Winter tires
- Thread starter Dez
- Start date
- :
- 2014.5 CX-5 GS FWD 2.5L
We just had our first blast of winter so got to try these out first hand. I run Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV and they work really good on ice and snow. They run pretty quite on dry pavement too and the car doesn't feel much different than driving in summer. Have used older model Hakka's on previous FWD vehicle and they worked great. Check out Kal-Tire.
The cost is a fair bit more, but money well spent.
For the Blizzaks WS80, that is a new model this year. Could have got a set at Costco for $605 all in. I'm just not a fan of Blizzaks. Probably work ok when new, but after the first 30-40% of thread is gone, they are useless in winter. Something to do with the compound. Sort of getting half a winter tire.
The cost is a fair bit more, but money well spent.
For the Blizzaks WS80, that is a new model this year. Could have got a set at Costco for $605 all in. I'm just not a fan of Blizzaks. Probably work ok when new, but after the first 30-40% of thread is gone, they are useless in winter. Something to do with the compound. Sort of getting half a winter tire.
I'm still running the factory Yoko's on my AWD - but we hardly get any snow compared to Ontario. When they do wear out, I'm going with one of the Nokian All Weather tires like the WRG's - I've used them on all my past vehicles (except my Ridgeline) and they are great all weather tires. Might not be as good as a pure snow tire, but they come close enough in our balmy wet winters we get here on the wet coast. Kal Tire is the best source of these tires.
I'm going with Sekmor here, I have the same Hakkas R2 SUV and they are great. Just a heads up: two independent and very reputable tire shops here strongly advised me against the Michelin X-Ice (although Beefy seems to like his). They told me that although they were great on ice, the threads fill up in snow and they become practically useless. Michelin builds them to excel in the media oriented tests, which are mostly on iced tracks, so you get great scores and ratings, but in real life they don't do as good... I've never had them though so I'm not talking from experience here...
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No, I would tend to agree that the X-ice are better on ice than in snow. But they really are VERY good on ice, and feel just like a summer tire on hot roads under all other conditions.
If it weren't for tread life, I would keep them on all year round in preference to the Geolanders.
If it weren't for tread life, I would keep them on all year round in preference to the Geolanders.
I am interested in winter tire recommendations for highway drving for my commute. Roads are usually always clear since they are the first roads to get plowed but the reality is the highway is dry pavement most of the time so will certain tires wear out more than others on this kind of surface? The blizzak's are great on snow and in a storm but I suspect my run the tread down quickly on dry pavement even if it is -10.
Blizzak's are not known for good tread wear or high speed handling on bare pavement.
By taking a small hit on ice/snow performance you can do much better in those areas. Historically, I always selected winter tires that were near the top of the segment in terms of snow traction (and they were always amazing in the snow/ice). But I was always disappointed with their poor steering response on bare pavement and very fast tread wear.
Two winters ago I purchased the Goodyear Ultragrip Ice WRT's in 225/65-17. The first thing I noticed before I got to snow/ice is that they cornered and braked almost like a performance tire - much, much better than the OEM Geolanders. And on cold wet pavement they were phenomenal- excellent grip cornering or braking and solid steering response. They could really rail on twisty mountain roads, even in the dry.
On snow and ice they retained a solid, smooth driving experience but, when pushed hard, as in winter rally driving, they would break traction much easier than tires more narrowly focused on snow/ice performance. But they were far more secure than the best all season radials, in normal snow/ice driving they felt stuck to the surface. And with AWD one would have to do something very silly to actually get stuck.
Each spring when I remove them and put the OEM's back on, I'm a little sad at the lost driving pleasure. I forgot to measure the tread depth brand new but, after two seasons and about 7,000 miles they have 8.75 mm tread depth left. The specs at Tire Rack indicate new tread depth of 9.45 mm. If so, these will be my longest lasting snows yet (and my favorite to drive over my usual mix of 50 degrees and bare/wet to cold and warm ice, slush and deep fresh snow. After experimenting with pressures between 33-42 psi I run them at 37 psi. although optimum grip on snow and ice is about 35 psi (the difference is negligible) and 37 psi works slightly better for hard cornering on bare pavement (and preserves tread life, obviously).
Pipemajor
Hoot Mon!
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- Minnesota
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- 2017 CX-5 GT AWD
Minnesota just got it's first pre-winter blast yesterday. I got my Grand Touring CX-5 last May and opted for AWD after the dreadful winter we experienced last year. The CX-5 is my first SUV-class vehicle. The US GT model has the 19" rims with an OEM Toyo A23 tire. I've had at least one other forum member advise to ditch the 19" rims and go with a 17" set w/snow tires for the winter months. We have a 2010 Camry Hybrid with a set of Michelin PA3 Alpine winter tires I bought from an online source. They work great.
