Was asked on another forum why I went with all-season tires instead of summer tires when I also had dedicated winter tires (Michelin X-Ice Xi3).

I use the summer/winter tire combo on the M3. The problem with it is that there are these awkward times every year, mostly late fall and early spring, when it gets too cold for summer tires but not wintery enough for winter tires – but only sometimes, and often not for long. During those times, I have to check weather forecasts constantly to try to time the switchover. And no matter when I make the switch, the temp soon swings back out of the appropriate range, leaving me driving on the wrong tires until it swings back days or weeks later.

On the M3, it's 100% worth all that trouble to run summer tires. They have advantages the car can fully exploit, last longer on the rear axle, and can withstand track use (I run the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S).

It's different for the Mazda5. No track use in the cards, and its soft springs and bushings would smother a lot of the extra feedback and feel of a summer tire. So, there's less of a case for the advantages of a summer tire – and that means there's more of a case for an all-season tire that could run deeper into fall and earlier in spring to cover those awkward months with borderline and inconsistent temps. As long as I could find an all-season tire that was good enough in summer, it'd be well worth it.

10+ years ago, I don't think the available options would have cleared that bar to my satisfaction. So, back then, I might still have gone with the summer/winter tire combo for the 5.

More recent Michelin Pilot Sport all-season tires changed the game. Their summer performance rivals that of previous-gen Pilot Sport summer tires, and their winter performance has improved to the point that they are legit options for light winters.

For reference, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 is an OE tire option for the C8 Corvette. It allows the car to handle the occasional surprise snow day while still being good enough for sporty driving – even on a car like that.

Also, there's a Mazda5 near me that runs the Pilot Sport All Season 4 year-round. The owners of that car love it.

So, again, not the best call for the M3 – but seems like a slam-dunk for the 5.

 

Apologies for no pics here, but we did a rear suspension refresh:

- UCAs (Lemförder)
- Lateral links (TRW)
- LCAs (Mazda)
- RTABs (Delphi)

Plus fresh eccentric bolt hardware and LCA bumpers (both Mazda).

Everything except the Mazda stuff came from FCP Euro.

While we were in there, we discovered a wheel bearing on its way out. No play yet, but it felt bad when rotated. Replacing it at this point was trivial, whereas doing it later would have involved repeating a lot of the work we had done on one side. So, I didn't want to put everything back together without replacing the wheel bearing. Sadly, this meant I was stuck with whatever inventory the parts stores near me had in stock, the least-bad option of which was... Moog. Not my first choice, but at least it had a decent warranty.

Significantly improved ride quality now, though! Far, far less undamped jiggling. It's still not quite where I'd like it to be, but it's good enough that I'm no longer interested in spending time and money trying to improve it. If I triple my annual income while I still own this vehicle, I'll revisit.

 

Either this car likes cold weather better than warm weather, or it's running better the more I drive it.

Aside from I think two "in a pinch" fill-ups, all fuel has been from Top Tier Gas stations. All has been 87 octane. Since I took delivery, the only engine-related maintenance I've done has been to change the oil, oil and air filters, and spark plugs. IIRC none of that made an immediate difference. But the engine is running tangibly smoother on average than it did when I first got it. There used to be a noticeable vibration throughout the car at idle; that's drastically reduced. Most of the time, engine vibration is almost imperceptible, which as I understand is how these vehicles are supposed to be.

 

Took the 5 to a Mazda service center for the liftgate damper recall and a valve cover gasket replacement. I asked them to measure the valve clearances while in there, and adjust if necessary. They said the clearances were all 0.010" on the intake side and 0.013" on the exhaust, which they said was in spec. This post suggests those numbers are right on the edge, so I hope I didn't make a mistake by letting them button everything up without adjusting anything.

Weirdly, the battery decided its last day on this earth would be the day I picked it up from the shop. On the bright side, I got to confirm that this beast fits (barely):

 

I've shelved the chassis stiffening idea for now. I'm getting the impression that no one seems to have credible knowledge of this aspect of the platform (what areas benefit from extra bracing, what's the best way to brace them, etc.), which means any parts I'd buy/make would be shots in the dark. And I'm not about to have a roll cage welded in, so... yeah.

If anyone thinks I'm wrong about this, please let me know! I still strongly believe this vehicle could benefit from more body rigidity.

 

Good stuff!
Finally a member having a project to follow !!! keep up the progress.

 

Started getting some awful noises that seemed clutch-related recently. Mainly screeching/grinding noises that change with pedal pressure. I used to hear them only on the coldest mornings, and they used to go away when everything was warm. But they got much worse recently. In the past few days they have worsened every time I drove the car, to the point where they were audible at all temps. Sounded pretty nasty today. When noises worsen as quickly as these did, I figure that's a sure sign something needs attention.

So, the car is now at a dealership I like for a clutch kit and possibly some other bits and bobs. I delivered the car to them with a bunch of OE parts I haven't yet installed, so maybe it'll come back to me with some of that done as well. Also asked them not to be shy with the "while we're in there" upsell suggestions; I told them I'd consider any ideas they had. We'll see...

 

Got the vehicle back from the dealership last week. Jobs done:

• Clutch disc
• Pressure plate
• Pilot bearing
• Throwout bearing
• Rear main seal
• All powertrain mounts
• Serpentine belt
• Starter

A lot of this was preventative. I don't know exactly what in the clutch assembly was causing the noise, but it didn't seem worth diagnosing; at >164k miles, there was no way I was going to have them tear all the way into the clutch assembly just to surgically replace one or two parts, so I just had them replace everything.

....Except the flywheel, which apparently was in great shape. They said they just cleaned it up and put it back in. Nice perk of a single-mass flywheel, I guess.

Everything's so quiet and smooth now! Noises I had thought were coming from a pulley are gone. Maybe the old belt was worse off than I had thought. And the clutch pedal has gone from suspiciously heavy to nice and light, so I guess the hydraulics are fine.

This really is a great car. Not great as in very good; great as in great. It's comprehensively practical – lots of interior space, compact exterior footprint, sliding doors – and not expensive to own, while also being both easy and rewarding to drive. I'm really, really loving it.

 

.....Aaaaand we're back in the shop. Apparently the rear main seal they put in is already leaking. Ugh.

 

That sucks. Me thinks the service person failed to use a "SEAL" installer? Just a guess but generally many DIY and mechanics use the tap it with a rubber mallet. or use a piece of wood or just smack it in with a hammer. Sad but I have caught my people doing that...but they only do it once.

Believe it or not there is an inexpensive seal installer set that prevents damage when installing most engine and transmission seals.

Good luck with the second time around with the seal.