Here are some photos of our modified Mazda CX-5. It has been mostly modified with Autoexe parts (listed below)


This is with the older wheels on the car (Weds Leonis Navia 04). This is also before we installed the side visors.

• Weds Leonis Navia 06 Wheels, 18x8.0 +42 (Matte Black Polish)
• Autoexe street sports suspension Kit (very mild drop)
• Autoexe adjustable stabilizer links (front and rear)
• Autoexe sports stabilizer (sway bars, front and rear)
• Autoexe sports tie rod (pending install)
• Autoexe front strut tower bar
• Autoexe rear lower arm bar
• Autoexe sports induction box
• Autoexe premium tail muffler
• Autoexe Sports Side Visor

In Japan, many companies offer parts for the CX-5, CX-3, and CX-30 (and also for the CX-8). The reason is due to the fact that the amount of older car enthusiasts who now have a family but yet want to still go and modify something is quite large. We have enjoyed the CX-5 even in its stock form but we like it even more after the modifications.

Here's pics of the parts installed:

Autoexe sports sus kit

Autoexe sus kit again (front)

Autoexe Sports sus kit rear

rear sway bar

lower arm bar. This car is FWD

Autoexe premium tail muffler. Not a catback so the factory midpipe was re-used.

Front strut tower bar


Sports induction box

Autoexe front end link

Autoexe rear end link (sorry for the poor resolution)

Autoexe Visors

Autoexe visors again

Will post part comparisons v.s. stock right below.

 

stock strut and spring v.s. Autoexe sport sus. The stock suspsneison parts had around 55k miles in this photo.

Stock spring and damper vs Autoexe sport sus kit. This is also at around 55k~ miles

Autoexe premium tail muffler vs factory (pulled off at 50k~ miles)

Autoexe end link (front) v.s. stock front link at 61,000 miles

Autoexe rear link vs factory rear link (pulled off at 61k~ miles. This is prior to us adjusting the link length

 

So what are you trying to achieve with the new suspension parts, and did you achieve your goal? Can you compare handling of your car with the original parts vs to the new parts?

I'm not a motorhead or performance driver, but the suspension in my 2021 CX-5 GT seems just fine to me for everyday driving, both around town and on the road. What am I missing?

MiltB

 

For our car, the suspension had degraded in performance significantly since we bought it. The car has 61k miles on it and it steadily goes up steadily as the car is driven on a daily basis.

Most people don't replace suspension parts like dampers or bushings, and over time these parts will wear and the car may feel "sloppy" or "worn out" when compared to when the car was first bought. When compared to the old, worn dampers, the Autoexe sports sus kit is a major difference compared to stock. We have a good amount of canyon roads in Southern California, and the difference in spirited driving is very noticeable. Our next goal is to replace some bushings, primarily in the control arms.

The new Autoexe end links are adjustable, so it has a thread so we can adjust the length. Since the car was lowered slightly, the un-adjustable factory end links cause the sway bars to sit at angle due to the new ride height, reducing their effectiveness. By adjusting the length we were able to correct the sway bar angle so it sits correctly.

Since your CX-5 is a 2021, your car still has fresh dampers and bushings. As the miles pile on, you may find it beneficial to swap out some wear parts depending on how long you're planning to keep the car, as it will breathe new life into the car. You don't have to use any aftermarket parts like we did- OEM shocks or OEM replacements will do fine.

 

Thanks for a very good reminder that our excellent CS-5s do need more maintenance than oil and filter changes and repairing/replacing what breaks.

While we're at it, frequent washing and waxing always helps, no matter where you live.

There's nothing like preventive maintenance to keep our rides in like-new condition!

MiltB