[SlyCoopers]

Sept 2019 update:
If youre reading this and want to get offroad/AT tires consider if you will be getting a lift in the future as it will probably make you want to get a different tire size than mentioned here. Almost every post here has been done with stock height but plugging this here for those interested.
Possible lift kit!
The fun starts on page 4* (page 4 now since the new forum update) of the linked thread.

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Notice: It has come to my attention that 2019+ now have tpms sensors in the wheel itself like many traditional cars. Later on in this thread I mention our cars (mine specifically is 2016) having a rotational tpms setup which is not attached to the wheel thus allowing us to swap wheels without needing to worry about the sensors. This looks to have changed for 2019+ model years so keep that in mind when getting new wheels for the car.

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Original:

So a couple of days ago I noticed my oem tires started to crack which leaves me with great doubt on ever rebuying yokohamas ever again especially since I am seeing them for 200+ ..lol On the bright side this finally let me put my plans that I have been toying around with for the last 7 months into action. I was always looking for something more usable and offroad-y than the oem tires (idk why I have this obsession with making the cx3 into an offroader to be honest). I borrowed a friend's 15inch junk wheel he had lying around and it was too tight of a fit, so to answer the question that I have never found an answer to here lol dont go with 15s. Naturally 16 was the next best option, I also went with a higher than stock (for the 16 oem set) sidewall and a slightly lower offset and with these new ko2 tires it clears everything within half of an inch+.


Tire: BFGoodrich ALL-TERRAIN T/A KO2 - SIZE: LT215/65R16
Wheel: MSW TYPE 25 - matte gray- 16x7 - offset:45


Currently only have one wheel and just ordered the other 3 mainly because I was unsure if it was going to rub and if it did come to a situation where it did, I could have used this as a spare for the rear but thankfully everything worked

*excuse the poor picture quality as I was in the middle of landscaping work in the backyard and dropped everything just to test fit it. Will definitly update with proper pictures once the rest come in.

 

[saseni]

For all tyre needs, please be sure to check with us at Fairfax Tow Truck and we shall help you out.

Regards

 

[PandaG]

I'm so curious to see how all 4 look on the car!! Also hoping you rig up a couple of PIAA lamps to the grill

 

[SlyCoopers]

Thats in the works haha. I have one of those license plate mounts with two piaa "foglights" attached but dont want to weigh the actual plate holder too much so not sure how I feel about actually installing it long term. Light bar on the roof rack was also taken off because of overkill wind noise causing a high pitch whine which drove me crazy so were back to square one lol

 

[PandaG]

There’s guy on here from Oz who rigged it up. Was a red CX 3, you’d love that. It’s somewhere in the gallery or garage. It looks pretty sick!

Edit: it’s in Gallery @mhtut83 is the guy

 

[SlyCoopers]

Ah yes, I remember his tire thread. Super aggressive offset which was what initially got the ball rolling on my plan to do something like this, its ridiculous how easy it is for these tires to rub when upsizing. I am pretty sure 215/70s would rub even with 45mm offset when turning all the way and if they dont they definitly will if a bump is hit. I would've loved to go bigger but gotta think realistically :/

 

[PandaG]

Ah yes, I remember his tire thread. Super aggressive offset which was what initially got the ball rolling on my plan to do something like this, its ridiculous how easy it is for these tires to rub when upsizing. I am pretty sure 215/70s would rub even with 45mm offset when turning all the way and if they dont they definitly will if a bump is hit. I would've loved to go bigger but gotta think realistically :/

Ya I was a little surprised at how good it looked! With the AWD it must be a little beast lol! May have to think about doing the same for the winter months!
My wheel/tire guy usually uses the heat gun to gently push the wheel wells in slightly so no rubbing is happening but, I guess you can only do that so much.
Keep posting on how yours is going!

 

[SlyCoopers]

Got the rest of the set and will update next week after another rotation on the wheels and alignment check. Currently I am planning a somewhat long trip over the weekend and figure its a better idea to put the extra wear on the old tires especially considering its about 2k miles round trip lol

 

[SlyCoopers]

The day has finally come! Unfortunatly the car is still plastered with bug guts from the trip but it was time for the swap and I couldnt be more hyped for it. Came out really nice in person lol I was having sunshine focus issues with my phone where it was either really really white on the car if I focused on the tire or really really dark on the tire if I focused on the car :/

There is an increase in road noise but nothing I was not prepared for. Tried to take least potato looking pictures given the blistering sun light which comes and goes every other minute today for some reason.

