no more CX-5

[fdew]

I've driven a FWD SAAB in snow deeper then the ground clearance many times. Drove in so much snow I had to wrap the distributor and coil in plastic bags because of all the snow I was pushing up into the engine bay. Wheel wells were packed solid but I kept going with GOOD snow tires on all 4 wheels.

Nothing wrong with ground clearance, and nothing wrong with 4WD but as a guy who has driven hundreds of miles on closed snow covered roads, I can tell you good tires will get you to work.

Frank

 

[fdew]

Very interesting. Most of my customers when I sold vehicles bought something they didn't intend to, or showed up with no idea what they were after. You, sir, are a rarity!

Took me 6 mts of research and test drives to buy the CX-5 I was in a hurry, It took a year for me to buy my Audi Allroad.

 

[davesxx01]

Well, I went from a 6 GT with dedicated snow tires (no, never got stuck) to a CX-5 because I wanted more room in my garage, AWD, and, the ability to travel back roads! I may end up finding some 17" wheels and better on/off road tires that don't kill fuel mileage though,,,, already took a BIG hit in mileage just going with this CUV!
Zero regrets so far.

 

[CX-5um]

yessir, hard to find, atleast near me they are, according to mazdausa.com theres only about 5 within a 150 mile radius of my location. The 6 seems pretty spacious to me and i'm 6'1, but I did have more wiggle room in the cx5. Since my 6 only has 200 miles on it I havent done any aggressive driving to compare much, but the engine is a a lot peppier and the gearing ratio is a lot better especially for the over drive gear to help w mpg. The suspension feels sporty yet soft, a lot more comfortable than the cx5. The seats are also a lot more comfortable to be in, more plush and I feel secure within the bolsters. Overall I'm very pleased, the amount of tech in this car is redic and a huge plus

We've got the best of both worlds CX-5 and 2016 Mazda6.

Wait till you had gone through 2 oil changes and aprox 10k miles with the 2.5 in the M6. The engine really comes to life and the Mazda6 chassis say "finally" something to work with. One tip- do a lot of aggressive braking. Spongy feeling pads need proper break-in but my braking is now actually pretty good. I don't have to downshift as much as before.

 

[MikeM.]

What tires would you recommend for a sedan to increase ground clearance? I get that that was his concern, but mine was ground clearance.

The FWD CX-5 has exactly the same amount of ground clearance as the AWD CX-5. Yes, I understand most sedans have an inch or 1 1/2 inches less.

 

[MikeM.]

I've driven a FWD SAAB in snow deeper then the ground clearance many times. Drove in so much snow I had to wrap the distributor and coil in plastic bags because of all the snow I was pushing up into the engine bay. Wheel wells were packed solid but I kept going with GOOD snow tires on all 4 wheels.

Nothing wrong with ground clearance, and nothing wrong with 4WD but as a guy who has driven hundreds of miles on closed snow covered roads, I can tell you good tires will get you to work.

Frank, with experiences like that, you obviously get it. I have been trying to pass this along to those with less experience but only a certain percentage are willing to learn from others experience. If you don't have these experiences and just go with blind intuition, it does seem AWD would be more capable than simply putting winter tires on a FWD. And it's very hard to get it out of peoples mind how poor AWD is in the snow with all-seasons (vs. FWD with winter tires). Personally, I use both but only because of the frequency with which I'm on snow/ice coupled with the crazy amounts of snow that falls around here. Even then, I could get by just fine with winter tires and FWD. I can't say the same about AWD with all-seasons!

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make her drink.

Horses are not the brightest creatures and tend to be quite stubborn.

 

[CX-5um]

The FWD CX-5 has exactly the same amount of ground clearance as the AWD CX-5. Yes, I understand most sedans have an inch or 1 1/2 inches less.

Per Mazda's website the MAzda6 with 19inch wheels have a 6.7 inch ground clearance vs 6.4 for 17 inch wheel models. I guess that is one way to (slightly) increase ground clearance.

 

[MikeM.]

Per Mazda's website the MAzda6 with 19inch wheels have a 6.7 inch ground clearance vs 6.4 for 17 inch wheel models. I guess that is one way to (slightly) increase ground clearance.

Is it a typo? Because that much difference in tire height would require different gearing.

 

[jhu8]

Good lord, we get that fwd with snow tires is ideal. I don't want to have to switch tires for the 2 months of snow weather we get, and when it may only snow 3-4 times. Therefore awd better than fwd with winter tires. In my situation. Not to mention the other benefits of awd in other driving conditions. The end.

 

[dagrimey1]

Funny I have a friend who just looked at this car. I told him I seen it somewhere, now I know.

Sent using Moto Fo Sho Doe

 

[123373]

Good lord, we get that fwd with snow tires is ideal. I don't want to have to switch tires for the 2 months of snow weather we get, and when it may only snow 3-4 times. Therefore awd better than fwd with winter tires. In my situation. Not to mention the other benefits of awd in other driving conditions. The end.

