CX 5 GS Snow Handling

I had the AWD CX-5 out on twisty icy roads this week. I pushed the corners hard enough to get four wheel drift and the vehicle remained very balanced and composed. Just drifted wide with no drama. Easing onto the gas lightly helped tighten the corner and any switching of torque bias between front and rear was transparent.

I haven't been in any deep stuff yet but it's obviously going to be really good with the AWD, generous ground clearance and smooth under body. The car is good in the slippery stuff because of how balanced the handling is.
 
We had a bit of snow this week and i dont really like the "stability control" that cannot be turn off.
It's impossible to have a little fun because it kick's in so easily.
I would like a switch to disable not only the traction control but the SC also.
It works wonder to keep the CX5 in secure condition but sometime it's fun to be a bad boy.
 
We had a bit of snow this week and i dont really like the "stability control" that cannot be turn off.
It's impossible to have a little fun because it kick's in so easily.
I would like a switch to disable not only the traction control but the SC also.
It works wonder to keep the CX5 in secure condition but sometime it's fun to be a bad boy.
dissapointing that the stability control is not defeatable. as a longtime racer and racing instructor i trust my car control skills far more than a computers.

i did drive a miata with LSD and snow tires for a few years as my winter/snow car. that was FUN! :)
 
dissapointing that the stability control is not defeatable. as a longtime racer and racing instructor i trust my car control skills far more than a computers.

Trust me, the best driver cannot do what dynamic stability and traction control equipment can do. I've been driving RWD, FWD, 4x4 and AWD vehicles without computers for over 20 years and with computers for the last 12 years. There is no reason to distrust these systems.

The reason they can outperform the best driver is two-fold.

1) They can apply brakes individually to a single wheel or a pair of wheels depending upon the situation. This allows a car to carry more speed into a slippery corner without losing control. I've never seen a car equipped with a brake pedal allowing individual control of each brake. MotoGP is the highest class of motorcycle road racing with the best riders in the world competing for wins. A rider without computers would be at the back of the pack. That's why they all use them, it has nothing to do with lack of riding skill.

2) The computerized systems can detect individual wheel spin or sliding in just a thousandths of a second and take corrective action just as quickly. A humans response time is measured in tenths of a second. This allows the computer equipped vehicle to get more drive out of the corner.
 
Sorry, but you're wrong.

Brakes are frequently not the right solution to a vehicle out of control or approaching out of control. A vehicle control system that can only use brakes is already completely inadequate in all situations. stability control has brakes. a skilled operator has brakes, gas, steering.

Computer sensors might know wheel speeds, but they do not have the complete instant information that a driver does.

for 99.9999% of the driving public, stability control is better than the idiot behind the wheel who probably isnt even paying attention. for a skilled driver, it doesnt even come close.
 
Sorry, but you're wrong.

Brakes are frequently not the right solution to a vehicle out of control or approaching out of control. A vehicle control system that can only use brakes is already completely inadequate in all situations. stability control has brakes. a skilled operator has brakes, gas, steering.

Computer sensors might know wheel speeds, but they do not have the complete instant information that a driver does.

for 99.9999% of the driving public, stability control is better than the idiot behind the wheel who probably isnt even paying attention. for a skilled driver, it doesnt even come close.

Drivers do not give up brakes, gas or steering with stability control on, but the computer helps get the car going in the direction you steer using individual brakes that you can not do without it - not much left of your argument other than ego.
 
Trust me, the best driver cannot do what dynamic stability and traction control equipment can do. I've been driving RWD, FWD, 4x4 and AWD vehicles without computers for over 20 years and with computers for the last 12 years. There is no reason to distrust these systems.

.

Agreed, I've been driving for 40 years both new and old RWD, FWD, 4x4, AWD vehicles (with and without stability control and traction control systems) and have come to same conclusion.
 
So was there a winner, and why?

Looked at the vid twice, all cars got over the ramps.
 
there suppose to be more vids to come. This one was first in series, showing capabilities of AWD torque transfer on diagonal ramp. Save new Outlander all cars went without too much hassle. Maybe Qashqai was the best (no sweat pass). However, it depends a lot on driver, tires.... Bottom line, CX-5 passed the test, let's see how it fairs in other tests.

Cheers,
Miki
 
there suppose to be more vids to come. This one was first in series, showing capabilities of AWD torque transfer on diagonal ramp. Save new Outlander all cars went without too much hassle. Maybe Qashqai was the best (no sweat pass). However, it depends a lot on driver, tires.... Bottom line, CX-5 passed the test, let's see how it fairs in other tests.

Cheers,
Miki


Right, i was a bit disappointed with the Xtrail in the test, as its reported to be one of the better cars for off road.
The cashcow walked it, but i wondered if that was due to a shorter wheel base.

The VW tig seemed to go over easily as well.
Noticed no Subaru?, noted for being a car with one of the best Awd, capable of powering one wheel i believe.
 
CX-5 rocks in the snow!

My local ski hill (Mount Baker) has been getting SLAMMED hard with deep snow my last three trips. They currently have the deepest snow base of any ski area in the world and have received 70" of snow in the last three days. Skiing has been fabulous which is more than I can say about the road situation on the narrow, snaking road that goes from sea level to the ski area. WSDOT has been having trouble keeping up with all the snow, avalanches and mature trees collapsing across the road due to the snow load (the road is currently closed for two days until they can clear all the large trees). At lower elevations the snow is wet enough to pack into a solid layer of ice. When the temperature drops and new, deep snow falls on top of the polished ice all kinds of vehicles were having difficulty making the sharp uphill switchbacks. At times the snow was falling so hard the plows were not able to keep up. The CX-5 equipped with studless snow tires was not even challenged.

