CX-9 OEM Tires

G

Gatuno

:
CX9 2017
I was quite excited to receive my new cx9 . all the reviews were talking about the great response that the car had on the road, agile and with very good handling and some of the reasons for this , perhaps the least important was beasue of the great response of the tyres, these where a perfect companion for the great chasis. The tyres that were commented in every review were falken. Said this, as soon as I received my cx9 I realized that it didn't come with the falkens but instead bridgetston ecopia s , these tires are not as good, they have not got the grip nor respose from the falkens and they have a very bad performance in rough pavement. Although still the response agility and handling of the cx9 are far better than any other comparable suv in the category .. but it was a downer not to receive the falkens.. have any of you have received ur CX9 with other tires ? any comments about them?
regards
G
 
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Yokohama HT's with the eco leaf stamp. I like them. I have their AT's on one of my other vehicles and also am happy with those. Sharp response and tracky, I could see maybe some people not liking that.

Which model of Falkens are they? I'm curious. I'd try searching some varied non-mazda enthusiast forums if you're shopping around for tires. Hard to find a tire review database that isn't revenue driven fluff. I wouldn't be surprised if there is something even better out there than those OE Falkens.
 
Gatuno, check your tire inflation pressure. High pressure is one cause of the conditions you describe. The cold inflation pressure on the placard on the car or as listed in the owner's manual should work well.

Falken Ziex CT50 A/S. Good so far. Good in heavy rain, good in snow, OK on bad pavement. Good steering response.
 
A friend and a tire shop manager told me the same story regarding OE (original equipment) tires.

Essentially, OE tires often have no relationship to the tires sold at retail and the specific model of tire will often be produced just for a few specific automobiles. That tire will then be put into the retail pipeline, marketed primarily as a replacement for the tires that came with the car but also there so that new-car shoppers will be able to see that it's a bona fide tire model.

I don't have nearly enough experience behind the wheel to discern small differences between tires and the Falkens feel great to me, but the guys I know who claim to be able to tell the difference say that the Falkens are not top-quality tires and that their high retail price is there mainly for public relations purposes.

The bottom line works out well for me though; the car feels very solid on tight turns in the snow and ice.
 
Ill do that right now, its true that perhaps there is a temperature difference, here its 70 right now. ill let u know. thanks
regarding the Falken I have experience with high performance ones where I have always had a good comment about them.
the model that comes with the cx9 is the Falken Ziex CT50 A/S, and as already said by PTguy the are good in rain ok on pavement ( better than the bridgestones ) and never have tried them on snow.
as for my taste the best tires are continental suv and performance. my other car is a S3 .
G
 
Not really a fan considering I need to replace one...

My wife is the one who drives this car and she took off today with a flat, didn't really notice? Anyway that issue notwithstanding I need to replace the one tire...it took a while for even my dealer to find some. looks like a week wait and a whopping $370...for one freakin tire! Only 14,000 KM's so one should be fine but damm....thinking of just switching out the entire set when the winters come off this spring.
 
2017 CX-9 GS-L. I have the 18 inch wheels mounted with the Yokohama Geolandars (255/60R18 107H). Ok tire for normal driving, but not very good in heavy rain. Now looking for a set of winter tires, mostly considering Pirellis as there is not much choice with this size and load rating. Anyone with some experience have recommedations?
 
PTguy said:
Gatuno, check your tire inflation pressure. High pressure is one cause of the conditions you describe. The cold inflation pressure on the placard on the car or as listed in the owner's manual should work well.

Falken Ziex CT50 A/S. Good so far. Good in heavy rain, good in snow, OK on bad pavement. Good steering response.
Click to expand...

correct, Mazda over inflates the tires so they do not get any flat spots during the boat ride from Japan.

My Mazda 6 had yokohama advan sport a83a as OEM equipment, and these tires are excellent in terms of performance

- excellent steering response
-good grip in rain or dry
-decent treadwear
-noisy at high speed but comfortable ride
-not safe in moderate snow
 
Just wondering if anyone has installed all-weather tires on the CX-9 and what's the experience/feedback using them. Thanks,
 
stealthbob said:
Not really a fan considering I need to replace one...

My wife is the one who drives this car and she took off today with a flat, didn't really notice? Anyway that issue notwithstanding I need to replace the one tire...it took a while for even my dealer to find some. looks like a week wait and a whopping $370...for one freakin tire! Only 14,000 KM's so one should be fine but damm....thinking of just switching out the entire set when the winters come off this spring.
Click to expand...

