Winter tires acquired

I

inlinev

Member
:
2016 CX-5 GT w/tech FWD
After doing about 2 months of research on a set of winter tires, I decided to go with the Michelin X-ice xi3. I went with size 215/65/17 mounted on steel wheels. Going for function over style. These tires score high on Tire Rack and Consumer Reports testing, coupled with the experience of local users and Michelins 40,000 mile warranty is how I made up my mind. The warranty isn't as important to me as the statement of confidence it makes. No other manufacturer offers one.

The size tires I got have the same load rating '99' as the OEM 19 inch Toyo A23's. This is very important when purchasing replacement tires, or any tire for a vehicle. You never want to go below the OEM load rating.

I got the tires from Tire Rack and they arrived within 2 business days. Total after shipping was $819, there is a $70 rebate on these until July 19th 2015.

Obviously I can't give any feedback on their performance at this time, but I will update in time. The fit of the steel wheels is perfect, and it even came with its own set of lug nuts. Once you make the appropriate vehicle selection within the Tire Rack system, it finds everything you need. And as of my purchase, their system does not yet recognize the 2016, so I selected a 2015 CX-5, since dimensionally the model years are identical.

edit - this tire and wheel combo register at 51.8 lbs on my Taylor bathroom scale after 2 attempts. Which is a fairly accurate number given the UPS shipping weight on them was noted as 51 lbs and the specs on the Tire Rack indicated 50 lbs. The 19 inch wheels with Toyo A23's are just shy of 60 lbs.
 
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I think you made a wise choice. The X-ice snow tires should be a great match for the Philadelphia area.

I as well recently decided to purchase a set of wheels & snow tires before the winter season. For me, it was a compromise between functionality, looks and compatibility. I wound up paying a lot more though!!! I chose the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV (225/60R18) snow tires with new Mazda3 18" gunmetal rims (B45B-V3-810). Cost was $735 for the tires and $936 for the rims less s&h and mounting. The weight of a mounted tire on this rim is 54.5 lbs. The fitment of that rim is 18x7", 50mm offset, 5x114.3mm bolt pattern, 67.1 hub center bore.

I don't have a picture of them on the vehicle, but I took a snapshot of one next to it:

attachment.php

DSC_4049_1k.jpg

I stole the idea for the Mazda3 18" rims from Fendyman's post:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123817319-Show-me-your-wheels&p=6348806&viewfull=1#post6348806
 
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Opticalman.........great idea, I like it. Sure, it cost a few more bucks, but it looks wwwaaayyy better than steel rims. Plus you'll love those Nokian Hakka R2's, have them on our CX and they work awsome.

To the OP.........help me understand why go with a different tire size??? 225/55-19 to a 215/65-17. The wheel size is no problem but the overall diameter is smaller, actually 2.5%. Why would TireRack recommend that? If anything the speedo is going to be that much off. If you're concerned about the load rating, why not be concerned over the sizing??
 
Sekmor said:
Opticalman.........great idea, I like it. Sure, it cost a few more bucks, but it looks wwwaaayyy better than steel rims. Plus you'll love those Nokian Hakka R2's, have them on our CX and they work awsome.

To the OP.........help me understand why go with a different tire size??? 225/55-19 to a 215/65-17. The wheel size is no problem but the overall diameter is smaller, actually 2.5%. Why would TireRack recommend that? If anything the speedo is going to be that much off. If you're concerned about the load rating, why not be concerned over the sizing??
Click to expand...

Valid points, and all things I’ve considered. The short of it, cost.

First, the x-ice 3 does not come in 225/55/19. Second, Tirerack actually recommends a multitude of sizes for the CX-5, all the way down to 16 inch wheels (minimum needed to clear brakes). There are benefits of going with a smaller wheel size, cost and a larger profile. Larger profile tires tend to absorb bumps and shocks better than narrower profile tires. Given winters road conditions, a larger profile will help reduce the chance of a bent rim as a result of hitting a pot hole for example. Tire rack actually recommends going smaller.

Tire rack recommends a 225/65 in a 17 inch wheel; however, the x-ice 3 is also not available in this configuration, so I got the closest being 215/65/17. But both configurations offer the same load rating. There is some research to indicate that slightly narrower tires are better in handling deeper snow, and the reduction in width is 4.5% (tire rack has a whole article on this).

So yes, the speedo will be slightly off, but it will still be off even with the 225 width tires (though much smaller). At 60 MPH the 225/65/17 will actually travel at 59.6 MPH and the 215/65/17 will travel at 58.5 MPH. Given my strong priority for these tires, the speed deviation was less important. Besides with the tire traveling slower than the speedometer shows, you don’t risk speeding without realizing it. Since the tires will be used seasonally my speedometer will only be off for about 3-4 months out of the year.

