Mazda5 Tires & Wheels

mazda5lover

:shades: I am very interested in getting some new wheels for my Mazda5. I was thinking of getting 18inchers w/low profile tires. Of course something nicer than stock. I am a bit worried about how the tire pressure sensor is going to react. Any info on how I should do this? Has anyone upgraded their wheels. What are your experiences? :shades:

wuster

you're gonna have to buy new sensors for the TPMS. I read on a different forum that they're about $65 for each wheel. But I also know the RX-8 18 inches will fix the Mazda5, so if you can find a set of RX-8 wheels with TPMS sensor already mounted, then it's a simple bolt on.

If not... then it is a bit more complicated.

mazda5lover

Here is a more appropriate way to get my question across.

1. Can I upgrade my 17"inch wheels to 18" wheels on my Mazda5?

2. Will I lose any warranties if I upgrade my wheels to a bigger size?

3. The new wheels I am looking at DO NOT have or accept TPMS sensors, will that become a problem?

4. Are there any tire size considerations I need to be aware of?

Any help would be greatly appreciated... :shades:

velveteendad1

Does anyone know if the US-spec Mazda5 Touring model has a tire pressure monitor? The owner's manual shows information about a tire pressure monitor, but the car's specs that are listed on Mazda's website don't show a tire pressure monitor as one of the warning lights.

Does anyone know for sure?

bjerry

Does anyone know if the US-spec Mazda5 Touring model has a tire pressure monitor? The owner's manual shows information about a tire pressure monitor, but the car's specs that are listed on Mazda's website don't show a tire pressure monitor as one of the warning lights.

Does anyone know for sure?

The tire pressure system comes as part of the GPS Navigation system, I believe.

nifty56

Going to 18 inch wheels will give you a harsher ride, you will feel every little bump and crack more than the 17 inch does. Good luck

wuster

1. Yes, you can. Here is link to a Mazda5 with 18" wheels from a RX-8. It was a direct bolt on.

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=77249

2. Not sure about that one... maybe you wouldn't if the dealer sold you the 18" wheels or tires

3. Not a problem as long as you don't care about the TPMS light on the dash staying on... Actually, you may want to check the fuse box and you might be able to turn the light off by pulling a fuse... maybe.

whipped95

I own a Mazda5 Touring, and it does have tire pressure monitoring. Which as a matter of fact came on this morning (beeping/low tire pressure light). I bought it last August so I guess they could have changed the specs. You could always go test drive a touring and let some air out and see what happens , I'm sure the sales guy would get a kick out of that.

*Forgot to add that we also have the navigation option which may be the option that adds TPMS

wuster

A set of 16" wheels from a Mazda3 will fit too. Check one of the many Mazda3 forums. Getting bigger wheels is usually one of the first mod 3 owners make...

adubel

My wife and I are seriously considering buying a mazda5. Doing our research, we recently read that on wet floor the tires may spin (and the car not move), and now what I read here about the loud sound related to breaks and wet conditions. We are looking for a 'small' car that sits 6+ passangers so we were also considering the RAV 4 with a third row. We have a preference for the mazda5 but reading this I get worried. How serious and common are these issues? Any advise? :confuse:

wuster

No sure what you've read, but traction of all vehicles are affected by wet weather conditions. I personally have not had any problems driving our Mazda5 in the rain for the past year. However, if you get a AWD RAV-4, then you'll get better traction in the rain because of the AWD.

Also some of the trade-offs have to do with the tires. The Mazda5 have fairly aggressive tires for handling purposes, and I suspect the RAV-4 tires are for mud & snow in keeping with the SUV imagine. So the Mazda will out handle the RAV-4 in dry weather and have a less likelihood of tipping over.

As for the long sound related to brakes in the wet weather. Again, I personaly have not experiences that in 12 months of ownership.

menmy5

We've got 10,000 miles on our '06 5 speed with few regrets. The tires do spin on wet pavement if you try to accelerate quickly from a stop. I'm assuming they won't do well in the snow so I plan to replace the tires for the winter with some good all-season tires or maybe even winter tires. We have had no noises at all and it stops just fine on wet pavement. Of course, it's hard to go wrong with a Toyota but the Mazda is more fun to drive and has more and better cargo area overall.

castg1

I noticed this too. Maybe you should grill your salesman or try it on a wet road during the road test.

