Must have CX-5 Tools and Items

Not if you align the wood grain vertically to pinch weld line so that the wood won't get cut split.

True. The rubber jack stand block posted above looks solid, I was referring to the cheap, thin rubber slotted blocks out there.
 
I used these in previous vehicle and it works great with the CX-5 as well. I use them with my cordless Ryobi 18V impact gun. These impact rated sockets allow me to change the wheel quickly on the side of the road or at home.

81mQv-0z0SL._SL1500_.jpg


https://amzn.to/2HqHJsg
 
I used these in previous vehicle and it works great with the CX-5 as well. I use them with my cordless Ryobi 18V impact gun. These impact rated sockets allow me to change the wheel quickly on the side of the road or at home.

81mQv-0z0SL._SL1500_.jpg


https://amzn.to/2HqHJsg

Just a note, a previous member reported the "caps" of the OEM lugnuts denting in due to excessive pressure while using an impact gun. Purely cosmetic, but just thought I'd let you know as a cautionary tale.
 
Just a note, a previous member reported the "caps" of the OEM lugnuts denting in due to excessive pressure while using an impact gun. Purely cosmetic, but just thought I'd let you know as a cautionary tale.

That would be me. I used a shallow socket unaware of that the lugs have caps and the bottom of the socket flattened the caps with the impact gun. A deep socket has no chance to damage them. I did put a wrap of black tape around my deep socket, extending past the edge for extra scratch protection. You can see the pictures in this thread https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123868497-Lug-Nuts
 
These are deep enough to protect the face of the lugs. On the subject of damage, I've found you have a much greater change breaking a wheel stud with a breaker bar than you do with an impact. The Ryobi impact and many others have 3 power settings so you only need to use the force you need.
 
Mazda is very specific that only the pinch welds should be used for jacking the vehicle. May just be to keep the lawyers happy, but those are the 4 points I will use to lift the vehicle...

There are probably a number of placements you could lift the vehicle other than the specified points. For $50, I'm sticking with the factory points 100% to avoid headaches.

Chocolate -

The information you posted is incorrect.

The pinch welds at the 4 corners of the vehicle are NOT the only approved jacking locations.
Someone else later in this thread posted a page from the owners manual showing the jacking locations you should be using instead.
The only time the pinch welds should be used are when you're changing a flat tire on the side of the road using the emergency jack.

If you're working on your vehicle, you should be using the central front & rear jacking locations, which bring both front or rear tires off the ground at the same time.
Then you simply place jack stands at the front/rear pinch welds and lower the vehicle off the jack.

You are making the process much more difficult and expensive for yourself by jacking up each corner of the vehicle and buying special rubber pads.
 
Thanks for the clarification. I have not finished reading the owner's manual and hadn't seen that page.

I still prefer not to lift the vehicle from the rear differential, even if it approved by Mazda, just personal preference. Especially on a light SUV, not built like a heavy truck. I'd rather lift less weight at a time.
 
Thanks for the clarification. I have not finished reading the owner's manual and hadn't seen that page.

I still prefer not to lift the vehicle from the rear differential, even if it approved by Mazda, just personal preference. Especially on a light SUV, not built like a heavy truck. I'd rather lift less weight at a time.

Even the most basic floor jacks are rated for 2 tons (4000 lbs), which is more than an entire CX-5 weighs.
So you are only lifting ~1/2 of the floor jack capacity by using the central front & rear jacking points.

Besides, what type of work are you doing when using a floor jack at the corner pinch welds?
I can't think of any scenario were I would want to lift the car at those locations.

For any type of standard DIY service (oil changes, tire rotations, brakes, ect), you would want to lift the entire front and/or rear and put the car on jack stands.
 
Thanks for your input. I'm not in a rush when I'm doing it so my preference is to lift a corner a time and then put the stands nearby on the frame. Lifting on the two central points is faster.
 
Last edited:
I don't suppose anyone happens ot know if the oil filter 'wrench' that works on a Porsche Boxster is the same size as for a CX5 turbo? (GT-R)


also, old air-cooled 911s have a variety of nylon lined and aluminum sockets for the lug nuts - no idea if those will fit the CX5 lug nuts
 
Thanks for your input. I'm not in a rush when I'm doing it so my preference is to lift a corner a time and then put the stands nearby on the frame. Lifting on the two central points is faster.

I'm not in a rush either, but it simply makes sense and is easier to use the central jacking points instead of the pinch welds.
As a bonus, you don't have to worry about purchasing/using the special pads you had to buy.

Also, this is a unibody vehicle without a traditional frame.
So where do you put the jack stands "nearby on the frame"? Are these Mazda-approved locations?
 
@bluegrass I'm well aware it's a unibody, my last vehicle was a body-on-frame truck; I guess I should have said frame rails, if that's OK?
 
