[firefox111]

Hi! I don't like the low profile tires that my wife's 2017 CX3 GT is wearing. It contributes to the rough ride in the CX3. Do you have low profile tires? I wish Mazda didn't put them on the CX3. My CX5 don't have these type of tires!

 

[DJ9999]

I dont believe tire sizes makes much, if any difference on the CX3. I have had two loaners both on 16" wheels and the ride was pretty consistent with the 18" wheels. The taller sidewall doesn't do very much. Suspension tuning and road isolation make a big difference between the CX3 and CX5. I'd recommend choosing a more "comfortable" tire as the best option instead of trying to up or downsize the wheel.

 

[Geezer]

I would say it is a toss up between a softer and more comfortable ride with 16" tires and better handling for more sporty driving techniques with 18" tires. For me I prefer the 18" rubber. You get a much firmer ride no doubt, but also no rubbery feeling in the steering and more precise steering control. I chose the CX3 for its precise driving characteristics over other cars in the same class and the 18" tires um, drive the point home.

 

[sippffo]

Agreed

I would say it is a toss up between a softer and more comfortable ride with 16" tires and better handling for more sporty driving techniques with 18" tires. For me I prefer the 18" rubber. You get a much firmer ride no doubt, but also no rubbery feeling in the steering and more precise steering control. I chose the CX3 for its precise driving characteristics over other cars in the same class and the 18" tires um, drive the point home.

And just my thoughts on this matter as well, I have had my car for a while now, it was factory fitted with 18's, I thought for a short wheel base car the ride was quite good, compared to my previous Car with Coil Overs fitted that was a harsh ride.

I then Lowered my Car via Eibach Coils, that certainly stiffened up the car, still not too bad for me plus cornering was significantly better(much less body roll).

I then fitted 19" wheels to it, again not much difference in ride.

I sold my 19's and have now got 20's with 235/35 tyres, again could not really tell the difference, until now
I have now taken out the Eibach's and fitted CorkSport Lowered Coils, wow what a huge difference this has made, my car basically feels nearly the same as when it came from the factory, except for the better stance and better wheels.

This is just my 2 cents worth, and thought I would share this info with all.

Darren

 

[Vipre77]

I've got the 16" wheels on the 2016 Touring model and I find them to be pretty squishy and too willing to roll up on the side walls for any sort of aggressive cornering. You can feel it getting squirmy when accelerating hard out of a turn. I never noticed any such behavior when I test drove the Grand Touring trim with the 18" wheels, but then again, I wasn't really beating on the test driver much with the sales guy in the car.

I'd love to get all the handling performance I can get out of this thing. The 16" wheels/tires are definitely limiting, but maybe a tire with a stiffer side wall would help that to some extent. Still glad I went with the 16's on this car, despite my wishes for better performance. The city streets in Milwaukee look like bombed out airstrips from a war zone. 18" or bigger wheels on this car would never hold up on these roads. The bigger factory wheels certainly didn't last very well on either of my old Mazda 6's or on my old Mazda 3 GT.

 

[cbdallas]

I want to get these wheels in 19" and move up to a 235 or 245 tire. Handling seems a bit 'undertired'. The weight of the car quickly overwhelms them when you take a corner a little hot. The suspension feels up to the task, but the tires don't.