Sliding-door sports car!

Completely agree but mine got even more fun when I removed the back seats altogether. Dropped over 200 pounds but eventually put the passenger side middle seat back in as I drive alone and the car feels more balanced left to right with that weight on the right side.

Corner balance it!
 
Corner balance it!

I know you know, but for the benefit of others - note corner balancing won't affect L/R or Fr/Rr distribution. So while corner balancing can help, it can't accomplish the same thing as actually adding or removing mass (the seat in chitownpete's case).
 
I know you know, but for the benefit of others - note corner balancing won't affect L/R or Fr/Rr distribution. So while corner balancing can help, it can't accomplish the same thing as actually adding or removing mass (the seat in chitownpete's case).

That's very true- just mentioned it since he was talking about playing with the balance of the car. I haven't had the 5 on a set of scales yet to see how weird it's weighted from the factory (maybe it's fairly neutral?) but one day I hope to.
 
Wow, I must have hit a nerve...! Thanks for all the feedback on what's becoming my favorite car (and it's a freakin' station-van for God's sake!). Too bad my wife gets to drive it everyday while I'm herding the B2500. But that's another thread on another website, no less.

MazDin for that Sports Van feeling!
 
That's very true- just mentioned it since he was talking about playing with the balance of the car. I haven't had the 5 on a set of scales yet to see how weird it's weighted from the factory (maybe it's fairly neutral?) but one day I hope to.

I think the FR/RR distribution on the 5 shouldn't be too bad, it's2 or 3 hundred lbs heavier than the 3, but most of that weight is in the rear. I bet the FR/RR split isn't much worse than 55/45,if that.

I corner balanced mine :D I keep meaning to scan and post it.

Do it!
 
I think the FR/RR distribution on the 5 shouldn't be too bad, it's2 or 3 hundred lbs heavier than the 3, but most of that weight is in the rear. I bet the FR/RR split isn't much worse than 55/45,if that.

More like 800 pounds heavier... I think the 3 wagon comes in around 2700 pounds curb weight. The Speed 3 is a good bit heavier, but the normal 3 is fairly light.


Sweet. I'll follow up with my alignment in there too.
 
The 2013 3 Hatch starts at 2896lbs for the base MT to 3281 for the Mazdaspeed. The Sedan is 2866lbs for the base MT to 2950lbs for the AT GT.

Curb on the 5 is 3417lbs for a manual and 3457lbs for the AT. So 512lbs at base, quite less than 800lbs heavier :D. The specs are on Mazda's press site.
 
Looks like it shed a bit of weight as the fully loaded 3s GT Hatch is 3002lbs. The base MT sedan is 2781lbs.
 
The 2013 3 Hatch starts at 2896lbs for the base MT to 3281 for the Mazdaspeed. The Sedan is 2866lbs for the base MT to 2950lbs for the AT GT.

Curb on the 5 is 3417lbs for a manual and 3457lbs for the AT. So 512lbs at base, quite less than 800lbs heavier :D. The specs are on Mazda's press site.

I guess the weights got closer for the second gen. I was referring to the gap between the 06-10 5 and the 04-09 3.
 
Who cares? 800 or 500 pounds, it is still much heavier than the 3 which it is based off of. Go drive a second gen 5 and then a 3, the 3's power to weight ratio is better than the 5's by a noticeable amount, and you can definitely feel the difference if you take them both on the same twisty roads and start flinging both of them around.
 
Who cares? 800 or 500 pounds, it is still much heavier than the 3 which it is based off of. Go drive a second gen 5 and then a 3, the 3's power to weight ratio is better than the 5's by a noticeable amount, and you can definitely feel the difference if you take them both on the same twisty roads and start flinging both of them around.

Yeah, but most of us didnt cross shop the 5 vs the 3, we were looking at minivans for families. In that segment the 5 wins the "fun to drive" category hands-down.

I am still fairly impressed Mazda kept a 6 passenger minivan right at 3400lbs.
 
The 5 may be heavier but it's got a near 50/50 weight distribution, which makes the handling feel better. I have a 2012 5 and have driven many 3's and I think the feel of the 5's handling belies the fact that it weights so much more. It also handles better than my lighter CX5.

In Consumer Reports testing the max avoidance-maneuver is the maximum speed indicated at which a vehicle successfully negotiated the course. The Mazda 5 did it at 54 mph and the much lighter 3 did it at 53 mph. A 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 did that same course at 56 mph. The CX5 with the 2.0 did it at 53 mph and the heavier Touring 2.5 at 52.5 mph. These facts should put this in perspective relative to each other.

Keep in mind the Mazdaspeed has performance oriented summer tires and the 5 has all season tires.
 
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Not sure that I totally trust all of Consumer reports testing methods as 100% full proof, besides the driver, the weather, and whole bunch of other factors can change the outcome of the same test on the same track on different days. Especially seeing how CR test vehicles in the same category on the same day, not different vehicles from different categories on the same day. All I know is that I own both a 3 and a 5, and drive both of them on the same routes, and I can push the 3 a lot faster and harder around corners and it stays planted better and just feels more solid and put together in the corners. Granted some of that probably has to do with the 3's lower center of gravity and aerodynamic advantage over the 5. Not saying the 5 is bad, it handles awesome for what it is, but in no way does my 5 stay as calm and cool around turns as my 3 does. I would say the 5 seems a little more unsettled at higher speeds than the 3 in the twisties, but that is expect with a vehicle that weighs more and is taller and less aerodynamic than the 3. And I can promise you that the 5 doesn't have a 50/50 front to rear weight ratio, that is very very difficult to achieve with a FWD car, seeing how engine and transmission placement are a key part of achieving a 50/50 front to rear weight ratio, and having the engine and tranny sitting right under the front wheels ensures that it isn't a 50/50 front to rear weight ratio, 60/40 is probably more like it.
 
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According to Edmunds second generation Mazda 5's weight distribution is 56.9/43.1, first generation Mazda 5's weight distribution is 57/43, and the second generation 3's weight distribution is 60.4/39.6, and the first generation 3 is 61/39. So, yes the 5's weight distribution is nominally better, but it is offset by the fact that it is less aerodynamic and more top heavy compared to the 3.
 
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