Just curious but what winter set have you been using on your CX9? Are they same exact tire specs as the OEMs? How's the ride comfort, noise, cornering & handling while on it?
 
tekbis said:
Just wondering if anyone has installed all-weather tires on the CX-9 and what's the experience/feedback using them. Thanks,
Click to expand...

It all depends on which A/S tires, and what size. I have a '12 GT, and the OEM A/S tires (Bridgestone Duelers) were not good in the snow at all. I now have Bridgestone Ecopia 422s--but the past 2 winters since I got them have not had much snowfall, so I can't say. Check TireRack rating charts to get a sense.
 
tex2670 said:
It all depends on which A/S tires, and what size. I have a '12 GT, and the OEM A/S tires (Bridgestone Duelers) were not good in the snow at all. I now have Bridgestone Ecopia 422s--but the past 2 winters since I got them have not had much snowfall, so I can't say. Check TireRack rating charts to get a sense.
Click to expand...

Was actually referring to all weather tires like Nokians and not all seasons or 3-season tires.
 
tekbis said:
Was actually referring to all weather tires like Nokians and not all seasons or 3-season tires.
Click to expand...

you mean winter tires? I see you live in Canada like I do which has a lot of slush. I have been very happy with the yokohama iceguard ig52c tires, they are excellent in the slush.
 
GJ-Molestor said:
you mean winter tires? I see you live in Canada like I do which has a lot of slush. I have been very happy with the yokohama iceguard ig52c tires, they are excellent in the slush.
Click to expand...

All weather tires are winter rated tires and you can use it throughout the year even in summer without having to changeover unlike winter tires.
 
tekbis said:
All weather tires are winter rated tires and you can use it throughout the year even in summer without having to changeover unlike winter tires.
Click to expand...

I have tried tires like this before on a different car (Michelins I believe) and they did work quite well Year-round, but there are always compromises to be made with a tire designed to perform well in both snow or dry.
 
tekbis said:
Just wondering if anyone has installed all-weather tires on the CX-9 and what's the experience/feedback using them. Thanks,
Click to expand...

For those who are considering or interested I just replaced the OEM Falken Ziex CT50 A/S with a set of Nokian WRG3 SUV all weather tires (winter rated with UTQG of 600 AA) using 235 55R20 spec. Tires are 20mm narrower but not very noticable and with the tread pattern & design you can feel the slight diff vs OEM tires but not significantly while on the road in terms of road feel. Since new tires are narrower and lighter and due to low rolling resistance construction I do get better fuel economy by approx (1-2MPG) so far and you can also feel the vehicle's a bit lighter as it moves quicker with throttle inputs. So far no snow/ice yet to test the grip but from my experience owning these tires on my previous volvo they were better than all seasons. Handling characteristics so far haven't felt significantly reduced vs OEM tires. Unfortunately the Falkens didn't perform well during the past winter which prompted me to replace them even if only used for 8-9 mos. The new all weathers of course will not beat dedicated winter tires but they are better than all seasons and I didn't want the hassle and cost of the switchover twice a year.
 

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All season -- all weather

tekbis said:
All weather tires are winter rated tires and you can use it throughout the year even in summer without having to changeover unlike winter tires.
Click to expand...

There is actually no standard definition of all season vs all weather. The only thing that matters is whether or not the tires have the snowflake symbol on the sidewall. If they do they are rated for winter driving, if not they aren't. Nokian WR used to be the only all-anything tire that was so rated but now there are several alternatives. Out west, in BC, it is illegal to drive through mountain passes in winter on anything that doesn't have the snowflake unless you carry chains (although I have never heard of anybody being ticketed). I'm not sure whether all this applies in the US or not.

winter-logo.png


Winter tires differ from summer or all-anything tires in more than just tread pattern. They also have a higher hysteresis rubber compound that handles ice better and remains more flexible at low temperatures. I have always lived in the country and so always use proper winter tires, although if most of your driving is in town you may not need them. I have a set of 20-inch Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tires that I used on my Mercedes; they are the same size as the CX-9 uses so I am having them moved to winter wheels (which I am currently waiting for). They are probably the best winter tire money can buy; their price certainly reflects that! I'll report back on this board when I have some experience using them on the CX-9 in some serious weather. In my Mercedes I could practically climb the side of tall buildings.
 
