Show me your CX-5 wheels
- Thread starter minhhh
- Start date
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- 2016 Mazda CX-5 GT
Thanks tibimakai! In terms of poke, the tyre treads do sit under the guards, but the sidewalls bulge out slightly. It's probably on the limit of how far you could comfortably go.
The front 245 tyre with +35 offset would have the same poke (at the treads) as a 255 tyre with +40 offset that a few people on here are happily running.
The rear 275 tyre with +45 offset would be equivalent to a 255 tyre with +35 offset, so it is slightly more aggressive than the front and probably about as far as you'd want to go. I don't think you could fit a wider tyre on the back without resorting to flares.
I toyed with the idea of going 275 all round in a square setup, but I wasn't sure if the fronts would fit properly, and I didn't want to adversely affect steering weight and feel, or introduce undesirable handling traits such as tramlining.
In the end, I decided to go with the staggered arrangement and accept the practical compromises that it brings. Of course it's all about the looks and in that regard I'm very happy with the way it turned out.
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
Good point, and on that note, I do rotate my tires back to front. And to be honest, both sets of Toyo Proxes I've owned have worn very well for being lowered. I only replaced the first set mostly because they were lower profile and had too many patches (on like 3 of them lol). My next wheels will be Hancook.. I have a plan for them.. stay tuned (breakn) I'm gonna buy new wheels first though, since my current tires will fir on them, but I will be getting a wider tire shortly after. Keep an eye out I will soon be selling a set H&R springs (within 1-2 wks my BC's are in the mail from ROC), a set of 5 wheels TSW mallory 20x8.5 (yes, a spare wheel included, with some paint damage from gravel.. but not bent 2-3 wks) and then 20/255/45 tires shortly after that. Also the hitch is still for sale, I have it all ready to go with all the parts.
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- 2016 Mazda CX-5 GT
I took some "after" measurements and it turns out the drop is 40mm (1.6") all round with the Eibach ProKit springs on my 2016 AWD GT 2.5L Petrol. That's quite a bit more than the advertised 25mm drop, but I'm not complaining!
On a related note, has anyone noticed the auto-leveling headlights point down more after lowering? They are supposed to adjust automatically for passengers and load in the trunk, so I think there must be a sensor on the back axle that is causing this. Is there any way to recalibrate it?
The sensor is located on the left rear control arm. I'd imagine you could add some spacers/washers under the bottom bolt to compensate.
Got my 20's installed along with the Eibach ProKit springs:
Wheels are CSA Emotion (which are basically a Vossen CV5-style wheel without the exorbitant cost) in 20x8.5 et35 (F) and 20x9.5 et45 (R). Tyres are Achilles Desert Hawk UHP in 245/45r20 (F) and 275/40r20 (R).
I went with a staggered setup mainly for looks, but I'm happy with the ride and handling as well. Ride quality is very close to standard, with excellent small-bump compliance thanks to the progressive rate springs, while larger bumps (such as speed humps) are handled with slightly more firmness but certainly not uncomfortably. There is marginally more road rumble than before, but that's probably down to my choice of tyres versus the stock Toyos, which are more comfort oriented.
The big difference is in the handling, which feels much flatter through turns and under brakes, while also providing noticeably more lateral grip. I was initially concerned that a staggered setup may result in excessive understeer, but that doesn't seem to be the case at all. I even tried to provoke understeer by pushing it hard through some tight turns, and the handling remained well balanced. Overall the car feels more planted on the road and encourages you to have a go through the turns, which is great fun.
Of course the main reason I bought the wheels was for looks, and I am quite pleased with the way it has turned out aesthetically. The wheel design is quite conservative, but the fat rear stance gives it an aggressive edge that helps it to stand out from the sea of skinny-wheeled CX-5s. I'll post some more pics when the weather improves (it was dark and overcast when these were taken).
Perfectly good !!! I`m curious about my stands ! Within two weeks I`ve the same look`s of the CX-5....Eibach Pro Kit with TSW Sochi 8,5 x 20 245/45/20 (although F + R) a little bit smaller but I`m very surprised that the Eibach Kit is 40 lower than the specs from Eibach......they said 2,5 !!! I`ll think I can live with that !!! (nana)
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- 23 CX-5 Premium
I thought that looked like more than a 1" drop, especially in the front. The rears look more similar to the 1.75" drop of the H&R Sports. For those here considering going with Eibach rather than H&R, keep in mind the difference between the two is that the H&Rs level the car by dropping it 1/2" more in the rear while the Eibachs will maintain the factory stance (higher in the rear) with the same drop front and rear. Personally, I like the level look better. BTW, H&Rs are progressive rate too.
