On the fence...CX-5 20” wheels vs 19”

[Gray5ive]

/I've seen two setups pushing the boundaries:

20x9.0 +45
25mm less clearance to the inside and a 25mm increase to the outside. Slight poke out of the tire up front, I bet.

20x9.5 +40
This is pretty aggressive and certainly pokes out past the fenders. 27mm less inner clearance, and 37mm of increase to the outside. Owner's comment:

That might be the one you're thinking of.

Most others stick with 8.5" +45.

So considering the 20x9.0 (again, can't go narrower with this wheel), to mimic the above inner clearance but still be as close to flush as possible I would have to split the difference and do +48. That's 28mm less inside, 22mm more

Went back and found the thread on fb. He was running 20x9.5 et40 on 275 tires. Said they just barely cleared inside up front. Less than a pinky. But he did have poke in the front of maybe 1/4" of tire.

 

[N7turbo]

I bet it's more than that...probably 1/2" since it's 37mm of increased width and about 20-25mm (depending on tire, mine is 20) is flush.

 

[Gray5ive]

I bet it's more than that...probably 1/2" since it's 37mm of increased width and about 20mm is flush.

Could be. From pics he showed me it looked kinda like 1/4 but definitely could've been half. My new setup will be 19x8.5 et43 on 255 tires.

 

[kdaug]

Coming from the 17" Geolandars, I pretty quickly noticed the 19" A36's feel really squishy on the highway, in a way that if you quickly jerk the wheel, it feels like the front and rear of the car do not move in concert with each other. And, you feel the sidewalls giving when cornering at moderate speed, like the tires aren't holding their shape on the wheel. Yes, I have adequate tire pressure.

It really has me wondering what the car will feel like with the DWS06 Plus. I think they're going to be worlds apart.

I suspect that the squishiness you feel is what gives those A36's less vibration and harshness that some other tires experience.

 

[N7turbo]

For fitment confirmation I thought I'd calculate the total amount of working room in the front. When doing so, something surprised me. Since tires are changing, I realized I need to be measuring tire section width and not wheel width. All measurements not stated are in mm.

Toyo A36 225/55/19
Section width on a 7" wheel: 9 inches or 228.6mm
Outside distance from tire to flush: 20
Inside clearance: ~35
Total: 283.6

Continental DWS06 Plus 245/45/20
Section width on a 9" wheel: 10 inches or 254mm
Remaining clearance: 283.6-254 = 29.6

Wait, why do I have over an inch of clearance left? I increased the wheel width by 2 inches and I only have 2.2 inches in total.

...it's because the section width of the stock tire is quite wide, at 2 inches wider than the stock wheel. The width of the new tire will only be 1 inch wider than the wheel. There's the extra inch! And it's probably the cause of the squishy stock feel.

It doesn't look like it, but I can't deny the numbers. I went out and measured the Toyo and sure enough, it's 9" wide at the sidewall. This confirms there is plenty of room left for a 245 tire on a 9" wheel. Now to find the new offset.

If current flush fitment (front) is section width 228.6+20mm spacer
Then
New flush fitment would be section width 254-228.6 = 25.4/2 = 12.7 each side +7.3 = 20

So the offset needs to be quite different than I thought, at 45-7=38. This isn't making sense to me because according to https://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Wheel-Offset-Calculator# that would put my wheels out by 32mm.

We know this kind of offset causes serious poke so I must be doing something wrong. Here's a 20x9 +35. Thank you, @ziggi.

My measurement from front wheel to flush with fender is 24mm. Logic would dictate that the 9" wheel would already be flush at 46/47 offset (from 7 to 9 inch wheels is a 1 inch increase to each side = 25.4mm out). But it goes further, because I'm looking for flush tires, not flush wheels.

I think I'm losing it...

 

[N7turbo]

Tonight's revelation, for those new to this journey and following along, as well as those seasoned enough to lend their input.

