'16 CX-5 Touring FWD Winter Tire/Wheels question

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14 Cruze 1LT and 16 CX-5 Touring FWD
I am looking at two sets of wheels/tires for our CX-5. Both are steel wheels...one set is 16" the other is 17". The tires are Blizzak DM-V2. The price is pretty negligible...about $32 cheaper to get the 16" wheel/tire set. Tires are 225/65 17 (stock 17) and 225/70 16.

The reasons I'm considering the 16" setup are as follows: Price is cheaper even if only a few bucks. Lighter total weigh (3lbs per corner). The wheels are .5" narrower which will effect contact patch even on same 225 width tire. Narrower of course being better for winter according to some research I've read.

My question is for anyone who has stock 17" wheels and has gone with a 16" wheel for winter or daily driving, how is the ride? Is the ride much worse with 16"? I downsized my Cruze from stock 16 to 15 for winter driving and it does quite well, but my car is lowered with a lot of suspension work so it feels very soft and off handling wise. The CX-5 is completely stock for now (eventually will be lowered). If they make the ride more soft without affecting the cornering/body roll then I'll go 16". Otherwise I'll stick to stock size wheels/tires.

Thanks.
 
My question is for anyone who has stock 17" wheels and has gone with a 16" wheel for winter..

No one else has chimed in, so I will; although ill-qualified as I went from 19" to 16" for winter wear on my '13 AWD. Properly inflated, the winter boots (X-Ice) are a tad more comfortable as there is more cushion when moving over rough surfaces. I have also found the winters a tad quieter than the stock 19" - an experience I've never had with any other summer/winter wheel-set. The down side is a perceived softness and give in the corners when pushing the truck into a bare, dry corner; causing me to drive the vehicle with a bit less vigor while wearing winter rubber.

My east-Ottawa street is a snow removal afterthought and we can wait 2-3 days before seeing a plow following a heavy snowfall. I have helped neighbours push cars back into driveways as they can't make the street, before I continue on to the plowed through-street on my 16". This mobility does cause problems as I once had plastic rivets holding a plastic under-front dam fail due to the snow I was pushing in front of me while getting out to the cleared road. A 36$ repair.

Brian
 
I am looking at two sets of wheels/tires for our CX-5. Both are steel wheels...one set is 16" the other is 17". The tires are Blizzak DM-V2. The price is pretty negligible...about $32 cheaper to get the 16" wheel/tire set. Tires are 225/65 17 (stock 17) and 225/70 16.

The reasons I'm considering the 16" setup are as follows: Price is cheaper even if only a few bucks. Lighter total weigh (3lbs per corner). The wheels are .5" narrower which will effect contact patch even on same 225 width tire. Narrower of course being better for winter according to some research I've read.

My question is for anyone who has stock 17" wheels and has gone with a 16" wheel for winter or daily driving, how is the ride? Is the ride much worse with 16"? I downsized my Cruze from stock 16 to 15 for winter driving and it does quite well, but my car is lowered with a lot of suspension work so it feels very soft and off handling wise. The CX-5 is completely stock for now (eventually will be lowered). If they make the ride more soft without affecting the cornering/body roll then I'll go 16". Otherwise I'll stick to stock size wheels/tires.

Thanks.
Both 16* and 17* tires are 225, which means the contact patch will be 225 mm wide no matter the rim is 0.5* narrower than the other.

Personally I*d stay with 17* setup even thought it is marginally more expensive.
 
Both 16* and 17* tires are 225, which means the contact patch will be 225 mm wide no matter the rim is 0.5* narrower than the other.

Personally I*d stay with 17* setup even thought it is marginally more expensive.

While they are the same width...there are factors other than that involved...inflation, tire stretch, load (weight of vehicle)...it's not just oh 225 and 225...if I have half or 1 inch difference in wheel width, there will be a difference in how the tire performs. I shouldn't have said contact patch...but it does affect tire performance.

