SomeGuyFromNYC
Member
- :
- '14.5 CX5 Grand Touring AWD w/ tech
So some of you may have read other threads I have posted in, describing a vibration and having a slightly tough time tracking straight down the road.
I had my tires rebalanced shortly after purchased and had my alignment checked which was good - this significantly fixed the problem for awhile. However in the last 2 months the problem returned. I went and had my tires rebalanced and this time one could not be road forced balanced. I had this done at an independent and trusted tire shop. I brought my CX5 back to my dealer for its oil changed and explained what my tire shop informed me. I spoke directly to the tech at my dealer who said they do not even have a road force balance machine, and do not recommend tires road forced balanced on Mazdas. I nodded my head and immediately knew not to go to this dealership again for service.
I decided to troubleshoot the problem on my own, and after much research on this forum and others, I decided to go for the Nokian WRG3 SUV tires in 235 55 19". The stock tires for the GT model are 225 55 19". There are no rubbing issues of any sort going with the slightly wider+taller tire. (55 is a % of the width so it is now ever so slightly taller too)
I went to a different Mazda dealer and had a complete alignment done ($99+tax, compared to the first dealer which wanted 169.99+tax).
My vibration is gone and now the car tracks much straighter than it has ever before.
I have only had them for 2 weeks but here are my impressions:
Grip seems much better when driving normally and I feel as if there is less body roll when going into turns. Bumps seem to be less jarring also. However when making quick turns the tires feel a bit squishy. I am not sure if it is the tires or the cold weather, but it feels like I must brake earlier to stop compared to the Toyos which seemed to stop the car in a shorter distance.
It had snowed here yesterday - only 2 inches, but the tires performed flawlessly. It actually felt as if the car handled significantly better on the snow/slush/ice then how it drives on completely dry pavement.
I have never driven a car with snow tires or "all weather" tires like these Nokians which are one step away from being a snow tire, so I do not know if this is a normal trait. If anyone with experience would like to chime in, please do!
Would I recommend these?
Well the jury is still out on that question. I will have to wait until summer and hotter temps to see how they handle. For snow/slush/ice, they seem like they will handle this with no problem at all. Even though it snowed only 2 inches, I have driven with the Toyos in similiar conditions (small amount of snow/ice/slush) and I would be able to in certain instances get the tires to spin freely before traction control/awd kicked in. Have not had that happen yet with the Nokians - they just drove as if the roads were clear.
I have also driven with the Toyos through last years NY winter, which was either the 7 or 8th worst on record...lots of relatively deep snow and ice patches. I have not driven with the Nokians in those types of conditions yet.
One last thing, these tires are significantly louder than the Toyos when braking and accelerating from a stop. This probably wouldn't be an issue if the car had more sound proofing (a major complaint on this forum) But yeah, the Nokians are loud. At highway cruising or even after getting up to speed 25/30mph, there is no difference in sound over the Toyos, only when braking to a full stop and when accelerating from a full stop.
I had my tires rebalanced shortly after purchased and had my alignment checked which was good - this significantly fixed the problem for awhile. However in the last 2 months the problem returned. I went and had my tires rebalanced and this time one could not be road forced balanced. I had this done at an independent and trusted tire shop. I brought my CX5 back to my dealer for its oil changed and explained what my tire shop informed me. I spoke directly to the tech at my dealer who said they do not even have a road force balance machine, and do not recommend tires road forced balanced on Mazdas. I nodded my head and immediately knew not to go to this dealership again for service.
I decided to troubleshoot the problem on my own, and after much research on this forum and others, I decided to go for the Nokian WRG3 SUV tires in 235 55 19". The stock tires for the GT model are 225 55 19". There are no rubbing issues of any sort going with the slightly wider+taller tire. (55 is a % of the width so it is now ever so slightly taller too)
I went to a different Mazda dealer and had a complete alignment done ($99+tax, compared to the first dealer which wanted 169.99+tax).
My vibration is gone and now the car tracks much straighter than it has ever before.
I have only had them for 2 weeks but here are my impressions:
Grip seems much better when driving normally and I feel as if there is less body roll when going into turns. Bumps seem to be less jarring also. However when making quick turns the tires feel a bit squishy. I am not sure if it is the tires or the cold weather, but it feels like I must brake earlier to stop compared to the Toyos which seemed to stop the car in a shorter distance.
It had snowed here yesterday - only 2 inches, but the tires performed flawlessly. It actually felt as if the car handled significantly better on the snow/slush/ice then how it drives on completely dry pavement.
I have never driven a car with snow tires or "all weather" tires like these Nokians which are one step away from being a snow tire, so I do not know if this is a normal trait. If anyone with experience would like to chime in, please do!
Would I recommend these?
Well the jury is still out on that question. I will have to wait until summer and hotter temps to see how they handle. For snow/slush/ice, they seem like they will handle this with no problem at all. Even though it snowed only 2 inches, I have driven with the Toyos in similiar conditions (small amount of snow/ice/slush) and I would be able to in certain instances get the tires to spin freely before traction control/awd kicked in. Have not had that happen yet with the Nokians - they just drove as if the roads were clear.
I have also driven with the Toyos through last years NY winter, which was either the 7 or 8th worst on record...lots of relatively deep snow and ice patches. I have not driven with the Nokians in those types of conditions yet.
One last thing, these tires are significantly louder than the Toyos when braking and accelerating from a stop. This probably wouldn't be an issue if the car had more sound proofing (a major complaint on this forum) But yeah, the Nokians are loud. At highway cruising or even after getting up to speed 25/30mph, there is no difference in sound over the Toyos, only when braking to a full stop and when accelerating from a full stop.