The AWD thread

[Moonlighter]

There are other benefits of AWD apart from where snow and ice conditions prevail.

Try towing 3000lbs of boat up a steep slippery boat ramp with FWD and see how you go..... you wont go.

CX5 AWD does it with ease.

 

[Anchorman]

There are other benefits of AWD apart from where snow and ice conditions prevail.

Try towing 3000lbs of boat up a steep slippery boat ramp with FWD and see how you go..... you wont go.

CX5 AWD does it with ease.

Just pure handling if you decide to have some fun is reason enough but I wish I could show members the Road I went over to work at about 03:30. The snow plough driver in his giant Mercedes Benz 4X4 truck tried to turn me back but I didn’t take to his condescending attitude and just carried on.

 

[banjos-n-beer]

My 7 year old and I take donuts very seriously it either does them or it just does snow donuts and we have actually talked about how they can be achieved with fwd but we seem to agree awd or rwd. I tried 'growing up' with my very first fwd(prior to owning any awds) with a TL manual, one year of torque steer and coming closer to wrecking with winter tires than in any of rwds and that was enough! Part of that was inexperience with fwd, but big power at front wheels was no bueno in snow def scarier than it was fun. Couldn't ascend my driveway with much more than a dusting either so it really was a failed experiment

as do i. Frosty's honey glazed is all i need. lol

 

[banjos-n-beer]

Hmm. lets take a trip back to winter 1997/1998. 2 buddies and i rent a house with a long, steep windy driveway.

me: volvo 240 turbo sedan (rwd with studded snows)
buddy 1: Plymouth Sundance (fwd with snows)
buddy 2: Subaru Loyale (awd with all seasons)

that's the winter we had our devastating ice storm. also had several big snow storms. only winter i've ever paid to have my driveway sanded.

long story short, only 1 of us never got stranded at the house. it was the old Subie with awd. there were multiple occasions where 1 driven axle simply wasn't enough to get the momentum needed to get up and out of that driveway. then add in old rough country/backwoods roads for fishing/hunting/camping/hiking trips, slippery wet grass fields, inclines that merge into heavy traffic during heavy rains, etc.

i always find it cute when folks try to tell me awd is a useless gimmick.

 

[7eregrine]

Couldn't ascend my driveway with much more than a dusting either so it really was a failed experiment

I know this feeling. Took me 3 tries with the Volvo on Sunday.

I shouldn't have used the term "donuts". Not trying to really do donuts, just trying to get the ass end to let go. Make it swing around. This is very hard to do on my AWD with Snows. The wheels catch and start doing their job. It's not hard to do in the Volvo.

 

[banjos-n-beer]

I know this feeling. Took me 3 tries with the Volvo on Sunday.

I shouldn't have used the term "donuts". Not trying to really do donuts, just trying to get the ass end to let go. Make it swing around. This is very hard to do on my AWD with Snows. The wheels catch and start doing their job. It's not hard to do in the Volvo.

we usually call it "fish tailing"

its super easy in the QX even with studded snows tires..... being predominantly RWD.

(drive2)

 

[Monterra]

I gotcha 7..but easier in volvo? Thats weird but yeah it helps to be rwd biased because fail wheel drive..hehe sorry but it is my position. Mazda is more fwd bias but you can step the ass out pretty easily hell i did it on dry pavement one time hammering down some nearby switchbacks..

Donuts (of all types) ftw! But if i had to rank them its
Rwd
Rear biased awd
Subie awd
Other awd
glazed
Boston creme
Almost any other edible one
FWD

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Lamars Donuts here in Denver are pretty good. I'm all about donuts!

(rofl)

 

[Dimcorner]

Does the center diff disengage on braking or are they always partially linked?

 

[Pipemajor]

First real test of my 2017 AWD CX-5 GT this week with the OEM 19" Toyo A23s. The Twin Cities got hammered with a single 12.4" snow event which started mid-day Monday this week. I carpool with my wife and we normally take her FWD Camry Hybrid with winter tires on all 4 corners but they warned us this would be a significant 'event' so we took the Mazda.

One they released us early from work we already had 5" on the ground and it was coming down fast and furious. On the way home we encountered multiple motorists getting stuck in the deep snow. Our region is well-equipped with plows and normally they can keep up but the combination of a heavy snowfall and rush hour traffic was a bit much.

Happy to say I drove very cautiously and the Mazda performed superbly. I had no problems starting, stopping or tracking straight. Wiper arms didn't start to ice up until we had already been on the road for an hour so yeah, for me AWD is a very useful feature.

Even if we move back to rainy Seattle what little snow they get and, being a much hilly-er terrain I'd still opt for AWD back there. Here in the frozen tundra of Minnesota it's a no-brainer.

 

[Anchorman]

Does the center diff disengage on braking or are they always partially linked?

Depends on the circumstances. In some cases the VSC will utilise the AWD to control a skid during braking but for the most part, yes, the AWD will disengage during braking.

BTW, you mean the AWD which is the drive clutch to the rear axle. There is no centre diff.

