MS3 in the snow!
 

Any of you spent a real snowy winter with your MS3. You know, the snow storms, black ice -20 celcius? The MS3 is well planted in the rain, I can't wait to have fun in the snow.

All that torque must be something in start-ups at red lights.

Can't wait to hit the hills!

We had a pretty mean winter last year in VT. I have a pair of Michelin Icex2 s and they kick ass. Yes the power is overwhelming at times but with a good pair of snow tires you will be fine.

I was amazed at how well it did in some storms. Traction control helps.

I love driving in the snow, I'm always sideways. Good tires are a must for any car. A lot of people try to save money buy getting crappy tires, tires are the most important part. You can have the best brakes in the world but if your tires sucks well you won't stop.

Is your MS3 lowered?

I love my MS3 in the snow! I have the x ice2 as well and they are amazing!

I'll post pictures at our first snow on the MS3 and the Mazda2. It will be the first winter at our new house. We're moving in this February. The deal was the house first, next modding the cars....now where's me AP??? Oh yeah, after the move :09:

I just looked at my snowboard equipment at my boots are toast, one of the bindings is broken and my snowpants are ripped.....well more spending on the way!

Nice thread!

I won't be getting a beater, the MS3 seems like a good choice for my DD use. I'll drive that little beast until it dies.

do you all get all four snow tires or just two up front?

All 4, if you put snow in the front you will oversteer all the time and it will be dangerous. You will never have control of the car, it will be like the rear would be on ice all the time.

If you put 2 snow tires at the rear well you won't steer and this is understeer. It's important to match all 4 tires too for even traction.

So save your life and car and get 4 of the same tires.

2 good tires in front = bad idea. I have totaled one car and it was because I figured since I had fwd I would bs better off w my good tires up front, but on wet pavement, if u fuck up u spinja!

i went all winter last year on potenzas, everyday in every bit of snow we got. never got stuck, never lost control. i was always powersliding through my neighborhood like it was nobodies business

Drifting on the streets all the time even when you don't want to.

Your life is worth more than 2 more snow tires. Hell, keeping your car in one piece is worth more than 2 snow tires.

Buy 4 good snowtires, stay alive and have fun in the snow....

I love driving in the snow, I used to do winter autocross with my old ZX3. What a blast that was.

Potenzas are a good tire, the oem Dunlop just sucks. I wouldn't want to see snow with these POS. I drove a few months in the snow with Toyo T1R on the ZX3 and it was a hand full but it makes you a better driver.

I lost control twice at 20mph. Almost hit a curb and a guardrail. That was last winter on hankook v12s. I hate this car in the snow. I could picture it being acceptable with snow tires but not fun really.

hell, snowtires makes a big difference. Hankook v12 in the snow, I hard a hard time with my ZX3 with summer tires on. With the right tire this car will be fun, snow tires is the law here for a good reason.

I had my speed all last winter up here in MN and we had it pretty rough. Records for snow fall and low temps were set and the car handled everything just fine. There was only one or two days that I got stuck, but that was because the snow was a couple of inches over my floor boards. With good snow tires (mine are 17" hankooks) the speed does just fine as long as the snow is not too deep. Plenty of control and traction.

if you can only get 2, put them in the rear

Last year I went all out on my snowboard gear.. but neglected new boots to replace my mangled pair. Almost rolled my ankle because it was so loose lol.

Aside from that, last year I had a Civic Si with snow tires in the snow. Got stuck in 2 feet of snow because I had to pull over to pee.. my bad? Will be fun this year going boarding with my MS3!

Driving any car with "Maximum Summer Perfomance Tires" in the snow is like shooting yourself in the foot and blaming someone else. Try snow tires and you'll never question yourself ever. Sometimes it will create a god complex and you push too hard. (I'm guilty of that)

Agree with above. With decent tires, the MS3 is fine in snow.

It doesn't snow much or get real cold in the DC area, so I managed to get by for an entire winter on my OEM summer tires. First snow of the second winter, tho, and I couldn't pull away from a stop. Got Pirelli Pzer Nero M+S tires, and have made it through two more winters without problems.

Even made it through the foot of heavy, wet, slippery slush we had on the ground during my 10-hour commute home during Snowmageddon in 2010. Was worried that I would have issues w/o AWD, but no. It was the BMW 3's that were all spinning out that day...Seriously, must've seen a half-dozen spinning helplessly on the 1% grades of the GW Pkwy. Probably still had their summers on...

even though i dont have bad winters in charlotte, ill probably grab some ms6 rims or some cheap rims off of discount tire and throw some blizzaks or something on there. ill do my searching around late october

I just orderd my blizzaks because last year they were sold out by Nov for the 18's.

