Mazdaspeed3 Tires

[milehighspeed3]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger for some winter tires. Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero from Tirerack.com Not much left out there to fit the Speed3, hopefully I'll get 3-4 seasons out of them.

[MazdaTom]

Once again, I have a set of OE Mazda Protege 16" alloys in my garage available for a test fit if anyone is interested. You can find cheap Protege wheels all day long on ebay/forums/craigslist.

[Colombia28]

Got my winters on earlier today. Yokohama W Drives in 225/40/18. Cost me $744 installed and all. They are very very good from what i can tell from cruising around tonight with all the snow on the ground. Its my first winter tire so it automatically is very good imo to me in the snow.

[Riverdog]

This is the thread I have been looking for. I purchased a ms3 in may of 2007 and in the first snow storm I realized that this car and those summer tire do not do well in the snow. If there is even the slightest possibility of snow I take the jeep. My question is did snow tires make that big of a difference in the snow. The first time I drove mine in the snow I thought there was something wrong with the car. I had never driven a car that handled so poorly in the snow. I also was interested in dropping into some 17's for cost purposes and gaining a larger side wall. The dealership said going any smaller than 17's was a bad idea. If snow tires makes a big difference then I will make the investment, but if the improvements are minimal, I will stick to the jeep. I need a car that can handle getting me to the mountains for snowboarding in normal colorado winter conditions. I understand that in large accumulations I will have to park it. Oh and I live in the Ranch, who did you go to for winter tires.
Thanks for any advice you can provide.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Colombia28 @ Dec 8 2007, 09:47 PM) [url=index.php?act=findpost&pid=13455]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/url]</div>

Got my winters on earlier today. Yokohama W Drives in 225/40/18. Cost me $744 installed and all. They are very very good from what i can tell from cruising around tonight with all the snow on the ground. Its my first winter tire so it automatically is very good imo to me in the snow.[/b]

[milehighspeed3]

Update: I can really tell the difference with my winter setup, Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero from Tirerack.com. Solid in the snow and ice, still decent on the dry cold pavement. My only complaint is the higher road noise on the highway,but it still isn't horrible. I would recommend them, if you plan on staying with the stock size.

[Colombia28]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Riverdog @ Feb 6 2008, 05:09 PM) [url=index.php?act=findpost&pid=23588]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/url]</div>

This is the thread I have been looking for. I purchased a ms3 in may of 2007 and in the first snow storm I realized that this car and those summer tire do not do well in the snow. If there is even the slightest possibility of snow I take the jeep. My question is did snow tires make that big of a difference in the snow. The first time I drove mine in the snow I thought there was something wrong with the car. I had never driven a car that handled so poorly in the snow. I also was interested in dropping into some 17's for cost purposes and gaining a larger side wall. The dealership said going any smaller than 17's was a bad idea. If snow tires makes a big difference then I will make the investment, but if the improvements are minimal, I will stick to the jeep. I need a car that can handle getting me to the mountains for snowboarding in normal colorado winter conditions. I understand that in large accumulations I will have to park it. Oh and I live in the Ranch, who did you go to for winter tires.
Thanks for any advice you can provide.[/b]

Sweet glad we could help. The difference between the stock potanza's and the winter tires i have can not be measured, the difference is massive and that can said for "all season" tires as well imo. My old 3 came with the eagle RS-A's and even those which are labeled "all season" pale in comparison to true winter tires. The Yokohama W Drives that i got are just simply amazing in the snow! Stopping and maneuvering are terrific; acceleration on the other hand is just as you would expect from a FWD, cant give it much gas... BUT thats just accelerating, not getting moving; starting from a stop with the winters is no problem what so ever.

I got my winters from Discount Tire on McArthur and Wildcat Reserve (shopping center where the King Soopers and Shell are). Winter tires are worth the money if you are like myself where the MS3 is my only car, but if you have access to a Jeep anytime you need to go somewhere then it may not be worth the arm and leg pricing for an 18" winter tire. Though if you do choose not to get winters, maybe a semi-decent all season wouldn't be a bad idea on the MS3 if you are ever worried about getting caught in the snow.

I drove the MS3 to Winter Park a few weeks back when it was snowing and semi blizzard conditions on the way back and the MS3 with the W Drives did exceptional.

Ps. Riverdog sign in so you can have "full" access to the boards. I promise we don't bite