Upgraded 2024 CX-5 Turbo Carbon Tires For A Staggering Improvement

[Woodguru]

We bought a one year old dealer executive use car with 4k miles a few months ago, I thought the tires were appallingly bad...they reacted in a jittery manner to any bumps or road imperfections. under passing acceleration the way it pulled crossing the line was dangerous...they emphasized any rough spots or speed bumps.

The car we sold was a 2017 Honda CRV Touring that I had just put a set of these on, if they had been 19 inch wheels instead of 18 inch I'd have swapped them...they were the best tires I've ever had and I always buy the top tier in handling and comfort.

The difference makes it feel like a new car...quiet, rock solid without the hunting and jittering the Toyos did. I sold the old Toyos with 8k miles for $250. The Pirellis will stop way shorter on both dry roads and wet. It was hard to let $900 tires with $8k miles go for $1000+ tires, but once we felt the difference my wife even had to admit it was well worth doing. Oh, I also went to I think 235/50 to make them slightly wider without changing the aspect ratio...they look good with that slight bit of width.

There is a slight jitter that seems to be shocks, so I'm looking for upgrade improvements there, but will wait a bit, it's very slight

 

[HyFlyer]

So, which pirelli did you choose ?

 

[N7turbo]

The jitter you describe: is it side to side or up and down? If it's a squirmy feeling when changing lanes at highway speeds, it isn't from the shock absorbers, as I am still running the stock KYBs. I think it comes from a softer sidewall tire combined with a narrow wheel. When I changed to 9" wheels supporting a 245/45 tire, that completely disappeared. I am also lowered 2 inches with firmer springs so the car reacts more positively when turning.

If it's a bounciness you're describing, that is the shock absorbers. The car is overdamped to give crisp handling and one trade-off is that it isn't the greatest over broken pavement.

 

[leeharvey418]

235/50 to make them slightly wider without changing the aspect ratio...

But the change from 225/55 to 235/50 is changing the aspect ratio. Maybe you mean you didn’t change the sidewall height, but you did that, too. A 245/50 tire will have nearly the same sidewall height as a 225/55, while a 235/50 will be a bit shorter, at least in the same wheel diameter. The nominal values don’t always match up to real-world tire specs - that’s why a reduction of 1” in wheel diameter is offset by a 5% increase in aspect ratio, regardless of tire width.

 

[Woodguru]

So, which pirelli did you choose ?

WeatherActive, we had the same tires on a 2017 CRV Touring that were rock solid

 

[miatamust]

OP means s/he didn't change the overall diameter, at least not by any material value.

This is a fun tool: Rim & Tire Size Calculator. Custom Offsets

 

[cx5_2014]

We bought a one year old dealer executive use car with 4k miles a few months ago, I thought the tires were appallingly bad...they reacted in a jittery manner to any bumps or road imperfections. under passing acceleration the way it pulled crossing the line was dangerous...they emphasized any rough spots or speed bumps.

The car we sold was a 2017 Honda CRV Touring that I had just put a set of these on, if they had been 19 inch wheels instead of 18 inch I'd have swapped them...they were the best tires I've ever had and I always buy the top tier in handling and comfort.

The difference makes it feel like a new car...quiet, rock solid without the hunting and jittering the Toyos did. I sold the old Toyos with 8k miles for $250. The Pirellis will stop way shorter on both dry roads and wet. It was hard to let $900 tires with $8k miles go for $1000+ tires, but once we felt the difference my wife even had to admit it was well worth doing. Oh, I also went to I think 235/50 to make them slightly wider without changing the aspect ratio...they look good with that slight bit of width.

There is a slight jitter that seems to be shocks, so I'm looking for upgrade improvements there, but will wait a bit, it's very slight

What tires did you get?

