Just got a 2016.5 CX-5 - Tips, Tricks and MPG

You are on the right track.

At 100k mi I replaced the Map sensor and O2 sensors and plugs on our old Honda. FE improve right away.

As recommended, check all wheels to be sure it's not dragging a brake. If you own an infrared gun, drive 10 miles on the highway, coast to a stop and read the brake rotors. I had brake drag before and this is bow I checked.

MAP sensor is easy to clean. I'd replace if it was a suspect. I'll replace mine and O2 sensors at 100k MI.

Air filter, check and replace. I replace every oil change. I buy on Amazon and replace.

Your trans will relearn your driving style quickly.

How are the tires wearing. Alignment is important for FE.

I run StaBil, marine, in our 24 turbo. I'm getting a 2 mpg bump. Marine is the same formular as auto but concentrated.

I always thought air filters should be swapped around 20,000kms.

The brake drag is interesting, let’s say I get an infrared gun and see that the rotors are hot. How do you go about fixing this? I wonder if I should be phoning around about this one, I’ve read a few times these are potential issues for the 2016s..
 
Key word being snow tires? Not sure what the nationale is.

If you're riding on a good powdery snow like this dude is with no chance of hitting blacktop like you would be driving on the beach, then yeah, I could see the point. If you're riding blacktop eventually then no, totally disagree. Depends what you're driving on I guess. Riding down to 20 psi is crazy IMO, bigger chance of the tire popping off the rim around turns. Plus the fact that under inflation tends to damage the tire internally over time. You're literally driving on the edges of the tire...on blacktop.

From Tirerack:

https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/should-i-increase-my-tire-pressure-for-winter-driving

Another one:

"To stay safe behind the wheel this winter season, consumers should remember the following W.I.N.T.E.R. tips from Tire Rack:

Winter Tires Are Worth It: The best way to improve winter / snow tire traction and increase safety is with a set of dedicated winter / snow tires. Starting at a few hundred dollars for a set of four, typical winter / snow tires can last three or more winter seasons and increase the life span of your other tires when they are only driven in spring, summer and fall. Review the benefits of buying a Winter/Snow Tire & Wheel Package.

In Traction We Trust: Winter tires feature tread rubber that is blended to remain flexible even in sub-freezing temperatures, and are designed to maximize traction on slippery winter roads. All-Season and summer tires begin to lose traction as ambient temperatures approach freezing, even without slush or snow on the road. Lower temperatures reduce these tires' tread rubber flexibility and ability to grip the pavement.

Never Forget the Pressure: The air inside your tires supports the weight of your car. For every 10-degree drop in temperature, tires lose about 1 pound per square inch (psi) of air pressure. A tire filled to 32 psi at 70 degrees will have only 28 psi at 30 degrees. Underinflated tires offer less traction, can reduce fuel mileage, can wear out prematurely and cause irreparable damage that compromises their durability. Check tire pressures monthly with a quality air pressure gauge, and if needed, fill them to vehicle manufacturer specifications. Read "Winter Air Pressure...You Can't Just Set It...And Then Forget It."

Tread Depth Matters: If sleet, slush and snow-covered roads are in your future, replace tires when they reach approximately 5/32" of remaining tread depth to maintain good mobility. Tires with more tread depth offer additional traction to claw their way through sleet, slush and snow.

If the winter season means rain and wet roads in your area or where you're traveling to, consider replacing tires when they reach approximately 4/32" of remaining tread depth. Use a quarter, not a penny, to measure tread depth. Tire Rack's team proved through testing that insufficient tread depth doubles your stopping distance. Adequate tread reduces hydroplaning and helps prevent accidents. Too little is never enough.

Extra Room and Don't Tailgate: Adding distance behind the vehicle ahead gives you more time to react and distance to stop. While it's often recommended to follow two seconds behind at 30 mph and four seconds at 60 mph, those times should be doubled in wet conditions and tripled for snow.

Remain a Smooth Operator: Accelerate, brake and steer as if you had a full cup of hot coffee on the dashboard. This helps improve fuel mileage and prevent loss of control."

Again, to each his own.

 
Mazda actually recommends inflating winter/snow tires 4.5 psi above the inflation values on the placard, it's in the owners manual. I run my all seasons at 36 and my snows at 39.


