18s on a CX-5

[NinjaNoises]

Hi Guys,

Looking into a set of rims for my CX-5, I noticed that the only wheel sizes under discussion in these forums are 17" and 19". Those are the standard and available option sizes directly from Mazda factory.

Why haven't there been any threads on 18" wheels for this car?

I think they look good, and may be a good alternative to all those worrying about high cost of replacing 19" tires down the road.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[pt00323i]

Ill be getting lightest 18s possible later. Lightest 19s are like 21-22lbs

 

[Zooms]

I'm planning on putting my RX-8 rims on!

 

[dad of jon]

Hi Guys,

Looking into a set of rims for my CX-5, I noticed that the only wheel sizes under discussion in these forums are 17" and 19". Those are the standard and available option sizes directly from Mazda factory.

Why haven't there been any threads on 18" wheels for this car?

I think they look good, and may be a good alternative to all those worrying about high cost of replacing 19" tires down the road.

Any thoughts on this?

I think 18's are a good compromise between ride quality, handling and replacement cost...

These wheels would also be easy to clean.....

View attachment 18 inch wheels.bmp

 

[Wheelie]

Borbet wheels

Hello Ninja,

I own a Pearl White CX-5, and bought inmediatly 18" rims.
They are Borbet LV-5 color: Antracite 8J x 18" offset 45 MM's.
Tires Pirelli Sottozero 235 60 18.
At the moment i am deciding to buy a winterset of rims and tires, in germany the tires and rims are pretty cheap.
Maybe i buy 18" wintertyres and 18" black 5-spoke rims for the winter.
The currend temperature is 10 celcius !
We had just a little bit of snow.

Gr. Karl HAPPY NEW YEAR !

 

[Snowie78]

I have 18's as well. Styluz 18 x 8.5 with a 40 offset, and i have Goodyear Eagle Gt's 235/60/18

 

[IHeartGroceries]

I agree that 18's are my optimal wheel size choice.

But not for aesthetic reasons. 19's look slick on the CX-5 and most other medium sized vehicles.
However, when it comes time to buy new tires, I don't want the 19's.

 

[itsmeagain]

I don’t see anything wrong with the look of 18” wheels when compared to the 19”. Most people would never notice the difference in diameter and with the right wheel design the 18” could look larger. I was looking at tirerack.com and noticed the selection of 18” tire was much better than the 19”; only 3 tires in the factory size of 225/55-19 showed and the price ranged from just under $200 to almost $270. The 225/60-18 had a selection of 32 tires with prices from $97 to $223 and most falling in the $150 range. Wheel selection is better with the 18” (240 choices) vs. 19” (34 choices). The 19” wheel/tire size appears to be one most aftermarket manufacturers skip over. Most offer wheels or tires in the18” size and then jump to 20” avoiding the 19”. I think Mazda should have made 18” the standard size with 20” optional on all trim levels.

 

[dad of jon]

Hmm nice photo's of those 18" wheels. I think I'll be swapping over too when my 17's need new rubber!

 

[Snowie78]

The other thing I considered when moving up from the 17 inch to 18 inch wheels was the width of the wheel........the factory rims 17 or 19 inch rims are simply to narrow only 7 inches wide for a vehicle with such a bulging back end. The vehicle should have wider wheels and tires....my neighbors cx7 has wider 18 inch factory rims and 235 tires. The width of the rims I have with a bit of a different offset dramatically improves the stance of the vehicle and fills in the bottom of the vehicle proportionally.

