245/50/19R Tires on the Stock GT rims... any issues

[bushidoboy]

If this is posted somewhere, please pardon me.

I am shopping for replacement tires and at COSTCO and SAMS CLUB locally its hard to get 225/55/19R tires. They said they can bring in or have in stock 245/50/19R tires. Per the previous posts and my tire calculator app it seems a good fit. But practicality ON the vehicle I was wondering:

Has anyone mounted 245/50/19s on their stock Grant Touring CX-5 rims?
If so, any issues as far as rubbing, especially when making a tight U-turn or something.

I have to "special order" these which means there are no refunds if the tires don't work properly. I guess I can argue the fact that the business's tire guide recommended the 245s as an option...but just for a piece of mind, wanted to see if anyone did this tire replacement and how it worked out. Thank you for your time in reading this post.

 

[erhayes]

Get the correct size. 55 series ride firm enough without going down on the aspic ratio. I'd try Walmart to find the correct size. JMO. Ed

 

[Ride92]

There are many online tire size calculators that you can use to compare tires. I used one and it looks like the 245-50R19 is pretty close in diameter 28.7 stock 28.6 for the new 245/50. That's about .3% difference. The side wall is very close as well. Only 1% smaller for the 245/50, 4.87 vs 4.82 inches. Probably not enough to notice a difference in ride quality. You have to remember that side wall height is an aspect ratio of the tread width. The 4.87" is 55% of the 225mm (8.86") of the original tire so the 4.82" is 50% of the 245mm (9.65") of the wider tires width. The 245/50 tire is 8.9% wider then the stock tire size. I am unsure if that is too wide to mount on the 7" wide rim or not. I think it would be ok but I can't say for sure. Check out the wheel specs thread and see if anyone else is running that size on the stock rims.

 

[Ride92]

Oh I forgot to add that at 60mph the 245/50 tires will be running .2 mph slower then the stock size.

 

[Mondo]

The Continentals that are that size (245-50R19 ) say the will fit a 7in rim. I'm looking to go to that size next. Plus I want to get some spacers to make the wheels more flush with the fenders.

 

[leeharvey418]

For practically all cases, a 245/50R19 will have zero issues mounting on your stock wheels and fitting under your fenders. I say 'practically all' because, as I noted in the OP of the Tire Fitments thread Pirelli has some oddball width ranges, and one of them is the P-Zero Nero All Season - its minimum recommended mounting width is 7.5", whereas the standard for everybody else is 7".

The tires will be about 9.8" wide overall when mounted on a 7" wide wheel, compared to 9.1" for the stock tires. This means that the sidewall will stick out about 3/8" more than the stock tires.

 

[craigo]

For practically all cases, a 245/50R19 will have zero issues mounting on your stock wheels and fitting under your fenders. I say 'practically all' because, as I noted in the OP of the Tire Fitments thread Pirelli has some oddball width ranges, and one of them is the P-Zero Nero All Season - its minimum recommended mounting width is 7.5", whereas the standard for everybody else is 7".

The tires will be about 9.8" wide overall when mounted on a 7" wide wheel, compared to 9.1" for the stock tires. This means that the sidewall will stick out about 3/8" more than the stock tires.

This would probably look a little more attractive actually. I've always felt the stock tires were a little narrow. Probably better for mileage though.

 

[inlinev]

With a wider contact you may notice a slight decrease in MPG and increased road noise. You will likely decrease braking distance and increase overall handling. What I do not understand is why they can't find this tire size. Seems odd.

 

[leeharvey418]

With a wider contact you may notice a slight decrease in MPG and increased road noise. You will likely decrease braking distance and increase overall handling. What I do not understand is why they can't find this tire size. Seems odd.

While your comments are generally true, the road noise is going to be more of a function of the specific tire than the width of said tire. As for braking distance, you will see an improvement as long as the new tire isn't drastically heavier than the stock tire - for the options on TireRack, they range from one pound lighter to five pounds heavier than stock.

And to the question of why the shop can't find them - it's not a very common size, and Costco (and I'd guess Sam's as well) has a pretty limited selection.

