[Motorazr]

Surprised at some negative owner comments about the CX-30's OEM tires, I looked for a wider sampling of opinions from my go-to source for tire reviews; TireRack.com:

Bridgestone Turanza EL440

https://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?category=tire&additionalComments=Y&commentStatus=P&tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Turanza+EL440

Holy crap - the reviews are appalling. Now, I don't want to once again spend four or more years driving on crappy tires while looking forward to the day that I can eventually buy adequate tires for my car. Moreover, like-new, "takeoff" tires have some resale value whereas "used" tires are practically worthless. At 267-miles on my odometer, the clock is quickly ticking away on the OEM tires becoming things I'll have to actually PAY to dispose of.

So, what to buy to replace the terrible OEM tires? Principle tire options in 215/55R18 size are:

Tire	Category	MSRP​
Michelin CrossClimate2	Grand Touring All-Season	$225​
Michelin Defender T+H	Standard Touring All-Season	$212​
Michelin Defender2 (new)	Standard Touring All-Season	$212​
Continental Cross Contact LX25	Standard Touring All-Season	$205​

Looking further, I found that, thru August 31, 2022, Continental has a $70 rebate available on the Cross Contact LX25. Moreover, if you sign up for a Continental Tire Credit Card (thru Synchrony.com with a whopping 29.99% APR) you can get a second $70 rebate (both rebates can be filed online together for prepaid VISA debit cards). So that's the cheapest of the four obvious, highly-rated tire options (for my driving needs) PLUS $140 in rebates.

These are the TireRack.com reviews on the Continental Cross Contact LX25:

https://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?category=tire&additionalComments=Y&commentStatus=P&tireMake=Continental&tireModel=CrossContact+LX25

I'd like to hear what other CX-30 owners have to say about their tire experiences and choices made.

 

[SDH]

I've been okay with the Bridgestone Turanza OEM tires, but I only drive about 3000 miles per year these days, & I'm the sort of relaxed, take-it-easy driver that doesn't even push mediocre tires to the limits where you would even notice anything is deficient/lacking. Plus, it is predictably dry & optimal driving conditions out here (AZ), & my CX-30 hasn't even been driven in rain or on wet roads yet in the 6 months that I have owned it. I lived in the Atlanta area for about 30 years before moving out here, & it was rain, rain, rain there, so the limits of certain tires came to the forefront more readily (plus I drove a LOT more back then).

 

[Motorazr]

I've been okay with the Bridgestone Turanza OEM tires, but I only drive about 3000 miles per year these days, & I'm the sort of relaxed, take-it-easy driver that doesn't even push mediocre tires to the limits where you would even notice anything is deficient/lacking.

If one is a retired person who only cares that his tires are round and black, then the OEM tires that so many other people hate may be fine. For such a person, the OEM tires are black enough and round enough (sidewall blisters not withstanding). What you’re really saying is that you have no preference or opinions about tires.

The cars we used in Germany back in the day had 12-ply, bullet-resistant, run-flat tires that cost a fortune. Depending on one’s equipment for life, safety, and mission of operation is a different mindset that I haven't let go of. Tires (and brakes) are very important to me still.

 

[Polymetal Gray]

60 000 km here on the stock tires..all I want to add is go with your own experience and not reviews. I have no issues in dry, wet or minimal snow. I do have dedicated winter tires but for everyday driving no problem. In my opinion not worth changing, considering how expensive tires are.

 

[SDH]

That's not what I said at all, but people tend to read into things the way that they want to. If I'm not even hitting the limits of the OEM average tire with my normal driving habits, & the type of climate that I am in, & the ride seems comfortable/quiet, then there's simply no need to buy new tires or upgrade until I need to or feel like it. When I do buy new tires, I tend to go for the better all-season tires by certain brands. But, in this case it is useless overkill for me to replace the tires right away with a top end brand/type on a brand new vehicle, the same as buying a likely more-problematic turbo engine that won't do anything for me personally but reduce my MPG, while likely increasing regular oil consumption (especially if I drove it aggressively to get some use out of it).

