Winter Tires:( - MS3

[REZXPERT]

sorry to bring this topic up so soon but what profile tire are you Speed3 guys&gals runnin on your cars? i have my old set of 205/55/16 from my
3GT but doubt these are compatible.... thanks,

[Unoriginalusername]

tire rack

16" Recommended: 215/55-16
16" Alternate: 205/60-16
17" Recommended: 215/50-17
18" Recommended: 215/45-18

[Wild Weasel]

Since you already have them, you should be fine. Word has it that 16's will fit, so test them out. If they clear the calipers, then you're ok.

They're a little shorter than you'd pick if you were buying new, but they'll do. I'm using a similar size (225/45/17).

Your miles are going to rack up a little quicker than they should and your speedometer will be slightly off, but you'll be ok.

[equipped]

I tried out a friends 16" steelies on my Speed 3 the other day. There is a little less than 1/2" clearance from the brakes. What is considered safe I don't know...

[Unoriginalusername]

I tried out a friends 16" steelies on my Speed 3 the other day. There is a little less than 1/2" clearance from the brakes. What is considered safe I don't know...

if it clears you're fine... the gap between the wheel and the brake doesn't change

[07Speedfreak]

I drove with the 16" steelies from my 06Sport GT and it fits fine. I have high performance winter tires but I'll still be careful. I wont be buying a 17" package.

[Wagonman]

I use 225x45x18 Dunlop Wintersport M3 on my stock rims.

I have different rims for the summer set.

[RedRaptor]

Some of you speed guys are running some thick arse winter tires at 225...I guess the theory of narrow is beter doesn't apply to speed3 owners.

[Wagonman]

Some of you speed guys are running some thick arse winter tires at 225...I guess the theory of narrow is beter doesn't apply to speed3 owners.
Living in TO we don't really see more then a couple of bad snow days a year, but get lots of cold days where you need winter tires for grip reasons.

So my logic is why ruin the handling of the car for 5 months of the year so I can have better traction on one or two days. So I went with wide and low profile winter tires to keep the sweet MS3 handling experience.

And I have to say that the snow tires give up very little in grip and steering feel to the stock Bridgestones. And on the couple of snow days we had last winter they worked just fine.

Plus the snow tires are skinny compared to my 245x40x18 summer tires. :)

[Wagonman]

Another interesting tire that has had good reviews, is cheap and available at tiretrends in Canada is the Hankook icebear w300.

It's only weakness is deep snow performance according to the reviews I have seen, which is a common complaint of all the performance winter tires.

I have ordered a set for my other car and will see how they work this winter. My other car has a staggered setup so I decided to copy that with the snow tires.

The sizes will be 225x40x18 at the front and 255x35x18 at the back. The car is AWD so I think it should still work well on all but the really snowy days.

[Wild Weasel]

Some of you speed guys are running some thick arse winter tires at 225...I guess the theory of narrow is beter doesn't apply to speed3 owners.

It's a trade-off. 225 is perfectly acceptable for the reasons mentioned above.

Because of the wide gaps between the tread blocks on a winter tire, you still have more weight pressing down per square cm of tire than you do with an all season or summer tire.

[PlatMS6]

Running Hankook W300 225/50/17XL 98LR, great dry, wet (even better than Bridgestones), ice, and snow (never see deep snow...)

The tires are obviously softer than the Bridgestones, but nothing as extreme as I've seen on some other ppls cars. I would best compare it as same season tires (and same size) where one set has a softer sidewall (also remember that I'm going from an 18 to a 17) so they do just fine :)

I think if you got them for the MS3 you would even get better cornering performance because of MS3's lighter footprint :P

Probably the best tires for the $$$ in GTA and surrounding area's conditions.

[painless01]

Hi all - first post here. Just picked up my new Speed3! Lovin' it! Time to start looking for some winter tires...


So my logic is why ruin the handling of the car for 5 months of the year so I can have better traction on one or two days.