Edit: the 5th picture (assuming its still in order) might still be carrying the old tires in the back before I unloaded them hence the reduced height. Was doing some garage work prior to uploading and cant remember if I took before or after unloading old tires.

 

[SlyCoopers]

part 2 due to image limit

*Wheels did come prebalanced from tirerack but I am pretty skeptical of putting trust in things online so I had a local shop rebalance it and thankfully it was pretty good as is. Also had them mount it as part of the balancing/install package as I was a little cautious about the stability of the plastic hub adapters. Stock wheel lock nut works still and they came with 5 new longer depth lug nuts so I swapped those on just for the sake of it. Like previously mentioned these type tires will have roadnoise as you go faster and faster and becomes noticable above 32mph+. Car is also used for hauling occasional trips of lumber pieces and mulch/cement in the back with frequent dirt road driving so its a sacrifice I was willing to make for extra durable tires. As with any custom sized wheel/tire package I definitely recommend a "professional" check it out with proper equipment and on a lift to make sure the hub adapter and clearance is as intended to be. When I test fit the first tire it was heavier and awkward to install with frequent shifting which got me worried that something might have been off. At least theres the piece of mind that the initial install is guaranteed and wont be falling off anytime soon lol

 

[PandaG]

part 2 due to image limit

*Wheels did come prebalanced from tirerack but I am pretty skeptical of putting trust in things online so I had a local shop rebalance it and thankfully it was pretty good as is. Also had them mount it as part of the balancing/install package as I was a little cautious about the stability of the plastic hub adapters. Stock wheel lock nut works still and they came with 5 new longer depth lug nuts so I swapped those on just for the sake of it. Like previously mentioned these type tires will have roadnoise as you go faster and faster and becomes noticable above 32mph+. Car is also used for hauling occasional trips of lumber pieces and mulch/cement in the back with frequent dirt road driving so its a sacrifice I was willing to make for extra durable tires. As with any custom sized wheel/tire package I definitely recommend a "professional" check it out with proper equipment and on a lift to make sure the hub adapter and clearance is as intended to be. When I test fit the first tire it was heavier and awkward to install with frequent shifting which got me worried that something might have been off. At least theres the piece of mind that the initial install is guaranteed and wont be falling off anytime soon lol

Great!! I'm a fan of a little different style once in a while. Those are some aggressive tires for sure.
Roof rack and trail lights and you'll be be doing a Baja in no time!!

 

[NotAPreppie]

TireRack does a pretty good job of balancing and they have good equipment. I've been to their facility and test track in Indiana and they run a pretty good business.

Though, honestly, you really have to be a lazy SOB to not manage to balance a wheel/tire correctly (or know that it can't be balanced). My buddy lets me use his tire mounting and balancing equipment and the balancer does 90% of the work for you. The hardest part is usually getting the tire chucked into the thing correctly, followed by getting the peel-off backing to separate from the balancing weights.

 

[Drake Bond]

Really like the rim and tire setup your rocking. I'm glad someone tried out the BFG K02's. I've been looking to replace the crappy OE tires, as I've had to patch them countless times already.... Curious on how they're performing so far no rub or clearance issues? Also off topic but I noticed you've got a Rhino rack and x tray basket. I'm looking to order one for myself but am not sure as to which model of Rhino rack bars you've got. Is it the Vortex ROC25 Flush Silver 2 Bar FMP Roof Rack? As for the xtray basket do you know what the dimensions are for it or the model?

Thanks in advance, Drake

 

[Drake Bond]

Wondering what your guys opinions are on BFG K02's mounted on these BBS SR Rims?

 

[SlyCoopers]

Really like the rim and tire setup your rocking. I'm glad someone tried out the BFG K02's. I've been looking to replace the crappy OE tires, as I've had to patch them countless times already.... Curious on how they're performing so far no rub or clearance issues? Also off topic but I noticed you've got a Rhino rack and x tray basket. I'm looking to order one for myself but am not sure as to which model of Rhino rack bars you've got. Is it the Vortex ROC25 Flush Silver 2 Bar FMP Roof Rack? As for the xtray basket do you know what the dimensions are for it or the model?

