225/65R17 vs 235/65R17 Noticeable difference w/ larger contact patch?

dninja616 · Oct 7, 2015

Hi All,

I have a 2014 CX-5 Touring AWD with Stock Yoko's and 17" Wheels, and I'm looking to buy my first set of replacement All-seasons (Yoko's are @ 34K).

Since I'm going for performance benefits in terms of handling, acceleration, fuel economy, my main goal with my Wheel/Tire set up is to avoid adding extra weight/increasing the tire radius/diameter.

I've decided I want to keep the 17" set up, but get lighter wheels- already selected a set of Motegi MR125's which are 16.5lbs each (~5.5lbs lighter per corner than OEM 17"s).

My next decision is which tires to go with- I've already gone quite in-depth into this decision making process, taking into account various tire brands, sizes, and weights. I initially narrowed my choices down to The Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus (225/65R17 and 235/65R17), Conti Crosscontact LX20 (225/65R17 and 235/65R17), and Conti TrueContact (225/65R17, 235/60R17 and 235/65R17)

Doing the math, the only Tire Brand/Size combinations that improve on my stock set up are the Conti Crosscontact LX20 and Pirelli Scorpion Verdes in 225/65R17's, and the Conti TrueContact in all sizes.

In terms of reducing the inertia losses, the absolute best set up i can go with is the Conti Truecontacts in 225/65R17, however I'm also considering going a little wider in terms of contact patch to the 235/65R17's. The 235 Conti Truecontacts would still be a better set up than what I have stock, and theoretically the wider tires with increased contact patch should improve cornering grip. However I know that theory doesn't always translate to practicality. If the benefit of the wider tires isn't really noticeable in practice, I might as well just stick with the 225 TrueContacts and save an extra 3lbs per corner.

My question to the group is, has anyone who has gone from 225mm to 235mm wide tires noticed any perceivable difference in cornering/handling from the wider tires???

Thanks,

Ride92 · Oct 7, 2015

Going with a 235/65R17 is going to a tire that has a 1.8% larger overall diameter. Your speedometer will be off. If you are looking to improve your corning ability and grip going with a tire that is 10mm wider won't change a whole lot given that your sidewall is increasing as well resulting in a taller tire. I think a better option for you would be going with a 18" rim that is wider 8"-8.5" range and running a 245/55R18 Tire. The MR125's are available in an 18x8 ET45 at 20lbs per rim and you could run something like the Firehawk wide oval AS. Shorter, stiffer side wall, higher speed rating, wider contact patch is what will give you better corning. There is a trade off with weight, the larger size rim and tire will place more of the weight of the tire further from the hub center so acceleration may be negatively effected but you'll be able to hold more speed thru corners. How much it will be effected, I don't know. Somewhere tirerack did a test of different size rims on the same car and the performance gains or loses of the different sizes.

erhayes · Oct 7, 2015

I would also check a 235/60/17 if you want the same dia and larger foot print. Ed

gimor · Oct 7, 2015

dninja616 said:
Since I'm going for performance benefits in terms of handling, acceleration, fuel economy, my main goal with my Wheel/Tire set up is to avoid adding extra weight/increasing the tire radius/diameter.

My question to the group is, has anyone who has gone from 225mm to 235mm wide tires noticed any perceivable difference in cornering/handling from the wider tires???

Thanks,

Ummm... I'm not very good at automotive perceivable differences.

Doing some research... each 235 tire will weigh a bit more, probably loose a smidge in handling due to flex in oversized tire sidewall too, chance of less mpg from .5 wider tire.

FWIW We bought General AltiMAX RT43 H 225/65-17s and wife now has tons more confidence driving the CX-5 in good or bad weather.

mazdadude · Oct 8, 2015

dninja616 said:
Hi All,

I have a 2014 CX-5 Touring AWD with Stock Yoko's and 17" Wheels, and I'm looking to buy my first set of replacement All-seasons (Yoko's are @ 34K).

Since I'm going for performance benefits in terms of handling, acceleration, fuel economy, my main goal with my Wheel/Tire set up is to avoid adding extra weight/increasing the tire radius/diameter.

I've decided I want to keep the 17" set up, but get lighter wheels- already selected a set of Motegi MR125's which are 16.5lbs each (~5.5lbs lighter per corner than OEM 17"s).

My next decision is which tires to go with- I've already gone quite in-depth into this decision making process, taking into account various tire brands, sizes, and weights. I initially narrowed my choices down to The Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus (225/65R17 and 235/65R17), Conti Crosscontact LX20 (225/65R17 and 235/65R17), and Conti TrueContact (225/65R17, 235/60R17 and 235/65R17)

Doing the math, the only Tire Brand/Size combinations that improve on my stock set up are the Conti Crosscontact LX20 and Pirelli Scorpion Verdes in 225/65R17's, and the Conti TrueContact in all sizes.

In terms of reducing the inertia losses, the absolute best set up i can go with is the Conti Truecontacts in 225/65R17, however I'm also considering going a little wider in terms of contact patch to the 235/65R17's. The 235 Conti Truecontacts would still be a better set up than what I have stock, and theoretically the wider tires with increased contact patch should improve cornering grip. However I know that theory doesn't always translate to practicality. If the benefit of the wider tires isn't really noticeable in practice, I might as well just stick with the 225 TrueContacts and save an extra 3lbs per corner.

My question to the group is, has anyone who has gone from 225mm to 235mm wide tires noticed any perceivable difference in cornering/handling from the wider tires???

Thanks,

I have not yet made the upgrade to the tires you are questioning, however decreasing the un-sprung weight on each corner is a good idea.

Remember that if you go from a 225/65 to a 235/65 the sidewall height increases too. From 146.25mm to 152.75mm or an increase of 6.5mm from stock.

Going from a 225/65 to a 245/60 results in a 0.75mm higher sidewall than stock.

You are almost always better to stay with the stock dimensions, and concentrate on getting the best tire you can afford. (Staying on same rims).

Increasing tire width also increases rolling resistance, increases weight, increases hydroplaning, increases wind resistance, decreases MPG.

rjdee · Oct 8, 2015

I went from the stock 17 tires to 235/60/17 Falken ZE950 this spring. I was looking for increased handling response and greater overall grip.

The 235/60 is shorter overall (.42 inches, .21 less sidewall) and specs show rev/mile are only 1.5% faster (online tire calculator). Reality is the speedometer is reading 4% faster than the GPS. Previously the GPS and speedometer were very close. So my indicated speed and odometer are now reading faster and more miles traveled and the actual differences between the stock and new tires are greater than the specs call out. The 235/60/17 is no longer showing as an available size on Falken website so I can't reference Falken actual specs anymore. I did confirm that it what is mounted.

The Falkens are much more responsive, better traction in the dry and in the wet so they meet my goals there. Due to the speed and odometer errors, I can't confirm mpg but the difference isn't much. Acceleration feels snappier which is due to a shorter tire effectively reducing the gearing and bring the center of the weight closer to the center of the hub. I think most of the performance difference is due more to tire construction and less to the size difference but obviously the shorter sidewall, wider tread help with my goals.

I'll be going to opposite direction for my new snow tires. I plan to find a 215/70/17 or similiar for a bit more clearance and compliance along with a narrow tread to cut through the slush and muck.

225/65R17 vs 235/65R17 Noticeable difference w/ larger contact patch?

dninja616

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erhayes

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