I was thinking along the same lines, and have almost decided on getting the same Dunlop Winter Sport M3 tires mounted on the stock MS3 rims. I'm really surprised how expensive these tires are in Canada vs. USA! I'm used to seeing 20-40% difference on various things, but twice the price!?

Dunlop Winter Sport M3 (225/45-18)
CA$369.00 1010 Tires = $1476.00 set of 4
US$177.00 Tire Rack = $708.00 set of 4

Even after UPS Shipping (to GTA) & Customs it's $855.02, a difference of over $600. Wow. :complain


BTW, I don't mean to bash 1010. I'm assuming their pricing is on par with most shops. Unless anyone knows where to find these in Canada for significantly cheaper?

[WhiteSpeed3]

i thought 16s wouldnt fit on the speed3 cuz of ther bigger brakes cuz i know they wont fit on the speed6

[Fuman]

i thought 16s wouldnt fit on the speed3 cuz of ther bigger brakes cuz i know they wont fit on the speed6

16 will fit on the speed 3.

[WhiteSpeed3]

ok time to see some options get 17" tire to go on my 05 oem rims or sell the rims and buy 16" steelies and tires

what u guys think?

[Fuman]

ok time to see some options get 17" tire to go on my 05 oem rims or sell the rims and buy 16" steelies and tires

what u guys think?

Another option is to trade the oem 17'' alloys for 16'' alloys + some cash.

[WhiteSpeed3]

good point i guess i have a lot to think about

[Wild Weasel]

Buying 18" winter tires to put on the stock wheels is a colossal waste of money.

[Unoriginalusername]

Buying 18" winter tires to put on the stock wheels is a colossal waste of money.

but you'd look good doing it :chuckle

[Wild Weasel]

I suppose you would to begin with, but with only a little less than 4" of sidewall, you're going to be churning those 18's through grit filled snow on the days we get a lot of snow and the lip is going to end up ground up pretty good. Then you won't be looking so good. :(

[painless01]

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 (225/45-18)
CA$369.00 1010 Tires = CA$1476.00 set of 4
US$177.00 Tire Rack = US$708.00 set of 4

...anyone knows where to find these in Canada for significantly cheaper?

I found a better price, so just following up my own question (in case anyone else was interested). Would still prefer a local GTA shop though...

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 (225/45-18)
CA$281.95 Tire Trends = CA$1127.80 set of 4





Buying 18" winter tires to put on the stock wheels is a colossal waste of money.


Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 (215/50-17)
CA$206.95 Tire Trends = CA$827.80 set of 4

Yeah, buying 17" winters would be ~$300 cheaper (for the Dunlops I'm looking at), but I would need to add a set of 17" steel wheels (~$50-75/each?) or maybe find a used set of OEM 17"s (~$400-600?).

As it is, I'm going to have the OEM 18"s laying around, so I'll probably just use those. If I was doing more severe winter driving, then I'd probably go -2 size down to a set of 16" studless.



...with only a little less than 4" of sidewall, you're going to be churning those 18's through grit filled snow...

I calc the difference in sidewall between 225/45-18 and 215/50-17 to be 0.2".

[Wagonman]

Buying 18" winter tires to put on the stock wheels is a colossal waste of money.
Since we are making broad generalizations how about this one:

"Buying a performance car and then killing its handling with shitty snow tires is a colossal waste of money"

[Thirtynup]

Since we are making broad generalizations how about this one:

"Buying a performance car and then killing its handling with shitty snow tires is a colossal waste of money"

Guess this would all depend on where you are. If you live in a small town or back country and see lots of snow, performance winters would be a waste because you won't be able to use em to its full potential. If you live in a city and see little snow like Tdot and can afford the more expensive performance winters, go ahead.

I've got 205/60-16 and I don't plan on zipping around in the winter like I do in the summer allowing me to save myself 700 bucks to spend towards something else on the car.

[Wild Weasel]

FWIW, I run Blizzak WS-50's on the OEM Mazda3 17's. Hardly what one would consider shitty snow tires.

