Well, I love my Mazda 3, but I must admit I was very disappointed with it in our snowstorm in Rochester NY today. It got stuck in a plowed parking lot and could not make it up a little hill. Arrrr. Also I was driving slowly on the road and still felt like there were skis under the tires. I was hoping some in the know could help me out on the following questions.......

1. Should I get snow tires?
2. Which brand do you suggest? I've read maybe Dunlops or Blizzaks? Are they best or any other suggestions?
3. If they are 17" tires, should I get 16" tires to save money?
4. Should I get steel rims for the snowtires?
5. Should I go to local store (Sears, Kost etc.) or on the net (tire rack) or the dealer?

Thank you soooooo much. Merry Christmas.
Scott

 

You don"t say what tires you have on now, but yes, I would strongly recommend winter tires for this car, especially if I lived in Rochester.
Including the OE Bad-Year"s, I've had three sets of All-Season tires on mine and none were all that great in bad weather. It could be the FWD, or the torque that these cars produce (Zoom-Zoom,) or the suspension geometry, but I agree they are somewhat disappointingin bad weather.
If you have a base 3i you can go down to a 15". In fact what I would do is use the stock steelies for snows and get nicer 16/17/18" AM wheels/tires after winter is over. If you have the 2.3L engine,then a 16" will have to do.
My votes:
1. Should I get snow tires? YES!!
2. Which brand do you suggest? I"ve read maybe Dunlops or Blizzaks? Are they best or any other suggestions? Personally, I don"t like Dunlops.Never have.They are hard and get harder as time goes on.They also tend to be noisy. The Blizzaks have made a reputation for themselves, but I also have no personal experience.
3. If they are 17" tires, should I get 16" tires to save money? YES! The taller the sidewall and narrower the tread is a good thing in snow tires. If 17"s were stock than 16" are a low as you can go on your 3. Go as narrow as you can on the tread... a 195/60-16 would be comparable to the OE tire in circumference. a 185/65 would also work be a bit taller and your speedo error would be approx -1.6%, or you"ll actually be traveling 1mph more than the speedo @ an indicated 65mph.
4. Should I get steel rims for the snow tires? If at all possible. Snow, ice and road salt can quickly destroy an aluminum wheels finish and the wheel itself. Plus they don"t take to curbing very well. If you slide into a curb by accident, it may be the last time you can use that wheel.
5. Should I go to local store (Sears, Kost etc.) or on the net (tire rack) or the dealer? Whatever works! But I might ask several "professionals" for advise, take what they have to say, but also remember that they maketheir living selling tires and may be more interested in the sale and how much commission they get from that brand.

 

Thanks very much for the info. You had some great info for me. I don't have access to my car right now, but I think my current tires are Eagle LS. Thanks again and Merry Christmas. I still welcome thoughts btw.

 

You"re very welcome.That"s one of the reasons we are here.And a Merry Christmas to you and yours too.
Unless Mazda finally got the word that the G/Y RS-A"s are hated by most, and stopped using them, you probably have RS-A"s too.
I"m guessing based on your previous posts that you have an Sor GT model w/the 17" wheels & 205/50-17 tires.

 

Stop the Presses! My friend just badgered me to go check on some old tires I have. I used to have a PT Cruiser. I used Blizzaks. I still have them and they are in grood shape. They are 16" though. My tires on my Mazda 3 now are Eagle RSA- p205/50/R17. My Blizzaks are WS50- 205/55/R16. What do you think? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease help?

 

I think if you check the sticker on the bottom inside of the driver"s side door you will find that the 205/55-16"s are an alternative.I believe that is a stock size for some GS HB (5-dr) in Canada, not here in the States though, so it will work with the correct 16" wheels. 16x6, or 6.5" w/a +50- +52.5mm offset.
Still if possible, or at least when these wear out, I would look to a thinner tire. They will cut through the snow better. Think of a sharp knife edge compared to a dull one.Thinner will also have a longer, rather than wider contact patch for better steering and braking control in slippery conditions.

 

Thanks a lot. OK. Last question. It sounds like the blizzaks might work ok but I would have to get 16" rims for the snowtires right.? Also....I just read something about the tire pressure monitoring system. (TPMS) would new rims (especiially in different size effect this tpms? Thanks again.

 

The TPS will only work if the sensors are on the rims (if you look at the valve stems on your 3 that is part of the TPS system).
Here are some off of Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/04-Ma...QQcmdZViewItem

 

In reply to siber Express. Does that mean if I get cheap steel rim that my tpms light on the dash board will be stuck on all the time?
thanks.

 

Yep, unless you put them in the Steel Wheels.