Tires were mounted, balanced and installed on the car last Saturday. Wife drove the car home from the dealership and I drove behind her. The wider tires look good on the CX-5. It makes it look more sporty. Sporty like a sporty BMW X3 or X5. I really like how they look on the CX-5.
The drive home was an uneventful drive on city roads. Speeds never exceeded 45 mph. Asked my wife what she thought about the new tires. She said she didn't feel any major difference from the stock tires, except that the car felt lighter when taking off from a stop. I asked her how it corners and she said it didn't feel that much different from the stock tires.
I got to drive it Sunday and took it on the highway and some curvy on/off ramps.
- The car does feel lighter when taking off from a stop. Don't know the weight difference between these new tires and the stock GT tires. And to be honest didn't even consider that as a factor in purchasing these tires.
- I cannot tell if there is more or less body roll. My judgment is clouded by the fact that I'm expecting there to be more body roll, because 245mm tires on a narrow 7 inch wheel, but I honestly cannot say for sure that there is more or less body roll. My guess is that the stiffer sidewall of the DWS06 tires is able to compensate for the relatively narrower wheel. Although it must be noted, that Continental has specified that the DWS06 tires in 245/55/r19 size will fit on a 7 inch wheel.
- With regards to the stiffer sidewall, it didn't seem to negatively affect ride comfort at all. In fact, these new DWS06 tires are more comfy than the stock tires and I feel like they absorb bumps better than the stock tires. Of course the stock tires were probably worn down at 26k miles, but still this is a welcome change.
- Cornering grip, even when the tire is new, seems pretty good. Accelerating from a stop while taking a right hand turn is much improved even on wet roads.
- Tire noise seems to be decreased. When I rode in second row I felt like all I could hear was wind noise. My wife also mentioned that the car was quieter when she rode in the second row. Not that the 2016 CX-5 was a pretty loud car from the inside, but again this is another welcome change.
In conclusion, I am extremely pleased with how this turned out. I was worried that the 245 width tires would be a little too wide for the stock wheels. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be the case. The car's handling has not been negatively affected at all. Since I am a fan of the 2016 GT Vampire fang wheels, I'm more than happy to keep it with these new tires. I don't feel like I need to get wider wheels for it. These tires are cheaper than the Continental True Contacts and way cheaper than the Michelin Premier LTX, which makes me think these tires are a great bang for the buck purchase for the CX-5.
