Tire upgrade

[ManMachine]

I saw the thread about wheel upgrade, and thought, wouldn't tire upgrade be more important (and more useful)?

The OEM 225/65R17 Yokohama Geolandar G91A is rated quite low on Tirerack.com

A good alternative would be Yokohama AVID ENVigor (H&V) (High Performance All-Season), 560 A A, and very well rated. Unfortunately, the current size makes it impossible to fit with summer performance tires, even if one increases wheel size.

For winter tires, I'd go with Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow, and mounting on 16" steel wheels would significantly reduce the cost (225/70R16).

 

[Kornik]

I saw the thread about wheel upgrade, and thought, wouldn't tire upgrade be more important (and more useful)?

The OEM 225/65R17 Yokohama Geolandar G91A is rated quite low on Tirerack.com

A good alternative would be Yokohama AVID ENVigor (H&V) (High Performance All-Season), 560 A A, and very well rated.

How about Yokohama Parada Spec-X? I see it has even better ratings there than Avid.

 

[ManMachine]

Parada is a truck tire - although may suit a CUV just fine, I think ENVigor high performance all season will be the suitable tire for those who desire more about performance. Tirerack's test shows this tire does all things well.

 

[ZuluCX]

I had the Parada on my Mitsu Outlander XLS, they were good but not as good as i thought they would be (not stiff enough), but i would go for the Envigor if I was you.

 

[by-you]

Hey everyone, new to site. ENVigor is a great tire. I have a 07 CX7 GT (considering trade for CX5) with these and are the way to go. Great in wet traction, dry traction, and no road noise. I have used from April-October in 10' and 11' with about 10K each go round. Switching to Bridgestone Blizzaks for winter traction. Highly recommend, will not be dissapointed. At the time Parada was a option but road noise is more pronounced.

 

[ceric]

For around-the-year use, Yoko Spec-X is the best tire, considering price-n-performance.
I have them on my CX9, and never regret the decision. Will do it again.
However, if you switch to snow tires in winters, ENVigor makes sense also. It is not as good on snow compared
to Spec-X, but does everything else as well or better.

Spec-X is a truck tire because it has high load index, and is slightly heavier (think MPG impact and unsprung weight).

 

[Allan Ostling]

I saw the thread about wheel upgrade, and thought, wouldn't tire upgrade be more important (and more useful)?

That has always been my dream, but I've assumed there are no dealers who would agree to give a trade-in of the originals for the tires I want. So what's the plan, to sell the unused original tires on Craig's List?

 

[EquipDr]

That has always been my dream, but I've assumed there are no dealers who would agree to give a trade-in of the originals for the tires I want. So what's the plan, to sell the unused original tires on Craig's List?

There's a guy on the Subaru Outback forums that mentioned his local Discount Tire took his new, stock tires in on trade in. Could be worth a shot. Otherwise, I would give CL a try.

 

[JTNY]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know how much it is to replace the factory 19" tires? Just trying to factor in future replacement costs of the 17" vs. 19" tires.

thanks

 

[ManMachine]

Check Tirerack.

17" is definitely cheaper and lighter and will perform better in the winter.

 

[tsx2004]

The choices for the 19 inch (GT model) is very limited. There are like 2 tires to choose from only. Would a 235/55/19 work on the CX-5? Thanks in advance.

 

[ZuluCX]

Yes it would work, the diameter difference would be about 1.5% off, you speedometer would be off by about 1mph (when speedo shows 60mph you would be actually going 60.9mph)

235 would still fit rim (width wise)...but 245 with another profile ratio would be pushing it too much.

 

[CX-SV]

235/55/19 would work but would be a slightly taller tire, essentially impacting acceleration like a higher overall drive ratio, something to keep in mind given the limited power. Don't know if it would cause any clearing problems at full lock.

235/50/19 would be slightly shorter tire, no negative impact on acceleration, another size to consider.

 

[tsx2004]

I didn't know changing from 225 to 235 would affect the height. Good to know. Thanks.

If not for the tire size, i would consider the GT trim. Touring is attractive but want the keyless entry. It's just convenient.

235/55/19 would work but would be a slightly taller tire, essentially impacting acceleration like a higher overall drive ratio, something to keep in mind given the limited power. Don't know if it would cause any clearing problems at full lock.

235/50/19 would be slightly shorter tire, no negative impact on acceleration, another size to consider.

 

[plemieux]

I wonder if Low Rolling Resistance tires would increase fuel economy at all on the CX-5?

Continental makes a LRR called ProContact w/ EcoPlus Technology. Treadlife warranty is 6yr/80,000 miles. It is trending an 8.2 rating out of 10.

 

[CX-SV]

^^ IMO, not enough to matter.

 

[particleman]

I'm looking at a Touring, and was also curious about tire options as i'm not sure how great the stock tires are. I live in CO and plan on having separate winter and summer wheelsets. I'll probably turn the OEM 17s into winter wheels once the stock tires wear out, and will then get aftermarket 19s as summer wheels since it sounds like there is limited tire selection for the OEM 19s, and sounds like 235/50/19 is the way to go.

 

[nizzy1115]

The stock tires aren't rated very good.

 

[EricF]

michelin makes the Defender and the Latitude tires in the 225/65R17. The Defender is rated for 90k miles and the Latitude is rated at 65k, and based on the prior sets of Michelin's Ive had, I have no reason to believe they won't go the distance, and they're one of the best riding tires made. Also, both tires have the "Green X" technology, so they should return better MPG. At about $165 for the Defenders and about $180 for the Latitudes, they're kinda hard to pass up.. plus costco runs $70 off a set of 4 every 3 months or so.

I realize i sound like a michelin commercial, but after installing a set on my Acura TL, they made it feel like a totally different car, so I know what I'm going with.