I bought the wheels for $300.

There's someone selling the same wheels here right now for $350. Worth looking into for anyone with a Speed3 looking for winters right now.

[MPS]

he got his rims and tires today so to late

[Speedy2008]

I'm still driving with my stock summer performance tires. So far no incidents. They seem to work fine in cold weather. I wouldn't drive around on a snowy day though. Anyone else driving around with stock tires in the middle of winter?

[Garu]

I'm still driving with my stock summer performance tires. So far no incidents. They seem to work fine in cold weather. I wouldn't drive around on a snowy day though. Anyone else driving around with stock tires in the middle of winter?

That is suicidal...

[07Speedfreak]

dude wtf

Change them asap

[Speedy2008]

I only drive around downtown. It seems that the roads are well maintained. Work crews salt and plow like crazy. In addition to being a front wheel drive car, the sales rep who delivered my car says I don't really need winter tires. Is this naive?

[Garu]

I only drive around downtown. It seems that the roads are well maintained. Work crews salt and plow like crazy. In addition to being a front wheel drive car, the sales rep who delivered my car says I don't really need winter tires. Is this naive?

I am utterly shocked and speechless.

[Speedy2008]

Ha! Funny response. What can I say. I'll will invest in a set of winter tires soon.

[b]

FWIW, I run Blizzak WS-50's on the OEM Mazda3 17's. Hardly what one would consider shitty snow tires.

I bought the wheels for $300.

There's someone selling the same wheels here right now for $350. Worth looking into for anyone with a Speed3 looking for winters right now.

How are the rims by the way? I think they are my old rims... Kinda wish I had kept them...

[mleblond]

Hey guys I just bought a speed 3 and need rim+tire combination to finish off the winter. Used or new would be fine as long as I stay within the proper ratio.. people here seem to go with 17"....let me know!

[FLIPDADY]

Hey guys I just bought a speed 3 and need rim+tire combination to finish off the winter. Used or new would be fine as long as I stay within the proper ratio.. people here seem to go with 17"....let me know!
You don't need to go with 17" rims. A 205/55R16 rim and tire package will be your best choice.

I still have 1 set of Toyo Garit KX with Mazda OEM steel wheels for $950 plus tax installed.

PM me if you're interested.

[mleblond]

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

using this tool it says my wheel would be 2.9% too fast...not sure if that matters or not.

[FLIPDADY]

I use to sell the size 205/60R16 but my suppiler's are all sold out till next season. I've sold at least 5 sets of 205/55R16 packages to MS3 owners. No issues whatsoever.

[Wild Weasel]

How are the rims by the way? I think they are my old rims... Kinda wish I had kept them...

Totally peachy. :) I appreciate you letting them go!

[Wild Weasel]

I only drive around downtown. It seems that the roads are well maintained. Work crews salt and plow like crazy. In addition to being a front wheel drive car, the sales rep who delivered my car says I don't really need winter tires. Is this naive?

It's not only naive, it's utterly stupid and completely wrong.

People can argue until they're blue in the face about whether you can use all-season tires through the winter, but there is no such argument for summer performance tires. You CAN NOT use them in the winter. They are flat-out dangerous.

Don't risk your new car like that!

[mleblond]

Yeah, I am not sure where I heard this but they say whatever your car can be, it starts at the wheels. If you aint got good rubbers it affects everything on end.

I always used winter tires on my 04 3 GS, they were vikings actually;) And they proved to be good to me. I was able to control through tuff weather!!

[Speedy2008]

It's not only naive, it's utterly stupid and completely wrong.

People can argue until they're blue in the face about whether you can use all-season tires through the winter, but there is no such argument for summer performance tires. You CAN NOT use them in the winter. They are flat-out dangerous.

Don't risk your new car like that!

Definitely something for me to think about. Thanks for the advice.

[RX9]

i am using WS60 215/45/17 on 17X7 alloy, they are from my last car tho, proper 17" will be 215/50/17. i an't really like steel rim, but they are cheaper.

