Well it's almost that time of year again. Yes those of us who live in the North are now thinking about winter tires and wheels. Well at least I am. So i'm the owner of a 2016 GT cx5 awd. Although the 19" Toyo's are great in the warm weather, once the snow falls here in Alberta(starting to fall in the rockies) i'll be slipping and sliding all over the road like a 6 yr old on skates as opposed to say, Sidney Crosby. GO PENS!!(and Flames). Anyway i'm going to downgrade to 17" wheels and thinking about the Michelin x-ice from Costco. Probably a Matte black alloy wheel but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg plus a right nut. My budget is about $1600CAD give er take $100. Anyone ride on the x-ice? Any good? I'm sure they are. What about wheels? Looking for wheel ideas please. Also maybe where I could purchase. Thanks!!
Show me your Winter Wheels and tire combos.
- Thread starter Vinster
- Start date
I ran the original version of the Michelin X-ice. Now I think they are on version 3 or thereabouts. Like every winter tire I've ever used (too many to remember) they are all a HUGE upgrade in snow and ice over All-Season's. And I have to assume the new version of the X-ice is improved in terms of bare pavement feel since I've tried them (if not, stay away).
Here's my latest winter wheels/tires:
They're Oz Racing Alleggerita HLT's w/Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT's in 225/65/17. I'm looking forward to putting them on again this fall due to their lighter weight (which is immediately noticeable in terms or perkiness off the line), better cornering, especially in the cold and wet, and of course their ability to be planted on snow and ice. (cabpatch)
Here's my latest winter wheels/tires:
They're Oz Racing Alleggerita HLT's w/Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT's in 225/65/17. I'm looking forward to putting them on again this fall due to their lighter weight (which is immediately noticeable in terms or perkiness off the line), better cornering, especially in the cold and wet, and of course their ability to be planted on snow and ice. (cabpatch)
Last edited:
- :
- 23 CX-5 Premium
Let's see Mike, how does the logic go? You already have a perfectly good set of 17" wheels, so why spend $500 (?) on another set? Or, in your words "The big issue that comes to mind is that for the price of only 100 wheels you could buy another CX-5! Complete with chassis, engine, transmission, wheels, tires air conditioning, etc.. Oh, and you would have $9,000-$18,000 dollars left over!" Or does that logic only work on grills?(cheers2)
Give it up Paris. The wheels were only about $1000 and they are made with a more expensive manufacturing process than the OEM cast wheels and thus are not only lighter but stronger as well. They are pressure cast vs. gravity cast and then roll formed to give them most of the strength of a true forged wheel. This is a huge functional upgrade that increases driving pleasure, increases acceleration while simultaneously increasing mpg's and simplifies the change each year to dedicated seasonal wheels/tires which are a huge safety factor for me. It could be a difference between life/death whereas a new injection molded grill for $400, well, you can't even see it while driving and there is no advantage other than it makes the car look a little different.
You seem to gloss over the fact that I fully recognize everyone is different and has the right to value customizations however they see fit. I'm only giving my opinion of my values, not telling someone else what they should/shouldn't buy.
Let's compare:
| Light Winter Wheels | New Plastic Grill | |
| Subjective Appearance | Improved | Improved |
| Acceleration | Improved | No Difference |
| MPG's | Improved | No Difference |
| Safety | Improved | No Difference |
| Durability | Improved | No Difference |
| Cost | $1000 | $400 |
| Resale Value | $800 | $100 |
| Final Cost | $200 | $300 |
| Improves Driving Experience | Yes | No |
| Comes with quality paint | Yes | No |
| Subjective Value | High | Low |
<tbody>
</tbody>
- :
- 2014 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech
I bought a set of 17" OEM CX-5 wheels on eBay for $580 delivered and a set of DM-V1 Blizzak tires (stock size - 225/65R17) with mounting and balancing for $708. So total investment was $1,288. Couldn't be happier with my purchase.
- :
- 23 CX-5 Premium
I've always been surprised that we haven't seen greater use of the OE 17" wheels for winter tire use. Seems like most of those Sport/Touring drivers who've switched to another wheel are either content to let their 17s take up garage space or are laboring under the notion that they're worth more than they actually are. If I were ever to change out my Touring rims, I would put them on Craigslist or eBay and be happy with whatever I could get for them! Sounds like you got a reasonable deal on yours.