 

[IDD]

That's not what I said at all, but people tend to read into things the way that they want to. If I'm not even hitting the limits of the OEM average tire with my normal driving habits, & the type of climate that I am in, & the ride seems comfortable/quiet, then there's simply no need to buy new tires or upgrade until I need to or feel like it. When I do buy new tires, I tend to go for the better all-season tires by certain brands. But, in this case it is useless overkill for me to replace the tires right away with a top end brand/type on a brand new vehicle, the same as buying a likely more-problematic turbo engine that won't do anything for me personally but reduce my MPG, while likely increasing regular oil consumption (especially if I drove it aggressively to get some use out of it).

Don't worry, I can say with confidence that since I've owned both turbo and non-turbo models that the stock tires are fine the majority of the time. I've pushed both cars to its traction limits (powerslides lol). It would only matter in emergency braking situations (mostly in the wet) and flooring it from a dig on the turbo version. The only thing the OEM tires truly lack is snow traction and tread life. So all in all as long as you know that the tires have certain limits then you can work within them. Give your car the beans every now and then to check tire performance : )

I'd still recommend summer tires if you're AZ just to prevent premature wear since all-seasons can't take excessive heat.

 

[jtdroze]

I replaced my Bridgestone Turanza tires the day after I bought my CX-30. Having to wait 3 1/2 months to take delivery after placing my order, provided a lot of reading time, so I was well aware of the Bridgestone shortcomings. I went with the Yokohama Avid Ascent GT tires (225/55/R18) and I am very pleased with the performance of these tires.

 

[lupineblue]

Just because online reviews say the tires are "bad" doesn't mean they will be inadequate for your purposes and should be replaced.
I'd suggest you drive on them for a while, evaluate them for yourself, and then IF they don't meet your requirements you consider alternatives.
But decide for yourself whether the tires work, not just because the internet tells you they're "bad".

 

[Motorazr]

Just because online reviews say the tires are "bad" doesn't mean they will be inadequate for your purposes and should be replaced.
I'd suggest you drive on them for a while, evaluate them for yourself, and then IF they don't meet your requirements you consider alternatives.
But decide for yourself whether the tires work, not just because the internet tells you they're "bad".

These aren’t a handful of Facebook posts I’m referring to - these are hundreds of serious, thoughtful tire reviews on a reliable web site. Mazda itself has a Service Advisory (ref: SA-031/22) about the sidewall blisters on these tires. I thought the OE tires felt suspect from day one. I live in an area with lots of often heavy rain. Driving the tires around for a while (going from like-new takeoffs to “used” tires that are worthless) is what I expressly want to avoid. Thanks.

 

[Quix]

I'd avoid the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires, not because they're bad tires but because you live in Atlanta and those are all weather tires (bascially year round snow tires) so they'll wear quicker. I had an old set of Michelin Defender tires on my old Mazda 3 which were excellent but I haven't tried the current variants. No experience at all on the Continentals.

I agree with your assessment that the stock tires aren't great at handling or braking, I'm too cheap to replace mine yet but I think I might get rid of them after 3 summers (I have winter tires as well).

 

[Rob]

I, too, found out early on that the OEM Bridgestone tires on my new CX30 Turbo were at the bottom of all the ratings I saw. I've done this before - Take in a new car to swap for more desirable tires. So I went to my local friendly Discount Tire dealer where I had gotten a trade in value for my new take-off tires in the past but they refused to give me anything for my Bridgestones stating it's one of the worst Bridgestone tires made and they don't even stock them! Oh well, I did it anyway, swapping out for Discount Tire's exclusive Continental "Control Contact Sport" high performance all-season tires at the upgraded size of 235/50ZR18. The tire is essentially a clone of the Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 and very similar to the General GMAX AS05 which is also made by Continental. The larger width tire has no clearance problems. A year and a half in use shows they are excellent in dry & wet and pretty good in snow. If I lived in a more severe winter area, I might have bought the Nokian WR G4 all weather tire.