Our small city does not have a clear pavement plowing policy and it often takes them a few hours to get to all the residential street. I've often had to drive through 5" deep snow-covered streets before hitting the bare-pavement arterial road plowed by the county.
First experience with the GT CX-5 w/OEM tires? Not bad. We could only go as fast as other traffic (30 mph or less) and the CX-5 AWD never wavered. The anti-lock brakes engaged a couple of times but I have a renewed sense of confidence in this vehicle.
Only downside was the stock windshield wiper blades iced up quickly.
Our small city does not have a clear pavement plowing policy and it often takes them a few hours to get to all the residential street. I've often had to drive through 5" deep snow-covered streets before hitting the bare-pavement arterial road plowed by the county.
First experience with the GT CX-5 w/OEM tires? Not bad. We could only go as fast as other traffic (30 mph or less) and the CX-5 AWD never wavered. The anti-lock brakes engaged a couple of times but I have a renewed sense of confidence in this vehicle.
Only downside was the stock windshield wiper blades iced up quickly.
freelyfallin
Member
Hey all!
I am the new owner of a 2015 Mazda CX-5 Touring model as of about 5 days ago! I'm living in Colorado this year, and I'm looking for a snow tire that will get me to ski slopes and work without problems. I am commuting over 300 miles a week for my job, so a snow tire that will last a long time, and will do well on dry pavement, is a top priority for me. Obviously I also want a tire that can handle ice and deeper snow.
So I was thinking of the Michelin X-Ice 2 or 3, partially because of what I've heard about them lasting a long time, and partially because they have a tire warranty. Vroom's comment about them not handling well in deep snow is concerning to me. Thanks to MikeM, I'm now also considering the Goodyear Ultragrip Ice WRT. Any advice from y'all about what would be best for me?
Also, I was thinking about getting the tires mounted on the 17 inch rims the CX-5 came with, as this would be cheaper than buying a new set of rims. Any reason I should not do this?
Thanks!
Matt
I am the new owner of a 2015 Mazda CX-5 Touring model as of about 5 days ago! I'm living in Colorado this year, and I'm looking for a snow tire that will get me to ski slopes and work without problems. I am commuting over 300 miles a week for my job, so a snow tire that will last a long time, and will do well on dry pavement, is a top priority for me. Obviously I also want a tire that can handle ice and deeper snow.
So I was thinking of the Michelin X-Ice 2 or 3, partially because of what I've heard about them lasting a long time, and partially because they have a tire warranty. Vroom's comment about them not handling well in deep snow is concerning to me. Thanks to MikeM, I'm now also considering the Goodyear Ultragrip Ice WRT. Any advice from y'all about what would be best for me?
Also, I was thinking about getting the tires mounted on the 17 inch rims the CX-5 came with, as this would be cheaper than buying a new set of rims. Any reason I should not do this?
Thanks!
Matt
Welcome! Looks like you're on the right track with your tire choices.
We had a set of XI2s on our Ridgeline and they were very, very good in all driving conditions. We don't have to deal with the sort of snow depth in the Oregon Cascades that you have in the Rockies but I never felt like the XI2 was challenged, even when pushing through fresh powder so deep that it was coming over the hood.
I have Blizzak DM-V1s on our CX-5 but haven't driven in the show yet. I did notice a bit of tire squeal in a dry turn a few days ago. (huh) Not good news. (headshake)
We had a set of XI2s on our Ridgeline and they were very, very good in all driving conditions. We don't have to deal with the sort of snow depth in the Oregon Cascades that you have in the Rockies but I never felt like the XI2 was challenged, even when pushing through fresh powder so deep that it was coming over the hood.
I have Blizzak DM-V1s on our CX-5 but haven't driven in the show yet. I did notice a bit of tire squeal in a dry turn a few days ago. (huh) Not good news. (headshake)
The Hakka R2 are actually very good on dry roads as well. This review actually compares them to "ultra performance tires"... Take some and leave some, but they ARE very good. Plus they have a very low rolling resistance = great MPG. As far as tread wear, I don't know. I didn't measure my tread depth when I got them last year. You may want to research that yourself...
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I put a set of Continental ExtremeWinterContact on my Grand Touring last week. I bought them based on this test and also that they're a hair cheaper than the Blizzaks. With about 100 miles on them so far, I am quite pleased coming down to 17" from 19". The ride is very nice and certainly quieter than the 19" low profile Yokohamas! They have me thinking about sticking with 17". No experience yet with inclement weather, however.
Just thought I'd throw out another option.
Just thought I'd throw out another option.
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A few reasons. I have mine on separate rims so I can change them myself each year. It saves me money and the trouble of booking an appointment twice a year. Taking your tires on and off each year also wears the contact surfaces with the rims a lot, increasing the probability of developing a slow leak. Finally, my good rims won't get blasted with sand, gravel and salt, so they should remain nicer longer.
