every single post cant lead to tire talk its buggin me out so to snap us back into place.
1) the mazda awd system is only on during certain situations. during a faster right and left turn. during curvy roads when yaw or g force is detected. when any of the front wheels lose traction. on an uphill. on a down hill brake. when launched (takes .016 seconds to let the front wheels slip and rear wheels kick into the lsd) when the car feels any sporty type of driving, the awd kicks in, in WOT. it remains in FWD while out of boost, while under 2500 rpm, and in high gear. as soon as the suspension tenses up during hard driving the AWD system is activated.
2) modes. its all automatically computer decided, unfortunately, but knowing about it can be helpful
SPORT mode turns on during the detection of 'sporty' driving with DSC turned off. it is a fluctuating front to rear/side to side. up to a 50/50 split awd at maximum capability/WOT. you can powerslide. rip it in the snow. ebrake 180. avoid understeer and oversteer depending on your driving. and do pretty much everything you want.
SNOW mode is acheived MOSTLY with DSC turned on, during loss of 2-3 wheels of traction, it is a 95/5 split awd. you only see this when the orange traction light is blinking, its designed to cut most power to rear wheels while still allowing 5% rwd help and concentrate on sending power to the one front wheel which still makes traction.
Normal mode is acheived with DSC on or off, during all conditions, untill the computer detects that its "lets rock" time. it will send anywhere from 0%-45% power to the rear wheels and left to right. Sport mode only turns on during DSC off. 5800rpm shifts are allowed but not enacted when DSC is on. The AWD system won't allow the full power to reach the wheels. HP and TQ are regulated at all times. least during sport mode DSC off. VERY COMPLEX and intelligent computer atatched to a reliable AWD system.
Direct Injection ALSO plays a role in the AWD system in regards to the MPG. On the highway or in town, off of boost, in FWD NORMAL mode. your direct injection system is rerouting and recirculating unused gas, that would have been wasted if it was fuel injected. it will not be bothering with efficiency if you are driving like Jimi Hendrix (crosstown traffic) BUT!!!! it WILL wait when you are finished to recirculate that unused fuel! so you NEED to use the turbo for it to actually be effective. DISI means your car injects fuel into each cylinder, cooler temps, awesome power gains, low emissions. and this is all in combination with the cooling and air flow derived from an intercooled turbocharged engine. if you dont flow the cool dense air from the turbo, you wont have such an efficient or powerful burn. lean and rich air/fuel ratios are controlled by this system. each mode balances efficient or powerful burns depending on how you are using your car.