Thanks in advance, Drake

Hey Drake, so far everything has been great in regards to clearance and rubbing(or lack there of). Ive was planning this for quite some time and these were the tire dimensions I had settled on especially considering this was the only size of KO2s that would even fit on the mazda lol. Sharpest turn comes within 1/4 inch clearance at the ends on the inner fender liner so it has a little room for play. I have taken it driving on horrendously bumpy and muddy roads in Mass and handled as expected. That being said I especially got these wheels because they were cheap, looked decent enough, and could be replaced if they took a beating or rouge rocks to it. The BBS SR's imo would never see anything besides the most paved roads if it were my decision for that price haha. One thing to keep in mind is tire noise is much much louder with these tires as opposed to a regular touring tire. If you cannot stand a drone-y turbine sounding sound when you hit 25+ I would advise against this purchase. (although roof basket will add noise as well but it is more tolerable)

Roof crossbars-wise I believe I got the same but in black. The name seems a little fancier than when I had ordered it but it was definitly the curved aero bars with the ends that bend into the rail mount as opposed to the ones that extend past the mount. One thing to keep in mind is that the width of the bars is pretty large in the sense that any "universal" baskets or attachments will not fit. I can confirm this as I have struggled throughout the years to find anything else to put up there in place of the x tray and unfortunatly I cannot. Only reason the xtray works is because the mounts can slide to accomodate different spacing between crossbars, others cannot.

X-tray small is the same one I had mounted also however I would suggest looking around on amazon or ebay and such since literally the same exact unit is sold under a generic name at a fraction of the price.

 

[Drake Bond]

Hey Drake, so far everything has been great in regards to clearance and rubbing(or lack there of). Ive was planning this for quite some time and these were the tire dimensions I had settled on especially considering this was the only size of KO2s that would even fit on the mazda lol. Sharpest turn comes within 1/4 inch clearance at the ends on the inner fender liner so it has a little room for play. I have taken it driving on horrendously bumpy and muddy roads in Mass and handled as expected. That being said I especially got these wheels because they were cheap, looked decent enough, and could be replaced if they took a beating or rouge rocks to it. The BBS SR's imo would never see anything besides the most paved roads if it were my decision for that price haha. One thing to keep in mind is tire noise is much much louder with these tires as opposed to a regular touring tire. If you cannot stand a drone-y turbine sounding sound when you hit 25+ I would advise against this purchase. (although roof basket will add noise as well but it is more tolerable)

Roof crossbars-wise I believe I got the same but in black. The name seems a little fancier than when I had ordered it but it was definitly the curved aero bars with the ends that bend into the rail mount as opposed to the ones that extend past the mount. One thing to keep in mind is that the width of the bars is pretty large in the sense that any "universal" baskets or attachments will not fit. I can confirm this as I have struggled throughout the years to find anything else to put up there in place of the x tray and unfortunatly I cannot. Only reason the xtray works is because the mounts can slide to accomodate different spacing between crossbars, others cannot.

X-tray small is the same one I had mounted also however I would suggest looking around on amazon or ebay and such since literally the same exact unit is sold under a generic name at a fraction of the price.

Thats great to hear in regards to clearance! I've been planning on getting some pretty rugged all terrain tires but without a lift was unsure anything would fit... I'm not worried about the noise level as on my previous truck I had 33" K0'S. I really like the BBS rims but I like the idea of being able to replace a rim and not cost an arm and a leg. Was thinking the money I'd save from not getting the BBS I could buy an extra spare tire and keep it in the roof basket. So in regards to the Vortex roof rack system do you recommend it? I really like the ascetics but if the functionality isn’t great is it worth it... Is there another roof rack system that looks remotely as good with the ability to have the freedom to use universal trays and accessories?

 

[SlyCoopers]

I always tell people to buy based on what you can actually forsee yourself using it for. Thankfully in my case I will only ever have the xtray basket up there as opposed to other accessories. Imagine how strange it looks carrying 10x8 sheets of plywood on the tiny xtray with ratchet straps lol. But I wont be using any other attachments for bikes, skis, snowboards, storage bins or whatever other people put on top of their cars. At most I added a lightbar to the xtray but took it off because horrendous screeching wind noise like wow it worse than I ever thought. Personally I like the look of the vortex bars even in the winter when I take the basket off and go naked(figuratively) through automatic carwashes.

This is also another point I suggest keeping in mind. If you get any of the crossbars that extend past the mount and have an "edge" you probably are banned from any sort of automatic carwash since it is a liability risk for sure if something hooks onto it. Personally I only go there during winter since its too cold to professionally clean the car myself and undercarriage wash is just too convenient so Ill sacrifice the potential scratches that people usually freak out about when they hear automatic carwash.

