newbie to the Mazda world!

[dizzylizzy]

Hi, I'm new here to the forum, I just purchased a 2015 Mazda CX-5 in Meteor Gray Touring FWD. I LOVE it! I've been lurking here on the forums for some time and I'm interested in getting new wheels/rims & tinting out my back tail lights. Thats pretty much all I want to do as far as "upgrades". I've been reading everything here on this forum-but in all honesty (and embarrassment) I know little about these things and everything I'm reading here is like I'm reading it in Spanish. Could someone help me out and steer me in the right direction to getting rims that won't rub and or make tons of noise but look nice? I'm thinking around 19"-20" Also, I've read up on the sprays for tinting taillights, has anyone had any luck with VHT spray?

Thank you in advance,

Liz

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

Welcome aboard Liz!!!

CX-5 is a fun rig!!

Hopefully others will chime in on tires & other mods. Unfortunately.. these aren't the type of mods I know much about.

 

[CC58]

You might want to stick with the 17" tires and get nice rims for them. The 19" rims ride rough and slow down vehicle due to extra weight. Becareful about tinting tail lights cause its illegal in some places. There are others here who can give you better info on rims. Welcome to CX-5 forum!

Mucho Gracias

 

[cybercruiser]

I too an new to Mazda, I'd never even driven a Mazda, ever, until that Saturday I went in and ended up purchasing a Red CX-5 Touring.

 

[DurhamProPhoto]

I too an new to Mazda, I'd never even driven a Mazda, ever, until that Saturday I went in and ended up purchasing a Red CX-5 Touring.

I am not new to Mazda, My wife and I have each owned one for the past 9 years. My previous Mazda was a Mazda 5 and all I ever did to it service wise was fluid changes, shocks and brakes, same with my wife's Mazda 3. Previous domestic vehicles that we owned spent more time in the shop than on the road.

Your going to like that new CX5, we picked one up on Monday and I keep finding reasons to go out for a drive. Mine is the Mica Red AWD and I wasn't sure if I liked the colour originally but now that I have seen it in all different lighting I think it is an awesome colour. The only things I added to the car (so far) was a Mazda hood deflector and the Mazda rear bumper guard.

Welcome to the Zoom Zoom club!!

 

[dizzylizzy]

Thanks everyone!

Anyone know anything about these? They look really sharp. Are these the stock 19in wheels?

 

[DurhamProPhoto]

If you look on the side of the tire it will have a number sequence that starts with P. It will read something like P255/65 R17.
The number after the R will be the tire size.

If you are driving the GX it comes with 17" steel wheels, the GS model comes with 17" aluminum rims. The GT comes with 19 inch aluminum rims.

 

[mazdaspeedmyk]

Welcome aboard! Enjoy the zoom zoom.

 

[onerpm]

hey that looks like my car! yes, those are the stock 19s. They don't ride all that rough, IMO.
Diz, go on tirerack.com and you can get up a picture of your car and then see how it looks with different wheels on it...

rpm

 

[joe427]

The 19's do have a bit rougher ride quality than a 17" but they look sooooooo much nicer!(yippy)

 

[cybercruiser]

The 19's do have a bit rougher ride quality than a 17" but they look sooooooo much nicer!(yippy)

But, the 19" tires cost a lot more money, and you have much fewer choices of tires. just sayin....

 

[Beefy]

But, the 19" tires cost a lot more money, and you have much fewer choices of tires. just sayin....

And even if the harsher ride comfort and tire cost doesn't bother you, the rotational inertia of the heavy rims saps that teensy little bit of power and economy.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

Just because you get larger wheels doesn't mean they will be extra heavy. You can get 20" wheels+ tires that are lighter or the same weight as OEM 19" + tire. Pizza cutters are cool to I guess. lel. But really, I wouldn't go over 20, max width 9" max offset +40 for a flush, non rubbing look. Just keep in mind wider wheels and tires will increase weight quickly vs say a 20x8 wheel to a 20x9.

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

I had concerns what effect the 19's would have on performance, economy and ride... and IMO it has been a moot point with no concerns. Only happiness here!!!

It's nice not having to fill this car every week. It appears we will be able to go two weeks of commutes between refills.