If anyone wants to get some in the PA/NJ area let me know. My buddy works for firestone and gets GREAT prices. Nows the time to get them before they sell out!

what size works good for stock ride height? do you guys keep the stock tire size or up it to 235?

205-215 is ideal.

Narrow width for snow/icy conditions.

I lived in Deutchland for almost 5 years and found out the hard way. They say snow tires or GTFO!

maybe your genpu smile will eat the snow

oh yeah definitely

I have a set of 215 Blizzaks on a winter setup and the car handled like a champ last winter through some of the worst snow we have had for a while in No IL.

My first car was a 1979 Z28, back then snowtires were not used. It was a beast and almost dangerous at all time. But I had a blast, until I killed the engine while doing donuts in a parking lot. The next car was a Hyundai Pony......slow ass car but rear drive and that was a fun car too in the snow. Felt like a nimble tanks, nothing like a rear drive shit box to explore your first winter.

To any one that fear winter driving:
Put on snowtires,
Find a clear, snowy parking lot,
Go there and explore the limits, e-brake to induce oversteer and enjoy.

Everything goes well with practice....

Found these!
Michelin X-Ice Xi2

I found my tires!!!!

Thank God.

2 years ago I drove my Rx8 with some toyo proxes 4's....that shit sucked lol I never got stuck, but growing up in the rockies you better plan ahead when you drive. I leave before the plows are generally out, so things can get pretty hairy on the way to work. The studded snows were much better, and I plan to just move em over to the speed and mob it all winter!

Number one rule in the winter is to be smooth. No jerky motions, jack rabbit starts, stomping the brakes (unless you have to), and all is well.

Currently I live in LA but go up to Mammoth quite a bit during the winter. If I get snow tires how will they handle the ~200 miles on the freeway until I get to the higher areas where the snow sticks? I am assuming they might wear a little quicker but I would rather be planted to the road.

-Nick

^^^^^the only way to keep the car on the road.
This is why there's so many Fins that are great rally drives, 7 months of snow driving. If you are quick and precise in the snow you will kill on tarmac.

Find a snow rally-cross solo2, and have fun.

They will be squishy feeling and slow to respond, but they will do you fine for normal driving. I would recommend you feel them out a bit though... as they won't be near as solid as performance tires. I would bet that they won't wear out any faster than my stock dunflops though. Keep in mind that a set of performance tires are very soft also, and that you have quite a bit more rubber to wear off with a set of snows.

A snow rally x would be alot of fun, I know that here in idaho they do some rally x, but I am not sure if they run in the snow at all.

2k4_8 thanks for the reply I am going to keep my eyes peeled for a used set of winters. If not I will probably pick up a set before Dec. Mammoth opening day is right around the corner.

-Nick

I ponied up and bought nice snow tires.. the car is a tank in the snow.. just watch out for ice chunks if you're low...

If you can afford 22k+ for this car... you can afford less than 1k for snow tires.

My thoughts exactly. Its stupid to run the stock tires in winter. You deserve to hit something if you do.

i'm lowered and run a set of 16" snows on steelies that i picked up for $200.

1k for snow tires? lolol

In Canada, our stuff is always more expensive.

17" steelies with a GOOD set of winters will run you between $800-$1,000, espicially including the 13% tax we pay for everything.

you do realize that those are called SUMMER tires for a reason. Your not really supposed to drive with them in under 40deg. weather, let alone snow.

I have on street parking and when we had 16" of snow last winter, it still didnt keep me from plowing into any unplowed. parking space i wanted. Winetr tires were the main reason, but another factor is the LSD. without that you only have one drive wheel when iut comes down to it.

I ran Hankook W409s on 16" steelies last winter. One of my best purchases to date for anything. TC kicked in maybe 3x total, and only when the roads were slick as hell and I'm starting from a stop - very confident handling on the highway and around town. I wouldnt push these to speeds higher than 80mph...I bought them for winter traction, not winter performance driving.

If you're driving around with SP tires in winter, do yourself a favor and go buy real winter rubber. It's not so much the tread pattern as it is the rubber compound not freezing up as hard as a rock in cold temps.

Been following this thread so instead of creating another I figured I'd put it here.

Daily driver in Chicago where the salt is usually deeper than the snow. Have a set of Sunny SN3800's on the car (came with when I bought it) I know these won't get me through the winter and I'm not too happy with their wet traction. Garage parking so I'll be in and out of the alley which tends to ice up since no one shovels. Close to pulling the trigger dedicated winter set from TR or save few bucks get all seasons like Conti DSW's.