And finally, if I got winter tires and steel wheels at 225/55/19 I would be looking at about an extra $120/tire + wheel without gaining any winter performance.
 
The closer tire size would have been 215/70R17 but I don't see the X-Ice3 in that size. That size is only 0.7% difference. A lot of people will run a narrower tire for the winter. The theory is that the narrower tire is better able to "slice" thru the snow and slush to make contact with the road surface.
 
Ride92 said:
The closer tire size would have been 215/70R17 but I don't see the X-Ice3 in that size. That size is only 0.7% difference. A lot of people will run a narrower tire for the winter. The theory is that the narrower tire is better able to "slice" thru the snow and slush to make contact with the road surface.
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Yes that size would have been closer. But like you mention it isn't available. If I wanted the true closest size at 225/65/17 my other option was to go with the older x-ice 2 but I felt I should have the " latest" tech especially if an update was available.
 
I went with the Nokian Hakkapeliitta on 17 in rims. The rims are used from a 2004 Mazda 3 or 6 They are a perfect fit, decent looking aluminum, and were cheep.
 
I had Hakka's that I ran on my P5 for the past few years. No complaints what so ever, they were a great tire. Being my first set of winter tires I have nothing to compare them to but I can tell you that I preferred driving my front wheel drive car with winter tires over my wifes AWD A4 with all season tires. I don't see an option on tire rack for hakka's that fir the 17" or 19" rims. Maybe tirerack doesn't deal with Nokian?
 
Tire rack does not deal with Nokian.

I realize the Nokians are great winter tires, and they appear to have a very dedicated owner group, I couldn't find any research that led me to believe that their cost over the Michelins would translate to an equal gain in function. I was initially looking at them but my costs would have doubled.

In my research I ran into the Tesla forums and guys on there equally enjoyed the winter performance of the Nokian and Michelins. I'm not saying this is a scientific comparison, but one of word of mouth.

At the end of the day, everyone agrees a winter tire is better than the best all season in winter driving. Seemed I was splitting hairs at some point when comparing winter tires.
 
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inlinev said:
In my research I ran into the Tesla forums and guys on there equally enjoyed the winter performance of the Nokian and Michelins. I'm not saying this is a scientific comparison, but one of word of mouth.
Click to expand...

Kinda OT, but kinda germane at the same time - don't listen to Tesla owners when it comes to tires. If you're really interested, you can do the math for yourself and see that a Model S is pushing its tires to their absolute limits. Otherwise, just take my word for it - tires were practically an afterthought in setting up the driveline of a Model S, and any increase in load capacity over stock is going to be an improvement.
 
leeharvey418 said:
Kinda OT, but kinda germane at the same time - don't listen to Tesla owners when it comes to tires. If you're really interested, you can do the math for yourself and see that a Model S is pushing its tires to their absolute limits. Otherwise, just take my word for it - tires were practically an afterthought in setting up the driveline of a Model S, and any increase in load capacity over stock is going to be an improvement.
Click to expand...

I don't know enough to add to your observation but my other [uncomunicated] point in bringing up the Tesla forum was that i couldn't find a Michelin vs Nokian with objective results. Which is why I felt like I was splitting hairs with my decision.
 
Wait a second, did we just derail this thread on the Mazda forum because now we are talking about something that happened or was said in a Tesla Forum? I think the moderators should remove all the unnecessary posts in this thread. I'm just joking, so don't take that too seriously.

Back on point here, I'm highly considering the WS80's for my winter tires. You went with the X-Ice3 and the guy over on the other thread pulled the trigger on the DM-V1's. In a few months one of us should start a thread reviewing their winter tire choice and the other can add their reviews of the tires as well. My guess is that all parties will be quite happy with the tires chosen. I wonder how much the DM-V2 is going to cost.
 
inlinev said:
I don't know enough to add to your observation but my other [uncomunicated] point in bringing up the Tesla forum was that i couldn't find a Michelin vs Nokian with objective results. Which is why I felt like I was splitting hairs with my decision.
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Have you ever looked at tyrereviews? A lot of the test results they link include a lot of tires that aren't available in North America, but sometimes you get lucky.
 
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Ride92 said:
I'm highly considering the WS80's for my winter tires.
Click to expand...

That is what I was going to get until I spoke with a friend of a friend that works at a tire center that sells all the major brands. While the WS80 scores just about the best ratings brand new, he said that after a year or two of wear, they perform way inferior to the other top competitors. It's difficult to find reviews from people online that can directly compare one brand vs another after the 2nd year of use.

