winter storm

R

Rob Ciniello

Member
We had one of our first major snow storms this past weekend. I have a front wheel drive cx5 with the bigger engine. I had new general altimax winter tires installed. I have to say I'm disappointed. Not sure if it's the tires or the cx5 is just to light. I left the truck was all over the place and would slide so easy with the slightest touch of the break. I had a 2001 protege and it was so much better in snow. I personally don't think it had anything to do with being awd. I never got stuck at all. Just poor traction
 
Sorry darn spell check. My cx5 is front wheel drive. I don't awd would have made a difference for traction and breaking control.
 
It's the tyres...I have a set of Conti- Barum Polaris 3 on mine and handles brilliantly.
 
I have a set of DM-V1’s and did not have the issue you describe here on the weekend. My CX-5 climbed small hills covered in snow with ease when other cars were stuck.
 
I also have Blizzak DM-V1 on my AWD and have only lost traction when driving over icy areas, and even then it was brief and recovered very quickly. Going uphill through deep snow (12-14") was done with ease.
 
One issue with the CX5 in low grip (snow/ice) is that the car is sprung/damped relatively stiff. This is great for spring/summer/fall, so-so for winter. What the end effect is the car understeers (front loses grip first) quite a bit, so corner entry must be slow. I've found the AWD to work quite well, but the suspension is what it is.

Another issue for you may be the tires. I love the General Artic's and Hankook iPikes. They are great value. They have very similar tread design to the Nokian Hakka's. They lack in compound a little bit though. From my experience they are great in snow, so-so in ice (when compared to other snows). The Bridgestones (WS-60, WS-70) with the dual compound tend to be better in ice, but not as good in deep snow.

All that said, the car still slides around alot, it always will, it's snow. But the capabilities are far improved from all seasons. I'd suggest playing in a big parking lot to get a feel for the cars abilities.
 
FWD, small engine, Blizzak DM-V1, in Kitchener Ontario. The roads were spectacularly crummy here on the weekend/monday and I have no complaints. It *is* a light vehicle and it's going to wiggle a bit as you drive through patches of heavier snow (like changing lanes on an unplowed but busy highway), but I haven't had any problems with braking performance or controllability.

In the winter though, traction = tires.
 
I used to drive a vehicle which was way lighter than the CX5 ( by nearly 1000lbs) and much less ground clearance. The CX5 is a dream in the snow for me.
 
phoned said:
I used to drive a vehicle which was way lighter than the CX5 ( by nearly 1000lbs) and much less ground clearance. The CX5 is a dream in the snow for me.
Click to expand...

^

Even with Blizzaks on my Matrix FWD, it slid around and had a heck of time going from a stop. I'm still using my Toyo's that came with my CX-5 and there is some sliding but I still feel much more confident on snowy/icy roads then my old car.

Though it still pales in comparisons to my old mans '96 Ford Explorer XLT. So fun learning to drive on that.
 
Thanks for your info. I guess I have to get used to driving it in the snow. I came from a 01 protege manual. It's was amazing in the snow. Better than the cx5 that's for sure
 
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