Opinions ? STFU and buy the winter set? Try the Conti's for a winter?

First snowfall last year about an inch on the ground I drove down my street, turned into my driveway and slide about 40 feet past it.
I bought some steelies and winters the next day, SO MUCH BETTER

The problem with all seasons is that they have to remain pliable enough in cold temperatures, but not too sticky when it gets warmer. No matter the tread pattern or high tech rubber compounds, a compromise is a compromise... you're getting basically half-assed performance one way or another.

Also, you may save a few bucks by getting the Continental A/S, but it only takes one accident to throw all of your gains away. Dedicated snow tires are simply better. At first, I wasn't too eager to spend money on winter tires and steelies...but it only took me one winter to realize just what a difference they make. Hell, it took only one snowstorm to convince me that paying more for a good set is better than risking my life and car when the shit is really coming down and you have to get back home from work.

Don't get me wrong - the Conti's are a great all-season tire and I'm not hating.

They simply cannot hold a candle to dedicated winter tires when it's really cold and/or there is more than a dusting on the ground.

On top of that, they are definitely not in the same league as a summer tire when it comes to performance. So, as with any all-season tire, they're OK in most circumstances but definitely not as good as dedicated single-season tires. The DWS tires shine in the wet, but otherwise they had relatively sloppy handling and poor traction when accelerating in snow.

Heh... It's funny to listen to people below the 50th parallel talk about "Winter".

Ive been watching this thread, do most of you that get dedicated winters go to a store like Discount tire or order from TireRack.com? Also, if you buy from TireRack I dont see the cheap 17 steel wheels, i even changed my vehicle to the base Mazda3 5 door and didnt see a listing for the steelies.

just an fyi, they do have a winter package listed at TireRack for the 11 Speed3 but it comes with the 16in steel wheels,.. but it does say it will fit. Start here: http://www.tirerack.com/snow/changeo...mefrom=wtpack& and pick your vehicle and then the preferred package.

I'll be ordering some 18" winter tires (from Tire Rack) to fit my set of winter wheels, then having them installed at a local shop.

You are correct in that Tire Rack does not offer a 17" steel wheel option for our cars.

Not trying to be a dick, but do a search for "winter" or "winter wheel" here to see what others have used. I saw someone using 17" wheels from a 07-09 Fusion that were purchased on the cheap.

Went to a local tire store (Simply Tire, in Toronto), in fact I had them deliver the snow tires (205/60/16 92T) on 16" steelies and had the dealership swap out the OEM tires for the winter package before I even picked the car up.

NP, I've looked through a couple threads and even looked on ebay and craigs list, I found a few rims near my location but the offset was a little off so i didn't want to buy em. I was hoping to grab some 17in steelies as i've read they work well even though the 16in will fit (from what i've read in a couple threads) but are very close to the front calipers.

Spent all last winter in Wyoming with stock tires. I know how to drive...so I never had a problem...hmm

Anti-Lock brakes work wonders in a foot of snow.

To Jonlax: Hello there,

My name is Quinn and just recently bought a 2012ms3 and joined this forum (I.e. why I can't just pm you). I'm definitely going to need 4 snow tires since I live right on the ny/nj border and know how harsh winters can be up here. You said you could get a good deal on some winter tires from firestone? That would be awesome..if you could give me some details and what I could do to sweeten the deal for you for helping me out that'd be great. Thanks again,

Quinn

hello friend. i believe we have a minimum post requirement for pms. so get posting. we actually encourage 'welcome threads' here. and if you like the forum feel free to DONATE so you can enjoy the classifieds here. Worth it 100%

as for snows:
north jersey auto parts classifieds "mazda" - craigslist

craigslist is your friend if you hate buying new tires, like i do...

I already got 16' studded continental winter's. just have to get the steelies, mount em and good to go. should be fun this winter in -30 with ice/snow.....like it always is up here.

I just went out and mounted my setup. Forgot the brand, but they look like the SSR Competitions in black w/ polished lip wrapped with a set of Hankook winter I-pike studded tires. It's the old set off my RX8, but it was the exact same as the stock diameter (w/i 1%). It snowed all day here and we are supposed to get 4-8 inches overnight lol Merry Christmas to me.

I got my ws-60 blizzaks from 1010TIRES.COM® — Tires and Wheels Absolute Authority. . Good price and they're in Ontario, came to $70 less than Tirerack. I'm running my oem 18 as winter rims, I'm buying new wheels/tires next summer.