"Use snow tires on all four wheels
Do not go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph)
while driving with snow tires. Inflate
snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm2, 4.3 psi)
more than recommended on the tire
pressure label (driver's door frame), but
never more than the maximum cold-tire
pressure shown on the tires."
Good point and I should have clarified my procedure! I know this was recommended for the past decades by various manufacturers probably to offset tire pressure drop when the cold weather arrives. I normally install my winter tires in November when the temperature is about 40-50°F and inflate them to 39-40 PSI so when it's 20 below, they're not underinflated. Tire experts say it's not recommended to check pressure when it's very cold as the valve could freeze and the tire could be underinflated; I never did and prefer to play it safe!
 
Good point and I should have clarified my procedure! I know this was recommended for the past decades by various manufacturers probably to offset tire pressure drop when the cold weather arrives. I normally install my winter tires in November when the temperature is about 40-50°F and inflate them to 39-40 PSI so when it's 20 below, they're not underinflated. Tire experts say it's not recommended to check pressure when it's very cold as the valve could freeze and the tire could be underinflated; I never did and prefer to play it safe!
I guess driving in 20 below is a whole different animal than what I experience down here. Supposed to be 2 above tomorrow night around here, plenty cold enough for me. Maybe a squirt of silicone would solve that valve stem freezing issue.
 
Mazda actually recommends inflating winter/snow tires 4.5 psi above the inflation values on the placard, it's in the owners manual. I run my all seasons at 36 and my snows at 39.


"Use snow tires on all four wheels
Do not go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph)
while driving with snow tires. Inflate
snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm2, 4.3 psi)
more than recommended on the tire
pressure label (driver's door frame), but
never more than the maximum cold-tire
pressure shown on the tires."

If using all-seasons rated for light snow (and only driving if there is little to no snow) Should I simply continue to maintain door jamb sticker spec?
 
Mazda actually recommends inflating winter/snow tires 4.5 psi above the inflation values on the placard, it's in the owners manual. I run my all seasons at 36 and my snows at 39.


"Use snow tires on all four wheels
Do not go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph)
while driving with snow tires. Inflate
snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm2, 4.3 psi)
more than recommended on the tire
pressure label (driver's door frame), but
never more than the maximum cold-tire
pressure shown on the tires."
First, it specifically says snow tires. I don't have snow tires. It also says do not exceed 75mph...with snow tires. So we need to be careful not to assume this applies to all tires.

Also, the extra 4.5 psi recommendation may well just be to counter the seasonal drop in pressure with temperature. That tends to be roughly what I end up adding because pressures drop around 5 psi here. I'll stick to what Continental says on the tire and not assume I'm supposed to have 40 psi in the tires just because it's cold. However, I don't think there is anything wrong with running 30 psi for a short time in snowy conditions. I do not condone 20 psi.
 
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If you're riding on a good powdery snow like this dude is with no chance of hitting blacktop like you would be driving on the beach, then yeah, I could see the point. If you're riding blacktop eventually then no, totally disagree. Depends what you're driving on I guess. Riding down to 20 psi is crazy IMO, bigger chance of the tire popping off the rim around turns. Plus the fact that under inflation tends to damage the tire internally over time. You're literally driving on the edges of the tire...on blacktop.

From Tirerack:

https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/should-i-increase-my-tire-pressure-for-winter-driving

Another one:

"To stay safe behind the wheel this winter season, consumers should remember the following W.I.N.T.E.R. tips from Tire Rack:

Winter Tires Are Worth It: The best way to improve winter / snow tire traction and increase safety is with a set of dedicated winter / snow tires. Starting at a few hundred dollars for a set of four, typical winter / snow tires can last three or more winter seasons and increase the life span of your other tires when they are only driven in spring, summer and fall. Review the benefits of buying a Winter/Snow Tire & Wheel Package.

In Traction We Trust: Winter tires feature tread rubber that is blended to remain flexible even in sub-freezing temperatures, and are designed to maximize traction on slippery winter roads. All-Season and summer tires begin to lose traction as ambient temperatures approach freezing, even without slush or snow on the road. Lower temperatures reduce these tires' tread rubber flexibility and ability to grip the pavement.

Never Forget the Pressure: The air inside your tires supports the weight of your car. For every 10-degree drop in temperature, tires lose about 1 pound per square inch (psi) of air pressure. A tire filled to 32 psi at 70 degrees will have only 28 psi at 30 degrees. Underinflated tires offer less traction, can reduce fuel mileage, can wear out prematurely and cause irreparable damage that compromises their durability. Check tire pressures monthly with a quality air pressure gauge, and if needed, fill them to vehicle manufacturer specifications. Read "Winter Air Pressure...You Can't Just Set It...And Then Forget It."

