I have a 2020 CX-9 low mileage, 24K. Last year I had my tires rotated and noticed at low speeds around 20 especially when slowing down at a light i felt road vibration and noise. I had them rotated again a few months later and they sounded better. Mazda checked everything and found nothing, in fact they heard nothing. Anyway I had the oil changed the other day and the tires rotated again and the road noise at low speeds came back. No issues at high speeds on highway, but between 18 and 25 MPH road vibration and noise especially when slowing down at a light. Sounds like a balance issue. I'm ready to bring it in to a tire place but I hate dealing with these places. There is no wobble like belts failing.

 

Check your tires. If they are FALKEN ZIEX, that is likely your problem. Those are the same brand (I have 20" wheels) my CX-9 came with. And I absolutely hate them - can't wait to wear them out.

When brand new, I experienced the same symptoms you described and tried multiple rotations and wheel balances. None helped. Now that the tires are more worn out, the problem does not exist anymore but cold weather flat spots still take forever to round out.

The FALKEN ZIEX tires are reviewed terribly on Tirerack.

 

Thanks for the quick response. I have Bridgestone Ecopia tires. Pretty bad. I have Pirelli Scorpion on my Murano that the wife drives.

 

I have a 2020 with 20" wheels and came with the Falken Ziex. I know there are lots of negative reviews on Tire Rack but I had no issues with them. No noise, good dry and wet handling and got 32k miles before replacing with Pirelli Scorpion AS plus 3 a few months back. I'd avoid an indy tire shop and take back to dealer. I had the same problem once on another vehicle and turned out to be a bad tire. If the problem is there, should be no reason why dealer can't notice it. Were you in the car when the dealer claimed they heard nothing? If not, go back and ride with them. But a new set of tires might fix the problem,

https://tiregrades.com/tire-maintena...-at-low-speed/

 

Ok so you do realize that dealership hire and employ the same qualified or unqualified people as independent tire shops, right?
And actually, dealership DO NOT have any specialized or basic training programs specifically for tires and wheel unlike many independent tire and wheel shops....

 

The Ziex have worked very well for me.

I'm unfamiliar with a balance issue at only low speed. With that mileage on the tires, and only low speed, I'd put the tires in the position where they run smoothly and leave them there until they wear out, about 4/32" of tread depth for my use. Rotation lengthens tire life, but if there is a reason to not rotate then tire life is less of an issue. With these tires more than half worn (I'm guessing), and they do run smoothly in the right spots, I wouldn't even pay a good tire shop to do a road force balance and evaluation. that can find tire problems other than balance that causes vibrations.

What Callisto says...At good tire shops I've usually seen at least one person who is very well trained and experienced who can find problems.

A tire tread depth gauge costs about $5 or less, and it's good to use periodically to know how your tires are wearing.

 

^^^ good info except i do not promote the use of tire depth gauges anymore. Unfortunately, if you have a front wheel drive vehicle most of how you use a tread depth gauge does not work as well.
More drivers than not will unevenly wear whatever tire is on the front because of poor driving habits. The best advice is to religiously rotate the tires at 5k miles. But then that seldom happens either. LOL

The other BIG factor in how a tire performs and driver feedback is tire pressure. Many don't really know how to adjust tire pressure or take the time to learn how to. So, most tires on most every vehicle we get in the shop the tire pressure are frankly always incorrect! And I understand that some is because they are using a cheap or untested for accuracy tire pressure gauge. More than 1/2 of those tire pressure gauges are off from 3-5 lbs which can make a difference. As well the reset recheck accuracy is often off due to the simple quality manufacturing of the gauge.

So in a NUT SHELL many tires that do not really have performance problems get bad review form amateurs and DIY .

A suggestion to all before getting your in-service tire and wheels balanced is to wash them (or have them washed) front and back and remove ALL the small pebbles and other debris that gets collect in the tread. Many tires can accumulate an once or more which means the balance machine balances the tire wheel combination as it is. With the sensitivity and quality of steering components and suspension when the wheel balance changes from debris falling out of the tread after it was balanced can and does cause unbalanced vibrations.

The other item that can cause mystery vibration is unseen side wall damage. This is from those occasional parking lot mishaps hitting the wheel stops incorrectly on the side of the tire. That little scuff mark you think is just that may have damage the internal belt. Sometimes the only way to see that damage is to dismount and carefully examine the inside of the tire.

 

Yep, do realize. Have learned that along with a few other things during my 50 plus years of driving and owning 40+ vehicles. The reason for my recommendation was because OP stated he already had his dealer check it out and they are aware of the issue. Nothing against good indy shops. Thanks for feedback.

 

And your investment in owning different vehicles and experience and unless you include at least one defensive of practical driving school then all that..... means ?
So you have stayed up on the tire development technology from re-caps, bias ply, none bias, radial poly, run flats, airless etc., to the current tire engineering and components and testing performance ratings???
Its obvious and I could repeat your quote you infer in the case of tires that a dealership will have more experience than an independent service shop that specializes in the sale of tires and wheels point that you missed some learning in that 50+ plus years and 40 owned vehicles?
ok then.

 

Please refer to above.