2006 Mazda CX-9 tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 2006 Mazda CX-9, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245/60R18 OEM | 7.5x18 | N/A | 45mm | 105 | H |
| 215/70R17 | 7x17 | N/A | 45mm | 101 | S |
| 245/55R19 | 7.5x19 | N/A | 45mm | 103 | V |
| 245/50R20 | 7.5x20 | N/A | 45mm | 102 | V |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
See the best tires for the Mazda CX-9, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Mazda CX-9 →
Compatible alternative sizes for 245/60R18
Sizes within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter safe-fit tolerance. Each row links to the size's own page.
| Alternative size | %Δ OD | Category | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
265/65R16 |
-0.04% | alternative | Safe |
215/80R16 |
-0.11% | alternative | Safe |
245/55R19 |
0.12% | plus 1 | Safe |
245/65R17 |
-0.12% | alternative | Safe |
225/60R19 |
0.19% | plus 1 | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 245/60R18 upsize options. To check an arbitrary size pair, use the tire compatibility calculator.
Check a different size against this vehicle
Type any tire size below; we'll compute its overall-diameter delta against the OEM 245/60R18 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 245/55R19; one rim size up, 0.12% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 245/50R20; two rim sizes up, 0.24% OD change. Noticeable ride penalty, higher pothole risk, meaningful tire-cost premium.
Use the plus-size calculator to evaluate any rim step against the OEM size.
How to choose tires for the 2006 mazda CX-9
The 2006 Mazda CX-9 ships from the factory on 245/60R18 tires mounted on 7.5x18 wheels, with a load index of 105 and a speed rating of H. 4 approved fitments are documented for this model year, allowing some flexibility between performance, comfort, and winter compounds. The Compatible alternative sizes table above lists every safe substitution within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter tolerance.
Tire choice on the Mazda CX-9 comes down to three trade-offs that matter more than brand loyalty: load index (must equal or exceed the OEM number, in this case 105), speed rating (must match or exceed the placard, here H), and UTQG treadwear (higher means longer life, lower usually means stickier rubber). Owners replacing factory tires with the same compound class, for example all-season for all-season, generally see no change in ride characteristics or fuel economy. Switching categories (performance summer to all-season touring, for example) is where the trade-offs show up at the contact patch.
For 2006 Mazda CX-9 owners considering a plus-size upgrade, the safer option is a Plus-1 step (one rim size up with a 10-point aspect drop and ~10 mm of additional section width). Plus-2 is technically viable on this chassis if the alternative-sizes table lists a Plus-2 candidate within tolerance, but expect a meaningful ride-harshness penalty and a tire-cost premium of 30–60% per tire relative to the OEM fitment. For winter use the recommended pattern is one width step down (e.g. from a 235 to a 225) with the aspect ratio bumped up to preserve overall diameter; narrower tires apply higher contact pressure per square inch on snow, which translates directly into shorter braking distances. The plus-size calculator evaluates any specific rim step against this OEM size.
Before purchasing, verify the tire size on the driver-door placard of your specific 2006 Mazda CX-9, since trim levels and option packages can shift the original fitment from what is documented here. The placard reading is the authoritative source per FMVSS 110, and dealers will reference the placard rather than aftermarket catalogs when validating warranty claims.
NHTSA-reported issues for 2006 mazda CX-9
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (9) · TPMS (2) · Spare Tire (1)
Reported across: 2007 – 2023 (8 years)
What owners described
Sidewall failure appears in 40% of these reports; about 2.7× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 10 reports covering every model year of the Mazda CX-9 that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewall failure | 40% | 15% | 2.7× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 20% | 9% | 2.2× |
| Tread or belt separation | 10% | 13% | 0.7× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 10% | 8% | 1.2× |
| Pressure-monitoring (TPMS) fault | 10% | 2% | 4.2× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Mazda CX-9. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
SO I WAS DRIVING LUCKILY ON A BACK ROAD AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT FELT LIKE I HIT SOMETHING, NOW THIS WAS 12:30 P.M. MIDDAY AND ME AND MY SISTER DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING BEFORE THE OCCURRENCE. SO I LOOKED IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR AND SAW A TIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND I KNEW THERE WAS NO WAY I MISSED A TIRE. SO I PRECEDED TO TURN AROUND TO GO BACK TO CHECK IT OUT, AND WHEN I GOT OUT TO CHECK IT OUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE MY SPARE TIRE FROM UNDER MY CAR. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS TOTALLY SHOCKED, SO I GOT DOWN AND LOOKED UNDER MY CAR ONLY TO SEE SOME FRAYED WIRES STICKING DOWN FROM WHERE THE TIRE WAS MOUNTED.
AS I WAS DRIVING MY MAZDA CX-9, I HEARD A LOUD BANGING AGAINST THE RIGHT BACK SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE BANGING NOISE WAS EVEN LOUDER. WHEN I CHECKED THE RIGHT BACK TIRE, AT LEAST A FOOT OF THE OUTER TREAD OF THE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY MISSING DOWN TO THE STEEL. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED.
October 2021 purchase 2 Cooper Evolution H/T All-Season 245/60R18. With less than 8k miles, both tires developed deformities/bulging on upper sidewal/tread,line intersect, causing vehicle to shimmy. The dot #'s of both tires are up83 1LE 1021. Tires have a 60k warranty. Cooper tires issues two safety recalls due to sidewall deformities on this tire model, same plant, but in a different sizes. February 26, 2021 cooper tires has issued yet another safety recall on this exact model tire but in a different size. The 2 cooper evolution HT tires seem to also have sidewall defects. I feel that the bulging tires are a safety hazard due to manufacturing defects. I would like to have my 245/60r18 cooper evolution as well as all of the other sizes of this model tire made by cooper, futher reviewed to the recall list
All 4 of my BH255/50R20 XL 109v NOKIAN WR G4 vehicle tires are exhibiting abnormal tread degradation and excessive sidewall cracking. The tire defect includes a circumferential crack along the top of all 4 tires, where the top of the tire's sidewall and tread base meet. Upon tire inspection, the structural integrity and safety of these tires with continued usage is questionable. The tires in question are only 26 months old and have approximately 31K miles of usage.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
What size tires fit a 2006 Mazda CX-9?
Can I run a different tire size on my 2006 Mazda CX-9?
Where can I buy tires for my 2006 Mazda CX-9?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 2006 Mazda CX-9?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 2006 Mazda CX-9?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 2006 Mazda CX-9?
For broader tire questions; replacement timing, UTQG, EV-specific tires, winter swaps; see the tire FAQ.
Sources for this page
- Vehicle owner's manual tire & wheel placard; door-jamb placard on the Mazda CX-9 is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 2006 Mazda CX-9.
- ETRTO 2024 Standards Manual §2.3; overall-diameter math used for the alternative-size verdicts above.
- Tire & Rim Association 2025 Yearbook; load-index to maximum-load reference.
Last verified 2026-09-02.