Big fan of this vehicle, curious what mild upgrades folks have has success with. Things I don't love about the car that I can easily modify:

• Braking / stopping is weak. Anyone upgraded to bigger rotors / pads? I'm on the OEM stuff right now.
• Tires are near EOL. I have the stock 19s - Toyo 225/55R19. What else fit these rims? 235, 245s? I figure a wider tire might help with the traction but I still want all seasons.
• AC is weak. Anyone have solutions for this? I'm in central texas so it's a blast furnace.
• Anybody replace the air intake? Any MPG / HP changes? Running stock now.

Thanks.

 

For tires you can go up to a 245/50r19 with no issues. The overall diameter is the same so no issues with the speedo accuracy.

 

Agree with Rondall. Second the width up to 245. I'm currently running 225 65r17 and 235 70r16. Tested the 245's to see if fit and no problems but stuck with the 235 as closer to stock. Others have also ran 245 with no rubbing across multiple forums at least according to their posts.

 

Thanks for the input.

Do you have to drop the sidewall width to 50 if the width goes up to 245? Is there some kind of equation to know what sidewall/width combo fits a given rim?

 

I would be careful about others stating that 245s will have no problem. The stock rim width is at the minimum for tires of that size, and several CX-5 owners who tried them found their handling to be terrible on stock rims regardless of a lack of rubbing. With the sidewalls pooched and not as well supported, some 245 brands will not be fun to drive. Just something to think about.

If the OP really wanted better upgraded cornering performance he would be safe using a stock-sized high performance summer tire rather than a larger, all-season tire. Summer UHP tires will improve turn-in, cornering and braking. Wide squishy tires…may not. But since he wants all-seasons he’s stuck with buying higher quality ones.

 

Yeah might end up just doing better tires but the cost of summer rubber just is ridiculous for the wear you get.

 

I thought this was pretty interesting - you're basically trading a little sidewall for another 1" or so width contact pad on the ground (245/50R19 vs 225/55R19). Total diameter change is < 1mm (seems like it would be almost imperceptible):

1. 225/55R19 (Current tire size):

• Section width: 225mm
• Aspect ratio: 55%
• Sidewall height: 123.75mm (225 * 0.55)
• Wheel diameter: 19 inches
• Total diameter: 701.5mm (19 * 25.4 + 2 * 123.75)

1. 245/55R19 (Option 1):

• Section width: 245mm
• Aspect ratio: 55%
• Sidewall height: 134.75mm (245 * 0.55)
• Wheel diameter: 19 inches
• Total diameter: 713.5mm (19 * 25.4 + 2 * 134.75)

1. 245/50R19 (Option 2):

• Section width: 245mm
• Aspect ratio: 50%
• Sidewall height: 122.5mm (245 * 0.5)
• Wheel diameter: 19 inches
• Total diameter: 701mm (19 * 25.4 + 2 * 122.5)

 

Actually, tire diameter values are almost meaningless, what matters is revs per mile. The 255/55R19 Pirellis have 722 rpm. The 245/55R19s have 701 revs per mile, a 3% difference. That is still small, but at 70 mph that’s a difference of 2 mph. Won’t get you a speeding ticket since its in the wrong direction, but it will change your indicated mileage by about 1 mpg.

 

Learning a lot in this thread! Can you explain how revolution per minute could be different for a wheel with such a small difference in total width? Isn’t the diameter the determinant?

 

A Wider tire with the same aspect ratio will be higher sidewall thus higher tire diameter and thus different revs per minute.
On a 225 65r17 tire, the 65 means the sidewall height is 65% of the 225 mm width.
A 235 65r17 thus will be 65% of 235 width thus taller.

One thing you could try is getting brand new wider rims that would nicely fit a 235 or 245 width to help alleviate the bubble look and sponge feel of wide tires on narrow OEM rim. There are examples throughout the internet and forums for this.

Like carpe diem said, you do trade off some handling with wider tires and higher sidewall on narrow rims .
However , for me, a 235 70r16 still handles well with increased riding comfort over bumpy roads, and better off-road capability.
235 is close to the 225 stock. Imo, 245 is too wide for me but according to others, 245 is doable but further away from stock could produce other changes. Read the 245 posts for yourself and make your own decision. Keep your original OEM rims in case you want to switch back.