Mazda evolved i-ACTIV AWD real world examples.

I've been talking about making this video off and on and had some time to put it together. The evolved version of i-ACTIV has some neat tricks up its sleeve to help with torque distribution. In the beginning half I explain how the system works, the second half is me showing real world videos of how active the AWD really is.
#awd #mazda #mazda3 #mazda3turbo #mazdacx30 #mazdacx50

[@EazybakeEvan]

niche type video for the hardcore mazda owners. thanks for this.

[@TomZ23]

Great Video! I had no idea there was activity at the rear wheels quite often. I figured cruising along it would be all front drive. This gives me an appreciation for Mazda's engineering in my car. Thank you.

[@21mazda3turbo3]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lowstandar]

Excellent video! Answered all of my questions. Thank you.

[@button-puncher]

Thanks for another great video. It'd be fun to wire an ammeter inline so you would watch it work.

[@jaynuck]

Thanks for this. Great video.

[@21mazda3turbo3]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Era-ie9xt]

Great video! Have to agree the ones who seem to have diff noise or it failing are often drifting in snow etc or launching on semi dry/wet/snowy roads. I have a 21 3 turbo running JB4 MAP 2 +4psi and the cars finally got the power it needs.

[@ion123456]

Except there are multiple tsbs over the years for transmission and rear carrier problems. Cx5 has had tsb'd drive train problems every year since it debuted.

[@Era-ie9xt]

@ion123456 Just did some looking you're definitely correct about CX-5, Thankfully the mazda 3 (2021 is what I looked into) seems to have people complain of whine noise from Diff which is more often than not a misdiagnosis and is a wheel bearing, thankfully.

[@accelized3599]

I had very little knowledge about this :o does that mean the system will break when drifting too often in the snow with a mazda 3 AWD? Got any idea on how expensive the repairs could be?

[@ginog5037]

Great video! With this front/rear ratio difference, how important is tire tread matching?

[@21mazda3turbo3]

Tire tread matching is very important as their is slip built into the system. Mismatch will just cause it to be worse.

[@4x4.tests.on.rollers]

Very nice video 👍 What is the max current for the clutch pack? I am wondering if those 60 mA results in any serious torque sent to the back or is it rather "ready" state. According to Dave Coleman, this evolution of i-Activ AWD should open the clutch-pack entirely in normal conditions, different ratios are used only to eliminate the backlash of the system so there's no need for stand-by state. But it looks like the stand-by current is still there...

[@21mazda3turbo3]

I have some engineering documents from Mazda that are counter to some of the things being said in some of the interviews. They're a little coy about the gear ratio difference, but it does equate to the rear being able to take a higher torque split than the front when needed and not just for backlash. The 60ma would indicate that it is not a lot of torque being transferred and is a "ready" state but i have seen. ~1Amp is the highest I've seen. Where it gets tricky is with the right tools, you can watch what the commanded rear axle torque is, and it doesn't always line up. For example, I've had 1amp equate to 360 lb ft of rear axle torque, and I've had it equate to 300. I was working on trying to build a scale of what voltage=torque distribution, but it's a bit all over and without actually seeing the maps I don't know for sure what weighted data it's using to calculate the amount.

[@4x4.tests.on.rollers]

@@21mazda3turbo3 Interesting, that suggests that they are using the same torque trickery as Toyota in GR Yaris and GR Corolla, although they deny it in interviews. They even have bigger ratio difference than Toyota (1.1% vs 0.7%). How many plates are there in ITCC, is it standard or extended like in GR? 1 amp is quite low value, these electromagnetic clutch-packs usually have about 3 amps, that's also what Coleman was saying about previous gen of i-ACTIV AWD.

[@21mazda3turbo3]

@4x4.tests.on.rollers I hadn't reviewed my logs for some time and went back to look. I was mistaken, and I have seen closer to 3 amps during some heavy acceleration and corner exits. I believe the ITCC is the 7 plate vs. the GR 12 plate l. I have a couple of sources that will send me one once one becomes available, and I can open it up and physically check. I have noticed about Mazda over the years they like to really understate what some of the technology does for whatever reason. When you're really playing with the car in the twisties, you can feel the rear end push, and you can get power oversteer in wet conditions. They hate talking about torque vectoring, but you can watch the brake system nibble on the brake calipers going into a corner like a traditional brake based vectoring system above and beyond what G-Vectoring does.