First heard from Fitment Industries, then Motortrend on further research:

How To Pick The Correct Offset For Your Wheels

Fitment Industries Offset and Backspacing Calculatorhttps://bit.ly/2xKshFFCheck out the largest wheel and fitment gallery here!https://bit.ly/2WFofacSo you w...

youtu.be

Advertised wheel width is from bead seat to bead seat. The bead seat is where the tire meets the rim. Actual wheel width is from face to face, meaning from the outermost part of the wheel from side to side.

If you order a wheel based on a manufacturer’s specifications of 9.00 inches wide, you’re actually ordering a 10.00-inch wide wheel.

Well paint my ass red and call me a baboon.

Everyone's new to this at some point...

So, this means a 245/45 DWS06 Plus on a "9" inch wheel is actually the same width as the wheel: 10 inches, according to Tire Rack specs.

Building on that, we can determine the new offset from the wheel width increase. If the wheel gets 2 inches wider, it comes out by 25.4mm. Since I measured flush to be wheel+24mm, bringing the offset in to 47mm would give a flush wheel AND tire. Actually I should average both sides in case my concrete isn't level.

EDIT: Today I measured all 4 wheels again both in the garage and in the driveway just to rule out level differences.

Millimeters from wheel rim to flush with fender trim:
FL: 24
FR: 28
RR: 29
RL 28

So I have a messed up front left wheel, hub, or something. Obviously I can't rely on that one as I have been. I'm going to have to rotate the wheels and see if the disparity follows. But this means the offset should be about 42 for a perfect wheel and fender alignment. 28-25.4=2.6, 45-2.6=42.

 

[N7turbo]

This should be my last post on the subject pre-purchase.

I have decided on an offset of 45. And here is a better mock-up:

This upgrade will:

1. Get better-looking wheels that are also easier to clean.
2. Allow me to run Continental DWS06 Plus tires, which is not possible on the stock wheels.
3. Combined with the Corksport springs, dramatically improve handling and eliminate the ridiculous stock stilted look.

Barring anything unforeseen, I'll place the order next week.

 

[GTXT23]

This should be my last post on the subject pre-purchase.

I have decided on an offset of 45. And here is a better mock-up:

View attachment 325326

View attachment 325325

This upgrade will:

1. Get better-looking wheels that are also easier to clean.
2. Allow me to run Continental DWS06 Plus tires, which is not possible on the stock wheels.
3. Combined with the Corksport springs, dramatically improve handling and eliminate the ridiculous stock stilted look.

Barring anything unforeseen, I'll place the order next week.

19s look beefy and able to take a curb hit - great combo

The car care nut ( who is a lifetime Toyota engine builder/mechanic ) tells why he likes the Mazda CX5 Turbo (22) same as 23.24 - surprisingly it appears Mazda sold intake valve timing tech to Toyota and thus the new love affair between the 2 companies
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFIxjBDlVkc

 

[Chad1140]

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.

Go with the lighter option.

 

[Chad1140]

Generally, smaller wheels tend to be lighter and can be stiffer, while offering space for a thicker sidewall for better grip and ride comfort. I find that a 55 sidewall seems to be the best balance between steering response and comfort. For a CX-5, I would stick to 17's. 18's are generous. 19's are foolish. 20's are... well. Useless.

19”’s aren’t foolish, they are stock for turbo models.

 

[Chad1140]

This should be my last post on the subject pre-purchase.

I have decided on an offset of 45. And here is a better mock-up:

View attachment 325326

View attachment 325325

This upgrade will:

1. Get better-looking wheels that are also easier to clean.
2. Allow me to run Continental DWS06 Plus tires, which is not possible on the stock wheels.
3. Combined with the Corksport springs, dramatically improve handling and eliminate the ridiculous stock stilted look.

Barring anything unforeseen, I'll place the order next week.

Please post final pics and a link to the wheels if lighter it will have all components working more efficiently as well meaning brakes will last longer, as well as suspension components.

 

[N7turbo]

Sneak preview!

Now I need to source hub rings and lug nuts.

 

[Gray5ive]

Hub rings are easy to get. I got them for my Dekkagrams.

 

[N7turbo]

Today's the day!