On the fence...CX-5 20” wheels vs 19”

[N7turbo]

I'm this close to opting to go to 20" wheels over 19". The CX-5 body definitely benefits visually from 20's. However, I am hesitating. Who has made the switch and regrets the ride quality?

Anecdotally, when I went from my Touring model with 17" wheels to the Turbo model with 19's, I can't say there's much difference in ride quality. If anything the 19's feel more connected to the road but there's not much difference in comfort. At least it's small enough that it doesn't grab my attention. Then again, I haven't hit any major potholes yet. But it's not the best comparison either because one was on Yokohamas and the other on Toyos, and tire design makes a huge difference.

Whichever I choose I will be using Continental DWS06 Plus. Between 19 and 20 inch sizes, the tires basically cost the same; the wheels are a little more for 20's. Someone push me off the fence. What does your experience say? 19's or 20's?

Specifically, the sizes are:
245/50/19, ~49.5lbs
245/45/20, ~48.5lbs

There is exactly 1" more wheel and 1" less tire.

 

[sm1ke]

One more anecdote for your consideration.

The 2nd gen CX-9 can come with 18" wheels and tires in the base model trims. Mine came with 20s. For my first oil change, the dealer gave me a CX-9 loaner while my car was in the shop (couldn't pick it up until the next day). There is a 25mm (1 inch) difference in sidewall height from the 18" setup to the 20" setup. In my experience, the car felt noticeably softer. Nice because going over minor road imperfections was less intrusive and it felt a bit more insulated from the road noise. That said, the handling took a pretty significant hit as the tires felt mushy. To me, the car felt a lot less agile. Wasn't worth the trade off, and I was happy to be back on 20s when I got my car back.

Also, something else to consider is the tire itself. I don't have any experience with Continental tires, but some brands/models are more firm or soft in the same size. That could compound the difference you might experience in ride comfort when you move up in rim size.

 

[StylingSequ]

I'm this close to opting to go to 20" wheels over 19". The CX-5 body definitely benefits visually from 20's. However, I am hesitating. Who has made the switch and regrets the ride quality?

Anecdotally, when I went from my Touring model with 17" wheels to the Turbo model with 19's, I can't say there's much difference in ride quality. If anything the 19's feel more connected to the road but there's not much difference in comfort. At least it's small enough that it doesn't grab my attention. Then again, I haven't hit any major potholes yet. But it's not the best comparison either because one was on Yokohamas and the other on Toyos, and tire design makes a huge difference.

Whichever I choose I will be using Continental DWS06 Plus. Between 19 and 20 inch sizes, the tires basically cost the same; the wheels are a little more for 20's. Someone push me off the fence. What does your experience say? 19's or 20's?

Specifically, the sizes are:
245/50/19, ~49.5lbs
245/45/20, ~48.5lbs

There is exactly 1" more wheel and 1" less tire.

When I was thinking about getting the premium over the preferred, the 19'' wheels "upgrade" was actually a reason not to get the premium because of the harsher ride.

Now that I've been driving the 19'' wheels for a few months, I've noticed that the ride is much harder than my CRV which has 18'' wheels. Yes, the Mazda is much more responsive. When I turn, it turns immediately. It feels a lot sportier. However, I hate that you feel the road so much. The ride is not soft at all. That's one of my major gripes. I paid $1700 for an upgrade that I didn't want. If I could, I'd switch my wheels with a 17''.

I do agree with you that it looks better but I would stick with the 19'' because of the softer ride. I think the ride is harsh enough as it is. But I guess it depends on what time of person you are. I'm a person who loves a smooth, comfortable Lexus over a sportier BMW any day of the week.

 

[N7turbo]

Thanks for your input @sm1ke and @StylingSequ. I guess it depends where you're coming from. From a CRV potato, okay, sure. But the CX-5 I don't find hard at all—it just feels like a car should. But I spent a good amount of time daily driving sporty cars before getting into CX-5's in 2014. And the 1st gen CX-5 was much sportier than the 2nd gen is now.

I've always hated body roll. It just makes me feel so unconfident in the ride, which has me planning on installing Corksport springs soon. But with those I don't want things to get too firm, so the combination is causing me hesitation on going to 20".

For what it's worth, I feel suspension and tire design have a bigger impact than just tire size alone. I even read discussions of people downsizing their CX-50 wheels to improve ride quality and not feeling much difference from it.

 

[N7turbo]

So 19-20", 8.5-9.0" width, 40-45 offset, gloss gunmetal, flow formed are my requirements. This doesn't seem to leave a lot of options.

Currently looking at Flow Ones and Forgestars. Also considered Gram Lights. Man are they awesome, but a bit more than I want to spend. What other brands should I be looking at that have wheels with these specs?

 

[sm1ke]

So 19-20", 8.5-9.0" width, 40-45 offset, gloss gunmetal, flow formed are my requirements. This doesn't seem to leave a lot of options.

Currently looking at Flow Ones and Forgestars. Also considered Gram Lights. Man are they awesome, but a bit more than I want to spend. What other brands should I be looking at that have wheels with these specs?

Vossen has some offerings. They also had a Black Friday sale going for a while, unfortunately it ended Nov. 30th.

