction control, right? Two different systems. The traction control in the CX-9 works great. It is the stability control that, although adequate, leaves room for improvement. Granted you would have to be a terrible driver to spin the wheel enough on a low traction surface to cause the CX-9 Stability control to fail, but the more expensive cars don't even let you spin the car even if you try hard.
CX9 SportOwner
Member
Kinda takes all the fun away, doesn't it?
(dance)
(dance)
nuhuskyfan
Member
I recently drove an Audi Quattro A6 with winter tires, and it too had better stability control.
Comparing anything to Quattro isn't a fair fight. I had a 01 S4 and it was a tank with snow tires. I have a S60R (Haldex)
and my wife has a XC90 (Haldex) and I think the CX9 compares very well to those two.
Why isn't it a fair fight? We are in a time where a hyundai competes directly with a BMW and Mercedes. Is Mazda not as good as Hyundai?
Your 2001 S4 probably had the same stability control that my '01 TT quattro had, and yes, it was better than the 2008 CX-9. I would argue that 7 years later, the Mazda stability control in my $40k CX-9 should be as good as a $40k AUdi I had 7 years ago.
BMW stability control seems equal to Audi. The only other car I have owned with stability control was a 2002 front wheel drive Volvo v40. It must have been their first attempt as it seemed non-existent.
Perhaps the CX-9 stability only kicks in at higher speeds. It is the same software that Mazda calls roll-control and is supposed to stop our cars from rolling over if we cut the wheel too fast. I haven't tested the CX-9 out yet on a snow covered highway going 60mph and cutting the wheel hard. It is kind of a risky test! But I used to do this all the time with my TT and M3 both with snow tires. It was amazing to me that those 2 cars just would never spin into 180s. Anyone care to try this with the CX-9? Post your results here!
Your 2001 S4 probably had the same stability control that my '01 TT quattro had, and yes, it was better than the 2008 CX-9. I would argue that 7 years later, the Mazda stability control in my $40k CX-9 should be as good as a $40k AUdi I had 7 years ago.
BMW stability control seems equal to Audi. The only other car I have owned with stability control was a 2002 front wheel drive Volvo v40. It must have been their first attempt as it seemed non-existent.
Perhaps the CX-9 stability only kicks in at higher speeds. It is the same software that Mazda calls roll-control and is supposed to stop our cars from rolling over if we cut the wheel too fast. I haven't tested the CX-9 out yet on a snow covered highway going 60mph and cutting the wheel hard. It is kind of a risky test! But I used to do this all the time with my TT and M3 both with snow tires. It was amazing to me that those 2 cars just would never spin into 180s. Anyone care to try this with the CX-9? Post your results here!
nuhuskyfan
Member
Anyone care to try this with the CX-9? Post your results here!
I'll pass (bike)
I'll give it a shot and let you know when I get out of the hospital...
Now THAT'S funny! (lol)
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