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- 2016 Mazda CX-5 GT
Awesome, thanks for that. Has anyone tried manipulating this?
Thanks man! Yours should have a very similar look to mine once you've put your Sochis on. I think the ride height looks good without being too extreme.
Just to clarify, the total drop compared to stock is 40mm (measured from wheel arch to wheel centre), which is 15mm lower than the advertised 25mm drop. That may be partly due to my heavier 2016 GT model with AWD, so YMMV.
Yeah I thought so too when I first saw it. They may settle a bit over the next couple of weeks as well, so I'll take some more measurements at that time and see if there's been any movement.
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- 2016 Mazda CX-5 GT
Some more pics taken this morning before work:
Last edited:
thebeastisback
Member
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- 2016 CX-5 GT w/ Tech
Good, are you saying you are seeing a difference/having an issue with the auto-leveling feature of the headlamps (ie throw distance not what it used to be, etc)? Or are you just curious if the auto-leveling needs adjustment after the springs were installed?
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- 2016 Mazda CX-5 GT
Yeah there's actually a difference in the beam angle, resulting in reduced throw. It must think the back has been weighed down and is adjusting the angle to compensate, even though the car itself is still level.
Has anyone else who has lowered their car has noticed this issue? It should also affect HID lights since they are auto-leveling.
Wow, where do you work, right on the coast?! I see water in the background of that last picture. Really beautiful, but there's a car in the way
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- 2016 Mazda CX-5 GT
Wow, where do you work, right on the coast?! I see water in the background of that last picture. Really beautiful, but there's a car in the way
Haha thanks, these were actually taken near my house in bayside Melbourne. After that I went home and took the train to work
Were your measurements from the center of the wheel? Or from the ground. They would need to be from the wheel center b/c the new larger wheels will still affect measurement. I would probably measure from wheel center to wheelguard edge?
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
You can adjust the headlight. At least on the old his there is a plastic screw you turn.
good thanks' pics show the new OEM grill on the 2016s. That's not aftermarket.
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- 2016 Mazda CX-5 GT
I measured from the wheel centre to the wheel arch for exactly that reason, although the outer diameter of these tyres is very close to stock.
Thanks Chris, although I had a look and couldn't find the adjustment screw. It looked the same as in Skorpio's pic. Any chance you could show me a picture of it?
As bxpretzel said, it's the new 2016 OEM grill
Thanks MalcG! I'm happy with them too. It can be hard to tell in advance how certain wheels will look on the CX-5, and I've seen many examples where I liked the stock ones better, so I was relieved to see they turned out alright! This thread has been a great help to me for deciding what worked and what didn't.
Got my 20's installed along with the Eibach ProKit springs:
Wheels are CSA Emotion (which are basically a Vossen CV5-style wheel without the exorbitant cost) in 20x8.5 et35 (F) and 20x9.5 et45 (R). Tyres are Achilles Desert Hawk UHP in 245/45r20 (F) and 275/40r20 (R).
I went with a staggered setup mainly for looks, but I'm happy with the ride and handling as well. Ride quality is very close to standard, with excellent small-bump compliance thanks to the progressive rate springs, while larger bumps (such as speed humps) are handled with slightly more firmness but certainly not uncomfortably. There is marginally more road rumble than before, but that's probably down to my choice of tyres versus the stock Toyos, which are more comfort oriented.
The big difference is in the handling, which feels much flatter through turns and under brakes, while also providing noticeably more lateral grip. I was initially concerned that a staggered setup may result in excessive understeer, but that doesn't seem to be the case at all. I even tried to provoke understeer by pushing it hard through some tight turns, and the handling remained well balanced. Overall the car feels more planted on the road and encourages you to have a go through the turns, which is great fun.
Of course the main reason I bought the wheels was for looks, and I am quite pleased with the way it has turned out aesthetically. The wheel design is quite conservative, but the fat rear stance gives it an aggressive edge that helps it to stand out from the sea of skinny-wheeled CX-5s. I'll post some more pics when the weather improves (it was dark and overcast when these were taken).
That looks nice Good Thanks. Where did you buy your springs from? Is there a dealer in Australia?
On another note, I've just been on the Corksport website, I was going to buy a set of there lowered springs to suit the CX5 but the shipping was just as much as the springs. Is there anyone in America that wants to buy a set for me and send them over?? Surely shipping could be found cheaper than $225 to Australia.