QUOTE=itsmeagain;6092288]I don’t see anything wrong with the look of 18” wheels when compared to the 19”. Most people would never notice the difference in diameter and with the right wheel design the 18” could look larger. I was looking at tirerack.com and noticed the selection of 18” tire was much better than the 19”; only 3 tires in the factory size of 225/55-19 showed and the price ranged from just under $200 to almost $270. The 225/60-18 had a selection of 32 tires with prices from $97 to $223 and most falling in the $150 range. Wheel selection is better with the 18” (240 choices) vs. 19” (34 choices). The 19” wheel/tire size appears to be one most aftermarket manufacturers skip over. Most offer wheels or tires in the18” size and then jump to 20” avoiding the 19”. I think Mazda should have made 18” the standard size with 20” optional on all trim levels.[/QUOTE]

 

[Lt Johnny]

Snowie I agree with everything you said! My new CX-5 has the 19's and I think they are too narrow. That and the wheel gap are about the only things I don't like about it. If the OEM wheel was wider I would have them powdercoated a dark metalic grey and replace the sneakers with wider ones and call it a day. Instead I'm going to sell them and by new 20X8.5 wheels with 255/45 ZR20 tires. Very little diameter difference but these tires are just over 10" wide which should do wonders for the stance and appearance not to mention cornering of this vehicle. And for those interested, the tire size I'm going to is very easy to get and offered by many manufactures so you have lots of choices unlike the stock 19's that are only being produced by a few manufacturers with limited availibility and somewhat pricey for what your getting.

 

[pt00323i]

Mazda put 225 for mpg, but car this size, weight and HP/TQ (mine is 2.0l) 225's contact patch is sufficient, wider will handle better but might lower mpg, with stickier 225 would do the trick in handling department, but not for looks

most other CUV comes w/18-235's but they all have 190+hp etc. (Q5, X3 MB CRV?) so if you have 2.5 it might not be that bad. but 255 is wide, even M3's and S4's only use 245. just points to remember.

I'm sticking with 225 or 235 since I have the little motor

 

[JohnJr]

I'm sticking with 225 or 235 since I have the little motor

Now that was funny...though I heard that it is not the size of your motor but how you drive it (smoke)

 

[pt00323i]

And yes I do use it to its fullest

 

[CX-SV]

15k miles later, I've experienced how good the OEM 19's are for this vehicle. Tread wear is negligible. No downgrades is my preference.

 

[Jcanracer]

Sounds silly, but I look forward to wearing down the tires on my 17's so I can have an excuse to upgrade rims and tires to 18x8 lol

 

[Lt Johnny]

After much thought & deliberation I have chosen to run 18" wheels on my 14' GT. Should have them this coming Monday or Tues. I decided on Motegi Racing MR125's 18X8 w/ 35ET and for tires I got Nitto Crosstek 255/55 18's.

Stance problem resolved!
Pics coming soon!

Guesstimate what I should list my OEM 19's w/ tires 1,500mi no damage for????

 

[Bopper]

I have seen reconditioned 19's online for $250. I would call the dealer and ask what a new rim goes for, just for the sake of knowing. My guestimate for the whole setup would be $1500. (based on nothing but life experience), a lowball would be $1k. You did ask for a guess.

I am all over the place with trying to pick 18's. They need to be dark grey. I am deciding between:
Borbet LV5 18X8 25lbs Anthracite
OZ Alleggarita 18x7.5 17lbs matte graphite
OZ Superturismo LM 18x8 20lbs matte graphite
Sparco Asetto Garra 18x8 20lbs matte graphite

Please give opinions or knowledge.

 

[Lt Johnny]

Bopper,

Thanks for the guess.

My new wheels are 20lbs each so I'm definitely shedding some weight over the OEM's, the difference will be going to a wider tire to alter the stance and get a little more traction. I hope to weigh everything and provide some numbers to go with the pics next week when I have them installed. I used an offset calculator so my 18X8's will look almost identical to Snowie's 18X8.5's but with mine having wider tires.

You can't beat the OZ wheels for weight. And if your trying to improve your net gas mileage afterwards, that might be a priority.

 

[Lt Johnny]

New 18's

New Motegi Racing MR125 18X8's w/ 35mm of offset & Nitto Crosstek Cuv 255/55R18's...
OEM 19's... 58lbs
New 18's... 51lbs
=)