It doesn't seem like an uncommon maneuver. I've certainly been in that same situation many times.
Mazda Ice Academy: Trial By Ice And Snow CX-5, CX-3 And MX-5
- Thread starter Kedis82ZE8
- Start date
I was in a similar situation during the blizzard last week: a bunch of cars got stuck on an uphill road with fresh snow, I had to stop-and-turn to zig-zag through the stopped cars. I'd say this is a legitimate test. Mazda did admit that they're only slightly better than the competitors, although they probably picked the most clear-cut video to showcase their superiority.
Mazda i-Activ AWD system presentation by Engineer Dave Coleman, Part I
Mazda i-Activ AWD system presentation by Engineer Dave Coleman, Part II
Wow, thanks for posting these videos Kedis! Very informative and must see. If you don't have time to watch them fully now, come back when you do!
The second video cleared up a number of ambiguities and misconceptions about how the AWD works and Dave Coleman did a good job of explaining how torque split percentages are dependent upon the surface traction available under each tire. Up to 100% of the torque can be applied to the rear wheels if the front wheels have no traction.
Also, the CX-5 uses the exact same AWD torque split clutch as the much bigger, more powerful CX-9 will use when it's released. That is a good indication that the clutch is over-sized in the CX-5 for most purposes.
The first video made apparent how much thought and development time went into designing the iActiv AWD system and how important the 200 times/second sampling rate is for maintaining traction and control.
1) The airflow under the car is managed to provide better cooling of the rear AWD clutch.
2) AWD efficiency was studied from every angle including fluid friction losses, tire slip losses and weight of the system as a whole.
3) The AWD system was designed to be completely transparent to the user (like I've been saying, it just plain works!).
There is a lot more in these two videos so make sure you watch them without other distractions!
I agree!! These are very informative and a must see for those interested in this system.
My only concern watching video is that I didn't use the Mazda diff oil when I recently changed them. It was noted Mazda used a special fluid for MPG but my mileage hasn't been affected.
As long as it met Mazda's stated specs, you are fine!
I did match specs so not gonna sweat it.
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I remember when I had a WS.6. We put Royal Purple diff fluid in there. About 5K miles later, the pinion bearing spun while gently backing out of the drive-way. The bearings were purple/blue from heat. It was filled to the correct level, observed during tear-down. Did Royal Purple cause it? I dunno, but I never used it again!
Same car, when we changed transmission fluid, went with Mobil 1. The shifts were notchy and it felt MUCH worse. Went back with GM fluid, and it smoothed out A LOT.
Also, I noticed, and others notice, that LS1 engines use mobil 1 BADLY, while they do a lot better with other oils. Same weights on the bottle. But if you look at the actual spec, they differ on thicknesses, etc.
I know that things SHOULD be fine if you use GL4/5 in a GL4/5 diff, or whatever, but I just have not had that experience with all things.
That said, I believe it's the Magnussan*sp act that should cover you
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What does a domestic car with questionable machining and assembly processes have to do with a Mazda built using modern state of the art matching equipment and assembly processes? You're over-thinking this. The failure was likely due to being shimmed sloppily or machining out of tolerance. The fact that the fluids had been changed 5,000 miles ago was likely just a coincidence.
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It ran fine for around 75K miles until then, and for another 70k miles after that (sold it at 150k).
Of course, as you say, it could be a coincidence. It's a sample of one.
I don't know what that has to do with Mazda's AWD or the CX-5's handling on snow/ice.
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Wow, listening to Dave Coleman explaining about the AWD gave me nerdgasm 
Seriously, unless the competitors can showcase their innovation/design with this much research and thoughts (unlikely, as demonstrated by the Subaru and CR-V slipping back down the hill), Mazda won hand down. Dave is totally right that it's hard to prove how efficient the system is when the system itself try to prevent the symptoms before they surface.
Every little details about how they shaved the weight, how to keep oil level low while maintaining a puddle for quick start-up lubrication, how the lock-up can be controlled precisely and instantly ... I love how they studied human vs computer detection of slip and take care of the problem in the gap, balancing between car control and driver feedback.
I've only wished that the videos were recorded more professionally/better quality, hopefully Mazda will release an official recordings. These videos are way more effective at advertising their technology than any commercial ads.