 

[dougal]

First real test of my 2017 AWD CX-5 GT this week with the OEM 19" Toyo A23s. The Twin Cities got hammered with a single 12.4" snow event which started mid-day Monday this week. I carpool with my wife and we normally take her FWD Camry Hybrid with winter tires on all 4 corners but they warned us this would be a significant 'event' so we took the Mazda.

One they released us early from work we already had 5" on the ground and it was coming down fast and furious. On the way home we encountered multiple motorists getting stuck in the deep snow. Our region is well-equipped with plows and normally they can keep up but the combination of a heavy snowfall and rush hour traffic was a bit much.

Happy to say I drove very cautiously and the Mazda performed superbly. I had no problems starting, stopping or tracking straight. Wiper arms didn't start to ice up until we had already been on the road for an hour so yeah, for me AWD is a very useful feature.

Even if we move back to rainy Seattle what little snow they get and, being a much hilly-er terrain I'd still opt for AWD back there. Here in the frozen tundra of Minnesota it's a no-brainer.

Good to hear. Man, it is going to be rough super bowl with all that snow!

 

[raj55]

Just comparing (with my limited experience) the behaviour of (1) BMW E91 rear wheel drive with Nokian HKP nordic winter tyres and (2) Mazda CX-5 with continental nordic winter tyres and AWD in snow and ice. BMW would slide on icy patch but the stability control was very quick and stabilised the car in a very predictable way so that I never felt uncomfortable or unsure and I could just keep driving on. On down ward icy slopes while braking the BMW would heavily use the antilock brakes that shuddered to stop the car and it worked well.
Now I would like to see how the Mazda CX-5 performed in a similar situation so that I am aware of what to expect when it happens. Took the mazda on a similar patch and to my surprise, I can not get it to slide or use anti lock brakes on the same patch and speed as the BMW did. Is that difference due to the superiority of AWD system or the continental winter tyre's grip, I do not know. Looks like I will have to increase the level of challenge for Mazda CX-5!

 

[madar]

Just comparing (with my limited experience) the behaviour of (1) BMW E91 rear wheel drive with Nokian HKP nordic winter tyres and (2) Mazda CX-5 with continental nordic winter tyres and AWD in snow and ice. BMW would slide on icy patch but the stability control was very quick and stabilised the car in a very predictable way so that I never felt uncomfortable or unsure and I could just keep driving on. On down ward icy slopes while braking the BMW would heavily use the antilock brakes that shuddered to stop the car and it worked well.
Now I would like to see how the Mazda CX-5 performed in a similar situation so that I am aware of what to expect when it happens. Took the mazda on a similar patch and to my surprise, I can not get it to slide or use anti lock brakes on the same patch and speed as the BMW did. Is that difference due to the superiority of AWD system or the continental winter tyre's grip, I do not know. Looks like I will have to increase the level of challenge for Mazda CX-5!

I've had the winter Conti's through a few bad storms and have yet to see the ABS kick in. The grip on these tires is fantastic. I feel they are far better than the Blizzaks I had on the last 3 seasons as far as braking and turning go.

 

[yrwei52]

Does the center diff disengage on braking or are they always partially linked?

Theres no center differential on CX-5 AWD, but a clutch pack in rear differential serves the purpose.

 

[Unobtanium]

Got me up my drive-way, even with 3/10ths or so tread on my Crosscontact LX20's. Still on the fence of what to replace with.

 

[madar]

Just drove 25 miles in this Nor'easter that's slamming us on the east coast right now. 50 mile an hour wind gusts, heavy snow coming down, roads are a mess- slippery, icy, snow drifts, and tree limbs coming down blocking my usual route. Had to take a lot of detours. I took this machine through places I never thought about before. I'll always get AWD from here on in, and the snows I have on it made it virtually unstoppable. Argue for FWD all you want. It doesn't compare. Not no how, no way, no where...

 

[Puyapim]

Just drove 25 miles in this Nor'easter that's slamming us on the east coast right now. 50 mile an hour wind gusts, heavy snow coming down, roads are a mess- slippery, icy, snow drifts, and tree limbs coming down blocking my usual route. Had to take a lot of detours. I took this machine through places I never thought about before. I'll always get AWD from here on in, and the snows I have on it made it virtually unstoppable. Argue for FWD all you want. It doesn't compare. Not no how, no way, no where...

Good to hear. Being able to get around when the weather is sloppy is a testament to the car and the system.

 

[RepeatMazda]

Got me up my drive-way, even with 3/10ths or so tread on my Crosscontact LX20's. Still on the fence of what to replace with.

I'm not a Goodyear fan. But I'll soon be purchasing a set of Assurance WeatherReady, if you haven't considered them, you might want to take a look. There's a difference between the standard Assurance and the WeatherReady, so you have to be specific.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

I'm not a Goodyear fan. But I'll soon be purchasing a set of Assurance WeatherReady, if you haven't considered them, you might want to take a look. There's a difference between the standard Assurance and the WeatherReady, so you have to be specific.

I think he is getting some Nokian WRG3's.