Brakes. Interested in better, stronger, lighter brakes for a 2016.5 CX-5 GT. Looking for options to consider.

Picked up a nearly 5yr old CX-5 Grand Touring, a few months ago. Within a year or so I'll likely be needing to do the brakes. Am considering the CorkSport big brake kit for the fronts. (4-piston calipers, larger slotted vented rotors, braided hoses, 7lbs weight savings per corner.) Uncertain about the rears.

Any suggestions on "better" brakes for the CX-5? Any other brands that have suitable "big" brake options for this car? Any direct experience with any of them? Caveats and considerations?

 

Well from what little I know, Cork Sport appears to be the way to go for Mazda,. Powerstop is the other choice, and Brembo does not make caliper assemblies for the CX5. I have not been easily able to find rears for the CX5. Good luck with the research, and keep us informed.

I have had aluminum caliper 4 pot brakes on a previous Acura, and was able to really use them in highway safety school. I was impressed at their performance after multiple high speed stops. I had driven an older Acura with single piston iron calipers and they were just not the same in pedal feel and stopping power and fade.

I also went through a crazy and bought some BBS wheels and saved almost 100lbs unsprung weight between the BBS wheels and swapping out the hugely heavy Michelin run flats. What a difference! So saving 25 lbs should be noticeable.

 

I'm familiar with the CorkSport units (front only), and I have infrequently seen people with Mazda have other brands of brakes on their cars. Looked at Brembo and Wilwood recently, and there's something called "KSport" on carid, and a few others. The only ones with brand recognition I'm aware of are CorkSport, Brembo and Wilwood. Saw the PowerStop units, but I've never personally heard from anyone (on any vehicle) who'd installed their "big brake" kit.

Hopefully more folks will post, here, with their own personal experiences with BBKs for the Mazdas.

Could easily go with the CorkSport fronts (calipers, rotors, pads, stainless lines) and factory rears. Next brake job is going to involve at least a rebuild of the calipers, new rotors, pads and fluid, and installing new lines. Makes sense to go BBK at that time, if the "right" kit comes along.

 

Right at the moment the CorkSport seems to be the best bang for the buck if you want light and increased braking. Other wise simply changing your pad compound adding telex or braided stainless steel brake lines all around and high quality brake fluid and naturally a better tread design tire andlighter wheelswill likely get you the same feel for all but competition Tracking any MAZDA. Then investing in a class or to to learn to sport drive your MAZDA will have a greater and longer lasting effect. I engineer and design BBK for another platform and even at my cost and time the price point from Corksport was pretty good so Thats is for now what I have. Later I will engineer and design a BBK for the rear only for the aesthetic of a balanced look not for increased braking . The brake bias is a bitch to adjust on newer vehicle's from 2002 and newer.
BTW for at least my Model MAZDA CorkSport did not off a drilled and slotted rotor only slotted buy as a matter of personal preference of looks I like drilled and slotted. So I drilled my CorkSport Rotor to match the rears which will be OE replacement StopTech drilled and slotted rotor.

 

Did that years ago.

As you say, it can impart quite a bit of improved feel for and knowledge of the car's dynamics and how to use it to best advantage. In my case, it was for greatly increasing the safety margins, given the nasty mountainous roads where I once lived. Those lessons with decent "performance" instructors in the jump seat helped tremendously. Costs a bit for the training, and for covering "harsh" tire wear that such driving can inflict, but IMO it's worth it.

That's the one thing I'm uncertain about. Though, to be fair, on the CX-5 I don't worry quite so much. Would love to dial-in the brake bias to be "right" for my sort of driving on the roads I contend with, but I suspect it won't matter all that much.

 

I live in Northern CA at the bottom of the Sierra Mountains and have a vast amount of twistiness within 30 minutes to a couple hours from my house. Suspension tires and better tires wins over even "TRACK" brakes.
Brake bias is more important with ABS and computer controlled braking system. It is very hard to do and usually means modifying the hydraulic with manual adjusters and if lucky to access the ECU/ABS cells and do some calibration changes. Other wise one needs to be very careful about how large a diameter rear rotor to increase. You might end up with no rear braking if you do not know what you are doing.

Glad to read that someone actually did performance driving school! I think over the years I may have taken about 6-8 both for racing and also for a security service business I once had. At Laguna Seca (aka Mazda Raceway and now Weathertech Raceway) a Track class I took the instructor let me use a built Track car and he raced against me and in front of the other students in the class with his totally stock from the factory even the factory tires car. I slid all over the track and he pulled almost 30 seconds on me. LOL He made his point, driving is 70% ability and 30% car!

 

Been on nearly all of those roads, in the region, at one time or another. Many of them, many dozens of times. Mostly, north of Yosemite in the Sierras, and north of the Napa area in the northern-most half dozen counties, along with the southern 100mi of Oregon. Funny what living 25+ years in an area of the country can do. Loved every moment, on the windy roads of the most northern California counties and southern Oregon.

Have done performance driving schools at Laguna Seca and Thunder Hill, and have done "track" days at several different tracks. Tires + Suspension alterations done judiciously can make a world of difference but, as you point out, driving skills are most of it.

 

We may have crossed paths or Track day events at one time? I lived in Vallejo for 8 years, Santa Cruz for 13 and Sacramento valley area's for almost a accumulated 25+ years. We still frequent the drive from Rocklin to Gold Beach at least 4 times a year in the MINI, PT Cruiser or MAZDA .

 

Yeah, very possibly.

I've probably driven every paved track and road in the area between Coos Bay and Alturas, Truckee and Petaluma. Along with the coast and all its coast-to-inland offshoots from Morro Bay up to the Columbia River. Along with a handful of roads that were more gravel than paved. Basically, if it could be called a "motorcycle road" or "Miata road" then I was looking for it.

Been down around the Monterey and Santa Cruz area a few times, mostly for visits to the Historic Races, the Concours and the driving schools at Laguna Seca. Was at a half dozen of the races, mostly in the 1990s, though I did see the 2003 Bugatti Grand Prix (at the Historics), along with the 2001 Historics (featuring Bentley). Was at one where Ferrari was the marque that year, 1994 IIRC. One with Lotus as the featured marque (1995, I think.) And one with Alfa-Romeo as the featured marque (1985, IIRC). Of course, heading both to and from involved a couple weeks of hunting down every "twisty" along the way.