Black Friday Sale - Vossen Wheels

Save up to $2,000 per set on select Hybrid Forged Vossen Wheels. Sale Ends November 30th.

vossenwheels.com

They had some HF-3 wheels that were 20x8.5 raw, meaning that they could be custom drilled and painted to your exact specs, for $1800. Regular price would have been $2800. Or some HF-2 wheels that were 19x8.5 raw for $1200, normally $2400. The HF line is their flow formed line.

There are also some other brands like Apex, Niche, Ace Alloy, or Avant Garde, but they may not meet your specifications in one way or another.

 

[heywardjr]

I have learned over the years to go with thicker tires for a better ride. I once had a Ford Explorer Sport Trac with 20" wheels and Prelli tires. Low profile tire and I had to replace them twice due to tire damage from nails on the road. I switch to 19" tires the third time and it was like a new truck after that. Wow what a nice improvement in the ride. I later had a Lincoln and had a choice of 21" or 19" tires and I chose 19" while my buddy who bought the same model car chose 21". He rode my car and agreed it had a much better ride with the thicker tires. He regretted the 21" choice. The 21's look great but you sacrifice comfort.

 

[N7turbo]

Vossen has some offerings.

There are also some other brands like Apex, Niche, Ace Alloy, or Avant Garde, but they may not meet your specifications in one way or another.

Thanks. I didn't see anything for me at Vossen or Avant Garde. Apex has some nice wheels but they don't make them in my specs. Same for Niche.

Ace Alloy I hadn't heard of. The AFF05 is nice but $550/ea and no mention of weight.

The wheels should be 20-23lb each in these specs so if it's beyond that, it wasn't flow formed.

 

[sm1ke]

The wheels should be 20-23lb each in these specs so if it's beyond that, it wasn't flow formed.

Not necessarily. Wheel weight is also determined by variations in design and width.

For example, my Vossen VFS-2 wheels are flow-formed, but they are 22x10.5 with a 15-spoke design. They weigh in at about 36 lbs each. Still about 3-4 lbs lighter than other comparable wheels from Niche and Ace Alloy with similar specs and wheel designs.

A Vossen VFS-1 wheel in the same specs weighs in a few lbs lighter due to the 10-spoke design.

 

[N7turbo]

my Vossen VFS-2 wheels are flow-formed, but they are 22x10.5 with a 15-spoke design. They weigh in at about 36 lbs each.

Those are monsters! What size tire do you run?

 

[sm1ke]

Those are monsters! What size tire do you run?

285/35/22

 

[N7turbo]

285/35/22

And there are people saying I shouldn't do 245/45/20 due to ride quality. I think some of us are just built different.

 

[sm1ke]

And there are people saying I shouldn't do 245/45/20 due to ride quality. I think some of us are just built different.

Should be fine. Speedo might be a bit off by 2-3 mph at 60 but aside from that, ride quality shouldn't be much different. I mean, if you want a soft cushy ride, 20s on a Mazda isn't the right move lol

 

[N7turbo]

Should be fine. Speedo might be a bit off by 2-3 mph at 60 but aside from that, ride quality shouldn't be much different. I mean, if you want a soft cushy ride, 20s on a Mazda isn't the right move lol

Speedo won't be off at all. But today I'm leaning towards 245/50/19 because of plans for Corksport springs and their effect on the ride...

 

[DG_1234]

I have learned over the years to go with thicker tires for a better ride. I once had a Ford Explorer Sport Trac with 20" wheels and Prelli tires. Low profile tire and I had to replace them twice due to tire damage from nails on the road. I switch to 19" tires the third time and it was like a new truck after that. Wow what a nice improvement in the ride. I later had a Lincoln and had a choice of 21" or 19" tires and I chose 19" while my buddy who bought the same model car chose 21". He rode my car and agreed it had a much better ride with the thicker tires. He regretted the 21" choice. The 21's look great but you sacrifice comfort.

My first CX-5 had 17" wheels-tires , my second and third CX-5 had 19" wheels-tires. Now I am again driving a CX-5 w/17" wheels-tires. I've enjoyed driving both the 17" and 19" but the handling and comfort of the 17" size seems to be especially good.

 

[7eregrine]

I switch between 19's for summer and 17s for winter and other then the noiser snow tires, honestly, there's very little difference that I can tell.

 

[CharlieX5er]

285/35/22

Photos?

 

[N7turbo]

I switch between 19's for summer and 17s for winter and other then the noiser snow tires, honestly, there's very little difference that I can tell.

Which tires do you use?

 

[sm1ke]

Photos?

These wheels and tires are for my CX-9, so not really a direct comparison to the wheel sizes @N7turbo is considering for their CX-5.

 

[N7turbo]

I've narrowed it down to a single wheel of choice. I've looked at hundreds, I swear...

Due to limits on custom sizing, I have two options.

1. 19x8.5 +45 (standard, known perfect fitment)
2. 20x9.0 +51 (this is the minimum width for 20"—so the offset has to come out to keep flush fitment, which puts all of the increased width to the inside)

Option 1 results in an 19mm increase to the inside, and a 19mm increase to the outside over stock.
Option 2 results in a 31mm increase to the inside, and a 19mm increase to the outside over stock.

The question is...will option 2 rub on anything? Especially with DWS06+, which has some meat to it. It might force me to stick with 19's...humbug!