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Mazda CX-9 in the snow

20 messages,  Last post on Dec 20, 2010 at 2:32 PM

You are in the Mazda CX-9 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda CX-9, SUV

Messages Page 2 of 2

#11 of 20 Re: CX9 in the Snow [jcpharm] by jeff_deal

Jan 02, 2010 (3:36 pm)

Replying to: jcpharm (Dec 09, 2009 8:40 am)
I sure wish I would have known this before I purchased my 09 CX-9 in October. I replaced my Honda CR-V (son now has who is in college in Montana we are in Washington) so I wanted this rig to go back and forth to visit and have a little more room. All reviews were pretty solid so I bought the grand touring (knowing the 20 inch rims were a bit rougher on none smooth roads).
 
Well just go back from a New Years snowy trip down the Colombia River Gorge in 4-6 wet snow and then mixing with ice...man was I sweating it the whole way and I am a solid driver in bad conditions...it was like floating half the time knowing that if I made a mistake the vehicle was gone. Thought conditions must be really bad (many cars were off the road) but there were several front wheel drive vehicles passing me which was puzzling...now I know.
 
Ok...I read a couple of the other entries and I would like to know if I really need to go to the 18" option (spendy), need to get 20inch snow tires (never have done this on my other AWD vehicles) or just grin and bear it through this winter and then before next get rid of these crappy tires and buy a better all purpose tire??? My wife's FWD Lexus had problems with OEM Bridgestones as well but the Michelin all weather seemed to correct the problem. The Bridgestones on my CR-V were OK but the Toyo's I replaced them with are much better as well.
 
Shame on Mazda for putting out this AWD SUV product with such crappy tires for snowy conditions....I hope they read this thread and my local dealer will be getting an earful.
 
Jeff

#12 of 20 Re: CX9 in the Snow [jeff_deal] by ceric

Jan 02, 2010 (4:16 pm)

Replying to: jeff_deal (Jan 02, 2010 3:36 pm)
It is the tire.
I just put on Yoko Parada Spec-X and came back from a skii trip.
It performed flawlessly.
Get rid of the tires anyway you can unless you drive it mostly in dry-wet conditions only. On snow and ice, the OE tires are lousy.
See tirerack.com for reviews for users with millions of miles on them.
 
BTW, Bridgestone Deuler H/L 400 can be found on several vehicles of various brands, not just Mazda. They are expensive (way so) if you continue to buy the same ones as replacement....

#13 of 20 tires are everything by legacygt

Jan 04, 2010 (10:14 am)

Just spent 2 weeks in VT with plenty of snow and ice. I recently put Blizzaks on the my AWD GT and no problems whatsoever. This is not a Jeep and it's not a truck with unstoppable 4WD. But with the right tires and conservative driving I was very happy with the snow/ice performance. This included some unpaved steep hills.

#14 of 20 Re: CX9 in the Snow [ceric] by sedmund

Jan 05, 2010 (7:22 am)

Replying to: ceric (Jan 02, 2010 4:16 pm)
The Yoko Parada's are good in snow - this is my second snow/winter season on those and they have performed quite alright so far. But I find the steering response has become much worse with the Parada's in general compared to the Duelers, the steering has also become quite vague in the center. Do you find the same?

#15 of 20 Re: CX9 in the Snow [sedmund] by ceric

Jan 05, 2010 (11:31 pm)

Replying to: sedmund (Jan 05, 2010 7:22 am)
"vague in the center"
 
I agree. But, it is not that bad. It comes with the tread pattern.
 
Tires with many/big center water channels (like the OE tire) will have better center feel, but it also tends to follow "seams" on highway (which I absolutely dislike!!!).
(1 for Spec-X, 4 for Dueler)
 
Tire design is all about trading off many factors.

#16 of 20 AWD in the snow by christopher_w

Nov 20, 2010 (10:18 am)

My wife and I recently purchased a used 2007 CX-9 GT which appears to have the original Bridgestone 20" tires. We had our first snow here in Winnipeg Canada and I have the same complaints as many on this topic regarding the performance in the snow (e.g. poor stopping power, 'loose' feel on corners, and slow starting even with AWD). I plan to immediately purchase one of the snow tire setups from Tire Rack as recommend by others on this forum.
 
