4wd
$50 site donor 2026
Yep. And I toss those at 40k …
New Bridgestone tires ride horribly!
- Thread starter Drew99GT
- Start date
They do have a taller sidewall by a 1/4 inch. Not much, but thought it would help. 225/70/17 is non existent and a 245/65/17 is getting g into much heavier tires. Hence I went 235/65/17.
My experience with several sets of passenger and truck tires by Bridgestone has been exactly the same as @MParr. Harsh riding and poor traction in foul weather conditions. They actually seem to ride harder as they age...maybe due to a harder rubber compound closer to the belts/carcass? I will not willingly purchase Bridgestone tires again.
My Bridgestones are best riding suv tires I have ever had. Weatherpeak and Alenzas.
I'm looking at tires for my 17 CX-5. I am looking at the 245-65-17 as they are wider and taller sidwall. Mine rides fine on the Hankook tires, they just don't seem to last.
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A 235 series tire on a CX-5 is a decent amount of rubber. It’s got more rubber to put on the ground for the same pressure. I think the OP probably nailed it by dropping the air pressure. Otherwise it’s like running the 225 at close to 40, which would be harsh.
I used to pretty much exclusively buy Bridgestone. They can be comfortable, and depending on the model can be anywhere from OK to excellent in the rain. However, notable observations for me have been they do feel a little more connected to the road and tend to be high quality, maintain their shape, balance well, and are pretty sturdy. Good for sporty or more aggressive driving. Other brands may be a tad more comfortable.
I’ve had good experiences with non-oem Bridgestones.
I used to pretty much exclusively buy Bridgestone. They can be comfortable, and depending on the model can be anywhere from OK to excellent in the rain. However, notable observations for me have been they do feel a little more connected to the road and tend to be high quality, maintain their shape, balance well, and are pretty sturdy. Good for sporty or more aggressive driving. Other brands may be a tad more comfortable.
I’ve had good experiences with non-oem Bridgestones.
I would like to hear more on the Koni shocks. I've been eyeing them. Can you elaborate?
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
I have never, ever had Bridgestone tires that are not hard. They are known for stiff sidewalls.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Bilstein B6/8 works similarly, except they are performance-oriented. The difference between Bilstein and KONI is robustness. Bisltein is just a more robust shock.
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- Mar 10, 2021
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My 25 Cx30 came with Turanzas. They are fairly stiff but I run them at 40 psi as I do all my cars or SUVs. Still not even close to how rough riding the Mazda 3 was though.
Need more sidewall! 35s aired to 15 PSI off road - nice and soft. Run 30-35 on road and still soft. Have driven a few Mazda CX5s and would agree they are sportier (I personally liked that). Need a Cadillac brougham or something on an air suspension to have a soft but controlled ride.
Unfortunately you can't get a 225/70R17. Adding width is going to add a bit of NVH, all else equal.
Running them at 30-31 psi, or even a bit lower, is going to be fine.
Our Outback has 225/65R17 too, and it seems that there isn't and 16" narrower and higher profile tires to replace them either?
And 215/70R17's are very rare too, as I would prefer that size for winter.
They are hard tires for the mileage.
I’ve got turanzas on my Altima and thus far have been as good as any tire I’ve ever owned. I’m on track to get 60k out of them, which for a low pro 19 tire is pretty respectable. 30k, still quiet and perfectly balanced with a tad over 7/32nds left.
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Im genuinely curious why you bought new wheels that were still 17"? If you are looking for ride/comfort go down at least to 16" and get a 225/70R16. More sidewall and less wheel will always improve ride while sacrificing some handling. Ive gone with smaller wheels and seen a huge improvement in fuel economy and ride. Unsprung weight being the enemy as you already know.
I actually tried 16s and they rubbed on the very top of the steering knuckle! To get 16s to clear I’d have had to get like 30 offset wheels.
They’re the special active struts that have the valve that opens up on hard impacts to soften up, but stay stiffer in corners. Meh. They were ok when new but honestly after having so many different brands of aftermarket struts on cars, I’m always gonna stick to OEM. They just work the best. The Konis are alright. Better than blown out old ones. KYB are too stiff, Monroe’s were always too soft IMO.
Update after this fiasco….. Although I feel the Bridgestones are a bit on the firm side, I ended up getting the struts warrantied by the guy who installed them. Long story but it now has Monroe Quick struts. It then developed a clunk in the front end. Took it to 2 shops who both said the suspension was tight. Clunk turned into popping, banging and creaking when steering. I said f-it and had new control arms installed and new inner and outer tie rods. It rides great now. Firm but not harsh over bumps at 32 psi. Don’t wasn’t completely the tires.