I am particularly impressed with the nearly seamless shifts of the 6 speed automatic and the way it maintained traction while driving in a spirited fashion, including the automatic downshifts as soon as the brakes were touched before entering a downhill corner. Also, the team that programmed the ABS and stability and traction control systems got it just right. The system works as I hoped and I had plenty of seat time on the mountain without slower traffic hindering in order to put it through it's paces. I drove through a large, low elevation parking lot with 8-9" deep of some of the worst stuff for driving (slightly melted older snow containing a layer of wet ice with 4 " of sloppy wet snow on top) and the CX-5 didn't even blink. It powered right through it like a happy dog in a big puddle.

The CX-5 inspired confidence on the faster sections of highway that were snow free but often covered with a thin layer of glaze ice. I was happily cruising along at 45-50 mph with no slippage when I would come up behind slower vehicles creeping along at 15-20 mph. Unfortunately, due to the deep snow, cold temperatures and slow speeds (when stuck in stop and go traffic) my mpg have dropped. I haven't done the calcs yet but I think my last tank is going to yield "only" 29 mpg, the first tank since the car was new below 30 mpg.
 
I think reviews like MikeM's review are better than roller test. Real world situation don't usually involve you sitting on rollers for 3 wheels. At worse case you pull hand brake or hit the brakes lightly to help transfer torque to the wheel with traction right?
 
I bought a 2WD because the AWD was not available with a manual. Many people on this forum said that an AWD was really not necessary if you had a good set of snow tires. So, a few weeks back I found a nearly new set of Blizzaks on some nice wheels on Craigslist, that were from a CX7. The owner was moving to Southern Cal.

Finally I got a chance to try them out on a trip up to Timberline Lodge Ski Resort on Mt Hood today, and they worked great. There is a six mile, two lane, snow and ice covered road connecting US 26 to the lodge. It's all uphill with lots of curves and a few steeper sections. I drove this road last April during a snow storm in my Acura with all season tires and I barely made it. I should have stopped and put on chains but I couldn't find a place to pull over.

Today, with the Blizzaks, it was no problem. I followed a Subaru AWD and a Range Rover and had no trouble keeping up and the traction control never kicked in like it did with the Acura. I suppose if I lived way back in the woods in deep snow country I might need AWD, but this is more than adequate.
 
FWD is adequate for 98% of driving situations.

I moved to AWD to eliminate front wheel slippage when towing, and immediately found other benefits, such as being able to launch from a standstill at islands to get into a gap, but with no wheel slippage.

In fact with the Audi quattro i had to learn how to set off more sedately, as the speed i was reaching was catching other drivers trying to join at the next junction out.
Trying that with my previous FWD could lead to embarrassing wheel tramping if i over revved, those cars had no TC.

In fact none of my AWD cars have had TC, just four driving wheels. I'm happy paying the 3mpg penalty, but as i say i tow a caravan, often on grass fields.
 
Yes, I believe good set of snow tires is more important than AWD. Obviously, both are better.
AWD can help you when your front wheels are on ice/mud/sand or when going uphill on a steep incline. Some AWDs can help with more predictable outcome under sudden steering changes (slalom), but mostly front AWDs tend to perform more like FWD in this regard. For me, AWD helps with Caltrans, to avoid having to put chains :) Most of my driving is done on non-icy / snowy conditions, so snow tires don't make sense for me. However, I try to choose all-seasons tires which have better snow/ice performance. Those are still way less effective than real snow tires.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_MXK2nzt2Y
 
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I bought a 2WD because the AWD was not available with a manual. Many people on this forum said that an AWD was really not necessary if you had a good set of snow tires. So, a few weeks back I found a nearly new set of Blizzaks on some nice wheels on Craigslist, that were from a CX7. The owner was moving to Southern Cal.

Finally I got a chance to try them out on a trip up to Timberline Lodge Ski Resort on Mt Hood today, and they worked great. There is a six mile, two lane, snow and ice covered road connecting US 26 to the lodge. It's all uphill with lots of curves and a few steeper sections. I drove this road last April during a snow storm in my Acura with all season tires and I barely made it. I should have stopped and put on chains but I couldn't find a place to pull over.

Today, with the Blizzaks, it was no problem. I followed a Subaru AWD and a Range Rover and had no trouble keeping up and the traction control never kicked in like it did with the Acura. I suppose if I lived way back in the woods in deep snow country I might need AWD, but this is more than adequate.

Lando, so the CX7 wheels fit our CX5s? Do you know by chance what other Mazda model wheels fit the CX5?

Thanks
 
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I looked at a set of used Mazda 6 wheels that fit for $175, but I would have still needed to buy the Blizzaks separately. Blizzaks at Costco ran almost $600, so the CX7 wheels and tires were a better deal. I tried a set of Acura TSX wheels but the centerbore was too small. Thought about having them machined, but luckily found the CX7 wheels about that time.

Check the wheel specs here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?475-CX-5-Rims-Tires-Brakes-amp-Suspension

then you can search for wheels from other manufacturers with matching specs, or look for wheels on craigslist and crosscheck the specs.
 
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