Performance in Snow/Ice

[kosh2258]

AWD dead...

Wow Acadia's having problems getting up driveways?!(laugh)

Actually, so was my CX-9, which didn't make any sense until I noticed the rear wheels weren't doing anything and I took the vehicle in to the dealer to have it checked out. It turns out the transfer case, or what Mazda calls the PTU, is dead in mine so there was no power going to the rear wheels.

CX-7's comment that the 4WD light flashing in normal use was signalling a problem was right on the mark!

The dealer is having a replacement transfer case shipped in from Toronto (I'm in Minnesota) and I should have the vehicle back later in the week.

I have no idea how long this part has been dead, or if it ever was working, but it will be interesting to experience the difference in how the 9 behaves once the AWD is finally working.

[edit]

I didn't have great snow expectations for the 9 because of the type of tires it has on it, but that said, it still got around pretty well in the snow even with the AWD not working and less than ideal tires. Getting up the snow packed driveway was the only problem it every really had.

No question, snow tires on all four corners would improve things greatly.

Ted

 

[deadstock]

On the other hand, our 08 Tribute AWD worked flawlessly in heavy snow. I had to wait in the driveway to get out because my neighbours Murano and CR-V got stuck at the entrance of our cul-de-sac, while the Tribute drove through the fresh 4-5inches of snow. Yes i know, it's not as great as the CX-7 or CX-9 but gosh is it capable in the snow with the stock all-season Continentals.

 

[Mazda3]

On the other hand, our 08 Tribute AWD worked flawlessly in heavy snow. I had to wait in the driveway to get out because my neighbours Murano and CR-V got stuck at the entrance of our cul-de-sac, while the Tribute drove through the fresh 4-5inches of snow. Yes i know, it's not as great as the CX-7 or CX-9 but gosh is it capable in the snow with the stock all-season Continentals.

Its all in the tires. The Tribute is no better or worse in the snow than the Murano, CRV, CX-7, and CX-9. It just comes with all-seasons that are better in the snow.

 

[chuyler1]

Safety in the snow is a variable based on the following:

1) Tires - If you don't have snows STFU and get with the program.
2) Weight - Heavier cars take longer to stop and need more traction to start
3) Drivetrain - That's right, last on the list is whether you have AWD or not.

I put drivetrain at the bottom of my list because you should really address the weight of your car and the tires you are using before bitching about whether your car has AWD/4WD. I'd rather be in a Miata with snow tires than a 2WD Pickup truck with all-seasons if you catch my drift.

I put tires at the top because they are the solution to any vehicle that doesn't drive well in the snow (aside from some adjustments to the nut behind the wheel if you know what I mean). Whether you have a 5,000 lb SUV or a 2,500lb commuter car, a good set of snows will get you out and about during a snow storm and keep you from getting stuck on hills.

Hill-climbing ability in the snow is as follows
1) Drivetrain
2) Tires
3) Weight

There are simply some hills you cannot get up with a 2wd vehicle when the roads are very slick. Snow tires are usually sufficient for most hills but not always, especially when the weight of your vehicle becomes a factor.

Performance ability in the snow is as follows
1) Weight
2) Tires
3) Drivetrain

Ask anyone who ice races, having good tires and a lightweight vehicle is what will keep you in the lead on the track. The drivetrain may make handling a little easier but if it adds more weight you are better off without it.

Ok, now I think we can close this thread.

 

[CX-7owner]

Why, I wanted to hear about how the CX-9 performed after the AWD got fixed..

 

[Force-1]

Why,

Because he's the "expert" here.....

 

[chuyler1]

With a clean driving record and 12 New England winters under my belt...I may not be an expert but I at least know what I'm talking about.

What's the AWD issue? I must have missed that.

 

[kosh2258]

Because he's the "expert" here.....

He meant why close the thread.

No offense meant to anyone, but closing a thread simply because someone posted a "definitive" response would be pretty unprecedented. Normally, threads are just allowed to pass on for lack of interest.

Ted

 

[kosh2258]

With a clean driving record and 12 New England winters under my belt...I may not be an expert but I at least know what I'm talking about.

What's the AWD issue? I must have missed that.

One person here indicated they thought the AWD performance of the 9 put it in the POS catagory as AWD goes. Turns out I've been having a problem with my 9 similar to his.

I took it into the dealer and found out that the transfer case was DOA. That was a big factor in my 9 misbehaving in the snow and not being very impressive, contrary to what others have found and posted in this thread.
My symptoms were similar to the first poster's which may indicate they have the same or similar problem needing repair. CX7=Love posted that a flashing 4WD light in normal use indicates a problem, and he was right.

So he's interested in seeing how my experience with the 9 changes once I have the AWD problem fixed and get a chance to try it out. My findings will probably be of some use to the other poster as well.