[Wild Weasel]

I'm also using tires that are too short... also from my last car. :chuckle

Wasn't about to waste a grand worth of tires... but I strongly urge people to know and buy the proper size for their car if they're shopping.

[REZXPERT]

the term "all-season" should be banned for tires distributed in Canada. winter tires should be the law, the gov't should subsidize some of the cost in the name of safety,
IMO. take a look outside today....i'd like to know what percentage of accidents involve cars not equipped w/ winters. i'm sure camera-shy OPP guy Cam Wooley can answer that!

[Wild Weasel]

heh... this discussion again?

I know people are groaning already just seeing that I'm writing a response here... but hey... it's me. :chuckle

I disagree. The gov't shouldn't subsidize it any more than they subsidize any other tires you buy. You need good tires, so you should buy good tires. If you can't afford them, then you can't afford to drive in the snow.

Nobody without snow tires should be on the road today. There's been ample warning about this storm that nobody should be taken by surprise, and nobody should be looking out the window right now and thinking "Hmm... that's not too bad..."

If anyone gets stuck or causes a crash today because of the snow, then they deserve the hassles that come with that.

[mleblond]

Thanks I got winters on my trade-in 3 but doesn't mean I wont lose control of the car. I have to make sure I don't get into any collisions this weekend so I can get my speed3 on Monday! I have to drive Kingston to Ottawa tonight after work....I have to be in town before 8pm if it would be me I would just take the train but I need to get my summer rims and tires and second key for the dealer on Monday, I have a show to attend tonight and work in Ottawa on Saturday....

Anyways back to the subject Needs winter tires for my speed3..

P.s. lots of people just put winters in the front to save money....on fwd obviously

[Wild Weasel]

P.s. lots of people just put winters in the front to save money....on fwd obviously

They shouldn't. It might keep you from getting stuck on a hill, but it's dangerous overall as it vastly increases the chance of a spin, which most people have no idea how to control.

For safety reasons, if you cheap out and only get 2 winter tires, then they should be on the back regardless of which are the drive wheels.

And, of course, the other two tires can't be summer tires.

[REZXPERT]

heh... this discussion again?

I know people are groaning already just seeing that I'm writing a response here... but hey... it's me. :chuckle

I disagree. The gov't shouldn't subsidize it any more than they subsidize any other tires you buy. You need good tires, so you should buy good tires. If you can't afford them, then you can't afford to drive in the snow.

Nobody without snow tires should be on the road today. There's been ample warning about this storm that nobody should be taken by surprise, and nobody should be looking out the window right now and thinking "Hmm... that's not too bad..."

If anyone gets stuck or causes a crash today because of the snow, then they deserve the hassles that come with that.


i beg to differ. ample warning or not, how many people ie drivers can afford to stay home on a day like today b/c they don't feel confident enough driving on their "all-seasons"? people are forced to drive in these conditions b/c some employers don't give a crap how dangerous it is to get to/from work (fortunately not my employer). Most 'non-winter tires', as i'll call em, hold up well in seasons other than the winter so an argument in favour of gov't subsidization in that respect doesn't apply. No one should directly blame the weather for accidents but legislators should better promote - and in some way support - the importance of winter tires. I'd like to see stats.

[Wild Weasel]

I think that if you can't afford to stay out of the snow, then having winter tires is another necessary expense to owning a car. Should gov't subsidize your insurance costs because you need your car to get to work? Should they subsidize the cost when your tires are bald and you just need new ones? What about brakes? Those are necessary right?

The problem is this mentality that winter tires are some sort of luxury item that can be dispensed with when the budget is tight.

Quebec is making winter tires mandatory. Good for them. I don't think we need that here... but wouldn't complain if the lack of winter tires in the snow was grounds for an unsafe vehicle ticket.

[REZXPERT]

Wild Weasel, if you can somehow get your MP to present a private member's bill to subsidize our insurance, you'll both have my vote.