Can you give any kind of reason why you would stay with 17"? Or is that just personal preference with no real reasoning?
 
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No one else has chimed in, so I will; although ill-qualified as I went from 19" to 16" for winter wear on my '13 AWD. Properly inflated, the winter boots (X-Ice) are a tad more comfortable as there is more cushion when moving over rough surfaces. I have also found the winters a tad quieter than the stock 19" - an experience I've never had with any other summer/winter wheel-set. The down side is a perceived softness and give in the corners when pushing the truck into a bare, dry corner; causing me to drive the vehicle with a bit less vigor while wearing winter rubber.

Brian

I quoted this because except that I have a '16 GT FWD it mirrors my experience exactly. With the taller sidewall the ride is less harsh, quieter (surprised me too), but I can tell on a sharp corner that I'm not on my 19"'s and I'd better take it a bit easier.

One of the reasons I went 16" instead of 17" is it gave me a chance to drop additional weight. The stock OE 19" wheels/tires on my '16 are about 59 lbs each, while the combo I ended up with (X-Ice Xi2's on MSW Type 85) are 46 lbs. 13 lbs per corner makes a difference! If I'd gone with a similar 17" setup (IIRC) it would have cost about $100 more total and added 3 or 4 lbs per wheel.

I guess at this point it comes down to your priorities. Budget, ride/handling, weight. Good luck with your choice.
 
I quoted this because except that I have a '16 GT FWD it mirrors my experience exactly. With the taller sidewall the ride is less harsh, quieter (surprised me too), but I can tell on a sharp corner that I'm not on my 19"'s and I'd better take it a bit easier.

One of the reasons I went 16" instead of 17" is it gave me a chance to drop additional weight. The stock OE 19" wheels/tires on my '16 are about 59 lbs each, while the combo I ended up with (X-Ice Xi2's on MSW Type 85) are 46 lbs. 13 lbs per corner makes a difference! If I'd gone with a similar 17" setup (IIRC) it would have cost about $100 more total and added 3 or 4 lbs per wheel.

I guess at this point it comes down to your priorities. Budget, ride/handling, weight. Good luck with your choice.

Thank you for this. Yes, long story short...my girlfriend needs winter tires on her CX-5...part of the reason is that she's pregnant so I don't want to take any chances. She should've had some last year, but we couldn't afford them at the time so she got new all seasons which I trusted for one winter.

The weight was something I considered initially, but it's really a non-issue. In the grand scheme of things, I'd rather spend less and get steel wheels that are heavier, spend the extra money on slightly better tires (I'm used to Winterforce, Winter i Pike, Altimax Artic...cheap winter tires). I'll be getting her Blizzak DM-V2 based on my research.

I don't want to spend an arm and a leg to save a few extra pounds over stock and look marginally better...I want maximum safety. That way the vehicle is set and the only factors are driver input and other drivers on the road...I trust her driving skills to be more than adequate so she only needs to worry about other drivers on the road...and that's mainly for to and from work...anytime else, I'm driving us places so my mind is even more at ease for safety.

The 16" steel wheels with 225/70 Blizzak DM-V2 from TireRack will be $860 picked up from the distribution center and 17" version with 225/65 would be $894. Both have $80 MasterCard rebate as well...I can't find anything cheaper...even buying used wheels and going to Costco. Discount Tire (local store) and Discount Tire Direct (their online Tire Rack competition site) both would be in the $950-1050 range for similar setups. I don't really consider anywhere else because I've never found better deals than Discount Tire Direct or Tire Rack.

It's a tough decision....

I spend a little less for 16" which translates to: more sidewall (possibly more comfortable), possibly worse steering response, cheaper overall cost (but the 16" Blizzak is actually $2 more per tire than the 17"), same overall weight as stock wheels, fills wheel well marginally better with extra quarter inch total diameter (1/8" in wheel well) which also means 1/8" extra clearance vs stock (again a negligible amount).