Gatuno said:
I was quite excited to receive my new cx9 . all the reviews were talking about the great response that the car had on the road, agile and with very good handling and some of the reasons for this , perhaps the least important was beasue of the great response of the tyres, these where a perfect companion for the great chasis. The tyres that were commented in every review were falken. Said this, as soon as I received my cx9 I realized that it didn't come with the falkens but instead bridgetston ecopia s , these tires are not as good, they have not got the grip nor respose from the falkens and they have a very bad performance in rough pavement. Although still the response agility and handling of the cx9 are far better than any other comparable suv in the category .. but it was a downer not to receive the falkens.. have any of you have received ur CX9 with other tires ? any comments about them?
regards
G
Click to expand...


Mazda specified the Falken for the CX-9 at 34psi. I've never heard of a new CX-9 coming with something other. Of course, the dealer (more than likely) made this tire change for reasons only they can explain to you. Bridgestone, no longer produces the "S" variant of this tire unless they changed its name and continued making it under a different name. With a heavier SUV (CX-9 checks in at 4,300lbs) most people want a compromise between ride comfort and performance in the turns (handling, stability and control). Bridgestone's performance tire is the Potenza line and the Ecopia won't approximate that at all given its much softer sidewall design. If you are going to stick with Bridgestone, then they make either the Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia or the Dueler H/L Alenza Plus - both of which are simply not good character representatives for the CX-9.


They do make the Potenza S007, but that comes in at 255/35R20 and (oops) there goes your ride comfort right out the window at over $400USD per tire and not much tread life expectancy. However, it is a nice tire and would bring the CX-9 to life in the turns. It would also not fill out (fill up) the tire well (vertically) nearly as much as the 50 profile tire which is taller vertically and that too would look awkward to many (though maybe not yourself - only you can decide that). I'm rather surprised that Bridgestone does not make a Pole Position tire for a 20 inch rim at all - I'm actually blown away by that omission. Pole Position has been a favorite of mine for quite some time.
 
tekbis said:
For those who are considering or interested I just replaced the OEM Falken Ziex CT50 A/S with a set of Nokian WRG3 SUV all weather tires (winter rated with UTQG of 600 AA) using 235 55R20 spec. Tires are 20mm narrower but not very noticable and with the tread pattern & design you can feel the slight diff vs OEM tires but not significantly while on the road in terms of road feel. Since new tires are narrower and lighter and due to low rolling resistance construction I do get better fuel economy by approx (1-2MPG) so far and you can also feel the vehicle's a bit lighter as it moves quicker with throttle inputs. So far no snow/ice yet to test the grip but from my experience owning these tires on my previous volvo they were better than all seasons. Handling characteristics so far haven't felt significantly reduced vs OEM tires. Unfortunately the Falkens didn't perform well during the past winter which prompted me to replace them even if only used for 8-9 mos. The new all weathers of course will not beat dedicated winter tires but they are better than all seasons and I didn't want the hassle and cost of the switchover twice a year.
Click to expand...


Does yours have the pretty Mountain and Snowflake Symbol? (poke)
 
Cessna CJ4 said:
Mazda specified the Falken for the CX-9 at 34psi. I've never heard of a new CX-9 coming with something other. Of course, the dealer (more than likely) made this tire change for reasons only they can explain to you. Bridgestone, no longer produces the "S" variant of this tire unless they changed its name and continued making it under a different name. With a heavier SUV (CX-9 checks in at 4,300lbs) most people want a compromise between ride comfort and performance in the turns (handling, stability and control). Bridgestone's performance tire is the Potenza line and the Ecopia won't approximate that at all given its much softer sidewall design. If you are going to stick with Bridgestone, then they make either the Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia or the Dueler H/L Alenza Plus - both of which are simply not good character representatives for the CX-9.


They do make the Potenza S007, but that comes in at 255/35R20 and (oops) there goes your ride comfort right out the window at over $400USD per tire and not much tread life expectancy. However, it is a nice tire and would bring the CX-9 to life in the turns. It would also not fill out (fill up) the tire well (vertically) nearly as much as the 50 profile tire which is taller vertically and that too would look awkward to many (though maybe not yourself - only you can decide that). I'm rather surprised that Bridgestone does not make a Pole Position tire for a 20 inch rim at all - I'm actually blown away by that omission. Pole Position has been a favorite of mine for quite some time.
Click to expand...

considering the balance that the cx-9 strikes between ride comfort and handling, I think your best bet would be a set of yokohama performance tires. they are standard equipment on my mazda6 and I am very pleased with how they perform.
 
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