I tend to believe his experience. His suggestion for me given my region and that I didn't want studded tires was the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV. Those tires have some defense as they wear as stated on their website:

Nokian Cryo Crystal Concept
The secret of this new non-studded tire is in its rubber compound that includes microscopic, multi-edged, crystal-like particles that are diamond-rough. The crystals operate like built-in studs as they grab the driving surface with their sharp and tough grip edges.​
 
optical_man said:
That is what I was going to get until I spoke with a friend of a friend that works at a tire center that sells all the major brands. While the WS80 scores just about the best ratings brand new, he said that after a year or two of wear, they perform way inferior to the other top competitors. It's difficult to find reviews from people online that can directly compare one brand vs another after the 2nd year of use.

I tend to believe his experience. His suggestion for me given my region and that I didn't want studded tires was the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV. Those tires have some defense as they wear as stated on their website:

Nokian Cryo Crystal Concept
The secret of this new non-studded tire is in its rubber compound that includes microscopic, multi-edged, crystal-like particles that are diamond-rough. The crystals operate like built-in studs as they grab the driving surface with their sharp and tough grip edges.​
Click to expand...

This is because the top 50% of the winter compound on the blizzaks is what give it its super snow traction. Once that wears down, it becomes a below average snow tire. This was the case with the WS70.
 
inlinev said:
Valid points, and all things Ive considered. The short of it, cost.

First, the x-ice 3 does not come in 225/55/19. Second, Tirerack actually recommends a multitude of sizes for the CX-5, all the way down to 16 inch wheels (minimum needed to clear brakes). There are benefits of going with a smaller wheel size, cost and a larger profile. Larger profile tires tend to absorb bumps and shocks better than narrower profile tires. Given winters road conditions, a larger profile will help reduce the chance of a bent rim as a result of hitting a pot hole for example. Tire rack actually recommends going smaller.

Tire rack recommends a 225/65 in a 17 inch wheel; however, the x-ice 3 is also not available in this configuration, so I got the closest being 215/65/17. But both configurations offer the same load rating. There is some research to indicate that slightly narrower tires are better in handling deeper snow, and the reduction in width is 4.5% (tire rack has a whole article on this).

So yes, the speedo will be slightly off, but it will still be off even with the 225 width tires (though much smaller). At 60 MPH the 225/65/17 will actually travel at 59.6 MPH and the 215/65/17 will travel at 58.5 MPH. Given my strong priority for these tires, the speed deviation was less important. Besides with the tire traveling slower than the speedometer shows, you dont risk speeding without realizing it. Since the tires will be used seasonally my speedometer will only be off for about 3-4 months out of the year.

And finally, if I got winter tires and steel wheels at 225/55/19 I would be looking at about an extra $120/tire + wheel without gaining any winter performance.
Click to expand...

I just saw this and it's such a thoughtful and well reasoned post I had to agree.

The small amount you are gearing down by using a smaller overall diameter will not be a problem. There is less leeway going bigger but smaller you will be fine (as I can see you know). Please report back after you mount them and let us know how much you notice the 8 lb./wheel you dropped when accelerating off the line.
 
I finally put on the winter tires today. Next week's temperatures will be consistently below 35, with low's around 10 degrees fahrenheit.

I drove around with them on today, the ambient temperature was 45 and it had been lightly raining all day. The car generally felt unchanged. If i were to say, the higher sidewalls do allow the tires to better handle bumps on the road. Road noise appeared unchanged as well.

In my original post I noted that my snow tire and wheel combo was 8lbs lighter than the GT wheel/tire, but I can't discern a change in steering feel.

There is 1-3 inches of snow forecasted for next week, so perhaps I'll get to really exercise these tires.
 
inlinev said:
In my original post I noted that my snow tire and wheel combo was 8lbs lighter than the GT wheel/tire, but I can't discern a change in steering feel.
Click to expand...

That's good, it sounds like Michelin has fixed the vague steering feel present in the original version. Where you should notice the lighter weight is acceleration from a stop (or from a low speed). The lighter wheels/tires should feel perkier off the line. The difference was pretty obvious to me when I lost about the same amount.
 
MikeM. said:
That's good, it sounds like Michelin has fixed the vague steering feel present in the original version. Where you should notice the lighter weight is acceleration from a stop (or from a low speed). The lighter wheels/tires should feel perkier off the line. The difference was pretty obvious to me when I lost about the same amount.
Click to expand...

Judging by my butt dyno, I felt as if the car was a little more nimble, but I'll reserve judgement after I've had some more hours behind the wheel.
 
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