CX5 FWD in winter?

[buddastrat]

Newbie here, and my wife and I are loving the new ride. Really fun compared to our old RAV4. I kinda wanted the AWD, but the Rav4 was FWD, and we had no problems with it in the winter for what we need it for. Looking around on YT, all the videos are AWD. We went with the CX5 because of the high safety ratings it got. With winter approaching I was wondering how this FWD CX5 does in snow, ice etc. I was looking around for snow tires, and it seems very limited selection because of the odd size that the CX5 comes with. I really hate to buy tires on a brand new ride but safety is top concern. The Rav4's stock tires were fine and I'm hoping this one will be. Appreciate any input, and thanks.

 

[paris1]

For starters, it would be helpful if you divulged what part of "USA" you'll be driving in.

 

[runtohell121]

If it snows where you live, you would want an extra set of wheels + tire for winter season.

 

[buddastrat]

I was hoping to just get some good all weather tires if needed. Don't have room to store another set of tires. Like I said, the Toyota Rav4 was fine in all kinds of weather even the -30 frigid Ohio winter last year, also had good traction with the stock tires and then with the Hankooks we put on. Was interested in something like the Hankooks optima 4s which you leave on all year but don't have the size for the CX5. Plus I don't think they are available in the States.

I just thought maybe there was some idea about how well the CX5 FWD does in snow. One thing I forgot to research before we bought the vehicle. I wish we could've test drove in snow/ice but weather didn't cooperate.

 

[vroom]

If you get any significant amounts of snow, dedicated snow tires are always best, and waaaay more important than AWD. AWD will make the car more fun to drive and might prevent you from getting stuck, but will do little in terms of safety (this has been discussed here many times). If you were happy with the RAV4 FWD then the CX-5 FWD should do just as well. It has very good driving dynamics.

Now if you really don't want to go for snow tires, the next best thing would be a good set of all weather (not all season!) like the Nokian WRG3. They won't perform as well in snow and ice, might wear a bit faster in summer, but they should do way better on dry roads in cold weather than all seasons (and arguably even snow tires) because the rubber stays soft.

 

[MikeM.]

Newbie here, and my wife and I are loving the new ride. Really fun compared to our old RAV4. I kinda wanted the AWD, but the Rav4 was FWD, and we had no problems with it in the winter for what we need it for. Looking around on YT, all the videos are AWD. We went with the CX5 because of the high safety ratings it got. With winter approaching I was wondering how this FWD CX5 does in snow, ice etc. I was looking around for snow tires, and it seems very limited selection because of the odd size that the CX5 comes with. I really hate to buy tires on a brand new ride but safety is top concern. The Rav4's stock tires were fine and I'm hoping this one will be. Appreciate any input, and thanks.

Snow performance of the FWD CX-5 will be better than the FWD Rav4 due to better vehicle dynamics. But tires are all important when it comes to snow performance. So the comparison is only valid if both vehicles have the same tires.


Unfortunately you didn't mention whether your CX-5 came with 17 or 19" wheels (the 17's will perform better in the snow and ice and have a much better selection of snow tires). Many tire shops will store your summer tires on their racks for a small monthly fee so, if you go this route, you are not limited to 19" wheels.

If the safety of your family is important to you, I highly recommend the purchase of winter tires and wheels.

 

[flymo]

Budda, if safety is a top concern, there is nothing better than a dedicated winter tire. You also need to consider whether you want to get a separate set of rims for your winter tires, which I would certainly recommend. If so, it does not matter if the stock ones are 17 or 19, you can get what you want. Here's what I chose: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...-your-wheels&p=6345235&viewfull=1#post6345235

Total cost was right around $1000.

Flymo

 

[buddastrat]

Thanks, flymo. it looks really good. I'm pretty set on WGR3 for year round convenience, they are getting great reviews, Consumer Reports said they are so good, they want to classify it as a winter tire. Yet, it's still very good in summer driving. That should be above and beyond what we previously had. They do offer the correct size which is good.

Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[flymo]

I'd still contend that nothing is as good as a real winter tire, but if your usage model does not require that, the Nokians sound like an intriguing choice.

