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You know, I used to think it was a simple thing for a dealer to do - just swap the desired tires/rims from one car to another, but my 05 Avalon XLS purchase, and my previous Nissan Maxima purchase taught me otherwise. Neither dealer was willing to do such a swap because of something to do with the specific rims having been issued with a specific car requires that they get sold together.
Sounds bizarre, but I asked to do a tire/rim swap on each of those cars to get the better tires and even initially walked out on the Toyota dealer - they let me go. Since then I've had no reason to believe the dealers weren't telling me the truth, but a few of the other posters have commented they've done the swaps in the past so I'll have to put my faith in you and them (and the dealers). I hope you're right and I'm wrong. Thanks for the input!
Regards,
Deanie
If the Turanza "bad hairday" didn't cost nearly $1,000 to remedy, I'd agree, but it does, so I don't (agree that is). C'mon, do you think it's trivial to throw away a grand to get what other buyers of the same car get with out spending one cent more? C'mon!
When a the buyer of a big bucks high-end lexus (assuming it was bought new/near new) wants to pony up for new tires right off the bat, it's not as big a deal for that buyer from a financial perspective as it would be for a CX-7 buyer (generally a less "well-heeled" individual). Besides, that $1,000 to do a CX-7 tire swap represents a greater percentage of the total outlay for the car than it would to do the Lexus tire swap, making the CX-7 tire swap relatively more expensive.
If money were no object, I'd get whatever I'd want, and it wouldn't be the CX-7, but $$$ is an object and I'd like to get the most for my money.
Regards,
Deanie
Now that we know for sure BOTH tires are available, the tire issue is no longer an issue it's just a little annoying or inconvenient.
The CX-7 does work for me, and it can be had with the better tires, it just means making sure the dealer will swap to get the color/option/tire choice desired. If the dealer won't, that's where the inconvenience comes in it means waiting a little longer to find what you want.
I'll probably have to buy before the RD-X and Infinity C35 come out - what a shame (deciding between the CX-7, Murano and Oddysey). As for my former Max and former Avalon, neither car could be found with the combination of color/options/tires desired at the time of purchase, and unfortunately both cars were bought out of immediate need so there wasn't time to wait around or search far outside my area.
Regards,
Deanie
Can someone please help out. I've been sorting thru the tire discussion, but I don't really understand it too well. Which tires should I ask for for the FWD version? I do not use my cars for any rough driving, but I do like a car that handles well. I am giving up my Integra for a wagon (reluctantly) and am trying to get as close to that drive as possible.
Also - WHERE ARE THE CARS? If someone knows of any around the NYC area, please let me know. All the dealers I have called are clueless so I called headquarters and they said sometime in June.
Thanks!
I have found that the combination of tire, car and road makes all the difference in the world. A "great tire" based on tire-rack or other reviews, might be noisy and have poor grip on your tire and in your neighborhood.
I think a lot of the comments hear are driven by a few people with an anti-Bridgestone bias. Bridgestone makes the OEM tire for the Ferrari Enzo, so I think they are perfectly capable of making tires, so I wouldn't let someone elses bias sway you.
Best tire I've ever had: Bridgestone Potenza Pole-Position S-03. Just awesome.
Worst tire I've eved had (by far): Bridgestone Turanza EL-42. ridiculously bad. Terrible. Awful. Dangerous.
The OEM tires are not worthless, the Mazda dealer or the tire dealer should give you an allowance on the OEM tires. The sooner you swap the better.
The difference between tires can be substancial in road holding wet or dry and ride smoothness.
And, yes, many Mazda Protegé owners found Bridgestone OEM tires to be the worst they had ever had on a car. For the Protegés they were prone to hydroplaning, were harsh riding, and bad in snow.
I drive less than they did so I learned from their experiences with various brands and series replacements. Then I consulted TireRack's reviews before buying. The best tire recommended by the reviewers I bought and was amazed how great they are -- Kuhmos, they are everything the Bridgestones were not and much cheaper.
If you read other Mazda forums here you can learn a great deal and when a CX-7 Forum opens log-on regularly.
fowler3
All in all this discussion came up on another spot in the forums, and to me it was much to do about nada.
I still feel Bridgestone is a great tire, I had them on my '95 Millenia, switched to Yokohamas, and went back to Bridgestone.
All tires are not equal, but I like what I have on my GT.
Drive the vehicles back to back...you will find they have very different driving dynamics. All the reading and research dosnt mean much until you drive them.
Vince.
The last vehicle is a completely new SUV from Mazda. The CX-7 just arrived and is targeted at the RX330 and MDX consumer market, both of which are great platforms for 22 inchers.
The CX-7 comes with 235/60R18s from the factory and a 5x4.5 bolt pattern and high offset. Making the calculations, we see that a 265/35R22 is dead on the money for a plus size. The sky is the limit with this one.
It's a snippet of an article at tirereview.com
Does it mean if you buy 265/35R22 tires, they'll fit on the factory wheels? Or if you buy new wheels and tires that size they'll be the right size for the vehicle?
Personally, I've yet to find an aftermarket wheel in the affordable range that didn't have the shimmies after a speed of 70 -75 mph. {By affordable, I mean to us average Joes who can't afford a $4000 set of rims on a $500 car!}
So, any recommendations on 235/60-18 tires? I was looking at tirerack.com, and nothing seems to get great reviews except the winter tires. Some of those have comments that such-and-such would be a good all-year tire too, but with temperatures of 95 degrees in the summer, I'd be afraid any sort of cold weather tire would just melt.
