Latitude Tour HP Tires in Snow
- Thread starter blkcx9
- Start date
Just had them mounted and balanced yesterday at Discount Tire. Had two techs there tell me how good these tires are. Anyway here is my initial feedback on dry and slightly wet roads thus far. The Latitudes don't give up much at all in cornering and handling. A little softer compared to the Bridestones, but not much. The Latitudes are "H" rated vs. "V" for the Bridgestones so I knew I would give up a little but make it up in the ride quality. The ride is much better and smoother. They are also quieter as well. Now I know a lot of you reading this are thinking they should be since they are new, but my Bridgestones only have 13k miles on them so they aren't exactly bald. I have had many types of tires as well as cars over the years and have made great tire purchases and poor ones I regretted later. As far as dry/wet I am very happy thus far. They also look much better on the wheel. They have a "meaty" look and fill the wheel better like the photos I have seen of the Yoko Paradas. I will post again in a week or so after these have "seated" properly and broken in as well as experienced some Michigan snow.
Sorry. This is the first time I have logged into the forum in over a week. Busy.... I attached two photos trying to give everyone an idea. The photos don't do it justice though. They are definately a meaty look compared to the Bridgestone. You can also see my nice clearcoat damage as well that Mazda won't step up and fix.
Ok... So we finally got our first measurable snowfall. Over 9" of snow on top of warm roads. Created a nasty commute for the morning. A lot of hardpack and ice as temps went below freezing. The Latitudes were flawless and experienced no slipping driving normal. I was surprised because my other car is an A4 Quattro with snow tires so I am used to being able to drive like the roads are dry and clear when they are not. I had to push the CX9 real hard in turns to try to get the tires to break and even then it was minimal. I will report back after next week as we have a snow storm coming mid-week that is suposed to produce a lot of snow and blizzard conditions. I recommend these tires for any AWD CX9's that drive in areas with snow that don't require tire chains. I can't speak for FWD CX9's but I am sure they will work well too.
So we have had over 30" of snow thus far this month with a variety of conditions. Lake Effect powder snow, heavy wet snow, sleet, freezing rain, etc. I have to honestly say other than ice these Latitudes are excellent. They plow through snow with no issue. I know the Yoko's are good too but I couldn't pass on a set of 4 Latitudes new for $400. (New car take-offs) Michelin still has the $70 rebates as well. The winter capabilities were the only concern of mine as the tire already had performed well in all categories. I was comparing the Bridgestone to the Michelin the other day and running my finger over the treads. First thing you notice is how hard the Bridgestone rubber is. Great for summer handling but deadly in winter. Also, clearly the tread design is very poor for winter driving. Not enough sipes in the tire and wide enough channels for snow and water. No regrets changing tires. I will give an update down the road as to how these hold up on wear. The Bridgestone's are bagged in basement if anyone is interested.
...tires..decision?????....
I am thinking on getting a CX9GT AWD...if there is an opportunity,which I think I have with the dealer that I am planning to do business with, I am going to negotiate swappimg the CX9 tiers oem with another tires since all I hear is that the oem is not good..which tires are oem and which tires do most of you recommend..I am in Northern NJ...soem snow in Winter but not that great like CO or Utah or those heavy snow states....and what prices should i be looking at..thanks for the advice...these forums are the best...and most of you guys are serious car owners...love to be in good company..thanks
I am thinking on getting a CX9GT AWD...if there is an opportunity,which I think I have with the dealer that I am planning to do business with, I am going to negotiate swappimg the CX9 tiers oem with another tires since all I hear is that the oem is not good..which tires are oem and which tires do most of you recommend..I am in Northern NJ...soem snow in Winter but not that great like CO or Utah or those heavy snow states....and what prices should i be looking at..thanks for the advice...these forums are the best...and most of you guys are serious car owners...love to be in good company..thanks
We do get ice unfortunately. The lake keeps us warmer in the winter so we can get snow/sleet/rain/ice all in one storm. I have had the chance to drive on solid ice with them. The ABS will kick in sometimes when hitting the brakes hard to stop on ice. Nothing out of control though. The worst I noticed was when slowing down while trying to turn on ice the car can start to plow but there again nothing out of control. They obviously are not as good as snow tires but I am pleasantly surprised how good they are in all conditions. I catch myself driving the CX9 faster than I should be in poor conditions, but I get used to my Audi Quattro with snow tires and that is a tank in the snow. The Parada's are probably a tad better on the ice by looking at the tread design. The CX9 would probably be totalled if I had the Duellers still mounted. I should point out for those who don't know these tires are mounted on the OEM 20" rims. Hopefully this helps.
I would not trust these tires for winter driving. I have them on my Ford Edge. One time this winter, on a moderately cold day, I was doing between 30-40km/hour slowing down to stop at a red light.. the road close the intersection and through the intersection was covered with snow/packed snow... Not aggressive driving by any means.. but ABS was going off like crazy the vehicle slid right through the intersection/red light almost hitting a car turning left by 2 inches... I had pretty much 0 control. I plan to get snow tires for next year... good ones.
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- '12 CX9 Ron Burgundy Edition
We bought our AWD CX-9 new last March and had a few butt puckering incidents then in snow with the ultra crappy new Bridgestones. We bought a set of the Michelins Lats two months ago thinking they have to be better right? Not a whole lot better. ABS is still constantly triggering and the ass slides around in corners in any type of snow. Just doesn't feel stable.
We came from a 02 Ford "Exploder" with Michelin LTXs that never booty wagged, slid or caused any clinching. Granted, they were a completely different tire- narrower with a more aggressive non performance tread but boy were they super quiet and awesome in snow and rain. We are now looking to get a dedicated snow tire. Unfortunate since this is our third AWD and the only one that seems to suck in the snow. Gotta be the tire choices we have made. By the way, I ordered the tires online through Costco, shipped to the store for free, used the instant $70 off and tax was prorated since online. I was way under $1000. None of the other online dealers could come close.
It's hard to beat the Costco tire prices once you factor in the install price and the free road hazard. I blew 2 tires in my Lexus when I hit a pothole last year (RF and RR both hit the same hole); tires were 3 months old and I got 2 new ones from Costco for $28. Plus free tire rotations, if you have the stomach to wait for them to do it if they are crowded.