As long as you choose another tire with the same diameter as stock, the speedo will not be affected. The CX-5 does not have TPMS sensors (thank goodness); instead it infers tire pressure from wheel RPM data gathered by the same sensors the ABS system uses. Even if you put a slightly different diameter tire on, you have a dash button to reset the system so it will work fine.

Please clarify what tire and wheel size you currently have. You can go slightly taller and narrower, like we did, and maintain the same diameter in a 17". While that's OK, even good, to do with a dedicated winter tire, I'm not sure I'd do so for year-round.

Flymo

 

[buddastrat]

Thanks again, I did confirm they have the stock 225/65/R17 of the touring model. So all should be good. Thank you very much for your help! With our winters, you never know. Some years can be very dry and cold with no snow, or icy rain. Of course last year it was blizzards with -30F winds. We are near Lake Erie and get all kinds of stuff. I feel the All Weathers will be our best bet. highways get plowed pretty quick, a lot of driving will be on dry, cold roads and the rubber staying soft is really good thing.

 

[V8toilet]

I have a FWD Touring with the 17" stock Yokohama tires and they performed better than expected in the snow last year with good tread on them. This year I've noticed diminished traction but still they are not bad with 40,000 miles on them. I'm impressed with how well my FWD CX5 handles in the snow. I do keep the speeds down, keep it easy on the throttle, and keep a good long distance between me and the driver in front.

I remember a large AWD SUV that was trying to pass me on the snow covered highway last year lost control and almost wiped out. I bet that driver thought because he/she had AWD that they could ignore the danger and soon found out the hard way. That driver probably had ill equipped tires for those conditions. Tires make a huge difference and like the above posters said, snow tires are your best option followed by a good quality highly rated all season tire or all weather tire.

Your best option though is to stay home until the roads are clear if you have that option.

 

[gh1977]

Newbie here, and my wife and I are loving the new ride. Really fun compared to our old RAV4. I kinda wanted the AWD, but the Rav4 was FWD, and we had no problems with it in the winter for what we need it for. Looking around on YT, all the videos are AWD. We went with the CX5 because of the high safety ratings it got. With winter approaching I was wondering how this FWD CX5 does in snow, ice etc. I was looking around for snow tires, and it seems very limited selection because of the odd size that the CX5 comes with. I really hate to buy tires on a brand new ride but safety is top concern. The Rav4's stock tires were fine and I'm hoping this one will be. Appreciate any input, and thanks.

Hi - I live in Toronto I have a 2.5L FWD CX5. Fitted with Bridgestone WS80 winter tires, I have yet to lose traction on ice/snow.

Although AWD would definitely be nice to have, I don't miss it, as my FWD performs great and feels really planted.

I decided to go for FWD because of the 2K price difference with AWD, along with slightly better fuel economy for FWD. Also, depending on how long you intend to keep the car, you also could incur additional maintenance costs related to the AWD system.

 

[gova]

I had FWD CX-5 for a year. Could not return home once when snowed. It was just bad even starting from 2nd gear.

I traded it in for AWD. To me it is has been much more convenient to have AWD CX-5 during several months of winter where I live.

If it snows where you drive AWD is the one to get.

 

[MikeM.]

I had FWD CX-5 for a year. Could not return home once when snowed. It was just bad even starting from 2nd gear.

I traded it in for AWD. To me it is has been much more convenient to have AWD CX-5 during several months of winter where I live.

If it snows where you drive AWD is the one to get.

Snow tires offer more snow/ice performance than AWD. I have both and the car is amazing in snow and ice. If I could only have AWD or snow tires, it would be a very easy choice - snow tires!

 

[cybercruiser]

We've had a good bit of snow here in NE Ohio, so far, no problems getting around. I did change out the stock Yoko's for Goodyear ComfortTreads.

 

[buddastrat]

Same here, we are on North coast of Ohio. No problems with FWD. Compared to AWD, we get better gas mileage, less expensive. That's what we wanted.... But the stock Yoko tires, even brand new, sucked bad. Slip, sliding everywhere. The WRG3's are great in comparison.