And why not go to Merchants Tire or a similar store and ask them for their opinions? Seems they're the experts. I've bought tires from them many times and have never been steered wrong. Up front, legit guys.
Vince.
1. Goodyear Eagle RS-A
2. Bridgestone Turanza EL42
As for just going to Merchants or someplace like that... from searching on the web, it looks like their selection is pretty limited. The only thing they're showing in our size (235/60-18) is
Michelin Pilot HX MXM4
Manufacturers don't put the most expensive tire on the vehicle, then it becomes a cost issue. I've yet to have an OEM tire last longer than 30k miles... and to be honest, I think it's designed to be that way.
Personally; I deal with Discount Tires in the Houston area, and just like Merchants, these guys know their tires and I trust them not to just unload the daily special on me, but rather educate me on my purchase so that my business is repeat and not one time only. Besides, they see these things everyday, where as we may see tire purchases once every three to four years. If they sell you a more expensive tire that has a crappy reputation, you surely won't be back, but if they sell you a great tire at a little higher price than the cheapies, you're a happy consumer.
I own a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe LX, 3.5L, 4WD, 60000 miles, with still original tires and fair amount of tread left.
Vince.
there should be no problem, i.e, rubbing against the
wheel well, et cetera.
I was thinking the CX-7 would look even better with a
slightly wider tire, although same wheel size. I prefer
a more subtle approach. For instance, I believe the
Lexus RX350 comes with the 235/60 R18's, and I saw a
Lexus RX one day that had 255/55 R18's. It was just
enough to give the car a much better stance, slightly
more aggressive. Once again, it wasn't a big
difference, but enough to where I liked it. I wonder
how a 255/55 R18 tire would look on the Mazda CX?
Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G052
If they fit on our standard wheels, I'd order some today.
Vince.
It's probably somewhere around where you set the time.
I think the width of the tire wouldn't bother the Navi, but if you should actually change the height, i.e. 22's and such, that might have an offset.
A wider size that fits on the stock rim would be nice...
If anyone is interested: I checked out chrome dipping for the stock wheels, it's about $600 a wheel. Ouch!
Yokohama Geolandar tires. Whether I end up
getting the RX or the CX, this will help me
decide on whether to purchase these tires in
the 255/55 size. At least these tires have
a more normal look to the tread pattern.
I forgot to mention on that RX that I saw
with the 255's, the tires were the Wrangler
type that you see on the Jeeps, so I didn't
care for the deep tread pattern that it had.
It just didn't look right on a luxury SUV.
But I definitely liked the overall appearance
of that particular sized tire on the RX.
My question is , being a 4 cylinder,do you experience "turbo lag" before the turbos spool up, (like the Audi ) , or is the acceleration smooth and linear like a natural aspirated engine? Also, what do think of the general Mazda build quality(compared to other brands) and the potential reliability and longevity of the turbo engine?
I don't know if you could call it "lag" like in other turbos, since it's not as obvious as others I've driven, but there is some lag there.
The build quality is by far better than the Camry XLE I traded in, but I'm not sure if it's on par to the Audi. {Germans make a comfort level yet to be equalled...} but I like it, and I consider myself to be pretty darn picky when it comes to my toys, and this one is by far my favorite!
On longevity; first year jitters are still in my mind, but I'm comfortable with it... I had my trusted mechanic {former Toyota - Lexus service manager with over 30 years experience} check out the set up, and he advised to get the extended service for the turbo, but is confident with the overall build of the unit.
I have an AWD GT on order and would like to use the 20" wheels.
Vince.
Thanks, Vince.
http://www.tirerack.com
1. select Mazda 2007 for Make and Year
2. select Wheels as the product you are searching for
3. select CX-7 as the model
4. click CONTINUE WITHOUT SAVING VEHICLE button
5. select a style
6. click GO button
7. on the left of the screen, just above the middle will be a dropdown that says Choose Color. Pick your color here.
Vince.
James
link title
Vince.
Today I replaced my Bridgestone Turanza with the Yokahama Geolandar H/T-S G051.
I'm not happy at all! :mad:
A $900.00 lesson...
These crappy tires started showing excessive wear at the 19000 mile mark! I'm not sure if the CX-7 is just hard on tires, {I doubt that seriously} or if the old rumor that the tire manufacturers actually make an inferior tire for the industry, {they'll never reveal if they do} but the mere fact that this tire couldn't go 30k before change out is deplorable!
I took Vince's word on this one, and went with the Geolanders, {mainly because Goodyear's product line is waaaay behind schedule with their last strike.}
I got a set with the "Plus Zero" specs, meaning I went with a wider tire for better stability and control.
I'm not sure how the Eagles will do on the CX-7, but right about now, I wish I would have been given the option of the Turanzas or the Goodyears...
Incidentally; the Turanzas have gone up to 298.00 per tire! :lemon:
The Yokohamas had a sale price of 170.00 per tire.
Regarding the "plus zero," you have to be careful with that. More tread cross secition does not always mean more "stability and control."
...I tried that on my old Jetta (I think I went from 195/65 to 205/60) and the result of just the 10mm increase was that the tread was wider than the wheel. Instead of getting the benefits of more contact patch, I think the sidewalls got less stable because of their increased skew. It was not a good feeling. I've since gone back to the OEM 195/65 size, and things are better. Maybe the CX-7 wheels can handle the upsize fine.
I have the Goodyears on mine and they are okay so far, but again, I have less than half the mileage you do. :shades:
Vince.
In any event the tires will eventually wear out and I can replace them with whatever I want at some point.