 

[Woodguru]

But the change from 225/55 to 235/50 is changing the aspect ratio. Maybe you mean you didn’t change the sidewall height, but you did that, too. A 245/50 tire will have nearly the same sidewall height as a 225/55, while a 235/50 will be a bit shorter, at least in the same wheel diameter. The nominal values don’t always match up to real-world tire specs - that’s why a reduction of 1” in wheel diameter is offset by a 5% increase in aspect ratio, regardless of tire wid

What tires did you get?

Pirelli Scorpion Weatheractive, we live in an area prone to iced up roads and some snow, so the 3 peaks rating is nice. I can't say enough about how nice the ride is with these tires. Our friend has a CX-5 turbo as well, she put the ones that are just M&S rated and they are not quite as quiet and smooth. We drove each other's just to see, and it's a noticeable difference.

 

[miatamust]

Every tire design reflects a series of compromises, and no "one best tire" exists as each tire has strengths and weaknesses. That said, some tires are surely not excellent products, let alone good all-rounders. Car makers choose tires for different reasons than do consumers, such as MPG impact and cost over traction or longevity.
TireRack remains the best source of empirical test data. Keep in mind that it generally scores tires in a very close range so they all appear to be about the same (don't piss off your vendors). However, the data charts tell the real story. For our CX-5s, this recent test may be a great resource--NOTE, it only covers some of the tires in this Grand Touring category, but flipping through the lists and charts shows these tested tires within a competitive set of 20 in total. These data charts also enable consumers to focus on their priorities, wet performance vs. dry vs. winter, etc. No longevity info, but that depends on so many variables including environmental and use patterns as to make any statements by consumers allegorical; the consumer ratings, though, aggregate those reports and might help give insight. (Just know that from brand to brand one can't compare the UTQG ratings for tread life, as testing may vary.)

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=336

a big relevant test
For our CX-5, I chose the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady 2 based upon this data set relative to my priorities, for one example.

 

[Lazy2.5]

I thought the steering sensation you felt was due to the lane assist nanny.

The Signature I drove had 225/55R19.
My Mazda 6 has 225/55R17.

Though they both have the same tire width and aspect ratio, I find that the ride with the 19's on the CX-5 was way "busier.", especially over rough or bumpy roads. The wheels felt heavy and cumbersome.

I think that moving to 60R18 or even 65R17 on a car like the CX-5 would be a wise move for overall ride quality.

We bought a one year old dealer executive use car with 4k miles a few months ago, I thought the tires were appallingly bad...they reacted in a jittery manner to any bumps or road imperfections. under passing acceleration the way it pulled crossing the line was dangerous...they emphasized any rough spots or speed bumps.

The car we sold was a 2017 Honda CRV Touring that I had just put a set of these on, if they had been 19 inch wheels instead of 18 inch I'd have swapped them...they were the best tires I've ever had and I always buy the top tier in handling and comfort.

I also went to I think 235/50 to make them slightly wider without changing the aspect ratio...they look good with that slight bit of width.

Like someone mentioned, the aspect ratio is not the same, (55 vs 50.) But, that small reduction in overall tire diameter is a good move. The overall tire diameter on new cars is massive.

The jitter you describe, If it's a squirmy feeling when changing lanes at highway speeds, I think it comes from a softer sidewall tire combined with a narrow wheel. When I changed to 9" wheels supporting a 245/45 tire, that completely disappeared.

A taller sidewall, provided it's at the correct load rating and inflated to the correct PSI should not be doing that. It's not like you're running xxx75R15 off road tires on this thing.

I am also lowered 2 inches with firmer springs so the car reacts more positively when turning.

I find that the difference in ride height even on my stock Mazda 6 made a huge difference not just with cornering, but straight line tracking and stability. Definitely.

If it's a bounciness you're describing, that is the shock absorbers. The car is overdamped to give crisp handling and one trade-off is that it isn't the greatest over broken pavement.

The car is a bit overdamped for broken or otherwise rough pavement, I agree.

I concur, 17 or 18" wheels would be the easiest and most effective way to manage this.