Best Tires/ Wheels for Long Road Trips

[Panther]

Howdy All,

Still trying to learn and figure things out. I was just wondering
with the 19 inch wheels and tires for the GT model are those
going to stand up to long road trips traveling across the US?
I'm not talking about true off-roading but so many times
you have to drive on rocky, gravel, or dirt roads to get to the
Historic sites or attractions. Sometimes you just don't know what
you're liable to get into and just wondering if anyone
has been a little tough on the 19" Wheels and how did they
and the Tires stand up?

One reason I'm bringing this up is my Wife's 2010 Mazda 3 2.5
her Alloy wheels have a lot of dings and dents to the area close to
the tire bead, of course, it wasn't Me !!!

I'm still anxiously waiting for the 2016, and my Retirement !!!!
I keep learning so much and really appreciate all of y'all that post
the good and bad things and the fixes.

Thanks so much for Y'alls thoughts and suggestions.

Kindest Regards, Take Care,

CK

 

[maxwax]

I'll make an observation and share an opinion in response to this question.

Before I bought my CX-5 I owned a Honda Fit Sport with 15" wheels and thinner sport-style tires. With that vehicle I did 3.5 solo cross country road trips going from place to place on asphalt roads, then going exploring on whatever dirt roads and side roads I could find. I never felt like I was in danger or missing out on any comfort by having the larger sport tires during that experience. So I don't know if you'd notice anything with the 19" vs 17" wheels. If you had two CX-5s and drove one with each style of wheel on a regular basis you might notice a difference, but if you have a 19, I think you'll either like it or not. (I think LIKE!)

My opinion is that no matter what you drive, the tires you choose and your willingness to replace them with new tires to maintain good tread is most important. On my Honda, when the tread would get worn down, I'd be happy to replace them and have nice thick tread again. Even with sport tires, i think if you've got good thick tread on high quality tires, you can go a lot of places safely and comfortably.

Anyone else care to weigh in on this? Especially with articles or links comparing the two choices. This is something I'd like to know more about.

 

[Panther]

I'll make an observation and share an opinion in response to this question.

Before I bought my CX-5 I owned a Honda Fit Sport with 15" wheels and thinner sport-style tires. With that vehicle I did 3.5 solo cross country road trips going from place to place on asphalt roads, then going exploring on whatever dirt roads and side roads I could find. I never felt like I was in danger or missing out on any comfort by having the larger sport tires during that experience. So I don't know if you'd notice anything with the 19" vs 17" wheels. If you had two CX-5s and drove one with each style of wheel on a regular basis you might notice a difference, but if you have a 19, I think you'll either like it or not. (I think LIKE!)

My opinion is that no matter what you drive, the tires you choose and your willingness to replace them with new tires to maintain good tread is most important. On my Honda, when the tread would get worn down, I'd be happy to replace them and have nice thick tread again. Even with sport tires, i think if you've got good thick tread on high quality tires, you can go a lot of places safely and comfortably.

Anyone else care to weigh in on this? Especially with articles or links comparing the two choices. This is something I'd like to know more about.

Howdy Max,

Thanks so much for the very insightful reply and even more so that great write up on your Trip in the Mountains. I have to say
that had to be such a rush and a testament to how tough and rugged the CX5 is and how well the Geolander AT/X tires did.

That's really a well written trip and technical report, and lots of really good and common sense approaches to the different
challenges. I think you certainly pushed NewBleu a lot more than I would have felt comfortable with but it's great to know
what the "Real World" feats it can tackle.

Thanks so much again, Kindest Regards,

Craig