I cant really comment on any other bars since I am heavily biased on the looks of it and anything else looks bad imo lol but I suggest taking a look at etrailer since they have a pretty good collection of almost everything available for the cx-3 in terms of roof racks and such and alot of customer pictures. That was one of the hotspots where most of us got our roof racks initially in the previous thread "Roof racks and fairings" although it seems like prices have changed in the last couple years lol. Keep in mind that universal accessories will not have an absolute firm grip like how the xtray does on the vortex bars, it was practically made to fit it exactly (probably because nothing else would). Prior experience on a friends subaru who had the small thin square bars and a universal rola roof basket on it would shift over time and bumps and slowly come loose on the mounts causing a loud rattling sound and worst case scenario would come loose but never thankfully.

https://www.etrailer.com/roof-2016_Mazda_CX-3.htm **Edit: assuming you have a 2016***

https://www.cx3forum.com/forum/general-discussion/2417-roof-racks-fairings.html

Best of luck on your search,

 

[PandaG]

I think after your trial and errors with the tire setup, I’d be apt to going that route for a winter setup (minus the tray) on the stock 16” rims. The mountains are calling and some good chunky M/S rubber is the answer! ?
Gotta wear out my Winter Conti’s first though. Or just sell em lol

 

[Drake Bond]

I always tell people to buy based on what you can actually forsee yourself using it for. Thankfully in my case I will only ever have the xtray basket up there as opposed to other accessories. Imagine how strange it looks carrying 10x8 sheets of plywood on the tiny xtray with ratchet straps lol. But I wont be using any other attachments for bikes, skis, snowboards, storage bins or whatever other people put on top of their cars. At most I added a lightbar to the xtray but took it off because horrendous screeching wind noise like wow it worse than I ever thought. Personally I like the look of the vortex bars even in the winter when I take the basket off and go naked(figuratively) through automatic carwashes.

This is also another point I suggest keeping in mind. If you get any of the crossbars that extend past the mount and have an "edge" you probably are banned from any sort of automatic carwash since it is a liability risk for sure if something hooks onto it. Personally I only go there during winter since its too cold to professionally clean the car myself and undercarriage wash is just too convenient so Ill sacrifice the potential scratches that people usually freak out about when they hear automatic carwash.

I cant really comment on any other bars since I am heavily biased on the looks of it and anything else looks bad imo lol but I suggest taking a look at etrailer since they have a pretty good collection of almost everything available for the cx-3 in terms of roof racks and such and alot of customer pictures. That was one of the hotspots where most of us got our roof racks initially in the previous thread "Roof racks and fairings" although it seems like prices have changed in the last couple years lol. Keep in mind that universal accessories will not have an absolute firm grip like how the xtray does on the vortex bars, it was practically made to fit it exactly (probably because nothing else would). Prior experience on a friends subaru who had the small thin square bars and a universal rola roof basket on it would shift over time and bumps and slowly come loose on the mounts causing a loud rattling sound and worst case scenario would come loose but never thankfully.

https://www.etrailer.com/roof-2016_Mazda_CX-3.htm **Edit: assuming you have a 2016***

https://www.cx3forum.com/forum/general-discussion/2417-roof-racks-fairings.html

Best of luck on your search,

Well the verdicts in... Just ordered 5 BFG K02's on RTX Force rims 16x7 with 45mm offset. Chose the RTX Force rims mainly due to the fact that they looked closest to the stock 18" GT rims, not to mention price and availability played a part as well. Can't wait to get them on and post some pics for you guys! Should be here in the next couple of weeks... As for the roof rack & basket/accessories ascetics ruled over all after seeing some of the horrendous designs online... Decided to go with the Rhino-Rack RS 2500 as it looks the best and there's no excess bar hanging out past the roofline. The deciding factor was that I don't plan on using any additional accessories or attachments; As I plan on using the Rhino rack in combination with the x-tray to hold my matching full size spare. The last question I have is with regards to the Rhino rack should I get the black or sliver bars? I like the stealth look of an all black roof rack system but being I've decided to go with rims that are brushed with black painted accents it might look good if they somewhat matched?

Would love to hear what you guys think...

Cheers, Drake

 

[SlyCoopers]

I think after your trial and errors with the tire setup, I’d be apt to going that route for a winter setup (minus the tray) on the stock 16” rims. The mountains are calling and some good chunky M/S rubber is the answer! ?
Gotta wear out my Winter Conti’s first though. Or just sell em lol

You'd be surprised what a difference the adding a set of Rally Armor urethane universal mud flaps does in rain, sleet, and snow. Especially considering oem guards are pretty much a shelf for gathering salt and snow for future rusting. Although my route cost a bit more since I ended up purchasing 3 different sets (oem, rokblokz, and RA) because I was never content with them individually but I think I found the sweet spot. Besides it helps the back view look a little more fuller around the rear bumper/tire area.