The CX-7 had lots of commonalities with the Ford Focus and Mazda3, along with the Mazda MPV minivan. Its torque splitting all-wheel-drive system was designed to detect a loss of traction and send 50% of power to the rear wheels for slippery surfaces. While the CX-7 lacks some of the features of newer Mazda models, it’s a strong and reliable performer and a great prospect as a used car.
At SimpleTire, we took some of the best Mazda CX-7 tires and got them all together in one place for you using SimpleScore. So, let’s have a look at this roundup of some of the best fits in all-season, all-weather and winter tires:
1. Goodyear Assurance MaxLife - Best All-Season Tire
Let’s get things started with the Goodyear Assurance MaxLife, an amazingly capable, versatile tire that’s a great choice that you can rely on for both sparkling performance and year-round grip. For decades, the Goodyear brand has been associated with value and quality, and the Goodyear Assurance MaxLife is a tire that definitely lives up to that reputation. The Goodyear Assurance MaxLife was aptly named, with its tough internal design and durable rubber compound that are engineered for long wear. SimpleScore rates the Assurance MaxLife with a longevity score of 9.9, and thanks to Goodyear’s TredLife technology package, the Assurance MaxLife is covered from the factory with a best-in-class 85,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Road manners and steering response are improved by a semi-solid center rib. Its semi-closed shoulders, sticky tread formula, and a polyamide reinforcement layer all contribute to braking performance, cornering and responsiveness, adding up to a SimpleScore of 9.5 for handling. For wet or wintry weather performance, there’s a pattern of sipes that are designed for dependable grip, and a system of circumferential grooves, plus angled and lateral grooves that work together to cut through a film of water and avoid hydroplaning. When a tire gives you the confidence you need for cornering and braking in wet or dry weather, we figure that’s enough for a SimpleScore of 9.7 for traction.
2. Bridgestone WeatherPeak - Best All-Weather Tire
Next up, there’s the Bridgestone Weatherpeak, another great option for the Mazda CX-7. The Bridgestone Weatherpeak is classified as an all-weather tire; if that’s a new term for you, all-weather tires have performance properties that are similar to all-season tires, but with an emphasis on better winter traction, for the kind of snow, slush, and ice where you can’t depend on all-season tires to safely get you around. Bridgestone designed the Weatherpeak’s tread with a dense pattern of sipes, the hair-thin slits that add hundreds of extra biting edges to chew into snow and slush for an edge in traction. Bridgestone’s sipes are a full-depth 3D design that keep enhancing traction even on a well-worn tire, along with “snow vices” that retain snow to develop snow-to-snow friction. The Bridgestone Weatherpeak has the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating stamped on its sidewall for severe winter service, and tests show that braking distances are as much as 30 feet shorter than the competition in winter weather. After considering all that, we gave the Bridgestone Weatherpeak a SimpleScore of 9.7 for traction. The Weatherpeak’s SimpleScore of 9.5 for handling is thanks to design features and a tread compound and features that deliver top notch road manners, steering response and cornering ability. Bridgestone backs the Weatherpeak with a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty, a best-in-class warranty that’s enough to inspire a SimpleScore of 9.8 for longevity.
3. Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2 - Best Winter Tire
When it comes to dependable traction in winter weather, our pick is going to be the Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2. The Scorpion Winter is designed with a specialized low-temperature rubber compound that stays flexible for traction in subfreezing weather. That rubber formulation is molded into an aggressive directional tread pattern, loaded with V-shaped grooves, chamfered grooves, circumferential grooves, and dense 3D sipes for hundreds of biting edges to dig into snow and slush, for a solid SimpleScore of 9.8 for traction. Those tread features also work to enhance the Scorpion Winter 2’s braking performance, steering response, cornering, and control, for a SimpleScore of 9.8 for handling. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that durability and tread wear aren’t the strongest point with the Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2 – as a dedicated winter tire, it isn’t intended for warmer weather and its softer, more pliable low-temperature tread compound wears prematurely if temperatures are above 45 degrees F. That being said, the Scorpion Winter 2 scores a strong 8.0 in longevity, which is above average for a winter tire.
While these are the best Mazda CX-7 tires on the market, there are plenty of other options available. Here are a few more you might want to consider:
4. Nokian WR G4 SUV - Great All-Weather Tire
Now we come to the Nokian WR G4 SUV, which is designed as an all-weather tire, splitting the difference between all-season tires and winter tires. However, its intentions are definitely with more of an emphasis toward winter performance. The WR G4 SUV is a tire that’s just as capable either on a snow-covered road or a sun-blasted Texas ranch road in the hottest part of summer. Nokian started off with a long-wearing, sustainably-manufactured rubber compound that can stay flexible for good traction in subfreezing weather, and long, durable miles from an Aramid-reinforced sidewall. Where the rubber meets the road, there’s an asymmetric tread pattern that features circumferential, angled, and lateral grooves that work together as a system, channeling away water and slush to resist hydroplaning. An innovative “centipede sipe” design delivers traction in winter conditions that’s right there with what the best winter tires have to offer. Nokian notes that the low rolling resistance of the WR G4 SUV makes it a good choice for EVs (as well as your Mazda CX-7), and its tread pattern is randomized and computer tuned to keep road noise low. With a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty and the industry’s Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service, it’s hard for us to find many faults with this tire. SimpleTire’s SimpleScore data for the Nokian WR G4 SUV comes out to an overall score of 9.2, with a 9.2 for handling, 9 for longevity, and 9.6 for traction.
5. General Altimax RT45 - Great All-Season Tire
We’re going to round out this list with a tire that punches far above its weight class, the General Altimax RT45. The Altimax RT45 is equally suited for long trips on the interstate, commuting around town, or getting through rainy, inclement weather. It’s a superb choice, with a tested all-season tread design, and General Tire backs the Altimax RT45 with either a 65,000 or 75,000 mile manufacturer’s tread life warranty (depending on tire size). After doing the math, we gave the Altimax RT45 a SimpleScore of an outstanding 9.9 for longevity. Depend on the Altimax RT45 to deliver year-round traction, a forgiving ride, low noise, and handling and braking performance that are consistent and predictable thanks to a SimpleScore of 9.0 for traction. Road manners and steering response are top-notch thanks to a network of sipes and lateral grooves and a solid center rib; we give the Altimax RT45 a SimpleScore of 8.7 for handling. Another clever, innovative touch is the visual alignment indicator that notifies a driver of wheel alignment that’s out of spec, and the words “Replace Tire” molded into the tread to display when tread depth reaches a minimum of 2/32”. Select sizes of the Altimax RT45 are available with a great-looking outlined white letter sidewall.
Order Mazda CX-7 Tires Online
Buying tires online can be a stressful process, but it really doesn't need to be. SimpleTire offers a simple approach to finding the tires that are best for you and your Mazda CX-7. Select your Mazda CX-7 below, then tell us a few more things such as year and trim level to determine your tire size. From there, we'll show you tires that fit your vehicle and are the best match based on performance characteristics, but you can also look for the best value tires, tires that are on sale or part of a promo, have the longest tread life, and much more