 

[Motorazr]

I had the new tires installed today (Continental Cross Contact LX25 in the OEM size). Discount Tire told me that, to them, the Bridgestone takeoff tires are only worth $25 each ($100 total) and that I’m better off selling them myself for $200 or so. I was able to pay with just an account number for the Continental Tire Credit Card (still in the mail) and the sales guy confirmed that I’m eligible for two(2) $70 rebates on the tire set. The total with free rotations, rebalancing, and deductible-free damage replacement ($35/tire) and $62 sales tax came out to $954 (after the $140 in rebates).

I specifically asked them to be careful with the painted calipers but, oops, they damaged one anyway and took $20-off my bill (they were prepared to go a lot higher with compensation). I don’t know how the heck they did THIS but they claimed it was with a brush used to remove rust (from my freshly painted brake rotor hats? Really?).

 

[imns]

If you live in a warm climate area that rarely if ever sees snow and want tires with a good warranty and wet road performance, also consider the Yokohama YK740 GTX. They run about $172/pc here in the US and have a 60k warranty. This is what I will be eventually switching my Turanzas out for. Either that or the Yokohama Avid Ascend GT which is about $20 more but comes with a slightly better warranty at 65k. Both are rated for all season touring.

 

[Zepharus]

Surprised at some negative owner comments about the CX-30's OEM tires, I looked for a wider sampling of opinions from my go-to source for tire reviews; TireRack.com:

Bridgestone Turanza EL440

https://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?category=tire&additionalComments=Y&commentStatus=P&tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Turanza+EL440

Holy crap - the reviews are appalling. Now, I don't want to once again spend four or more years driving on crappy tires while looking forward to the day that I can eventually buy adequate tires for my car. Moreover, like-new, "takeoff" tires have some resale value whereas "used" tires are practically worthless. At 267-miles on my odometer, the clock is quickly ticking away on the OEM tires becoming things I'll have to actually PAY to dispose of.

So, what to buy to replace the terrible OEM tires? Principle tire options in 215/55R18 size are:

Tire	Category	MSRP​
Michelin CrossClimate2	Grand Touring All-Season	$225​
Michelin Defender T+H	Standard Touring All-Season	$212​
Michelin Defender2 (new)	Standard Touring All-Season	$212​
Continental Cross Contact LX25	Standard Touring All-Season	$205​

Looking further, I found that, thru August 31, 2022, Continental has a $70 rebate available on the Cross Contact LX25. Moreover, if you sign up for a Continental Tire Credit Card (thru Synchrony.com with a whopping 29.99% APR) you can get a second $70 rebate (both rebates can be filed online together for prepaid VISA debit cards). So that's the cheapest of the four obvious, highly-rated tire options (for my driving needs) PLUS $140 in rebates.

These are the TireRack.com reviews on the Continental Cross Contact LX25:

https://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?category=tire&additionalComments=Y&commentStatus=P&tireMake=Continental&tireModel=CrossContact+LX25

I'd like to hear what other CX-30 owners have to say about their tire experiences and choices made.

I S T R O N G L Y recommend the Vredestein Quatrac Pro Grand touring. I have now had them on 4 vehicles and for the money. they are unbeatable. Read the reviews

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/vredestein-quatrac-pro

 

[Motorazr]

I S T R O N G L Y recommend the Vredestein Contact Pro Garand touring. I have now had them on 4 vehicles and for the money. they are unbeatable. Read the reviews

You’re endorsing a tire not found on Vredestein’s own website and Google can’t find any mention of a “Vredestein Contact Pro” tire either so thanks for that. Maybe you meant “Quatrac Pro” but you could have meant anything so who knows.

 

[kefkafloyd]

Autocorrect may very well have changed Quatrac to Contact.

 

[Motorazr]

Autocorrect may very well have changed Quatrac to Contact.

Autocorrect is my worst enema. Stupid piece of shirt. LOL

 

[kefkafloyd]

It can really fork you over.

 

[Zepharus]

My apologies, yes Samsung autocorrect strikes again. I meant Quatrac pro. I'll never use another general purpose tire. They are phenomenal

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/vredestein-quatrac-pro

 

[Trickster]

My apologies, yes Samsung autocorrect strikes again. I meant Quatrac pro. I'll never use another general purpose tire. They are phenomenal

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/vredestein-quatrac-pro

Please elaborate on phenomenal.
In every aspect I assume?