It takes time to learn to be gentle with the gas pedal.
I think this is normal with newer, lighter cars. I always see other car's front wheel spin when accelerating from 4 way stops.. on a wet/icy pavement.

kandor71

When your factory tires are worn out try switching to Kumhos they have a better tread I think they use a silica based rubber which lasts longer, is quieter and barely skids at all.
we had a protege 5 and as soon as the factory crap dunlops wore out I put Kumhos on and it was like driving a different car. our fuel mileage actually increased also.

billm6

I love my Mazda 5 but I have three bent rims at only 12,000 miles. The mechanic at the dealers told me that the low profile and rims are susceptible to this.

Has anyone else experienced this? What type of rims and tires can I buy to avoid this in the future?

stillageek

I have had low profile times on my last three cars (Mazda5 now, Acura TSX and Toyota Matrix XRS) and have never had a bent rim. My biggest suggestion would be slow down over speed bumps and potholes. If not possible then buy 16 inch rims and a thicker sidewall tire.

athenasius

i find it hard to believe as aluminium rims usually break and crap before they bend as they are light and more brittle. but not sure if these are really aluminiun as they look kind of like plasticy lol

vg33e power

athenasius,

When I bought my MZ5 (USED) it had two wheels with bent inner lips, which the dealer replaced with another set of MZ6 wheels. So although they may look plasticky or are aluminum or whatever they are made of, they do bend. Just FYI!

mdchachi

My mechanic told me the same thing. I've got two bent rims now. Hard to avoid with crappy Michigan roads. I'm going to switch to my winter tires (& rims) and then worry about getting the other rims replaced in the spring.

nissmazlover

Anyone experience an inordinate amount of high-pitched tire noise @ highway speeds? I noticed this after I got my tires rotated and balanced. It is REALLY annoying! What do u think it might be?

vg33e power

It could be your tires are "cupped" and depending on how they rotated the tires, they may be going the opposite direction and creating this hitch pitch sound.

nissmazlover

What does that mean that they might be "cupped"? I knew it had to do something with the tire rotation and balancing I got since it never made that noise before. Please advise. Thanks!

vg33e power

Tires normally wear evenly, meaning that the entire tread wears down in an even manner. When your vehicle is out of alignment and/or not balanced correctly and/or have bad shocks the tire tread wears uneven and the design on the tread literally wears in a "cup" or "bowl" (for lack of a better term) like manner, sort of like one or both edges of the tread pattern are higher then the center portion. Sometimes it goes unoticed because the tire remains in the same position and the tire gets accustomed to the rotation on that particular corner. However, if that tire gets moved to a new location, as in a tire rotation, it will make a humming noise, kind of like big off-road tires on a truck, because it is rotating the opposite way (if the tire is NOT directional) or just plainly trying to get accustomed to the new corner that it is in duty of. The noise you hear is the higher portion of the patterns on the tread that will eventually wear down first, however this can take time and the noise can sometimes increase rather then improve.

nissmazlover

WOW! Thanks for that very descriptive explanation. You sound like an auto technician.

Anyway, I didn't notice the noise until AFTER the tire rotation and balancing. The shocks and suspension are totally fine - the car's only a year old. But, before the balancing, I noticed a slight tremor over 60 mph, which indicated that one of my wheel weights had fallen, right? Well, after the balancing and rotation, the tremor is completely gone and the car is completely smooth again, BUT I hear that high pitched noise at highway speeds on CERTAIN very SMOOTH roads, especially when raining. And the sound sounds a lot like what you described, only at a higher decibel most likely because the tires are smaller than big off road tires.

I certainly hope the tire(s) get(s) accustomed to the rotation and that the noise goes away. I've noticed that ever since I returned to NY from NC the noise has somewhat dissipated, but on certain smooth highways, I still hear it, albeit less than when I first noticed it in NC. So, maybe it is going away. In any case, it's an annoying noise and it makes the car seem cheap. My wife was complaining about it and she hated the noise and said it made the car seem like an $8K Kia, or something. I do hope it dissipates.

