Hi Everyone!

I am new to this forum thing & the Mazda club. I do not own a Mazda yet, but I am considering buying an 08 Mazda 3 i sport this weekend. I have heard on & off that they do horribly in the snow! I do a lot of snowboarding in the winter time & don't want to get stranded. Is this one of those cars that will do ok if I have great all season tires on it? Previously, I owned an 02 Saturn SC2 & it did fine w/ nice all season tires on it & had no problems getting to the mountains in the winter. Any help you guys can give me would be great!

Thanks!

Welcome

it shouls be about the same as the sc2. the speed3's are the ones with the problems in the snow because of the turbo kicking in.

Thanks for the help! I figure that most front wheel cars will perform about the same as long as they have good tires on them and are driven cautiously.

tires are key as the ones from the factory blow.

stock tires are SUMMERs.. definite no no in the white stuff.

my MS3 was fine in the snow once I siwtched to snow tyres and shifted before boost really kicked in.

My last car had top of the line all season tires on it (the sc2) & like I said, it did just fine. Can I put similar top of the line all season tires on the 08 Mazda3i Sport & be ok or do I HAVE to get snow tires to survive the winter?

Welcome to the club!

I had an '06 3 hatch before i got my speed and let me tell you, the stock tires that come on any 3 will not do you any good in snow. They may be labeled as an "all season" tire, but they really cant help you at all in snow. A true all season may work, but a winter tire would be best. The speed comes standard with summer only performance tires, so last year i picked up a set of winter only tires and i was extremely impressed with its snow "performance" I frequent the mountains a lot myself and a 3 can definitely handle the snow if you have the right tires.

If the top of the line all season's worked on your old car, then they should also work on your 3. Just drive smart and you should be fine.

You guys are the best! I love this club! It's nice to see how everyone takes care of one another.

rbomgaars wrote:You guys are the best! I love this club! It's nice to see how everyone takes care of one another.

Glad we could help!

What dealer are you looking at to pick up a 3?

I have some hookups at Davidson's in Loveland so once I find the one that I want I am going to send my guy from Davidson's to get the car. Anyone have good or bad experiences w/ Champion Mazda at Iron Mountain? I've read some bad reviews about them, but generally, people who are upset always yell the loudest too.

rbomgaars wrote:I have some hookups at Davidson's in Loveland so once I find the one that I want I am going to send my guy from Davidson's to get the car. Anyone have good or bad experiences w/ Champion Mazda at Iron Mountain? I've read some bad reviews about them, but generally, people who are upset always yell the loudest too.

^So true!

I have never heard anything bad, or good about them. Never really even heard of them... lol. Being down south here i don't think about the mountain dealers much. But i'm sure they are good and will take care of you. If not they will have CMZC breathing down their throats. No dealer wants bad PR and we can sure dish it out

If you want we have a few hookups as well with Sill ter-har and Burt Mazda as well as Lakewood Mazda now if you want to keep your options open...

Thanks! I am headed to Davidson's this weekend to see what they can work up for me. If I am not satisfied, I will certainly consider those other hookups! I think it is prime time for buying right now with the market the way it is. Thanks again everyone!

What colors ya lookin at?

Also have a website for them?