[edit]

I have the vehicle back from the dealer. Turns out the failed part was the transfer case off the transaxle rather than the clutch on the rear differential, like I had thought. We're supposed to be getting snow the next two days in my area so I'll have a chance to check things out. On the drive back the vehicle felt a bit different - more connected than it did before. Whether that's real or just my imagination remains to be seen. But it did seem to accelerate with more authority than before, like the rears were participating in the process.

[edit 2]

OK, folks now that I've had a chance to try the vehicle out with the AWD fully functional and a fresh layer of snow on the ground the verdict is: OMG what a difference! The tires are still a limiting factor but the change in behavior is signficiant. Give it the gas on a snow covered surface and the rear end squats down a bit and away it goes with little drama and very little if any wheel spin. I can actually mess with the throttle and get the rear end to kick out as if it were RWD. There is a definite change in the feel and I can definitely tell the rear wheels are now participating in the process. Big, big difference. I can see why people in this thread came the CX-9's defense. It ain't no Jeep in terms of capability but it's definitely no slouch either.

My advice to Twentysomething: Get your 9 into the dealer and have the system checked. I'd be 99% confident in saying your AWD isn't working either since you are/were experiencing the same symptoms I was.
The nasty part of this problem is that if you didn't know how the vehicle should feel when everything is working there'd be nothing to indicate a problem except for that blinking 4WD light on the dash. And that only showed up once winter hit. Now that I know how the vehicle feels with the AWD working on both dry roads and snow cover I can feel the difference between before and after and can now recognize that the rears weren't ever in the game. This problem has been there since I took delivery last summer.

I'd guess that my old transfer case will be going back to Mazda so they can figure out what failed in it.

[Edit3]

I had the chance to give it the inclined driveway test yesterday evening with about 2 inches of fresh snow on the ground. The 9 pulled its way up the driveway and into the garage from a dead stop with some slipping but it kept moving. Before, it would have just sat and spun the fronts. The only thing holding it back was the tires.
The Bridgestones truly suck. These Duelers are as bad as, if not worse than, the Turanza EL42's I used to have on my '04 TL. Those tires were just junk - lousy wet and winter traction, noisy, and wore prematurely - all at a premium price. Acura and BMW both had TSB's and replacement programs on the EL42 because of their poor performance.
From the comments I've seen at TireRack.com the Duelers are in the same catagory.

Ted

 

[kosh2258]

Bump

See my comments above...

 

[CX-7owner]

Nice, it does oversteer when the rears activate, it's not noticeable at all in the dry, nannies kick in before anything fun like oversteer happens, the Speed6 is so much fun with all the nannies disabled, I'm glad to hear you got your CX-9 fixed and that it's performing much better and like it should.

 

[brightwhite]

Hey folks,

We're picking up our new CX-9 GT sometime next week and I'm wondering if anyone knows if there is a 17" steelie that will fit for winters, or are the brakes too big?

 

[CX-7owner]

17's should fit just fine.

 

[REdge]

Snow Tires

Blizzaks are great in the snow-ice and will transform your CX9 in to a proper winter driver. In another post, I commented and felt the CX9 was unsafe with the stock 20s for winter driving due to vehicle weight and tire width, and immediatly went to a good set of snows to protect my 40k investment. I live in Upstate NY and put snows on in December and take them off in March and will get 5+ seasons out of a set of Blizzaks. I retire them with about 40% tread life left, even though they look good, and are safe but they do not do the same job as when new and I need the traction when it comes to deep snow and icy roads as I live in a lake-effect snow band. As the rim size goes up, the tire price does too. Because of this, I run smaller rim size tires with snows which also reduces the performace feel. MY CX9 AWD came with 20"s, I ebay sourced Mazda 18"s from that had TPS and had tire rack drop ship Blizzaks to a local installer. I now have two sets of tires, 20's with OEM tires for most of the year and 18"s with snows for the winter. No breaking them down every year to swap them, and they get rotated and both wear longer, and have TPS in both sets so no idiot lights either not to mention the 20s will never see road salt. I also have a 01 FWD Jetta with 16' BBS summer rims and 15' trash rims with Blizzaks for winter. I love the handling of the summer tires and love the traction of the winter tires BUT, like the CX9, it is a different car when I change tires and I drive accordingly. The CX9 and Jetta actually ride softer with the snows, with a little bit more noise, and I never push the car in turns because of the tire. The cheep side of me also babies the snows so I can get many seasons out of them too. Hope this help

 

[Dalton]

Well we have -13 Celsius (8F) outside (boom07) but still not much snow, here in Estonia.

And i got the Tirerack recommended 18" winterpackage 235/65-18 Bridgestone DM-Z3 with Sport Edition KV5 18" wheels.

They do feel and look great. I m happy with the pyrchase(10)