Thanks for your explanation, though! Is there anyway to fix it?

vg33e power

No problem there nissmazlover, I am not a technician but I have been in the auto dealer parts business for 9 years now and it doesn't help that I am a car nut.

It sounds like your tires might have already started their "re-accustomed" trial since you mention that it has gotten better. There really is no fix for this, other then just letting the tires wear evenly with time. However, you can prevent this from happening in the future by getting your tires rotated at least every 5K miles (or every oil change if you do your oil changes every 5K miles) and getting an alignment once a year or 15K miles just to keep those wheels and tires nice and straight. Besides, keeping your tires properly inflated, rotated and aligned prolongs the life of your tires and keeps your MPGs at normal and sometimes better levels.

LOL! ....watch out when you mention the "KIA" nameplate in here in a negative way, there are many RONDO lurkers that get offended...LOL!

riproy

Someone on this board said they changed tires on their MZ5 to a 225/50R17. Do tires this size do anything to protect the OEM rims from "curb rash"? I am thinking about different sizes of tire to replace the current Toyos when the time comes.
Many people have complained about the Toyos but i haven't had any problems with mine other than they seem to be wearing rather quickly (hard to know exactly the mileage on them since we switch to winter tires every fall). Mayhe with new tires i will notice the difference.

billm6

I put 16 inch rims and 205/60R16 tires on to avoid the "curb rash" a month ago...so far so good. These tires are Good Year triple tred Assurance. Apparently they have a thicker side wall and longer tred wear. They feel much more substantial and look great. I can post a picture of them if anyone is interested.

Regarding road noise. In general, I do not think this car holds out road noise as I could hear both my old and new tires. It is not a big deal to me but I have seen this post in a few forums. It WAS a big deal when my tires and bent rims were making noise...drove me nuts...hence the reason I went with new rims and tires.

vg33e power

Yup, that was me, Michelin MXM4 Pilot HX 225/50R17 93V

Considering that the sidewall is 0.4 inches taller then stock tire, I would assume that it gives a little bit more protection against bending rims, and the fact that it is almost an inch wider as well, I am sure that curb rash is less likely then stock tires.

See for yourself here.

riproy

I am mostly concerned with the curb rash - haven't come close to bending any rims. yet?
Thanks for the tire sizing link. Those tires seem a bit oversized though at 1.9 mph speed differential. Any issues with sharp turns and rubbing of tire on the undercarriage or body?
Like to see any pictures of those who have changed their Toyos out to different sizes..

vg33e power

No rubbing at all in any way, they really look nice, not to beefy but a little meatier then stock, which to me is better. It really rides smoother and quiter.

01le

How much of a power loss (acceleration) and mpg drop have you noticed with the extra weight and size of the 225-50-17's?

vg33e power

No power loss what so ever IMHO. The "MPG drop" theory or myth is not real. Some people still believe that putting bigger tires (or wheels for that matter) decrease your MPG's. It really does not, what it does chnage is your speedometer reading and thus mileage because the "bigger" tire rotates less times then the stock tire/wheel combo in which the speedometer was calibrated to work with. For instance by me putting 225/50R17 tires instead of the stock 205/50R17 my speedometer is 3.1% slower meaning that when my speedo reads 60 MPH I am actually traveling at 61.9 MPH, hence the lower mileage recorded on the odometer per tank. So let say that my tank yielded 300 miles to get the true mileage I traveled I will have to multiply 300 X 3.1% which comes oout to 309.3 miles. So there is "NO" loss of MPG, one just needs to compensate for the slower speedometer reading because the tires are rotating less (840 vs. 780 rotations per mile). For those of you that have not gone over your warranty mileage, it is a great thing because it prolongs the mileage warranty period.

vg33e power

Well said!

BTW, your username nissmazlover....I take it you love Nissans and Mazdas???
I am in the same boat as you if that is true with you, I love my MZ5, but my greatest pride and joy was my 2004 Nissan Frontier Crew-Cab Short Bed Automatic 2WD with tons of stuff I put on it i.e lifted, 32" tires, rear diff locker, etc
Unfortunately it lost to the ridiculous super high gas prices. Since it was all off-road hooked up it constantly gave me 14-16MPG, my pockets were hurting big time.

