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.


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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.