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Mazda CX-7 Tires and Wheels

24

Comments

  • topgun7topgun7 Member Posts: 412
    Deanie, dealer would just find a car in their lot with the tire you want and take down the 4 tire with rim intact and swap them with the tire and rims in your vechicle. It take may be 5-10 minutes for them to move the car to the lift and perform the operation. There is no mounting involve.
  • deaniedeanie Member Posts: 172
    Hi Topgun7:
    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
  • deaniedeanie Member Posts: 172
    Hi Topgun7:
    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
  • topgun7topgun7 Member Posts: 412
    It is interesting that your dealer did not want to swap for you. But if it is important to you, why not specified in your request for quote and make sure that they have the specific tire for you? Avalon and Maxima (and hopefully CX-7) are pretty high volume car and they should be able to find in either their inventory or someone's else inventory with the specific tire and option combination that your want. Dealer trade their car all the time to get options combination that customer want. Anyway good luck. If CX-7 don't work for you becuase of tire issue, there is always RD-X and Murano.
  • deaniedeanie Member Posts: 172
    Hi Topgun7:
    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
  • afishionadaafishionada Member Posts: 31
    Hi All,

    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!
  • dave90dave90 Member Posts: 27
    If I were you, I would try both tires on my own roads and see if I like one better (handling, noise, whatever).

    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.
  • buyingsoon2buyingsoon2 Member Posts: 10
    Anti-Bridgestone? C'mon.

    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.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    First, it should not cost $1000 to swap tires. The CX-7 uses the same ally wheels on all models whether AWD or FWD. The problem may be in availability -- 18" tires are not made by all companies in the size required.

    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
  • afishionadaafishionada Member Posts: 31
    Thanks fowler3 and others - this is all good to know. I'll check the other boards too. I don't mind putting out a few extra dollars to get the right tires, but I don't want to overpay either. I hope the cars are in soon - otherwise this will be a moot issue for me since I need to buy in the next week. The local dealers here in NY are telling me that no one gets a car until every dealer in the USA has one - crazy logistics.
  • daverain1daverain1 Member Posts: 3
    I bought a CX-7 in mid-June and it came with the Goodyear Eagles. It was a Grand Touring AWD. I saw other AWD GT with Bridgestones, so...?
  • wjbushsrwjbushsr Member Posts: 135
    No fast one... My CX-7 has the Bridgestones, Would I have liked to have had the Goodyears, initially yes, but to be honest with you; this car rides and grips so well with the Bridgestones, I might not have been able to tell the difference.

    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. ;)
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    P.S. Any comments on CX-7 vs. Oddy & Murano SE aside from their obvious relative pricing and size advantages?

    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
    .
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Don't much about tires, buy my CX-7 came with Eagle RS A.

    Vince.
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    Can someone who understands tires/wheels explain this to me?

    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?
  • wjbushsrwjbushsr Member Posts: 135
    If I'm reading this right, he's saying that you can use either a wide rim with an extended out tire, or a low profile wheel and tire setup.

    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!}
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    Hahaha, yeah, I'm probably not buying rims. I'm just not that much of a car hobbyist.

    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.
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Pardon me for my naïveté, but what's wrong with the stock tires that come with the CX-7? Should I be concerned?

    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.
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    The CX-7 comes with two OEM tires, one of which, while not great, has better customer rankings than the other (based on tirerack.com, which is the only place I know to look at such things).

    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
  • wjbushsrwjbushsr Member Posts: 135
    Absolutely nothing wrong as far as I can tell with the OEM tires and wheels. Now, being OEM tires they don't have as long a tread life as those you get from tire stores. {check the warranty}
    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. ;)
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Guess all OEM tires are not alike.

    I own a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe LX, 3.5L, 4WD, 60000 miles, with still original tires and fair amount of tread left.

    Vince.
  • maximafanmaximafan Member Posts: 592
    I think they mean if you go up to a size 22-inch wheel
    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?
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    Wow, if you can go with that size tire, this one has super ratings...

    Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G052

    If they fit on our standard wheels, I'd order some today.
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Question: If the stock tires are replaced with a different size tire, how would that affect the Navigation system? Isn't the accuracy of the nav system, based in part, on the size of the tires? If the tire size changes, how would the Nav system calibrate itself to the change?

    Vince.
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    I'd have to run down to the car to check the specific commands, but there's a feature you can use to calibrate the nav system each time you change the tires. Essentially you set it and drive 5 miles or so.

    It's probably somewhere around where you set the time. :)
  • wjbushsrwjbushsr Member Posts: 135
    I hope this answers your question; on the calibration screen it actually tells you to calibrate after a tire change... I found that one by fooling around with it after work one day.

    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!
  • maximafanmaximafan Member Posts: 592
    Thanks for providing the info on the
    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.
  • marleybarrmarleybarr Member Posts: 334
    Thinking about buying the Cx-7 after looking at the Tucson, Santa Fe, Escape, Vue, Rav4, and Dodge Caliber. The Cx-7 seems to have the most attractive design. I'm coming from an Audi A6 2.7T (twin turbo) where the performance/materials quality were great, but the service and reliability were poor. One day before the extended service contract expired, the turbos started to leak oil and the almost $6,000 repair will be covered. (barely.) I'm selling or trading the Audi ASAP.Dealer experience was just fair at best.

