Snow / off road driving experience?

lincolnunit said:

You guys think the stock tires are good enough though? Depending on how this thing performs this winter, I may end up swapping between stock and winter tires

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What keeps falling on deaf ears is that WINTER tyres are not just for snow. When the temperature drops below 7C (45F), the tyres stop conforming to the road surface as they become too stiff. The WINTER tyres are more compliant at very low temperature and the tread is designed to pump more water. In many parts of Europe they are a legal requirement as they save lives and reduce insurance liability. You can feel the difference on a cold road. Finally, they do make a big difference in the snow on the occasional days that many people get it.

For us living in the northern belt with harsh Winter and snow and ice there is just one tyre that will do and it is the "Nordic compound soft Winter tyre" with or without studs. There is yet Another Winter tyre used in Southern Europe and it is a compromise between the summer tyre and real Winter tyre. It is called "central european Winter tyre". It is meant mostly for countries with slushy snow and rain with low temperatures rather than ice and snow. All weather tyres (another kind of beast) are the worst types that you can use. They are not good enough either for winter or summer.
Never ignore winter tyre because your life can depend on it. What price are you prepared to pay for your Life?

Unobtanium said:

Right, but some of us love in areas that get snow one day and have sunburn from out tanning by the pool the next day, figuratively.

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Same here.

So just depends on how it is in your area.

lincolnunit said:

You guys think the stock tires are good enough though? Depending on how this thing performs this winter, I may end up swapping between stock and winter tires

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I live in Maryland as well and the current tires are adequate and will definitely get the job done. Especially given how random our weather is here.

In Atlanta it seems to snow every other year. I just stay home that one day

ColoradoDriver said:

Not every place is Colorado

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I hear ya... if I was down in the rainy lowlands of Western Washington I probably wouldn't bother myself.

jhu8 said:

I live in Maryland as well and the current tires are adequate and will definitely get the job done. Especially given how random our weather is here.

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I'm from Maryland myself, thanks! Weather is nuts out here, 80 degrees one day and 30 the next...

When I first got my CX-5 I went out after a good snow one day and tried to get it stuck. I figured, what the heck, I have free towing, and I wanted to know how well it worked. Didn't happen. I drove through the piled up snow that the plows left around corners and such, looked for unplowed lots etc. It would slip and slide but always made it through. I now have confidence in my SUV.

GP 2004 said:

When I first got my CX-5 I went out after a good snow one day and tried to get it stuck. I figured, what the heck, I have free towing, and I wanted to know how well it worked. Didn't happen. I drove through the piled up snow that the plows left around corners and such, looked for unplowed lots etc. It would slip and slide but always made it through. I now have confidence in my SUV.

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Snow tires or all-weather? Any inclines?

GP 2004 said:

When I first got my CX-5 I went out after a good snow one day and tried to get it stuck. I figured, what the heck, I have free towing, and I wanted to know how well it worked. Didn't happen. I drove through the piled up snow that the plows left around corners and such, looked for unplowed lots etc. It would slip and slide but always made it through. I now have confidence in my SUV.

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Any car would get stuck in snow unless you have proper winter tires fitted. I find Mazdas chassis to be very stable and predictable in poor weather conditions especially when the correct tires are fitted.

I remember last winter was my first season driving a RWD car in the snow. I was carefully coasting down a medium incline going maybe 40-50km/h when the light turned yellow on me. Funny enough, a Mazda 3 swerved into my lane because the spot was open so I feather the brakes.... and nothing. Front tires lock and ABS intrudes right away. Long story short, I had to cut into the left turn lane and run the red while holding down my horn the whole time to avoid rear ending a Mazda.. needless to say, I had some Yokohama winters installed on my BMW the very next day and this changed the behaviour of my car completely. It stopped and steered like a champ and negotiating snowy turns was a breeze. Brake lightly before the corner to load the balanced front axle, turn in briskly, tap the throttle and start countersteering... so much fun and so easy to control. Angle becoming to wide? No problem. Ease off the throttle or let go completely and the car obediently tucks back in line. So balanced and easy to control, but the best part is that when youre driving normally entering corners without any throttle, the car safely and quickly rotates the corner with zero skidding or drama. I found grip off the line to be better then FWD, but obviously not as good as AWD since my BMW is RWD. The car stopped and steered through snow better then anything else on the road due to the 50/50% weight distribution and blasting through a snowy highway at 120km/h the car was firmly planted and reassuring. Great car, and I cant wait for it to snow again. Here is a little baby drift I did on slick pavement:

https://youtu.be/jnrz9PzAI5c

shadonoz said:

Snow tires or all-weather? Any inclines?

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The car only had a few thousand miles on it and OEM tires. It is pretty flat around here.