Max tire width for factory 19x7?

[AfCtAJHR26]

My biggest gripe with the aesthetics of our '22 CX-5 Turbo is how skinny the factory 225/55r19 setup looks. Blows my mind why Mazda would go with a 7inch wheel for the premium option on this car. It really gives the car that "skipped leg day" look. Our 12 year old Tiguan R-Line came with 19x9s from the factory.

Has anyone tried squeezing a 235 or 245 on the stock 19x7s?

I do plan to get aftermarket wheels eventually, but in the short term, some wider tires and spacers would be an enormous improvement.

Thanks in advance for your comments and advice!

 

[jadmt]

a 235 should be no issue it would be about a .2"poke and .2" further inside so should not be an issue. 235/55-19 are good for wheels 6.5-8.5 wide..
245's are good for 7-8.5 wheels so a 245/50-19 should be about the same height and .35" poke and .35" closer inside.

 

[AfCtAJHR26]

a 235 should be no issue it would be about a .2"poke and .2" further inside so should not be an issue. 235/55-19 are good for wheels 6.5-8.5 wide..
245's are good for 7-8.5 wheels so a 245/50-19 should be about the same height and .35" poke and .35" closer inside.

Thanks for the reply!

When you do a general search online, a lot of people say that a 245 on a 7inch wheel is pushing it and will "bulge". But the tires I have looked at have an approved range of 7"-8.5".

 

[Lazy2.5]

Depends on the approved width aaccording to the tire you're looking to put on.

Let me tell you, Mazda's engineers focused on the optimal contact patch for handling and fuel economy, not aesthetics.

I have a similar 225/55R17 OEM size for my Mazda 6. I am currently running 235/50R17. Unless you like to regular cornering at or near the limit of grip, you don't need wider tires. I like the extra grip, but 225 did give the car slightly more playful rotation when cornering hard.

If you must have wider tires for whatever reason, go for it, just stay within the range specified for the tire you're looking into, and be sure to also consider what contact patch the manufacturer actually specifies. You'll want an 8" or 8.5" wheel for 235 245 if you're concerned about a tight sidewall fit for good cornering performance.

 

[CrazyHippie]

I'm also interested in a larger tire for my 25 CX-5 (PP with the 19×7 wheels). I think that the fender gap is too wide and the ride could be softer. So, a 235/55 is in my near future. I'm anticipating using forscan to re-calibrate the speedometer for a larger diameter tire. We'll see. I agree that a 7-inch wheel width was not a good design on Mazda's part.

 

[N7turbo]

Part of the reason they may not look much wider is because without a wider wheel supporting them, they will look rounder. Think dragster instead of steamroller.

 

[N7turbo]

I'm anticipating using forscan to re-calibrate the speedometer for a larger diameter tire.

I was told this isn't possible and that not even Mazda dealerships can do it. I would like to believe there is a way.

 

[jadmt]

the speedometer will be very close with 235/55-19 1mph off at 60mph and only 1.6mph off at 90mph and almost spot on with 245/50-19's

Tire Size Comparison

Tire size comparison the easy way. Use our tire size comparison calculator to compare diameter, width, sidewall, circumference and revolutions per mile.

tiresize.com

 

[Lazy2.5]

Yea, that's assuming you actually get the extra 10mm contact patch. You won't. Your Speedo will be fine.

 

[Lazy2.5]

Part of the reason they may not look much wider is because without a wider wheel supporting them, they will look rounder.

This .

 

[zx10guy]

Depends on the approved width aaccording to the tire you're looking to put on.

Let me tell you, Mazda's engineers focused on the optimal contact patch for handling and fuel economy, not aesthetics.

I have a similar 225/55R17 OEM size for my Mazda 6. I am currently running 235/50R17. Unless you like to regular cornering at or near the limit of grip, you don't need wider tires. I like the extra grip, but 225 did give the car slightly more playful rotation when cornering hard.

If you must have wider tires for whatever reason, go for it, just stay within the range specified for the tire you're looking into, and be sure to also consider what contact patch the manufacturer actually specifies. You'll want an 8" or 8.5" wheel for 235 245 if you're concerned about a tight sidewall fit for good cornering performance.

I agree with this. I've gone up in tire width a couple of times for specific reasons. The first was when I had my Toyota C-HR. I wanted to get the Cross Climate 2s on the car but Michelin doesn't have one in the stock tire size. The other was my BMW 135i. I went up from I think 205/215 to a 225. The reason I did this is because the car was already factory set with a bit more understeer than I like. I didn't do what others that have 135i's which is to also upsize the rear tire width from 245 to 255.

Changing tire size should be done with a plan. Going up in size increases the weight of the tire which adds to unsprung weight affecting handling. There's also the fuel economy aspect.

As to stretching a given tire to fit into a 7" wide wheel, I wouldn't do it. While the manufacturer of said tire says it's within their fitment range, I'd be concerned about the bead of the tire breaking away from the wheel if you plan on hard cornering the car.

 

[AfCtAJHR26]

I'm not hard cornering a 4,000lb SUV. Especially with stock suspension etc.

I do understand the point that putting a wider tire on a narrow wheel won't look much wider. It will help a BIT with the looks. That said, it makes more sense to get new wheels and tires vs new tires for the stock wheels and then new wheels and tires again later (i'd want wider than 245 with a wider wheel).

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[Lazy2.5]

I'm not hard cornering a 4,000lb SUV. Especially with stock suspension etc.

Right. To summarize, therefore going wider, especially on the stock factory wheel is useless.

 

[Lazy2.5]

I agree with this. I've gone up in tire width a couple of times for specific reasons. The first was when I had my Toyota C-HR. I wanted to get the Cross Climate 2s on the car but Michelin doesn't have one in the stock tire size. The other was my BMW 135i. I went up from I think 205/215 to a 225. The reason I did this is because the car was already factory set with a bit more understeer than I like. I didn't do what others that have 135i's which is to also upsize the rear tire width from 245 to 255.

Changing tire size should be done with a plan. Going up in size increases the weight of the tire which adds to unsprung weight affecting handling. There's also the fuel economy aspect.

As to stretching a given tire to fit into a 7" wide wheel, I wouldn't do it. While the manufacturer of said tire says it's within their fitment range, I'd be concerned about the bead of the tire breaking away from the wheel if you plan on hard cornering the car.

Difference in weight will be marginal

 

[Lazy2.5]

If you insist on the aesthetics of a wider tire, do it right, buy wider wheels from the get go

 

[AfCtAJHR26]

If you insist on the aesthetics of a wider tire, do it right, buy wider wheels from the get go

Yep. Came to this realization in my last reply.

Thanks again to all who replied!

 

[Lazy2.5]

Yep. Came to this realization in my last reply.

Thanks again to all who replied!

You're going to increase rolling resistance with no functional benefit, but as long as you select a wheel that is around OEM offset (ET45 +-2mm or so) then you're fine

 

[AfCtAJHR26]

You're going to increase rolling resistance with no functional benefit, but as long as you select a wheel that is around OEM offset (ET45 +-2mm or so) then you're fine

I don't care about functional benefits. This is a family car for us. I just want it to look better, for my taste. IMO, it doesn't look great with the bicycle wheels and tires.