I agree too much of a pita. We Just had 17 inches of snow and AWD with all seasons caused no trouble. My other car is 5 years old with AWD and all seasons and also have never gotten stuck. Prior 20 years owned fwd cars with all seasons and got stuck so many times I refuse to ever buy a fwd car again!

 

[AllezDada]

I agree too much of a pita. We Just had 17 inches of snow and AWD with all seasons caused no trouble. My other car is 5 years old with AWD and all seasons and also have never gotten stuck. Prior 20 years owned fwd cars with all seasons and got stuck so many times I refuse to ever buy a fwd car again!

+1. Made it up my driveway without needing a 'running start' for once, AWD with all seasons. It would be different if I lived in Boston or Mike's neck of the woods, but for where I live I'm fine.

 

[MikeM.]

Good lord, we get that fwd with snow tires is ideal.

Nobody said that.

To make it crystal clear, FWD with winter rubber is better than AWD with all seasons. Is this really so difficult to grasp in it's true form?

We are trying to be helpful here, please don't twist the words around. It's good advice as it stands.

 

[Unobtanium]

Is it a typo? Because that much difference in tire height would require different gearing.

No it wouldn't. I worked for a Ford dealer that did completely stupid crap like putting 22" rims on F150's because that's what sold in that region. At most, a re-flash to calibrate shift points and the speedometer was it.

 

[CX-5um]

Is it a typo? Because that much difference in tire height would require different gearing.

Minimum ground clearance (in) - (laden) 6.4 6.7

Per middle of PDF page as per http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/musa2/pdf/specs/2016_Mazda6_Features_Specs.pdf

Considering it's a 2 inch difference in wheel diameter I suppose either OEM size would be in spec?

 

[MikeM.]

Per Mazda's website the MAzda6 with 19inch wheels have a 6.7 inch ground clearance vs 6.4 for 17 inch wheel models. I guess that is one way to (slightly) increase ground clearance.

OK, I looked up the tire sizes of the Mazda 6:

Sport: 225/55/17
T/GT: 225/45/19

So the 225/45/19's only have a radius 0.15" larger than the 225/55/17 which only accounts for 50% of the 0.3" extra ground clearance of the T/GT models. This small difference is not nearly enough to require regearing. I notice the ground clearance is specified with the car laden. I wonder if the other 0.15" is due to higher spring rates on the T/GT models?

Interestingly, the Touring and GT models have a front and rear track width that is 0.4" wider than the Sport models.

 

[MikeM.]

Considering it's a 2 inch difference in wheel diameter I suppose either OEM size would be in spec?

What relevance does wheel diameter have with regard to ground clearance? Tire diameter is the relevant measure and tire diameter difference is only 0.3" difference between the two available wheel/tire options.

 

[CX-5um]

OK, I looked up the tire sizes of the Mazda 6:

Sport: 225/55/17
T/GT: 225/45/19

So the 225/45/19's only have a radius 0.15" larger than the 225/55/17 which only accounts for 50% of the 0.3" extra ground clearance of the T/GT models. This small difference is not nearly enough to require regearing. I notice the ground clearance is specified with the car laden. I wonder if the other 0.15" is due to higher spring rates on the T/GT models?

Interestingly, the Touring and GT models have a front and rear track width that is 0.4" wider than the Sport models.

I think the wheels are on the T/GT 2016 Mazda6 are wider. I think you're on to something with the different spring rates. Didn't think about that.

 

[jhu8]

Nobody said that.

To make it crystal clear, FWD with winter rubber is better than AWD with all seasons. Is this really so difficult to grasp in it's true form?

We are trying to be helpful here, please don't twist the words around. It's good advice as it stands.

How is my statement any different than yours?? Lol and for the record for where I live, awd is better than fwd with winter tires. Not worth it to run winter tires here for 2-3 snow storms. Plus awd is not just for snow.

 

[piotrek91]

OK, I looked up the tire sizes of the Mazda 6:

Sport: 225/55/17
T/GT: 225/45/19

So the 225/45/19's only have a radius 0.15" larger than the 225/55/17 which only accounts for 50% of the 0.3" extra ground clearance of the T/GT models. This small difference is not nearly enough to require regearing. I notice the ground clearance is specified with the car laden. I wonder if the other 0.15" is due to higher spring rates on the T/GT models?

Interestingly, the Touring and GT models have a front and rear track width that is 0.4" wider than the Sport models.

I'm not 100% sure here, but intuition tells me that higher profile tires will deflect more than lower profile tires under the same loading conditions/pressure.
Obviously the difference between 55R17 and 45R19 would be very small, but the missing 0.15" is also a very small number.

I don't see any evidence anywhere of different spring rates between the T/GT models.