Needles to say...I miss my "Little Fronty That Could" this is the name my off-roading buddies gave it because it was such a capable off-road truck even with just 2WD and a locker.

(sigh) ahhh memories.....

nissmazlover

Yup, you surmised correctly. As far as cars go, Nissans are my first love and Mazdas my second. Though, lately, I've been thinking it's a tie, if not going over to the Mazda side. But, I just can't do that to Nissan! LOL

Anyway, yeah, I had a friend who had a Frontier and that truck was indestructible! He abused that thing, and it just kept on going. He had to get rid of it since he got married to a woman with kids and he lamented that loss. So, yeah, I know what you mean.

I always imagined my first new car would have been a Nissan, but when news and pictures started coming out in 2005 about Mazdas new mini-minivan, I just fell in love with it. It seems as though it was perfectly made for me and my family! So, before it came out, I searched the Mazda dealers here in NYC and found out which one would get the 5 first. When they received it, i went over right away, test drove it, LOVED it, and actually bought the one I test drove - which, incidentally, was the first Mazda 5 sold in NYC (July 2005). If Nissan would have had a car like that, I would have bought the Nissan, though. But, they didn't, so I went the Mazda route. Have always loved Mazdas, though. My mother had an 89 626 that the whole family loved. That car was TOTALLED at one point, fixed and it still felt like new and kept on ticking for years afterward!

twerlang

I am looking new tires. I don't want to replace with the stock tires. I would prefer allseason. Important to me is are tires that perform well in wet conditions. Any suggestions. One other thing? Why would you change your tire size from 205 to 225? What was the point?

vg33e power

Reason for changing from 205 to 225...

1. Wider tire = better grip.
2. 0.5" taller = smoother ride.
3. Awesome deal (I work for a dealership, so I got a set (4) of Michelin Pilots HX 225 50R17 93V take-offs for $150.00)

axledeep

vg33e power,

Has your opinion of running size 225/50/17 on the MZ5 changed since your last post? I am wanting a larger size tire to guard against curbing and potholes and was going to just go with 215/50/17 until I saw your post. I'd like to go with the 225 if it doesn't rub at all. Have you gotten them to rub? I read you're running MZ6 wheels...do you happen to know if the offset is the same as the MZ5 wheels? Thanks for your help!

vg33e power

axledeep,

I have been running with the new tires (225-50R17) for about close to two months. I have been able to make them rub under two circumstances on two seperate occasions, but I still would not downsize because the better grip and "alot" smoother ride over compensates for the "very lightly" rubbing.

FRONT:

1. Turning wheels (either way left or right) all the way to lock turning into or up a driveway, where the suspension compresses and the wheels are locked all the way to one side.

REAR:

2. Loaded up with 6 adults (LT/FT 215lbs, RT/FT 195lbs, LT/CTR 130lbs, RT/CTR 230lbs, LT/RR 220lbs, RT/RR 110lbs) and going through a speed bump as one comes out of it and the suspension compresses or going fast through a large dip where the suspension is being pushed to its limits.

The MZ6 wheels were not my choice. The two of the original MZ5 wheels were bent and the dealership swapped them for me for the only Mazda wheels they had in the lot, which happened to be a 2008 Mazda6. I do not nessesarily like them, I would prefer to have the MZ5 wheels instead. However, at least now I have a smooth ride because the wheels are true and nicely balanced. I would love to get my hands on a set of nicely used MZ5 wheels but they are hard to come by and very expensive. Needless to say, I don't know what the offset is for the MZ6 wheels I have on, but they seems to work just fine.