I live at 7200 ft and steep hills in NM and we can get over 7 ft of snow. I had a MS6 that was good when the Blizzaks were installed, otherwise it would just spin all four. I am considering the MS3 as a 'light' snow car since I have a Rav 4 for deep snow. The Vette with 13" wide race tires is not an option. It is great to hear the FWD with snow tires should handle my situation. Thanks for a great thread.

I've been running X-Ice XI2's for 2 years and I don't like them all that much. They work excellent on black ice and slick patches, but absolutely SUCK in slush (which is the majority of the crap we have on the roads here in the northeast).

I had X-Ice XI2's on the Versa. A Versa has little torque and no balls, and the open diff doesn't help. Those michelins a pure crap and expensive. I looked at all reviews on 1010tires and tirerack.com and most hated them. Deep snow was the killer on them and it's true. I had Blizzaks before and I'll see what the WS-60 will do in the snow.

Speed3-----check
Blizzaks soon to be mounted------check
Changing washer fluids to winter-------check
Snowboard gear--------check
E-brake and sideways fun in the snow-------check!

Tirerack doesnt offer a 16" wheel option for the speeds and will tell you they dont fit.. I ran 16s with snows with no issues.. its a very close fit on the brake calipers but no rubbing.. lemme see if i can dig up a pic..

::Edit::

found one, sorry for the shitty cell phone pic

Tire Rack does at least offer a 16" steel wheel option for the speed 3. On the main page select 'Winter Tire & Wheel Package' then select your vehicle.

I ordered the 16" steelies and 4 x General Arctic Altimax. Waiting another few weeks to put them on, but they look like offroad diggers! If they work in practice anywhere near how they look, I should be good to go for a Northeast winter. Hopefully these won't rub on the front calipers, but I'd guess that Tire Rack has tested this before offering them in the package. I ran the all-seasons last year on my 2010 MZ3 and didn't have too much trouble. Had more issues in the spring with bulging sidewalls after hitting ice mangled pot holes.

I had them mounted and balanced by Tire Rack so they arrived ready to go. Very convenient.

Those General Altimax are amazing snow tires. I ran them on the old lady's Jetta last winter. I took her out for a drive during the first blizzard up and down the two hills near our place. Car was rock solid in the snow and also really good in the slush due to the deep tread and directional pattern.

They are obviously softer than A/S, but even on the highway they were okay up until 72-73mph when the car would start to float a little.

That being said I am going to try a set of 16" Continental ExtremeWinters for my Speed.

Really, last winter they didn't offer anything in 16s so I went through a local shop- which I am glad I did, they hooked me up for ordering through them and not online.. good to know you can order them from tire rack now though! I stand corrected.

MS3 in the snow!

no winter tires eh?

I got caught in the snow this morning while still on the shitty stock dunlops....it was such a bad experience, TC wouldn't let me go over 10mph after a turn. I thought I had broken an axle or somethin. Looks like I'll be driving my rx7 until I get my winter setup tomorrow after work.

winter tires wouldnt have helped me here, swerved to avoid a tree that was blocking the road and slid into a snow bank. car was fine at the time. and hour and a half later while waiting to be towed out of the snow i was struck by some bitch in a nissan rogue that lost control and seconds later her husband in a prius that was following to closely plowed into the side of her. i was ready to smack-a-bitch

With some of the threads about inner tire wear with our Camber / Toe setup did anyone notice if your Winter Tires showed the same wear pattern?

I'll let you know, I just put mine on last week.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-p...0/IMAG0111.jpg

What psi is everyone running in their winter setups? Same as stock?

About 4 psi above stock. You could probably get away with stock PSI though. It'll be different for everyone depending on how they drive, what type of snow, etc.

Can't go wrong with stock pressure though.

If you dont mind me asking, what setup did you get? Are those 16 steelies from tirerack?

Thanks

yes, (4) 16x6.5" steel wheels from tirerack + (4) 205/60-16 General Altimax Arctics mounted/balanced by tire rack, bought them in fall of 2009 for my wife's 2010 Mazda3S for 615$ shipped.

they have like 25k on them and still have decent tread life left, 5-6/32nds. I actually have a set of Continental ExtremeWinterContacts in the same size on order, but apparently they're estimated out till 12/9/11. I'd be F'd otherwise, since I have to pass over a 2800~FT mountain range every day on the way to work, so I hope the General's last me till December. I will tell you, even with a mild stage 1 setup, my car will melt these tires right off until middle of 3rd gear lol

Did any one have fitment issues with those 16x6.5 steelies? I picked up some and they slightly rubbed the front calipers.