My question is for those who have AWD CX-9s and drive in the snow frequently. I was surprised at the handling over slippery conditions when taking corners. My perception was that the AWD CX-9 was handling allot like a rear wheel drive vehicle. If I give it a little gas around the corner I have no difficulty swinging the back end around. While I have experience driving rear wheel drive vehicles in these conditions, and find these abilities to be fun on occasion, my wife does not, and after a few spinouts with near misses, will no longer set foot in our new vehicle. Will new winter tires solve this “problem”? Should I spend some time with my Wife getting her comfortable driving with the RWD feel, or is this something I should look into further? Have others had the same experience? My expectation prior to purchasing this vehicle was that with AWD and traction control would make the vehicle somewhat dummy proof when driving in adverse conditions. This does not seem to be the case.
 
Note: The AWD and TCS are working in all other situations; I get good acceleration in icy conditions, the slippery road light comes on when TCS engages, both front and rear wheels appear to be powered when it is need.

#17 of 20 Re: AWD in the snow [christopher_w] by circlew

Nov 20, 2010 (3:49 pm)

Replying to: christopher_w (Nov 20, 2010 10:18 am)
Good = AWD with All-Season Tires...Ultimate = AWD with snow tires on all 4 corners.
 
Check tire rack for snow and ice rating for your model tire.
 
Also, keep about 32 lbs of air max in the snow. More air = more slippery.
 
Regards,
OW

#18 of 20 Re: AWD in the snow [christopher_w] by ceric

Nov 21, 2010 (1:15 am)

Replying to: christopher_w (Nov 20, 2010 10:18 am)
2007 AWD CX9s have higher percentage of transfer case failure reported.
Problem seemed to have been solved with 2008+.
If replacing with snow tires does not help, check with the dealer to see if it is not working properly as expected.
 
Or, have a bystander outside to check if the rear wheels spin proactively when you accelerate on snow.

#19 of 20 CX9 in the snow by zoomcx9

Dec 20, 2010 (11:32 am)

I am driving a 2010 CX9 GT for a year now, and i am residing here at Northern Maine, the mountainouos woodland where snow averages 160-180 inches from last week of October to first week of May. Driving the CX9 using its OEM tires is not recommended, remember the tires are the part of any vehicle in contact with the ground...not the traction control or 4WD-system.
 
Our first trip during winter happened last Feb 2010, and we are caught in the middle of worst snow storm recorded in Mid-Atlantic area, as we spent our vacation in Atlantic City down to Washington DC. Before the trip, I replaced the tires with Blizzak( bought $860 Sears ), as I cant afford the Nokian snow tires size 20" (worth $1500) which i prefer & brand I trusted most & use in non-traction control car.
 
The trip went well, we can travel in a 6-10 inches of snow smoothly, and the day after the storm we can run at I-95 within speed limit 65-75MPH. On our way, we saw different vehicles stranded, swerved, & crashed to another vehicle but the CX9 with Blizzak snow tires stand above the rest. From DC to New York, Boston to Northerneastern part of Maine...we return home safely in midst of snow storm & blizzard.
 
We already drove with CX 9 from Maine to Niagara falls & its stability is at its best over other SUV at its category. Now this is the second winter we have this reliable car..just use a reliable snow tire ( I don't use studded tires ) so you can enjoy ZOOM...ZOOOM...ZOOOOM !!!

#20 of 20 Re: CX9 in the Snow [pgodden] by circlew

Dec 20, 2010 (2:32 pm)

Replying to: pgodden (Dec 09, 2009 12:17 am)
Check your tire model on tirerack.com and look at survey of your tires that came stock. I just checked the 20" tires on my brand new 2010 CX-9 GT and they are abysmal for snow/ice traction (55/57 of tires rated overall). B/S Dueler H/L 400...same junk tires on the 2008 CR-V we purchased. 23K and out for a set of Kuhmo's.
 
I'm so glad they will need replacement at ~ 20K miles (260 tread wear UTOG rating) so I can get proper all-weather tires.
 
Mazda, you should be ashamed!!! Honda, you too!!
 
Regards,
OW

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