Quickbeam

Hello,

I live in Vancouver British Columbia and plan on purchasing a Mazda 5 in the next couple of months. I have noticed a few Mazda 5's on the road around here with very plain, black rims on them. This is for all 4 wheels. I am assuming they have mounted winter tires on different rims and changed all the rims at the same time to avoid any salt, etc. damage to the stock rims. Can anyone tell me what rims these would be and where they might be purchased. If they are from the dealership, I will try and work out a deal when I purchase the vehicle. Thanks.

gchorley

I currently have tires that measure 205/50 R16 87H. Can I safely go wider than that? And if so, how wide? Thanks.

paulb5

I leased a 2006 Mazda 5 - at 43,000km I was told by the dealer I needed a new set of tires. That is simply crazy - 43,000km on a set of new factory tires!!!
Just thought I share this fact.

nlhjacob

Hi. I am having a problem w/ my tires and rims. The rims are all bent and I can not rotate my new tires anymore. Replaced stock tires at 19,000 miles (ridiculous!) Now have new tires and can't rotate them anymore because I was told it will create worse steering wheel vibration than I already have. Don't know what to do. Was told rims could be fixed at $120 each but why do that if it will just happen again? Was thinking of getting rid of the car and getting one with regular tires NOT these awful low profile ones. Read your thread and noticed you seemed to have gotton rid of the low profile and got 205/60...is 60 low profile? Why did you get those tires? Same reason as me? Please help! Thank you!

vg33e power

If you are going to pay $120 per wheel to fix, you may as well pick up a clean un bent used set of Mazda5 wheels on eBay for a lot cheaper or buy aftermaket brand new wheels. 60 series tires is not considered a "low profile" tire, therefore, if you go with a 205 60R17 tire you will have a much supple ride plus less chances of bending a rim on a pothole because the sidewall of the tire has 10% more surface area (205mm wide X 50% of 205mm = 102.50mm as opposed to 205mm wide X 60% of 205mm = 123mm) you get a gain of 20.5mm more sidewall.

nlhjacob

Thank you for getting back to me. Great ideas! One more question. Do you think the car can handle 205/60/17 tires/rims? Meaning, will there be rubbing? Is the car made to take on 60's or do you think 55's would be better? Again, thank you!

vg33e power

I am running 225 50R17 Michelin Pilot HX on stock Mazda3 17" 5-spoke wheels with an offset of 52.5 and I dont ever get any rubbing. I wanted a wider tire so I went with 20mm wider (hence the 225) and I kept it low pro with a 50 series tire which makes it 112.5mm of sidewall. This is 10mm taller then stock but 10.5mm less then what a 205 60R17 will yield of sidewall. My reccomendation is to go with a 205 55R17 if you want to stay in the 205 wide tire. Also, instead of going with a Z speed rated tire go with an H speed rated tire, the softer compound used on the H rated tire will serve to cushion road imperfections, however, I will leave the speed rating to your discretion and preference. Hope this helps.

whobodym

The change in looks is probably way too subtle for many enthusiast owners, but I went with 215/50-17 Contis for my first set of replacement tires. These are slightly too large in circumference, making the odometer under-record by 1% or so, but have the advantage of making the speedometer ABSOLUTELY accurate, compared to Garmin GPS just taken on 8800 mile road trip back east from Seattle. Plus, they give a slight clearance improvement for driveway nose-scraping, and slightly improve the "economy" aspects of gearing (our is manual, and 2800 rpm @ 60 in 5th is plenty high for me)

xman2006mz5

I would like to see a pic of your vehicle w/the 205/60r/16 tires and rims. Where did u get the rims and tires and what type are they. Are they good for snow?

vicenac

Hello, My original tires were out (bold on the inside) at 23K. I was set on having an alignment done and shocks changed. The alignment was done, so time for new tires.
Costco runs a $70 off four tires at different times. This time there was a promo on Bridgestones - good enough.
I was very surprised to see that the depth of the nobins was much deeper (or greater) then the original tires had when new. That may be the primary reason for the premature wear - they are pre-worn .
The maximum inflation pressure on the original was 40PSI (or at least that's what I thought). These ones are 56PSI.
The alignment guy told me he would inflate to 38PSI. The minimum is 34 (per label on B pillar).
I think I have them at 37 now and the car does not feel as stiff as the old tires felt at 36.
I gave up on swapping shocks. I have no signs of wear, yet.

rolyat1

I got this problem now when i took it to the dealer they tell me im not rotateing my tires, which i was. mines make a noise like a helicopter while im riding down the road. I dont know why I got this problem for a while I got my car in 09 I been having prolems since then @ 12,000 miles when it started.