Hi all,
Just bought an 08 3 hatchback (S-Auto) barebones. It was the last one on the lot so I got a decent deal (at least I think I did!) but it didn't come with Stability Control and Traction Control. I live in the Mid-Atlantic (Maryland) so we don't get a lot of bad weather, maybe 3-5 days of really bad snow/icy rain during the year. I am an average "family" type of driver but wanted something a little more fun than our other car, a 2007 Matrix. Did I make a mistake in getting a car without these two features? If so, are there things I should do to improve bad weather handling?

I looked over some of the other posts but didn't see too much other than replacing the stock rubber.

Thanks!

 

Welcome to the Mazda family.You will greatly enjoy your new 3.
Stability control is mainly for emergency maneuvers. If someone pulled out in front of you, and you had to quickly swerve out of the way, it would prevent you from under or over steering.

Since you have the 17" tires and the horrible stock goodyears, in winter weather DSC may not help because the tires don't have grip. My bro had summer tires and stability control and still went into a ditch going about 10 mph. It's all about the tire in the winter time. If you want the safety in the winter, it's best to get winter tires, which he and i both did. Since Maryland has a more milder winter than up here in NY, it is probably not the best investment. Just try your hardest not to drive when ice or snow is predicted.

This car has grip and security in dry weather. It has quick responses and stays in control. It will probably stay in control if you have to maneuver quickly. It all depends on the speed and the driver. I remember there was a post about DSC on here and someone, i think icspots, brought up the progressive commercial when a guy was drinking coffee and had to slam on his brakes and he still hit the person in front of him, and in the background you hear ABS, stability control, and other safety stuff. You may have all of this safety equipment, but it's really about the driver. I think it's good for a first time driver to have, because of their inexperience. I wish i had DSC for the added protection and the insurance reduction, but i have never really needed it in the past four years i've been driving this car. Besides, people have been driving for decades without this feature. You didn't make a mistake by getting a beautiful Mazda 3.

 

People have been driving for year w/o those features, you just have to feel the limitations of the car under those circumstances.
From what I"ve read about the Matrix (I haven"t actually driven one myself,) it is a capable car, but boring, much like the Toyota family it comes from. If you enjoy sporty driving, you will love the 3.
And YES!!! Get rid of those Bad~Years that I can"t believe Mazda is STILL putting on these after 5 model years!!! See if your local tire shop will trade them in wheile they are still new. I wish I had done that when mine was new.

 

I went through some pretty bad weather with my 07, it was the same as yours and the car did extremely well, even with the Goodyear tires on it. like with any bad weather you just can't push it.

 

am i the only one whos 3 came with toyos?

 

What size were your Toyos? FWIW, I think that most folks that got saddled with RS-As are running 205/50 R17s.

 

His is an I and came with 16 inch tires

 

Thanks for all your responses, now I feel a little better. I too have the stock RSAs, didn't think about trying to trade the tires in. Virgin1, do you have any recommendations as to where to go? Do you just go to a Goodyear or NTB and ask to trade them in or do you have to go to a more specialized shop? Thanks for all the help and info!

Yes, the 3 is more fun to drive than the Matrix. We got the Matrix for hauling (so far I've moved a double wall oven, couch, LCD TV, all sorts of IKEA furniture...) and the 3 for small hauling and fun! When I compared th 09 Matrix to the 3, the difference was very apparent. Besides the weird blindspot in the Matrix, the interior looks and feels so much cheaper then the 3 not to mention it was at least $1500 more for just the base model that doesn't have near the performance. No comparison, really.

Thanks again!

 

Around here Discount Tire will trade for your "almost new" OE"s, but I think most larger tire shops would have some kind-of-a plan. I don"t know what you could expect in return for them though, I have just heard of others doing it and wished that I had thought of it before driving 20K miles on those POS"s.
I don"t recommend going to Good~Year either, after my experiences with them. After calling their national customer service line to complain that I was all over the road w/the RS-A"s, the sent me to a local "company owned" Gemini store.
To make a long story short(er), and apologize to those that have read this over and over again now, after they put my car on their lift and BSed me until I couldn"t take it any more. Then tried to sell me another set of THE SAMEF**KING TIRES ("That"s all we have in that size."), for (are you ready for this?) $293 ea. before mounting, balancing, installation,sales taxand the $8 ea. removal fee for the old ones, all at a mere $95/hr. (This was a couple of years ago. I"m sure their labor rate has risen even more now.)
I was fit to be tied and vowed to NEVER AGAIN give upANYTHING to Bad~Year. I told the guy to get my f**king car off his lift, and hope that he never run into me in a dark alley. I was ready to kill him right then and there. I have never been so insulted or condescended to like that from anyone trying to sell me something. I was PISSED, to say the least.
Does that answer your question?

 

Damn Virg. I could feel your anger in that post. $293!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the same tire!!!!! I just got a flat and had to replace my Nokian tire today. Since i got the tire in in June, and it didn't have much wear on it, they gave me a new one at a dicounted price. It went from $186 to $135, and that was after tax and install. When they treat you like a complete idiot, it just makes you want to punch something or someone.