Recommend some 20" all-weather tires for my '07 CX-9

[Armchair Bronco]

About a month ago, I bought a used '07 Grand Touring CX-9 AWD with 20" rims. The car has 33K miles. My local car shop said that I should replace the tires before the winter, so I stopped by Costco today.

They only carry a single tire that will work for me -- Michelin Latitude Tour HP 245/50r20. But the guy working there recommended I look for something else. He said these Michelin's are not really good snow tires -- they don't have the all-important zig-zag pattern in the tread. Costco wanted $958 out the door for 4 tires installed.

I need a good all-weather tire that does well in the rain and that can get me up the plateau where I live during the occasional snow or ice storm. What do you guys recommend, and what are some good websites for reading tire reviews?

[Armchair Bronco]

Just found the TireRack.com (from another thread on this site).

Looks like the best rated 20" tire in this class is the Yokohama Parada Spec-X.

link-o-ramma (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=Parada+Spec-X&partnum=45VR0PSX&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes)

[CX9 SportOwner]

I have the Paradas. Great tire so far. On wet roads I no longer have to start in second gear to prevent slipping, like the OEM tires did.

Dueler, Latitude, Parada, and Blizzak snow treads. Compare the Parada to the poor winter and wet traction radial tread tires, and then to the block tread snow tire. Rating chart tells the story, too.

I paid $800 at Discount Tire, fully installed, and with a full replacement warranty, not just prorated road hazard.

.

[Armchair Bronco]

Seems like every online site is showing them as back ordered. What's up with that? Maybe I should just put in an order now.

The Parada's sure seem like a "slam dunk" to me. Great reviews, a competitive price, and they look great, too.

What's your view regarding "road hazard" insurance? Seems like every couple of years I have a blowout that destroys one of my tires.

[Armchair Bronco]

I just checked availability on the DiscountTire website (http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/searchTiresByVehicleAndSize.do?v=011825%7C2007&r=WASINT%7Cpc%7C98029&ar=50&rd=20&cs=245). Looks like there's only a 2 to 3 day wait, so I'm in business.

Thanks again for the info. Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I'll be getting a new set of Parada's at the end of the summer...although I would much rather spend that money on a new guitar...like a 1965 Reissue Fender Mustang!

[CX9 SportOwner]

They are back ordered because they are such a good tire. Order them ASAP.

Road Hazard is ok, but is prorated. Discount's replacement warranty replaces the tire for 3 years regardless of miles, down to 3/32s of tread wear (bald). It's only $23 per tire.

I imagine your Duelers don't instill much confidence in Seattle.

[Armchair Bronco]

The DiscountTire price out the door in the Bellevue, WA area (with full replacement warranty, installation, TPMS kits, and state fees) is $915. That's still about $50 cheaper than the Costco price that included a $70 Michelin coupon.

If I take advantage of DiscountTire's free rotation on a regular basis, how many miles can I expect to get out of these tires, assuming about 10K per year with mostly typical suburban driving (60% neighborhoods, 40% interstate)?

[CX9 SportOwner]

If they are installing them on the factory wheels, you don't need the TPMS rebuild kits unless you see visible corrosion or damage around the stems. Those kits are mainly used if they transfer the TPM sending units to new wheels.

I don't know what the mileage will be. That is SO dependant on how, and where, you drive. I do expect them to last much longer than the 20k+ of the OEM Duelers

[Armchair Bronco]

I imagine your Duelers don't instill much confidence in Seattle.

They don't instill much confidence in *ME*! My other car is an Audi A4 Quattro 1.8T, and that thing is a demon in the rain and snow. Where I live, it was one of only a handful of cars (seriously!) that could make it up the Issaquah Plateau during the last two hellacious ice storms. I don't expect the CX-9 to even come close to my Audi's performance, but at least with some Yoko Parada's, it'll have a fighting chance to get around in the snow. And of course, it's a given that the tires MUST do well in the rain. I've yet to drive the stock tires in the rain. (sssh)

If they are installing them on the factory wheels, you don't need the TPMS rebuild kits unless you see visible corrosion or damage around the stems. Those kits are mainly used if they transfer the TPM sending units to new wheels.

I don't know what the mileage will be. That is SO dependant on how, and where, you drive. I do expect them to last much longer than the 20k+ of the OEM Duelers

The DiscountTire website recommends installing new TPMS kit. It's only an additional $30 for a set of 4. (Of course, they *would* recommend this, wouldn't they?) Here's what they say:

"When replacing tires on a TPMS equipped vehicle, it is recommended to replace the components of the sensor that are susceptible to wear and corrosion from the elements. Our TPMS Rebuild Kits contain all the necessary components for replacement."

I suppose if I got 50K out of these tires, I'd be happy.