I spend a little more for the 17" which translates to: same feel/response as stock for the most part, surprisingly cheaper replacement tires if I stick to the same exact tire in the future, heavier than stock wheel/tire combo.

I'll most likely go with the 17" unless something is out of stock or prices change drastically in 2 weeks when I plan to order.

Thanks again for the comment.
 
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Weight on a family cruiser like ours, even if it did handle better then every other CUV on the market, is an absolutely ridiculous reason to get smaller tires that is going to shave 12 pounds. 12 pounds? Are you serious?
That wouldn't even matter on a Corvette ZR1.

Stay with the 17's. I do 19s to 17s for Winter and would not go any smaller. It certainly won't hurt anything as Brillo will attest but it adds nothing either vs 17s.
Stick with what Mazda thought was the best tire for that car.

And those Blizzacks are excellent. I have them.
 
I have 17" Blizzak WS80's I got for $87 a piece last year (I'm pretty sure they miss marked them as they went up to $130 each after I ordered). Very happy with them for winter.
 
Weight on a family cruiser like ours, even if it did handle better then every other CUV on the market, is an absolutely ridiculous reason to get smaller tires that is going to shave 12 pounds. 12 pounds? Are you serious?
That wouldn't even matter on a Corvette ZR1.

Sorry 7 but I have to disagree with this. Since it's 12 pounds less of rotational mass, it will make a difference. The OP's 12 pounds would be much less than the 52 pounds I achieved and it will be a more subtle difference but it will be there. When I'm on my winters and accelerate the revs come up quicker on the tach. It's easy to see and feel.

As far as the ZR1 goes, you're right, but it has what, 2x to 3x the horsepower? It can muscle though any minor change in weight difference with no problem. But the CX-5 is considered either adequately powered by some or under-powered by others (I don't think anyone has claimed it's overpowered) and minor changes have a larger impact.


With all that said, I think the OP should go with 17's also but either way will so much better than being on all-seasons in Minnesota.
 
No need to apologize brother. I admit I'm no expert on this. [emoji16]
6 lbs per axle just seems pretty insignificant.
 
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So a little update...I ordered the wheels and tires from TireRack just a little bit ago. They've got a promotion for an $80 Mastercard rebate which helps a little and then I use a program to get 3% back in points which will equate to another $25 back.

I wound up with a deal on Sport Edition F7's in black 16x7 with Michelin Latitude X-IceXI2's...just over $900 for me to pick them up from the distribution hub. Tire Rack offers $40 off for each set of wheels and tires you buy so I saved an extra $80 by choosing pick-up. That covers all of the tax and then saves me a little more on top of that.

Like I said before, I have had Altimax Arctic on a previous car and they weren't bad, have Winterforce on my Cruze now and they're OK as well. I didn't want to go with a cheap studdable tire this time....I wanted something better, but I didn't go with the Blizzak DM-V2 solely because they were about $60 more than X-Ice XI2 and even though reviews were great, I just feel that based on the few things I've looked at and read/watched, the Michelin might be the better choice for MN winter driving when we have long weekend highway drives of 250-300 miles round trip and never know whether it will be snowy, icy, wet, dry.


TL;DR
Went with Sport Edition 16x7 40ET Black wheels with 225/70 16 Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI2...just over $900...getting over $100 back through different deals.

I guess now I just have to wait until winter and I'll give my thoughts.
 
Thanks for the info on picking up at the Tire Rack distribution center. Didn't know it was an option - I've always had them shipped.
 
Thanks for the info on picking up at the Tire Rack distribution center. Didn't know it was an option - I've always had them shipped.

Yeah, they have one near Roseville and its been there for a couple of years. Ive always done shipping as well. The discount for picking up I believe is fairly new because I know they didnt offer it last year or I wouldve used it.

There are certain tires or wheels that for some reason say they cant be picked up at that location, but Im not sure why. Im sure if you call and talk to someone in that scenario you might be able to get it to happen still.
 
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