 

[bushidoboy]

Thank you everyone for your research and time. I know the threads on this forum state 245/50/19s should fit and its strange that this size is easier and cheaper to find vs 235/55/19 and 225/55/19 (well in Hawaii at least). I did some crude measuring under the fenders and wanted to make sure the 245s dont rub the front strut tower (or anything in the rear too)...it seems it will just about clear it in the PARKED position. I guess no one has mounted this size on their stock GT set-up yet. If Im the first one, I will keep everyone updated on the results. As for now, I am shopping around at Costco, Sam's Club, Firestone, Goodyear, etc.

 

[leeharvey418]

I guess no one has mounted this size on their stock GT set-up yet...

Discount Tire has... it's one of their recommended fitments for a CX-5.

 

[GP 2004]

I have bought from Discount Tire several times, always received good service.

 

[bushidoboy]

So got the tires at a local shop, BF GOODRICH Comp 2 Sport. They had to ship them in, so I had to pay for it full before I got to even see if it fit ok. The tire recommended guides were on it! The tires look great, I like how it gives the vehicle a "wider" stance versus the stock 225 width. Its only about 1" but aesthetically it makes a difference in my opinion. The steering seems stiffer due to the wider tires (or could be just a stickier tire too)...overall performance I haven't noticed too much lag for wheel weight and its too soon to see if it effected my average MPG. But incase anyone out there wanted to see or know if they could put 245s on the stock 19" GT wheels...here it is. (dont mind the pasti-dip peeling off...Its surprising minimal considering they had to remove and replace the tires. Easy touch up, just gotta find the color available again locally)

 

[bushidoboy]

The Continentals that are that size (245-50R19 ) say the will fit a 7in rim. I'm looking to go to that size next. Plus I want to get some spacers to make the wheels more flush with the fenders.

Mondo, they fit...but the tires practically sit flush with the fenders with the stock GT set up (see my photos below). Still can go out maybe a few mm more...but for the price of spacers? Up to you, I'd save my money.

 

[minnesotaart]

They look great!

 

[Ride92]

The new shoes look great, I've always thought the CX-5 stock tires were a bit on the narrow side. Mazda probably went with the narrower tire to achieve better gas mileage ratings. The next set I do when the stock tires wear out will be wider. For now I'll be keeping the stock tires and rims, I actually really like the 2016 GT wheels and how they match the meteor grey of my car. I did pick up winter rims to get some winter tires for. I don't want to mess up the sexy GT wheels. I do know that load rating will make a difference with the wider wheels, I would not advise anyone to go down in load rating as it will be a softer side wall and could hurt the handling capabilities.

 

[craigo]

Nice, I think the stock are a bit narrow also. Might be a slight MPG hit if they're heavier, and then added friction. Keep us updated.

 

[leeharvey418]

Nice, I think the stock are a bit narrow also. Might be a slight MPG hit if they're heavier, and then added friction. Keep us updated.

Stock tires weigh 28 lb each (per Tire Rack) and the BFGs weigh 30. Rolling resistance is kind of a crap shoot, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if a summer-only compound gives better performance than an all-season.

 

[tdman]

So got the tires at a local shop, BF GOODRICH Comp 2 Sport. They had to ship them in, so I had to pay for it full before I got to even see if it fit ok. The tire recommended guides were on it! The tires look great, I like how it gives the vehicle a "wider" stance versus the stock 225 width. Its only about 1" but aesthetically it makes a difference in my opinion. The steering seems stiffer due to the wider tires (or could be just a stickier tire too)...overall performance I haven't noticed too much lag for wheel weight and its too soon to see if it effected my average MPG. But incase anyone out there wanted to see or know if they could put 245s on the stock 19" GT wheels...here it is. (dont mind the pasti-dip peeling off...Its surprising minimal considering they had to remove and replace the tires. Easy touch up, just gotta find the color available again locally)

With the wider tire, what would the tire pressure be compare to what recommended from the manufacture? What pressure did the shop put in your tires?

 

[Ride92]

Tire pressure should be the same regardless of which tire is on the car. The PSI is based on what will hold the car due to it's weight. Always follow the sticker on the door jam for tire pressure. It's a common misconception about tires