Proud new MS3 owner and new to Colorado

Integraautox · Postby **Integraautox** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:14

Oh and I ended up buying the car from Burt Mazda. It was a pretty good experience with them however I did deal with the typical back and forth price differences but it all worked out in the end. I would definitly recommend them to anyone else. As far as there prices go, they were very fair and willing to work with me and I walked out of there feeling like I got an awesome deal.

bmwzoom · Postby **bmwzoom** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:14

Everyone here will tell you to go to Eclipse Tinting with Eric (OCD). Great work! Send him a PM to inquire more info.

As for the mods go, I just use a dealership that is mod friendly (only if Dave- 4doord can't fix it). In other words, they would rather work with you and help you out that tattle-tale (so to speak). On the other hand, it can be a pain having to return to stock, depending on how many mods you have. I am sure the guys will chime in with more advice on this too

dommo_g · Postby **dommo_g** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:14

Blizzaks are overrated if you ask me. By overrated, I don't mean they're not a good tire, because they are. I just think their reputation has taken a life of its own and allows them to demand a pretty high price. But for the money to performance ratio, I would look into the Hankook i-Pikes. And I think you have the right idea of getting a separate set of cheap steelies to mount tires on. The smaller the rim size, the better. If you don't have access to a tire mounting machine, or a buddy who can hook you up, the cost of the steelies will make up for itself in saved mount/dismount costs and more expensive 18" snow tires.

I drove my Neon 2 winters with heavy snow on the i-Pikes. I don't see how snow tires could really get any better than how they performed.

bobopud · Postby **bobopud** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:14

Hit up OCD, Eric, on these forums. He runs a tint shop up north and has a good deal for all CMZC members.

GR-8 · Postby **GR-8** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:14

Shit OCD (Eric) has great deals even if your not a member. The best prices I've seen anywhere. it's way worth the drive from Denver. About 15 min on a good day with no traffic.

MSP SuperStreet · Postby **MSP SuperStreet** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:14

Welcome. to the Forum..... and to Rocky Mountain Winters.
I think you're going to have to clear out a corner of your garage to store your winter wheels and tires.

WINGSPD · Postby **WINGSPD** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:14

Integraautox, If the tires on your new Mazda are the Dunlops:huh: :28778cc9:

Bridgestones:D like on my 2008 (RE050 A's), you definitely will need either all seasons or snows. The factory tires are Dangerous in the cold and Ice; especially with the steep torque curve of the Speed's turbo (wheelspeed sensors not withstanding). Last year I bought a set of dedicated Blizzaks on Discount Tire's 16" wheels and they were excellent, but this year I replaced my 18" Dunlops with Goodyear Eagle GT all seasons and they were perfectly acceptable during this last snow and ice storm. If I didn't have the dedicated set, that I will switch over to in mid December, or so, I feel they would probably be fine year round. Eric (Firestoned) a member here, does great window tinting and clear bras. I recommend you get as deep a 3M clearbra as he has available. Mazda 3's are rock chip magnets. EDIT I didn't see all these replys on page 2. I thought Eric's moniker was "Firestoned".

Integraautox · Postby **Integraautox** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:14

Yeah Im hoping to get my window tint done this week and then the next thing is winter wheels/tires. Do you know if 16" wheels will fit over the MS3 brakes? Also do you have to run the TPMS on the wheels or can you just not put them on?
I also just found out I possibly have to make a drive to Arizona to register my car since it's new and purchased out of state. I was told by someone that they have to visually inspect the car for me to register it which I am not excited about. That's going to be 1700 extra miles on the car which I don't want. :mad:

tbot · Postby **tbot** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:14

if you bought the car here and are registering it here, why would you have to have it inspected in arizona? I'm confused.

bmwzoom · Postby **bmwzoom** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:14

I would make several phone calls and talk to people that actually know what they are talking about before making that drive down to AZ. Call the county office for Motor Vehicle records (both where you live now, and where you lived in AZ), they might be a good place to start.

You can drive without your TPMS on your wheels but that light will constantly be lit on your dash, I believe.

Postby **RX-7 Chris** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:14

Welcome

WINGSPD · Postby **WINGSPD** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:14

Not all 16" wheels, steel or aluminum, will fit due to the large size of the front rotors and calipers. If you use the search function of this site, in the tires and wheels section, you will be able to find abundant information regarding specifics that will save you a great deal of time. Good luck. WINGSPD

GGRR · Postby **GGRR** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:14

Integraautox wrote:Yeah Im hoping to get my window tint done this week and then the next thing is winter wheels/tires. Do you know if 16" wheels will fit over the MS3 brakes? Also do you have to run the TPMS on the wheels or can you just not put them on?
I also just found out I possibly have to make a drive to Arizona to register my car since it's new and purchased out of state. I was told by someone that they have to visually inspect the car for me to register it which I am not excited about. That's going to be 1700 extra miles on the car which I don't want.

Most 16" wheels need an offset of about 45mm or greater to fit the MS3. The MB Wheels seven x that Discounttire sells have an offset of 40mm, and they fit.

I drove my MS3 last winter on the stockers. Most of the time it was no problem. Every winter there are a few days that you really need snow tires or at least all season tires if you want to drive.

No you don't need tmps. A light on the dash will blink for a bit then stay solid whenever you start the car. No beeping though.

erod550 · Postby **erod550** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:14

Welcome to the forum. I feel like I got completely ripped off now paying sticker for my 09 MS3 GT, and I didn't even get Sirius with mine. Oh well, I love the car and that's what matters right?

I ran Hankook iPikes on my SRT4 too and they were awesome in the snow. They sucked bad on dry pavement though. Very...floaty I guess would be the word. General Altimax Artics are also good cheap snow tires. I decided to go with performance winter tires this time though so I could actually still have some fun on dry roads which is 90% of the winters here. I got a set of Michelin Primacy Alpins and they have been great so far. Not quite as good in the snow and ice as the iPikes or Altimax Arctics but 100x better on dry pavement. For wheels I went with the 16" Silver Sport Edition F10. It was just over $900 for the set from Tirerack.com. They actually look pretty good I think, especially compared to the plain black steelies I used to run on my SRT4. Pretty close fit on the front calipers but I have driven them for about 4k miles so far and no rubbing or grinding of any kind, even taking corners fast. Here's a pic of them on the car.

cprtrainer · Postby **cprtrainer** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:14

Integraautox wrote:Yeah Im hoping to get my window tint done this week and then the next thing is winter wheels/tires. Do you know if 16" wheels will fit over the MS3 brakes? Also do you have to run the TPMS on the wheels or can you just not put them on?
I also just found out I possibly have to make a drive to Arizona to register my car since it's new and purchased out of state. I was told by someone that they have to visually inspect the car for me to register it which I am not excited about. That's going to be 1700 extra miles on the car which I don't want.

I moved back here from AZ in 2006. I would register the car here if you plan on being here for close to a year. Our tag prices, although $$ are usually cheaper than AZ. I had a Toyota that I spent 650 for tags before I left for CO- I re-registered it here later that year for about 400.

If you are still maintaining a residence there (and are only here very temporarily), I could see the need for AZ tags. They have some bullshit law that basically states that if you are a resident (the first day you arrive in the state {move there})- you are required to have AZ tags or you could receive some very hefty fines as you are now a "resident". :mad:

Btw: Welcome!!

Proud new MS3 owner and new to Colorado

Snow Tires and Window Tint

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