Last edited:
@bluegrass I'm well aware it's a unibody, my last vehicle was a body-on-frame truck; I guess I should have said frame rails, if that's OK?

Actually, the CX-5 does not have "frame rails" like a traditional body-on-frame.
That is why they require the use of the pinch welds for jacks and jack stands.
 
Thanks for your input. I'm not in a rush when I'm doing it so my preference is to lift a corner a time and then put the stands nearby on the frame. Lifting on the two central points is faster.

I've done that on my old car when changing brakes. Lift at the pinch weld and put a jack stand, and tire, under to catch the car if my jack failed. One isn't under the car to change brakes so the car won't fall on you. Getting all wheels off the ground is for rotating the tires faster instead of jacking each tire up, putting the spare on, move the tire to next etc.
 
Okay so I've gotten a closer look at the pinch welds, and they are much more robust than the ones on my ES 330. Those actually have substantial cutouts to mark the pinch weld, terrible design. I guess that design and the damage that resulted probably led to my unease with that design. The Mazda points are reinforced on the inside and outside with no cutouts, three layers thick, so I'm not worried about it.
 
Last edited:
Actually, the CX-5 does not have "frame rails" like a traditional body-on-frame.
That is why they require the use of the pinch welds for jacks and jack stands.

According to Mazda's product evaluation engineer it does.

https://www.wardsauto.com/technology/mazda-plays-it-straight-and-strong-cx-5-frame

LOS ANGELES Mazdas new CX-5 has a higher concentration of lightweight steel than any model in the brands North American showroom.

High-tensile-strength steel accounts for 61% of the small cross/utility vehicles body weight, Dave Coleman, Mazdas product evaluation engineer, tells media here at a recent launch event.

The CX-5 also boasts what Mazda believes is the first series-production application of steel rated at 1,800 MPa (18,979 tons per sq. in.)
That grade is the strongest steel anybody has used in a production car (and) were using that on the outer surface of the bumpers of this car, Coleman says.
As a result, weight is trimmed from the extreme ends of the CX-5, thereby reducing polar movement and improving vehicle handling, he says.
In addition, sections of the CUVs frame rails were straightened, while other parts were designed with complex shapes. The result was improved crashworthiness.

Historically, Mazda has used rectangular-shaped front frame rails, but the CX-5 features stronger, cross-shaped patterns.
"If youve got a rectangular frame rail, all the load is being carried in the corners of that rail, Coleman says. If we can fit it into this cross-shape, we end up with 12 corners instead of four corners. It doesnt weigh any more, but weve got more places to carry that load.

And by straightening the frame rails at the bottom of the CX-5, Mazda has saved weight and added strength.
Mazda frame rails long have done a zig-zag around a vehicles fuel tank. That zig-zag is an inherently weak structure, Coleman says. Therefore, it required more steel, which added weight.
By just gently curving around the gas tank (with) one continuous frame rail, we can use less material to carry the same load, Coleman says.
To better disperse crash loads, Mazda engineers extended the CX-5s front sub-frame. Also, door beams run parallel to carry a load to the rear of the car.

The roof, B-pillar and C-pillar each boast a ring-link design for additional structural integrity.
(Were) just trying to connect all the structures as much as possible so it can be hit from any angle, and also these are getting us simultaneously a good structure to mount a suspension on, Coleman says, noting suspension loads are exceeded only by crash loads as a stressor.

The CX-5 is considered all-new by Mazda, and not a successor to the defunct body-on-frame Tribute SUV, so Coleman compares the CX-5s weight savings to the slightly bigger CX-7 CUV.
In their trimmest iterations, the CX-5 is 288 lbs. (131 kg) lighter than the CX-7. The weight difference between the heaviest CX-5 and its CX-7 counterpart is 570 lbs. (259 kg).
The new 13 Mazda CX-5 goes on sale in the U.S. early this year, with pricing expected to range from $22,000-$28,000.
 
According to Mazda's product evaluation engineer it does.

Our discussion is about the CX-5 "frame rails" (your words) you claim to put jack stands under to support the vehicle.

As I said previously, the CX-5 does not have traditional "frame rails" that you can just slap jack stands under.
This is why Mazda specifies using the pinch welds at the corner of the vehicle, to be used in the absence of traditional "frame rails."

If you are using the pinch welds to jack up the vehicle with the floor jack, where exactly are these "frame rails" you're placing the jack stands?
 
Our discussion is about the CX-5 "frame rails" (your words) you claim to put jack stands under to support the vehicle.

As I said previously, the CX-5 does not have traditional "frame rails" that you can just slap jack stands under.
This is why Mazda specifies using the pinch welds at the corner of the vehicle, to be used in the absence of traditional "frame rails."

If you are using the pinch welds to jack up the vehicle with the floor jack, where exactly are these "frame rails" you're placing the jack stands?
Exactly!
 
Back