Woodys2718
Member
- :
- 2016 CX 5 GT AWD, Tech & IActivesense
General Altimax Artic, and steel wheels shown on my 14 Touring last winter. These will be placed in my 16 GT in a few months.
MidwestCX5
Member
- :
- 2015 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/ Tech
My winter tires are Blizzak DM-V1 on 17" powder coat aluminum wheels to replace the 19" Toyo tires. They worked very well last winter.
Last edited:
speedbegone
Member
- :
- 2014 mazda CX5 GT liquid silver
I'm didn't take a picture of my wheels yet, but I will be running the same blizzaks dmv1 as previous winters, but swapped out my rusted 8 year old winter steelies for new matte black rtx contour winter wheels:
The wheels alone will be a big weight saving (about 10 pounds per wheel) and the finish is specially made for winter. I will also have a better offset (40 vs 50 and width 7.5 vs 6.5 for the steelies)
The wheels alone will be a big weight saving (about 10 pounds per wheel) and the finish is specially made for winter. I will also have a better offset (40 vs 50 and width 7.5 vs 6.5 for the steelies)
- :
- 2014.5 CX-5 GS FWD 2.5L
Those X-ice should work great in Calgary conditions. This time of year, watch for deals/rebates at Costco, which should be coming out any time now. Costco has good pricing but notice certain brands are lot higher. Wonder if it has to do with our dollar? $227 per tire right now for the Xice. The Blizzak WS80 with rebate is only $145 (that's $330 diff).
As for wheels, Costco has a line through their web purchasing, shipped to your house. They won't sell through the store but they do the installs. Again, I notice the pricing has gone up over last year.
Finding CX5 17" OEM's is impossible around here.
Our CX5 came with 17", so we used the OEM's for winter with Nokian Hakka R2's. Bought a new set of RTX wheels for summer.
As for wheels, Costco has a line through their web purchasing, shipped to your house. They won't sell through the store but they do the installs. Again, I notice the pricing has gone up over last year.
Finding CX5 17" OEM's is impossible around here.
Our CX5 came with 17", so we used the OEM's for winter with Nokian Hakka R2's. Bought a new set of RTX wheels for summer.
I also went with Blizzak DM-V1s, although I'm mounting them on the stock 19s. ( http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123849756-New-snow-tires-have-arrived )
Can't wait to throw those on and try them out when Winter arrives. I had Blizzaks for winter use on my 2005 GTO, and they were phenomenal on snow and ice.
I'll post a pic or two once they're mounted around, or after Thanksgiving.
Can't wait to throw those on and try them out when Winter arrives. I had Blizzaks for winter use on my 2005 GTO, and they were phenomenal on snow and ice.
I'll post a pic or two once they're mounted around, or after Thanksgiving.
Last Fall, we bought a set of new Mazda 3, 16" alloy take-offs off Craig's List ($250) and mounted 225/70x16 Blizzak DM-V1s. While they worked fine in the ice & snow I wasn't impressed with their lack of responsiveness and directional stability. Were I to do it over, I'd go back to X-ice or perhaps try Mike's Goodyears.
- :
- 2014 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech
The newest Blizzaks are DM-V2's. Also, it looks like Toyo has a new tire that is less than a full winter tire but more than all season. Supposed to be comparable to Nokian WRG3.
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/channel/retailing/article/story/2015/09/is-toyo-s-celsius-in-a-new-category.aspx
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/channel/retailing/article/story/2015/09/is-toyo-s-celsius-in-a-new-category.aspx
costco calgary blizzakWS80 - yeah, slight deal at $145 less 17.50 to Oct 04
iceX12 @ $213
$15 Costco install each tire
17" wheel $77 each (delivered to house)
$510 +$300 +$60 = $870 for the WS80's
$856 +$300 + $60 = $1216 for iceX12
both in OP budget of $1600
------------------------------------------
re: blizzak - still only count on 50% treadwear before replacing, or are the WS80's lasting longer than 3-4 seasons ??
Last edited:
. ZuluCX has studded tires, I don't think those allow in Ontario. I have Toyo Obserse G-02 Plus on steel rims for 2 Ottawa winters, they worked ok but I think I will switch to something else when time to replace.I'm actually looking at the Leo and Areis wheels from Costco.ca. The x-ice go on sale next month.
Last edited:
