How is your ride quality with 20" wheels?

[paris1]

I've read quite a few comments in the automotive press about the poor ride quality of the CX-50 with 20" rims. Unfortunately, that would be the only wheel associated with the trim levels I would consider. So I'm wondering how folks who have that setup feel about the comfort level of the car?

 

[Lazy2.5]

The ride quality on the CX-5 sig. loaner i drove (19's) was awful. slow to respond, cumbersome, heavy, so much unsprung mass, took otherwise good crossover suspension tuning and made it feel virtually useless.

 

[paris1]

The ride quality on the CX-5 sig. loaner i drove (19's) was awful. slow to respond, cumbersome, heavy, so much unsprung mass, took otherwise good crossover suspension tuning and made it feel virtually useless.

My wife has a '23 CX-5 with 19s and we've recently had occasion to rent the same car with 17s and there is a noticeable difference in ride quality. That's why I'm wondering if the same is true with the 20" CX-50 or if Mazda has tuned the suspension any better with the newer design. Also, my 2018 Mazda 3 has 18s and the ride can be a little rough, but you expect that on a smaller car with shorter wheelbase and besides, it handles a whole lot better that its SUV counterpart!

 

[Lazy2.5]

My wife has a '23 CX-5 with 19s and we've recently had occasion to rent the same car with 17s and there is a noticeable difference in ride quality. That's why I'm wondering if the same is true with the 20" CX-50 or if Mazda has tuned the suspension any better with the newer design. Also, my 2018 Mazda 3 has 18s and the ride can be a little rough, but you expect that on a smaller car with shorter wheelbase and besides, it handles a whole lot better that its SUV counterpart!

Massive, heavy OEM wheels and giant tires can't exactly be tuned for. That unsprung weight will constantly be working against the suspension. Even the 18's on your 3 are going to be heavy.

The 17's on my 6 with the same aspect ratio as a cx5 sig (55) felt much better.

I'm changing to some flow formed wheels in spring that are 10lb lighter per wheel than stock.. that will make a huge difference.

If you're serious about the cx-50, I would put lighter downsized aftermarket wheels on it.

 

[N7turbo]

The ride quality on the CX-5 sig. loaner i drove (19's) was awful. slow to respond, cumbersome, heavy, so much unsprung mass, took otherwise good crossover suspension tuning and made it feel virtually useless.

Having driven a CX-50 with the 20's and another with the 17's, and CX-5's of both generations with the 19's and 17's, AND having swapped my 2nd Gen CX-5 19's for 20's with a completely different (and better) tire, I can tell you with 100% certainty that what you are describing is the fault of the 225/55/19 Toyo A36 on the 19x7" wheels.

I wasn't happy with the feeling that the rear of the car and the front seemed to respond at different rates, with the back lagging behind the front, when shifting direction at highway speeds. The main problem is that it's not a sporty tire and responds slowly.

My lowering springs with higher rates probably helped with this as well, so consider that into the equation. The car is much tighter now and responds instantly, both ends in sync.

So combine soft springs and soft sidewalls and that's what you will get. Get in a CX-50 with the 20's and it feels completely different. That car is more direct, with very little body roll, yet a bit harder ride quality than the CX-5, partly due to losing the IRS and partly due to the wheels. It feels like the sway bars may be stiffer, too, because I don't know how else to account for the lack of body roll. This provided a more enjoyable turning experience, in my opinion.

 

[Lazy2.5]

Having driven a CX-50 with the 20's and another with the 17's, and CX-5's of both generations with the 19's and 17's, AND having swapped my 2nd Gen CX-5 19's for 20's with a completely different (and better) tire, I can tell you with 100% certainty that what you are describing is the fault of the 225/55/19 Toyo A36 on the 19x7" wheels.

I wasn't happy with the feeling that the rear of the car and the front seemed to respond at different rates, with the back lagging behind the front, when shifting direction at highway speeds. The main problem is that it's not a sporty tire and responds slowly.

My lowering springs with higher rates probably helped with this as well, so consider that into the equation. The car is much tighter now and responds instantly, both ends in sync.

So combine soft springs and soft sidewalls and that's what you will get. Get in a CX-50 with the 20's and it feels completely different. That car is more direct, with very little body roll, yet a bit harder ride quality than the CX-5, partly due to losing the IRS and partly due to the wheels. It feels like the sway bars may be stiffer, too, because I don't know how else to account for the lack of body roll. This provided a more enjoyable turning experience, in my opinion.

Regardless of what tires, the massive circumference and diameter of 225/55R19 is insane.

Even with good tires and lightweight wheels, im completely lost with this trend involving giant wheels and tires accounting for obscene diameters. Literally serves no purpose whatsoever and yet another reason why I would stay away from anything higher than a sedan, until the day comes that I need to.

 

[N7turbo]

Regardless of what tires, the massive circumference and diameter of 225/55R19 is insane.

It's pretty much average these days.

 

[paris1]

Thanks for the input but looking for comments here from owners of CX-50s with 20" rims being satisfied or unsatisfied with stock ride quality. If I were to buy one, I would have no intention of investing in smaller aftermarket wheels/tires, so I'm interested in how satisfactory or not the OE setup is.

 

[N7turbo]

Hopefully some owners will chime in. But like I said, I've driven both variants, and the ride is more firm than your CX-5, the 20" version being more so than the 17" version, of course. But even the 17" version of the CX-50 didn't ride as well as the 19" CX-5's due to suspension differences. I also felt the seat was more firm. Overall the CX-5 was more comfortable while the CX-50 felt more like a sports car.

 

[a69mach1377]

Overall the CX-5 was more comfortable while the CX-50 felt more like a sports car.

I agree with this assessment, true about the seat also.

 

[paris1]

Overall the CX-5 was more comfortable while the CX-50 felt more like a sports car.

And is that a good thing or no on a daily basis?

 

[N7turbo]

All depends on your preferences. I liked the way it drove.

 

[RedBaron]

Having had CX-5's since 2013 (still have them), and my CX-50 since 2022, let me comment...

The CX-5 has more sound deadening and is quieter, so it, IMO, makes the ride feel better than the CX-50, simply because the road imperfections are not heard as much. In actuality the ride is not that much different between them. I tested this by wearing earplugs and driving the two cars over the same bumpy roads. I couldn't really tell the difference in the ride between them when I couldn't hear the tire-thump noises. Further to that, I added sound deadener to the 4 doors of my CX-50 and the ride subjectively improved.

However, the handling of the CX-50 is much better in general than the CX-5... flatter cornering, more road feel. All the crap that is talked about the rear suspension is just that. It's NOT a regular torsion beam on the CX-50 but acts more like an extra-stiff sway bar tying the wheels together. So yes, if the rear wheels go over different bumps, it will be a tad more harsh, BUT, it doesn't negatively affect the actual handling.

My 2c.

 

[N7turbo]

Having had CX-5's since 2013 (still have them), and my CX-50 since 2022, let me comment...

The CX-5 has more sound deadening and is quieter, so it, IMO, makes the ride feel better than the CX-50, simply because the road imperfections are not heard as much. In actuality the ride is not that much different between them. I tested this by wearing earplugs and driving the two cars over the same bumpy roads. I couldn't really tell the difference in the ride between them when I couldn't hear the tire-thump noises. Further to that, I added sound deadener to the 4 doors of my CX-50 and the ride subjectively improved.

However, the handling of the CX-50 is much better in general than the CX-5... flatter cornering, more road feel. All the crap that is talked about the rear suspension is just that. It's NOT a regular torsion beam on the CX-50 but acts more like an extra-stiff sway bar tying the wheels together. So yes, if the rear wheels go over different bumps, it will be a tad more harsh, BUT, it doesn't negatively affect the actual handling.

My 2c.

Is this is the 17" or 20" CX-50?

 

[paris1]

Is this is the 17" or 20" CX-50?

His picture shows 20".