    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?
  • wjbushsrwjbushsr Member Posts: 135
    Just got back from vacation inOrlando... saw ONE CX 7 the whole trip!

    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.
  • carlitos92carlitos92 Member Posts: 458
    FWIW, I picked up my CX-7 August 2 and it came with Eagle RS-As. I wasn't really concerned about what brand tires were on it - tires are like blue jeans, everybody has their own subjective preferences on how they want them to feel. Personally, over the years I've had some Goodyears I thought were just plain dangerous, and I've had both good and bad Bridgestones. Seems to me that it's Mazda's right to put either brand on their cars (warranties for both will come in your glovebox), and that the dealer pays the same invoice regardless. I take online tire ratings with a grain of salt, but if it means that much to you, see if the dealer'll swap wheels with a vehicle that has the tires you want. It's not much effort on their part to keep a sale.
  • carlitos92carlitos92 Member Posts: 458
    I forgot to mention that my wheels (all 4) are loaded down with at least 10-12 stick-on weights on one side of the rim. :surprise: This seems like a LOT, much more even than the 17" off-road setup I had on my F-150. Anybody else shocked by the amount of lead on their wheels? I wonder if it's a TPMS balancing issue, or maybe a mark against the apparently beloved RS-As people are clamoring over...
  • carlitos92carlitos92 Member Posts: 458
    Anybody else's wheels filthy? I haven't washed my CX-7 myself yet, so it could just be that the dealer put some Armor-All-type stuff on my wheels in the final detail - but they are disgustingly dirty with brake dust after only 800 miles.
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    I haven't had brake dust problems on the CX-7.
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    We have been putting 20'' chome tires and rims on the CX-7 and it's quite a hit...anyone else think of this??
  • tollivertolliver Member Posts: 3
    What size tires and brand are you using on the 20" wheels?
    I have an AWD GT on order and would like to use the 20" wheels.
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Any pics you can post, one showing OEM, the other with those 20 inchers? It'd be nice to visually see the differences.

    Vince.
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    www.tirerack.com is a great place to compare tire/rims...they have a nifty site that lets you look at the CX-7 in color with the rims/tires they sell..
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Well, went to tirerack.com, but didn't see where I could view the CX-7 in color. Where specifically did you navigate to, that allows that view?

    Thanks, Vince.
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    Try the following:

    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.
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    That's slick! Thanks for the assist!

    Vince.
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    Heh, I may know precious little, but I'm happy to share the little I do. :)

    James
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    Here is a link for one of the CX-7 that we installed 20'' tires/wheels....

    link title
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Awesome! Those look really sharp! Can you tell me how much those tires/rims cost, installed?

    Vince.
  • wjbushsrwjbushsr Member Posts: 135
    Are the tires on the CX-7 up to par?

    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.
  • carlitos92carlitos92 Member Posts: 458
    19,000 miles! :surprise: Good work! I'm only up to 8,500...

    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:
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    I have the Eagle on mine and at 13,500 miles, no issues.

    Vince.
  • defreitasmdefreitasm Member Posts: 152
    My CX7 Grand Tourer came with the Bridgestone Turanzas and I have no issues with them. I have Turanzas on my Jetta as well and I have yet to find any "twisties" turn that car doesn't love or can't handle.

    In any event the tires will eventually wear out and I can replace them with whatever I want at some point.
  • bucks37bucks37 Member Posts: 1
    I have the Goodyear Eagle RSA on my CX7 and I am very dissapointed. I have put 23,000 miles on my CX7 and the tires are not going to pass inspection in September. I don't think the wear problem on my tires is because of the quality of the tire. I think the factory installation needed more toe-in. My tires are wearing very unevenly. The inside of the tire is almost bald, while the outside is like-new. I have rotated my tires regularly and kept them at proper inflation. My Mazda dealership tells me the wear pattern is normal for an all wheel drive vehicle. I was born during the day, but not yesterday. If anyone else is having this problem please contribute to this discussion. If it is problem with the factory installation specifications I hope Mazda will issue a recall to adjust the toe-in on all AWD CX7s.
  • pgruczapgrucza Member Posts: 1
    I can't believe there is a tire worse than the eagle, my wife has 13.5k on hers and the wear bars are showing. I am looking for replacements now. $800 to replace tires on a car 10 months old, glad its only a 2 yr lease :lemon:
  • dchavezdchavez Member Posts: 2
    I was told by my dealers' repair shop that there was a notice given to dealers of this problem. Their solution was to rotate the tires every 3,000 miles. I have done that for 2 times now. But based on what I have read this appears bogus and a bigger problem. I have gotten 20,000 miles on my Goodyear Eagle RSA's which the insides are bare and are going to need to be replaced. This is becoming an expensive car to maintain!! :mad:
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