Seriously, unless the competitors can showcase their innovation/design with this much research and thoughts (unlikely, as demonstrated by the Subaru and CR-V slipping back down the hill), Mazda won hand down. Dave is totally right that it's hard to prove how efficient the system is when the system itself try to prevent the symptoms before they surface.
Every little details about how they shaved the weight, how to keep oil level low while maintaining a puddle for quick start-up lubrication, how the lock-up can be controlled precisely and instantly ... I love how they studied human vs computer detection of slip and take care of the problem in the gap, balancing between car control and driver feedback.
I've only wished that the videos were recorded more professionally/better quality, hopefully Mazda will release an official recordings. These videos are way more effective at advertising their technology than any commercial ads.
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These videos are typically invitation-only type events from what I understand for people within the company. GM does the same thing with their Corvette. The only videos I have seen leak out are lay type recordings like what we saw with this one. They contain information that will never make it into any product manual or anything of the sort, and are absolute gold for people who "want and care to know more" about a platform.Wow, listening to Dave Coleman explaining about the AWD gave me nerdgasm
Seriously, unless the competitors can showcase their innovation/design with this much research and thoughts (unlikely, as demonstrated by the Subaru and CR-V slipping back down the hill), Mazda won hand down. Dave is totally right that it's hard to prove how efficient the system is when the system itself try to prevent the symptoms before they surface.
Every little details about how they shaved the weight, how to keep oil level low while maintaining a puddle for quick start-up lubrication, how the lock-up can be controlled precisely and instantly ... I love how they studied human vs computer detection of slip and take care of the problem in the gap, balancing between car control and driver feedback.
I've only wished that the videos were recorded more professionally/better quality, hopefully Mazda will release an official recordings. These videos are way more effective at advertising their technology than any commercial ads.
No kidding! All of this possible because of the increase in computing power (and decrease in price). There is no way a car even 15 years ago could have processed this amount of data and adjust the torque balance 200 times/second without pricing itself right out of the market. This is why so many manufacturers are moving away from heavier, more clunky viscous center differentials to the smarter, lighter, faster electronic clutch.
I didn't find the video quality detracted from the information presented. Dave Coleman did seem out of breath and a little short on oxygen but, hey, they were at 9,000 feet!
For those who didn't see my earlier post about a steep ice test I performed recently:
I've found it takes some pretty extreme conditions to get my AWD CX-5 stuck but, as with any vehicle, there is always a steepness limit to what's possible. On bare pavement that limit is typically steep enough that you'll never encounter it with an AWD vehicle. But on wet ice or in sloppy snow with an ice layer underneath, you can easily encounter it, even with winter tires. If the road surface has a side slope, you will encounter it sooner.
If you ever have trouble making forward progress, I recommend stepping on the foot brake with light to moderate pressure while simultaneously easing moderately onto the throttle. I've tried this on a steep, wet ice driveway where I purposefully stopped on the steepest portion and the trick worked like magic! I've never had to use this trick in a real world situation that I didn't purposefully devise but it's there if you need it. Caution: do not drive on surfaces so steep and so slippery that the brakes cannot hold the vehicle stationary! This never ends well and once you are on such a surface it is pretty much too late to do anything about it. And please use winter rubber if you're going to be on icy hills or driving on snow/ice faster than 25 mph, even slower depending upon how slick it is.
Yes, The foot brake ant throttle works. Back in the 70s it was as close as we could get to traction control.
I have been in that brakes wont hold the vehicle stationary spot once. (In the Summer) I was on a dusty gravel road on a steep hill. Nothing I could do but get off the brakes and steer. (No steering if your wheels are locked. A ride I won't forget. BTW I didn't have snow tires on (Grin)
Sounds like a Konami code, should be mentioned in the Easter Egg thread
Do you think you tricked the car into doing something it doesn't know how to handle (and thus, Mazda should consider incorporating this into their software), or is it a tricky situation where Mazda is aware of and just let the computer performs accordingly when it reads braking and throttling at the same time?
Do you think you tricked the car into doing something it doesn't know how to handle (and thus, Mazda should consider incorporating this into their software), or is it a tricky situation where Mazda is aware of and just let the computer performs accordingly when it reads braking and throttling at the same time?