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=61.172259,-149.851415

I am also curious about the above mentioned issue. I found a great basically brand new set of firestone winterforce tires with less than 2,000 miles on them for $350. Size is 205/60R/15 on 16x6.5 steelies.

I am wondering about going from 18" to 16" and its potential to rub on the front caliper.

Also, the seller mentioned that they were coming off an 06 Accord and that the center hub bore was 64 on his Honda and apparently 67 on the '12 MS3.

I called tire rack and they said that they would fit, and I've seen a few members on this board with the same winter setup, but for some reason I still have concerns..

Does anyone have any advice on these issues? He is looking to move the tires as early as this evening so if anyone has any input or experience I'd be forever grateful. Thanks.

I will go look at mine today, but when I put them on and rotated them, they didn't rub at all... like I said I bought these for a 2010 MZ3, so maybe the offset on the set that @ArcticSpeed3 bought was slightly different. I think these were +55 but would need to look at my order to confirm.

I picked mines up from a lady on craigslist for $50, they came off of an 06 Mazda Tribute. After I did research both that and my genpu have the same center bore size. But the wheels didn't list what the offset is.

i've got 16" steelies, no rubbing issues. However I do regret putting them on so early as the tires are studded continentals and they absolutely suck on dry pavement, part throttle in any gear is wheel spin ! might actually put the summer's back on for a few days till it snows !

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z...0/IMAG0115.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-J...0/IMAG0116.jpg

hope that helps

What mudflaps are on your car and where did you get them? I need to get a winter setup like that.

Running 16" steelies with snow tires from Tire Rack here as well. No rubbing issues.


Tapadatass

That looks like a tight fit between the rim and the caliper. I'm trying to figure out which way to go, as we have three passes to go over on a regular basis. Snow tires are a must.

I'll be keeping this car for some time so will invest in a decent set to just keep mounted for easy swaps at home, thinking of skipping the tpms sensors as we don't have inspections and I can just deal with the light.

waiting to get my blizzaks onto my new (to me) mazda 6 wheels.

tpms won't work in the 16" steel wheels, you'd have to get a set of mazda oem wheels or some aftermarkets designed for tpms. I doubt a state inspection would fail you... never know though.

the mudflaps are corksports. car is ready to go, just waiting for the white stuff :D

:haha:

other solution is swap your stock wheels on for the inspection, then swap back right after its done... :)

I put some Continental DWS tires on my stock 18s since I have another set of 18s as summer tires. We get a lot more rain than snow here so the DWS tire made the most sense.

Blizzaks WS-60 P225/40r18 installed on OEM wheels, not bad at all.

2 of my Dunlops are dead, toe out killed them. Now all wheels are in spec and I'm ready for the white stuff.

New rims and tires next spring, I'm going for Enkei RPF1 17x 8" and P245/40ZR17 tires.

Can an AP turn off the TPMS so you don't have the warning light?

No.


Tapadatass

I know you can turn it off (as it is a CEL in essence, right?) but it will come back. With AccessTuner it cannot be ignored like an 02 sensor?

No. It's not an OBD-II DTC and is controlled by a independent computer.


Tapadatass

What tires are you running? Every time I went to check out they said that they were out of steelies.

Firestone Winterforce 205/60R-16 on 16x6.5 +42 steelies. Almost dead-on overall height to my stock 215/45R-18's.


Tapadatass

@jkmags, @silvapain
I just checked. and...

as I thought you CAN clear the TMPS light with AP.

I did it not 5 mins ago.

How long it stays off is YTBD

Light starts off blinking... Plug in AP, let it read codes. It sees nothing until it goes SOLID

Hit Clear Codes (under troubleshoot)

There it be

how long does it stay off for though? a day?

That is Yet To Be Determined by myself. Feel free to try it as clearing the code takes under a minute. I'm guessing around 50 miles?


Edit: ten miles for me...
Sent via Tapatalk

just ordered 16" steelies from tirerack with firestone winterforce tires.. No hubcaps.

I have an FX4 for most of the snow driving, but my wifes BMW 330i sucks in the snow.. So on the bad days she takes the truck.

Now I will be all set for the winter...

Mazds 6 wheels with 205 / 50 /17 ws70

Sent via Tapatalk

Just got offered two great deals on two seperate winter tires/rims...but not sure if the size is too different than the stock set-up. Can anyone help??

I tried 16" and they didn't clear the front caliper and I know most people have been getting 205/50/17 or 215/50/17 but I'm trying to save money and buy them slightly used.

Tire sizes are 235/50/17 & 225/50/18. Will these be too wide/ too different than the stock set-up or will either of these work? And if so, which out of the two is the better option?

Thanks for your help, everyone