[badself]

Keep it simple. If the car is three years old (or less) and has 50,000 miles or less, I'd keep the factory components intact. Break it down, use universal replacement parts, and the next thing you know, you may have issues such as leakage or a sensor not being read.

When your new set wears out, then rebuild/replace TPMS components if the situation warrants it. I'd save my money this time and go with OE components down the road.

Just one man's opinion, but remember I don't work for a tire company,

[danz75]

Armchair Bronco,
I live up in Everett and purchased Yoko Paradas for the cx-9 that i just bought. Since the tires are still somewhat new, Discount tire gave me a trade in value. Not much but since this is the car that my wife uses and is also the family's wet weather car, i wanted to put good tires on it asap. I know that some would have argued that I ues the OEM tires for a couple of years and then replace them but I did not want to take that risk on my family.

Coincidentally, I had bridgestones on my Subaru outback(now sold) as well which was good the first year and got progressively worse during the cold rainy weather even with the AWD. Could not even track properly or confidently in heavy rains on the freeway When I replaced those tires, it felt like a totally new car. Had no issues driving in wet seattle weather at freeway speeds.

[CX9 SportOwner]

That was my experience with the Duelers. They never gripped on wet and icy roads, but as they wore, dry traction got progressively worse. The Paradas grab wet roads better than the Duelers grabbed dry roads by the time I changed.

I didn't have the 'rebuild' kits installed becasue there is nothing wrong with my sending units. badself is right. Anything relying on a seal should be left alone if it's intact and functioning.

[Armchair Bronco]

Keep it simple. If the car is three years old (or less) and has 50,000 miles or less, I'd keep the factory components intact. Break it down, use universal replacement parts, and the next thing you know, you may have issues such as leakage or a sensor not being read.

When your new set wears out, then rebuild/replace TPMS components if the situation warrants it. I'd save my money this time and go with OE components down the road.

Just one man's opinion, but remember I don't work for a tire company,

Fair enough. I'll save the $30 for the TPMS Rebuild Kit (which is equal to 6 sets of new guitar strings!).

[ab040501]

Hi danz75,

How much trade-in value did you get from your old tire? I purchase my CX-9 end of Jan 2009 and got 6,000Km on it, I still got good tread. Instead of waiting until the tread wear off, I'm wondering how much will I get and is it worth doing the trade?

[CX9 SportOwner]

Don't expect much, especially for a lousy tire. with 6k, even less.

[danz75]

Hi danz75,

How much trade-in value did you get from your old tire? I purchase my CX-9 end of Jan 2009 and got 6,000Km on it, I still got good tread. Instead of waiting until the tread wear off, I'm wondering how much will I get and is it worth doing the trade?

They offered $50/tire which is a pittance considering how much the tires are priced at. But who in the right mind would pay that price right? They told me I could try to sell it myself to get more but I didn't want to have to look for a local buyer. 245/50/20s are not a very common size.

Since this is the family car and my wife's in this mostly, I wanted some good tires now. I figured might as well get the $200 trade in value now rather than use this for a year and then have no trade in value. BTW, My mileage was less than 100mi when I traded them in. I did factor in getting new tires when I negotiated the selling price of the CX-9.

For this region's rainy weather, good rain performing tires are a must. I don't need dedicated snows cause there's really only a few days of snow each winter (with the exception of this past winter).

[CX9 SportOwner]

"I figured might as well get the $200 trade in value now rather than use this for a year and then have no trade in value."

Definitely better than a red hot barbecue fork in the eye. I wish I had put new tires on right away instead of having two 'interesting' winters of driving , so you're well ahead of the curve.

[hamproof]

A word on the Discount Tires full replacement warranty. If you look at the back of the invoice, there's a limit on the warranty. It must be within 3 years and some amount of thread (3/16??) left. Like all insurance, they are betting you won't need to use it.

Our crappy Michigan roads must be the worst in the country. Supposedly slick Duellers are gripping just fine on snow/wet conditions and great on dry. Must be that rough road providing extra traction, eh?

[CX9 SportOwner]

Compare their replacement certificate to a pro rated road hazard warranty, though. For that 3 years, and 3/16, they replace the tire at no cost to you, rather than adjust the price. And the conditions are broader for what damage is covered. If you have road hazard, and need a replacement after two and a half years, and with 4/16s left, you will basically be buying a new tire at full price. At Discount, that tire is free. Totally worth it.

And as your tires wear, you WILL lose dry traction. The winter problem, as stated many times, isn't so much snow, but ice, which the Duelers are outright dangerous on. And yes, your lousy roads can help the tires grab in snow by preventing a smooth sheet of ice from forming underneath. Here on our manicured Arizona roads, ice is more of a problem.