[@4x4.tests.on.rollers]

@@21mazda3turbo3 I am following what Mazda is doing with i-ACTIV AWD for some years, I've been doing some test drives with previous generation of CX-5, stand-by current was much higher there (over 200 mA if I remember well) but the system was quite lazy in terms of torque split changes. In your video it is much more active, more similar to Nissan's All Mode 4x4-i (Renault, Dacia) or Mitsubishi's AWC, a little bit less active than Suzuki's All Grip Select. The difference I noticed is the overheat threshold, Mazda system shuts down the clutch-pack much earlier (however those brands do not use ITCC but EMCD from GKN Driveline). Thanks for very nice info, do more videos about it, maybe some driving with wider live data from the system 👍

[@jayphill532]

Is this any different on CX-90? Thanks for the video!

[@zero7523]

this is just the video I needed! thanks

[@21mazda3turbo3]

No problem!!

[@accelized3599]

Thanks for the explanation! So does that mean drifting in the mud with these cars will make the rear differential wear too fast? Is it like replacing the coupling every time?

[@21mazda3turbo3]

It won't necessarily hurt the coupling but it is very hard on the differential itself to do that.

[@bravosierra2010]

Which scan tool are you using?

[@michaelpuig2394]

So what are the limits of tire circumference? Say you have 25,000 on the original set and you damage a tire an replace with a new one, will it work? Or do you need to buy 2 or 4 tires?

[@21mazda3turbo3]

If you have more than 2/32 wear between the tires I would not risk it and would replace the full set.

[@wolf2600]

@@21mazda3turbo3 Or ask the tire shop to shave down the tread from the new tire to match the other 3.

[@axejmoonstorm]

any cx-3 insights?

[@anthonydigiorgio9240]

Regarding the whine I’m lost as my car has the whine new Mazda authorized a new diff and that one wined almost immediately only after 200kms and only does it around 121-129km/h anything below it above it’s quiet and since we’ll both diffs we’re new I didn’t abuse them

[@RenegadeFighter9018]

I noticed my 22 awd 3 does whine a little from 90km to like 98km. Never beat it on it too! Some people posted videos where it's unbearably loud. Mine is only noticeable if there's no noise in the cabine. Hearing people like you saying that their new diff whine almost immediately or is louder than their old one makes me not want to change mine... good thing i still got like 4 years of warranty if it end up breaking.

[@r06mmgt]

Uff

[@Gopher31]

Is this also true of the Cx-60 with its longitudinally mounted engine?

[@21mazda3turbo3]

The new FR large platform is rear bias but does use a ratio mismatch between the front and rear to effect quick torque transfer. It uses an electronic clutch inside the transfer case that pulls the torque forward.

[@isaacvizuete-avila1536]

Is it better to launch the mazda 3 turbo with traction control on or off?

[@21mazda3turbo3]

When I am launching to check acceleration times my best have been done with traction off, sport mode on, brake torquing to around 2500rpm and using the paddles to shift.

[@caitengsta]

How does this system differ from the ones in the CX-5 and CX-9?

[@21mazda3turbo3]

There are two big differences. 1st, there is not a gear ratio difference between the transfer and the rear differential. 2nd, the programming is quite a bit different. The basic layout and component design are very similar.

[@alekara9564]

Good day!Do you have a video for cx5 system explained? Thank you ​@@21mazda3turbo3

[@NawfalHasan]

On a normal straight road (default case) what's the torque split? I assume full load is given solely to rear wheels?

[@NoFear4XJs]

He left out the most important detail, do the rear wheels have torque applied to each wheel or is it a stupid open axle design ? I`ve seen the (2019-2020) Mazda 3 HB AWD ( Non-iacvtive) get stuck on the roller test when both front wheels on rollers and only one rear wheel on the roller leaving one on the ground for traction and it was stuck he had to be pushed off the rollers... Did`nt make a difference if TC was on or off he tried both.

[@21mazda3turbo3]

It is an open differential that uses the brakes to do an amount of torque vectoring left to right.