Tread Depth Matters: If sleet, slush and snow-covered roads are in your future, replace tires when they reach approximately 5/32" of remaining tread depth to maintain good mobility. Tires with more tread depth offer additional traction to claw their way through sleet, slush and snow.

If the winter season means rain and wet roads in your area or where you're traveling to, consider replacing tires when they reach approximately 4/32" of remaining tread depth. Use a quarter, not a penny, to measure tread depth. Tire Rack's team proved through testing that insufficient tread depth doubles your stopping distance. Adequate tread reduces hydroplaning and helps prevent accidents. Too little is never enough.

Extra Room and Don't Tailgate: Adding distance behind the vehicle ahead gives you more time to react and distance to stop. While it's often recommended to follow two seconds behind at 30 mph and four seconds at 60 mph, those times should be doubled in wet conditions and tripled for snow.

Remain a Smooth Operator: Accelerate, brake and steer as if you had a full cup of hot coffee on the dashboard. This helps improve fuel mileage and prevent loss of control."

Again, to each his own.


Differentials also make a big difference. open differentials are not known for good grip in adverse conditions.
 
Winter & Summer blends


IMO: Locked center diffs (have a Torsen CDL on my GX 460) are good but locked front/rears on curvy roads ..you might find yourself in the ditch

Lockers have their value.. don’t get me wrong.. I still have a Eaton/Harrop rear e-locker I need to get installed in my GX 460.
 
I always thought air filters should be swapped around 20,000kms.

The brake drag is interesting, let’s say I get an infrared gun and see that the rotors are hot. How do you go about fixing this? I wonder if I should be phoning around about this one, I’ve read a few times these are potential issues for the 2016s..
The cost of an air filter vs better FE, a new filter wins. We get from a low FE around town 25 MPG to 29 MPG. Highway 31 to 33 MPG. It's not be accident we get these numbers on this turbo.

I put a Filter Minder gauge on the air filter box when I was testing to see if there was restriction in the air box. At WOT on our turbo the stock air filter box hurts performance. I made a simple CAI attached to the bottom of the filter box with a back flow damper. The damper keeps low end torque and opens when needed. This maintains FE a low engine loads. I tested with and without the back flow damper. My butt dyno was yelling as soon as I pulled out of the drive way. The fuel calculator showed a drop. So it got a $15 back flow damper. I posted the HP gain of this little device with pics on this forum...

Rather than go 20,000 kms and possibly have a FE penalty, you could install a filter minder and know when you filter needs to be changed. Simply drill one hole and plug it in. This item goes on my rides the first 30 days of ownership. It will pay for it's self quickly.

This is the one I installed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
 
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The cost of an air filter vs better FE, a new filter wins. We get from a low FE around town 25 MPG to 29 MPG. Highway 31 to 33 MPG. It's not be accident we get these numbers on this turbo.

I put a Filter Minder gauge on the air filter box when I was testing to see if there was restriction in the air box. At WOT on our turbo the stock air filter box hurts performance. I made a simple CAI attached to the bottom of the filter box with a back flow damper. The damper keeps low end torque and opens when needed. This maintains FE a low engine loads. I tested with and without the back flow damper. My butt dyno was yelling as soon as I pulled out of the drive way. The fuel calculator showed a drop. So it got a $15 back flow damper. I posted the HP gain of this little device with pics on this forum...

Rather than go 20,000 kms and possibly have a FE penalty, you could install a filter minder and know when you filter needs to be changed. Simply drill one hole and plug it in. This item goes on my rides the first 30 days of ownership. It will pay for it's self quickly.

This is the one I installed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Damn this is interesting.

I feel like if you don’t go this route changing the air filter every oil change (8000kms) would be almost a guaranteed to retain clean air flow right?

Also which air filters are recommended here? I guess if you’re spending $30 every oil change that can ad up. K&N is a good brand?

I’m not much of a car guy so a lot of this lingo is over my head
 
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Damn this is interesting.

I feel like if you don’t go this route changing the air filter every oil change (8000kms) would be almost a guaranteed to retain clean air flow right?

Also which air filters are recommended here? I guess if you’re spending $30 every oil change that can ad up. K&N is a good brand?

I’m not much of a car guy so a lot of this lingo is over my head
Skip oiled filters. The reason they flow better is because they let through more dirt. You might get away with this in a really clean environment, but I wouldn't recommend it for most people. You would have to be living at high altitudes and with no bugs, dust, or pollen or anything like that in the air.
 
Skip oiled filters. The reason they flow better is because they let through more dirt. You might get away with this in a really clean environment, but I wouldn't recommend it for most people. You would have to be living at high altitudes and with no bugs, dust, or pollen or anything like that in the air.
X2!!

