Like the updates for 2017 especially sound deadening and looked at a 2018 CX-5 Touring with minimal changes but 19-inch wheels now standard. On test drive 19's felt rough on broken and uneven pavement that's common around here.
Has anyone swapped on 17's for an improved ride? Will most likely get Grand Touring for leather and other features but want to run 17's year round. Moderate climate her with now snow or ice even in winter so we run all seasons year round but want the ride quality and extra side wall to avoid bent rims from rough roads, gravel roads, and fire roads. Please share feedback on running 17's on Grand Touring or 2018 Touring even if it's just for a few months in winter.
Would likely look for 17's from someone with Sport or pre 2018 touring to swap on and keep 19's in storage for when it's time to sell or trade-in. Or would consider BBS SR 008 17 x 7.5 if I couldn't get a used set of Mazda 17's or a dealer that would make a deal to include 17's.
Thanks!

 

I've been on two CX-5 forums for 5 years now and read plenty of posts like yours. First, you need to understand if you don't already, the '18 Touring/GT doesn't know the difference between a 17" or 19" as long as the tire size is correct for the model and the offset is correct (as is the case with both the Mazda wheel/tire offerings you are concerned with). A CX-5 is a CX-5. There are no suspension, gearing or drivetrain differences from model to model, so you can swap 17s for 19s and vice-versa as much as you wish. The concensus seems to be that the 19s give a slightly harsher ride, but also slightly quicker turn-in for slightly improved handling. Choose your poison.
One other thing to keep in mind when test driving different CX-5s is that dealers are famous for neglecting to adjust tire pressures down to the specified level during prep. The factory sets them at 50 psi for the trip across the pond to keep them from flat-spotting. They should be set at 34# for the 17" wheel and 36# for the 19". My point here is you may very well be test driving cars that have over inflated tires, which will not give you a good representation of the car's actual ride quality.

 

Thanks, that's an important point about tire pressure during a test drive. Sounds like the brakes are the same size on all models which is usually the problem with putting on smaller wheels and the wheel tire combo is the same circumference just hat the 17's have a taller sidewall.

 

I have a 2017gt that of course came with 19" wheels. I thought the ride was to harsh over the impacts on the bad Chicago streets. I purchased new take off factory 17" cx5 rims from a touring model and mounted Michelin Premier ltx tires. The handling is still very good (subjectively 10% loss versus the 19" tires) while the ride harshness is much better. ( subjectively 20% better). I accomplished what was important to me. I have about 6000 miles on my vehicle since the wheel and tire swap so I have had a lot of wheel time in different conditions. Hope this helps you.

 

Thanks, jjhebigscreen! That's exactly what I want to do and it's great to hear from someone running 17's on a GT. I was also looking at the Premier LTX are you running the 225/65/17's? The Premier LTX is going for about $160 a tire vs $200 a tire for the 19's so that's a nice benefit too.
Looks like there's a V rated version in 225/60R17 99V anyone run that? Shorter sidewall though. And yes the CX-5 is unlikely to see much over 90 even with a strong tailwind but the higher speed rating would mean it could handle higher sustained temp like we get when crossing 395 to Yosemite.

 

I seriously doubt there is even a modern H rated tire on the market today which cannot deal with Death Valley temperatures each and every day; there is exactly zero benefit from moving up to a V rating.

 

Uhh. you may be overthinking this just a tad...

 

I have 225/65-17 H rated. This is what populated as the correct size on tire racks site when I entered a 2017 cx5 touring with 17" rims.

 

Have a new (to me) 2016 GT and want to swap out factory 19” wheels for 17” found on the Touring model. All comments RE: models being mechanically identical otherwise have referenced the redesign from 2017. Can anyone advise whether or not that is the same for ‘first edition’ CX-5s?

 

The wheels for all CX-5 vehicles from inception of the model through the latest 2019 models are all interchangeable.