CX-5 AWD snow performance
- Thread starter kimchei6
- Start date
Especially a light truck with RWD.
SayNoToPistons
Wheels, not rims...
- :
- CX-5 GT AWD w/ Tech, RX-8 GT 6spd w/ 'goodies'
This. Had a good amount of fun today. Still wish the AWD was more rear biased and DSC could be disengaged. The front understeer and plowing is very unpredictable.
I totally agree. The dsc is a total fun killer in the snow. Car always smells quite a bit of brakes after sliding around a bit.
As for the under steer...even with fresh snow tires this car under steers horribly in the snow. It's simply sprung way to stiff for those conditions. Corner entry has to be really slow. I guess the upside is that extra stiffness makes the car really flat and fun in the other 3 seasons. It's not ridiculous, but def not nearly as fun as my evo was (all mechanical full time awd w/good difs).
- :
- San Antonio, Texas
- :
- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
my dsc usually kicks in right when I am leaving a hard powerslide and makes me come out of it sloppy.
I have both FWD and AWD, the AWD has been a fun and blessing in the snow.
I borrow AWD one from wife after heavy snowfall to check it out.... It is a noticeable difference from my FWD. With winter like this I wish I'd gone with AWD myself.
I borrow AWD one from wife after heavy snowfall to check it out.... It is a noticeable difference from my FWD. With winter like this I wish I'd gone with AWD myself.
No offense but those comments do not agree with my CX-5 driving experiences or the videos of professional car drivers pushing the CX-5 hard around corners. As an avid skier at the snowiest ski area in the entire world, I drive a lot in the snow. I find the DSC allows me to enter corners at a much higher speed than would be possible without when the corner is covered in snow or ice (or both). Also, flat cornering is especially beneficial under low traction conditions because it minimizes weight transfer to the outside wheels and maximizes traction of all four tires. The flexy frames of 1970's American cars with their soft suspensions and uncontrolled weight transfer to the outside wheels is precisely why they were terrible at cornering in the snow.
This video of a professional driver sliding CX-5 shows very balanced handling to the point that the driver maintains an oversteer condition in every corner. Sure, it's dirt, not snow, but it is a low traction surface being driven hard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG0BKbBoW7Q
It's all about knowing how to drive it.
In my experience with other vehicles, A/T tires are a poor choice for snow and ice. Very poor. Even an all-season radial would be better. And all-season radials do not excel on snow/ice.
TreyP
2018 Soul Red AWD Touring CX-5
Exactly.
Perhaps our backgrounds are different.
I know how to drive, that is not the issue. Coming from a lancer evo, arguably one of the best awd sedans available, to the cx5. The cx5 is not fun and understeers way more than I would like. Mid speed stuff isn't too bad, but any sharp or low speed corners are terrible. Left foot brake, right foot brake, doesn't matter. Car pushes and has very little front bite.
In terms of the chassis being flat. Yes it's good. You maintain a good contact patch (especially important with Mac strut where you gain no dynamic camber). However when you have relatively stiff springs and dampers it's not ideal in low grip conditions. Too much weight transfer too fast overcomes the available grip.
Anyway, glad some are happy with it. It's acceptable to me and works. Just really far from a drivers car in the snow.
I think you are confusing the very rigid CX-5 chassis with stiff springs/dampers. I find the spring rates to suit winter driving very well. The CX-5 has more than average suspension travel which allows very modest springing rates without being too prone to bottoming on bigger/harder hits. As it is, I am very close to bottoming when going over some of the rather large ice potholes that develop around here. If the springs were any softer I would have to drive over the larger ice potholes like a granny.
As you can see in the video above, a good driver has no trouble maintain an understeer condition. But to my thinking, it's a moot point because no one buys a compact SUV to drive like a rally car.
As you can see in this video winter tires can make even a FWD CX5 more capable than an AWD with all season tires.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mfuE00qdhLA&desktop_uri=/watch?v=mfuE00qdhLA
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mfuE00qdhLA&desktop_uri=/watch?v=mfuE00qdhLA
Do you call summer tyres all season in the states?
The Kuga performs like the CX_5, but a subi is I believe permanent 4wd, a new CRV sets of in 4wd and maintains 4wd until a certain speed, while the Xtrail has 4wd lock, although in my experience I never got stuck using the auto select for the drive, its just a better system.
Also had a Audi Quattro which wasn't as good as I hoped in snow, the back end tended to come round, that was permanent 4wd but with wide tyres for the time at 225, narrow tyres are best in snow according to the rally drivers.
The Kuga performs like the CX_5, but a subi is I believe permanent 4wd, a new CRV sets of in 4wd and maintains 4wd until a certain speed, while the Xtrail has 4wd lock, although in my experience I never got stuck using the auto select for the drive, its just a better system.
Also had a Audi Quattro which wasn't as good as I hoped in snow, the back end tended to come round, that was permanent 4wd but with wide tyres for the time at 225, narrow tyres are best in snow according to the rally drivers.
CrystalWhiteCX5
Member
- :
- 2014 CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech
As a former owner of Audi B5, B6, and B7 platform cars/wagons (A4 model) , I would take Quattro any day over the AWD system in the CX5. It feels more solid and sure-footed, and is very predictable in a wide variety of conditions. Also should note that I ran summer/winter tires on the Audis as appropriate and have not yet gotten winter wheels for the CX5, however, the front bias with delayed rear wheel engagement on the CX5 is very unnerving to me. I am still getting used to it.
That said, the CX5 with all-season tires is still pretty capable in the snow, especially in a straight line. I was out last night in blizzard-like conditions and pulled away from a Jeep Wrangler from a stop light - a young man out having fun in the snow and looking to race. I was not impressed with the performance of his Jeep.
BTW, in the U.S., "all season" tires are designed for year-round use. "Summer tires" are high performance tires for warm weather use only. "Winter tires" are designed for cold weather, ice, and snow.
Where in Chicago/land are you at?As a former owner of Audi B5, B6, and B7 platform cars/wagons (A4 model) , I would take Quattro any day over the AWD system in the CX5. It feels more solid and sure-footed, and is very predictable in a wide variety of conditions. Also should note that I ran summer/winter tires on the Audis as appropriate and have not yet gotten winter wheels for the CX5, however, the front bias with delayed rear wheel engagement on the CX5 is very unnerving to me. I am still getting used to it.
That said, the CX5 with all-season tires is still pretty capable in the snow, especially in a straight line. I was out last night in blizzard-like conditions and pulled away from a Jeep Wrangler from a stop light - a young man out having fun in the snow and looking to race. I was not impressed with the performance of his Jeep.
BTW, in the U.S., "all season" tires are designed for year-round use. "Summer tires" are high performance tires for warm weather use only. "Winter tires" are designed for cold weather, ice, and snow.
I see a few white CX-5 GTs around me. I'm in Glenview.
Yeah the CX-5s AWD isn't the best but certainly more capable than a FWD car.
As long as I feel safe in moderate snow (~6"), it should be fine as they plow pretty quickly around here.
