I'm getting ready to buy a CX-5 and was interested in the GT, but I'm concerned about the 19" tires it comes with, as most reviews said the ride is rougher and that they get flats very easily.

Could anyone with a GT post share their real word experience? Have you gotten any flats? Were you able to find a replacement tire?


I asked the dealer if they would swap the tires for the 17", but that was a no go. They offered me a 5yr warranty on rims/tires for ~$500 to cover from flats, but that seems a bit high.

I might consider getting the Touring w/ 17s if the 19s are really that bad..

Thanks!

 

The consensus among CX-5 owners is that the 19s do not ride appreciably different than the 17s. Don't know what reviews you've been reading, but the flat issue is bolox. The downside of the 19s is that replacement selection is more limited and more expensive than the smaller tire, but the 19 looks better on the car than the 17. Choose your poison.

 

I have not seen any reviews saying 19's ride is rougher and prone to flats.

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

A dealer had told me about the rougher ride and flat issues, and an Edmunds reviewer also mentioned ride issues:
Seventeens Are Enough - 2014 Mazda CX-5 Long-Term Road Test

Thinking back though.. I have not read anything where someone actually complained about getting a flat in the Grand Touring; only speculation that low profile tires are prone to flats.

I'll go ahead with the GT model.

 

We had a Mazda 3 with the 17 inch low profile wheels and tires and that was definitely hard riding compared to the 16 . I was therefore leery of the CX 5 GT we just bought with the 19 inch tires and wheels but they have worked out fine . We did ,however, just have all 4 tires replaced at 3000 miles due to what I suspect was a bad batch of Toyo tires (see separate thread on "Vibration and Shake".

 

When you're talking "low profile" you're talking tires, not wheels. The 55 series tires Mazda uses on the CX-5 with 19" wheels are not particularly low profile. And the 65 series used on the 17" are definitely not. In my experience, when you get down to 45 series and below (Miata territory) you have to start being mindful of ride quality as the sidewall is getting pretty short at that point. Old Doc's Mazda 3 with 17" rims no doubt rode in 50 series rubber which probably would be noticibly firmer than the 55 series hoops of the lower trim 16" rims.

 

I have the 17" 800 miles, I'll trade for the19" Anyone?

2014 touring factory

 

One advantage not mentioned, is that with 19" tires you can upgrade your brakes to a bigger brake set in the future. Hopefully they will be available.
I also believe the sidewalls on the 19" should be a little stiffer.

 

Specific to the Mazda CX-5, the OEM 19" Toyo tires on the CX-5 are a better tire than the OEM 17" offerings. The 17's have had many complaints regarding noise and wear despite no significant difference in ride quality. The downside of the 19" tire is the higher replacement cost, but since they wear longer (estimated life of 50K-65K miles), the cost per mile is not hugely different. I've actually driven production CX-5's (not prototypes) with both tire setups.