Things I learnt about our CX-5 last night in the snow

"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
12/29/2015 at 15:22 • Filed to: cx-5, cx5, snow, mazda, zoom-zoom

TCS can be turned off, and it STAYS OFF*

Stability control intervention can be countered with MASS AMOUNTS OF THROTTLE

No one expects a CUV... slid sideways past a cop and he didn’t care

Its all fun and games until someone tells the wife, or hits a tree**

*Up until at least 30mph, which is as fast as I went to get to the Red Box to drop off Furious Seven. Our last two Mazdas turned the TCS back ON above 12MPH. Buzzkills!

** I didn’t hit anything. I just GIS’d “CX-5 snow” and this made me giggle.

DISCUSSION (20)

MossInTheUSA > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 15:31

My wife is the proud new owner of a 2016. Yesterday was our first ice/snow in Grand Rapids. I got to slide it around the neighborhood this morning. Loads of fun.

nerd_racing > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 15:35

I was eyeing up used CX-5’s but as soon as gas prices went down they skyrocketed. I saw one for sale for maybe $1500 below new sticker price and it was a 2013 model. For that price I’d rather have a CX3 in a couple years.

For Sweden > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 15:36

Samauri swords used to cut through trees with a single blow.

How low Nippon has fallen.

The Ghost of Oppo > For Sweden
12/29/2015 at 15:41

That is what happens when you get too big for your britches

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 15:46

Funny enough, one of the guys I work with bought a CX-5 last year and, in the first snow, skidded sideways into a guardrail. They must have a weird “catch” feel to the AWD system.

Takuro Spirit > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
12/29/2015 at 15:52

I didn’t notice anything different from other awd/4wd vehicles I have driven. But this was at low speeds. The first time the stability control kicked in during a slide and killed my fun it was pretty drastic. I’d imagine at high speeds in the snow if you get sideways one way, and aren’t expecting it, it might fling you the other direction if you overcorrect.

I’m not testing that theory.

BigBlock440 > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 16:16

I was driving my mom’s Cherokee last winter or the previous and was messing around getting it sideways. That stability control, if I wasn’t at such low speeds and intentionally messing around (i.e. in an actual unintended slide that the system’s supposed to help), it would have sent me into the trees.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 16:26

I’m so mad, my DSC is like anti-broken. The off button does nothing, and none of the fuses are labeled ABS/DSC. Can’t disable it.

Textured Soy Protein > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
12/29/2015 at 16:28

The CX-5 OEM tire is the Toyo A23 , which sucks in the snow. This is an all-too-common problem on SUVs and CUVs, which becomes even more infuriating when you think about the fact one of the main selling points for SUVs & CUVs is they’re supposed to be good in the snow .

Takuro Spirit > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
12/29/2015 at 16:43

I’ve never owned a car (that I drove the majority of) with it. And the one car that I did have with TCS I mounted the off button on the dash for easy hooning.

Kinja'd!!!

Crown Vics hide the off switch in the glove box, and since mine had a hole in it from a 12v socket, I put it there. Fit nicely.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 16:54

My TCS & ABS were disabled due to a bad wheel hub when I bought the car, so my first winter with it I could get sideways. I replaced the hub over the summer and they came back on again, but now I can’t turn it off. The manual says it should just be a single press of the button, but I’ve tried everything short of tapping out O-F-F in morse code on it to no avail.

mazda616 > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 17:53

My wife’s ‘13 CX-5 is just a FWD model but it’s still great in the snow. My lowered 3 was buried this year, so the CX-5 was our sole source of transportation for weeks.

I went and bought my truck to drive in the snow, and thanks to El Niño, we have none and probably won’t get any snow at all this winter. Oh well.

Kinja'd!!!

105 HP of fury > The Ghost of Oppo
12/29/2015 at 21:28

You mean too big for your birches.

The Ghost of Oppo > 105 HP of fury
12/29/2015 at 22:52

[insert obligatory applause gifs here]

shop-teacher > Takuro Spirit
12/29/2015 at 23:47

Do you know if there are any cheap/steel wheels that will fit a CX-5? I’d love to put a set of winter tires on my wife’s AWD one, but can’t stomach the cost of an additional set of 19” alloys on top of another set of tires.

Takuro Spirit > shop-teacher
12/30/2015 at 10:48

Cheapest I found are the factory Mazda 17” steelies that come on the Canadian market version, but can be ordered by US dealers.

If I recall they were around $150 each.

shop-teacher > Takuro Spirit
12/30/2015 at 18:35

Definitely cheaper, but still over a thousand dollar but to crack. I don't think my wife drives enough to justify it. Thanks for the info!

Takuro Spirit > shop-teacher
12/30/2015 at 19:26

No problem. I want to see this spring if the 16’s on my 3 will fit. All sources so far say no.

shop-teacher > Takuro Spirit
12/30/2015 at 19:34

Cool! Be sure to let us know how it goes. I think the CX-5 is the unofficial CUV of Oppo.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Takuro Spirit
01/03/2016 at 19:20

You got me. Glad you had fun and stayed out of the woods.