2017~2025 17 vs 18 vs 19

[Veyonredsan]

I just bought a 2022 Mazda CX5 Signature and fell in love with the steering and handling. I recently switched to winters which are Michelin X-Ice (225/65/17) on Enkei YS5 (17x.5, +50). These make the ride noticeable better and I love these for the winter but the steering wheel is now too light and handling is mushy.

For my 3 season tires, what would be the best rim and width size for a balance of the 2? I will either be running Michelin Defender2 or Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3. I’ll most likely get Enkei or FlowFormed Konigs.

P.S. the questions running through my head are, would getting better tires be enough for comfort on the stock tires? Would getting 18 inch tires be the best or worst of both worlds? Would 17 inch tires but 8/8.5 width strike a better balance?

 

[chickdr]

18" will be a slightly better ride with a taller sidewall than the 19", but you will lose some handling ability in trade. Only you can decide what you are willing to give up.

 

[leeharvey418]

245/55R18 has a bunch of good options. If you mount one on an 8.5” wide wheel, it’ll be reasonably stiff in steering rate while still giving you the ride advantage of an extra half inch of sidewall height.

 

[Veyonredsan]

245/55R18 has a bunch of good options. If you mount one on an 8.5” wide wheel, it’ll be reasonably stiff in steering rate while still giving you the ride advantage of an extra half inch of sidewall height.

Ah ok, can I go 8.5 with a +40 offset?

 

[leeharvey418]

Ah ok, can I go 8.5 with a +40 offset?

Yep. A CX-90 wheel that’s 21 x 9.5 +45 fits, and you’re well within that envelope.

 

[Freedom55]

I just bought a 2022 Mazda CX5 Signature and fell in love with the steering and handling. I recently switched to winters which are Michelin X-Ice (225/65/17) on Enkei YS5 (17x.5, +50). These make the ride noticeable better and I love these for the winter but the steering wheel is now too light and handling is mushy.

For my 3 season tires, what would be the best rim and width size for a balance of the 2? I will either be running Michelin Defender2 or Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3. I’ll most likely get Enkei or FlowFormed Konigs.

P.S. the questions running through my head are, would getting better tires be enough for comfort on the stock tires? Would getting 18 inch tires be the best or worst of both worlds? Would 17 inch tires but 8/8.5 width strike a better balance?

Make sure your winter tires are properly inflated. I have the same tires and same size (I'm assuming yours are also X-Ice Snow SUV with 106T XL rating not the previous X-Ice) and I find them quite good on pavement.

 

[N7turbo]

Winter tires have soft rubber so will naturally not be comparable in terms of handling to the same size all-season tires.

But I think the 245/55/18 size mentioned above seems reasonable.