Even thou K&N advertises excellent filtration they DON'T. Further if you over oil the filter, oil will get down stream and coat your MAP sensor. It will malfunction.

I was in industrial air pollution filtration for over 30 years. The velocity of the air hitting the filter is very important. The longer more numerous pleats of an OEM filter slow the air down before it hits the filter unlike the shallow pleats of a K&N type.

This filter is protecting an expensive item, your engine. This is not an area to skimp. Further if you buy the filter, then you know what you bought. The quicky oil change guys by bulk, cheap oil and air filters.

Amazon has a Bosch filter FS for $11.00 https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) Flip 3 taps and lift off the lid to replace the filter. Cabin air filter is just as easy to replace as well.
 
X2!!

Even thou K&N advertises excellent filtration they DON'T. Further if you over oil the filter, oil will get down stream and coat your MAP sensor. It will malfunction.

I was in industrial air pollution filtration for over 30 years. The velocity of the air hitting the filter is very important. The longer more numerous pleats of an OEM filter slow the air down before it hits the filter unlike the shallow pleats of a K&N type.

This filter is protecting an expensive item, your engine. This is not an area to skimp. Further if you buy the filter, then you know what you bought. The quicky oil change guys by bulk, cheap oil and air filters.

Amazon has a Bosch filter FS for $11.00 https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) Flip 3 taps and lift off the lid to replace the filter. Cabin air filter is just as easy to replace as well.

What does the FS mean?

I'm in Canada, this is the only Bosch one that fits a 2016 CX5

 
Skip oiled filters. The reason they flow better is because they let through more dirt. You might get away with this in a really clean environment, but I wouldn't recommend it for most people. You would have to be living at high altitudes and with no bugs, dust, or pollen or anything like that in the air.

Can anyone tell me how to make sense of this? I’ve been running my own calculations of course but I don’t quite get the bottom lines. Also very hard to see the exact L/100km
 

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FE, fuel economy or fuel efficacy.
I'm using an $18 filter too. I justify replacing often because I'm doing the labor. And IF the car get's just 0.5 MPG with a new filter, it saves $11.76 over 5K mi at $3.00 per gal.

Last night I needed to merge. The pickup was not going to slow and let me in. I was running out of merge lane. I went to 3/4 throttle, snappy downshift, and merged. A dirty filter would have hindered performance.

I added an additional ground to the trans a few months back and to my delight, the trans response quicker. When commanding a down shift last night, it was quick and firm. No hesitation. I only got 24.8 MPG on that outing. These weird little mods add up.
 
Can anyone tell me how to make sense of this? I’ve been running my own calculations of course but I don’t quite get the bottom lines. Also very hard to see the exact L/100km
The charts represent data points.

The top one is intervals of the current drive in minutes, from the last 5 minutes to the last 60.

The bottom one shows fuel economy history for your last six drives. One drive is from ignition on to ignition off. I agree that the y-axis could be more detailed.
 
The charts represent data points.

The top one is intervals of the current drive in minutes, from the last 5 minutes to the last 60.

The bottom one shows fuel economy history for your last six drives. One drive is from ignition on to ignition off. I agree that the y-axis could be more detailed.

Fair enough. Thanks.

Regardless the data is pretty bad for fuel efficiency.... lol
 
There is NO 'normal'. If you drive poorly, you'll get s..t mileage. Drive 45 mph (on cruise control!) on a windless, straight road. Reset your trip MPG, drive for a couple miles, and report back your mileage.

The past handful of months, in my 2016.5 GT AWD I have been deliberately driving more sedately and avoiding many of the accelerating situations where I'm usually heavier on the throttle. Change has been: from ~19.8mpg to about 21.8mpg, across several months. This is without much highway time for the car, so ~85% city (averaging 20mph). That's nearly exclusively due to change in driving behavior, there. Same roads and routes and rough frequency of those drives, just altering how I drive them. 21.8's approaching the 23mpg EPA estimate from the window sticker; so, not all that bad. Of course, it takes driving like a granny to get that, at least in my car.

Not a lot of flat 40-50mph zones where I live. Lots of stop-and-go, lots of narrower country lanes, and lots of urban city streets with fairly low speeds. Several times weekly I take a 12-15mi jaunt on the highway, to get the RPMs up and let it stretch its legs.
 
Any tips for getting scratches out of the plastic or cleaning the black plastic in general? I've tried cleaning it multiple times but it still feels dirty everywhere on the interior. Also looking for tips on cleaning the headboard. Previous owner had some messy ass kids/dogs in here lol


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