Here comes the snow!

[super_vixen]

Well..its currently snowing pretty heavy here in Pickering and has been for at least the past hour. Its a nice mix of ice and the big fluffy flakes that accumulate oh-so-quickly.

I decided to see how well my brakes/tires were doing, because I opted to not put winter tires on (more cause I couldn\'t afford it).
So in my lot at work I accelerated to about 10km and then slammed on the brakes..wow...lagging on the brakes. Not even sure if the ABS came into play as I didn\'t feel it doing its work.

I had to drive my boyfriend to the train station only 2 blocks down, so I\'m being extra careful, and entering the GO station doing about 5km if not less. I start to turn the corner and what happens? Well the car hits some of the ice under the snow and wham, right into the median (thankfully only a curb)...but holy hell was the bang ever loud..I was dreading the thought that there was some lower body damage....
finally pulled over in the lot and checked it over..didn\'t see anything, so I assume it was my tires/rims that hit straight on..but dear lord!

I wish I could afford snow tires, but I honestly thought that I could make it through the winter...now I\'m not so sure

[fuey]

wow..that bad with the mazda all season tires. my mazda dealer told me i should be fine with the default tires cause they r brand new and he heard no complaint regarding driving them in the winter. good thing i decided to buy snow tires after all (haven\'t put them on yet =) ... will now.

[kyfe]

Do yourself a favor and throw on some snows. My girl drives my car most of the time, the last thing i\'d want to happen is her get into an accident. If it\'s a matter of paying for snows, just imagine how much more it would be if you got into a fender bender.

I use all seasons on my golf and it\'s always been fine but after speaking with friends who have the 5 they insisted i get snows. Everyone I\'ve spoke with who has had the car during the winter suggested snows.

Get snows,

Kyfe

[miggiddy]

Yikes...I understand your money woes. I want to buy winter tires but the money factor kicks in :(

Well I was breaking pretty easy at an all way stop, heard and felt the ABS kick in. I know I wasn\'t breaking hard at all. This is my first car with ABS so I don\'t know if it\'s just super sensitive or the tires suck so badly that they lose traction that quickly and the ABS kicks in. It will take getting use to ABS, but I prefer (so far) not having it because I can\'t \'feel\' if the car is losing traction or no, I just hear that horrid sound and feel of the pedal when the ABS kicks in.

The other thing I notice is the torque steer on this little bit of snow. It\'s not looking good to use the stock tires for the winter. :(

Drive safely.

[super_vixen]

I was quite surprised by the lack of traction to be honest. I drove my Z24 all last winter with stock tires, and between the ABS and the traction on the tires, I was pretty well off. That car had some good grip.

My best friend drives a P5 and she has always complained about how horrible her tires are, but I\'ve read numerous articles that state that that 3 is much better off in that respect and shouldn\'t experience the same loss of traction with the stocks.

But as they say...why would I go half for a set of winter tires...if by average I\'m looking at $600+ for a new set...thats quite a chunk of change when I already pay that for a month of childcare and with Xmas on the way...

God I hate winter...

[wtom]

Here\'s what Grifter emailed me;


The goodyears are $hit. ABS came on about 10x on my way to work, and I was only doing about 30 the whole way! Two hours to get in here...the one time I tried to push a bit (it was an empty side street...the backdoor to work) the tires could not handle the corner at all...nearly curbed the car...and I was still not going fast!! On the bright side, it will usually not be as bad as today since they will clear the roads...first time is always the worst.

Be careful out there guys and gals... we don\'t want to hear any news of a 3 involved in any accidents; Major nor minor!

As for myself with the Kumho KW17, didn\'t really get to \"test\" them but being my first set of snow tires on a car, ever, as well as the first snow fall I\'ve driven with them; I over expected! I didn\'t know that snow tires don\'t really assist in accelerating off a full-stop so I spun my front tires a few times early on. After I got use to starting \"properly\" things seemed good, albeit driving at like 20km/h for 90% of my way to work (45min drive vs. 15min drive this morning).

I\'m gonna try doing some cornering tonight and see how things go. Hope I don\'t hit anything. :p

[majic]

i was lucky to leave at 6:45 and get here at 7:30ish.. which is about normal.. then the snow came down.. and damn.. i went to move my car (parking for free ;) and holy @ 10km/h i made a left hand turn and i almost jumped the curb.. it was insane how shitty the tires are in show!!! fack.. if my friend was only available to get snows on!!! ugh.. hopefully tomorrow! can\'t wait to see the difference..

[midnightfxgt]

The RSAs suck! I leave for work at 9:00 (which is when the snow was starting to get bad) and at about 11:25 I showed up at work lol :D . The RSAs sucked all the way here, but I have the winter tires at home, cuz they haven\'t been put on rims yet (supposed to happen yesterday too!)

Everyone drive careful, and be safe.

~JOHN

[wtom]

Originally posted by majic

if my friend was only available to get snows on!!! ugh.. hopefully tomorrow! can\'t wait to see the difference..

Seeing as this is your first car with first set of snow tires, don\'t try peeling off the line or even giving it gas like on a normal dry-pavement day... you will spin the tires regardless snow or all-seasons. That and you won\'t be invincible with snow tires on so don\'t try cornering or braking with traffic at normal speeds. However, feel free to do all kinda wacky stuff in a big empty parking lot to really \"test\" the snow tires. :)

[idreamofmazda]

I didn’t get much of a test for my Pirelli Winter Carvings this morning, did step on it at a stop sign, in an area that I know far well how slippery it can be, and the tires did spin a bit. I cornered quickly without slipping. I slammed on the breaks in the parking lot at work, the back end did slide out a bit, but not sure if I was gripping payment or ice, but sounded very loud.

I don’t have ABS, but my last car did. I am not sure what is better, but I do know that with ABS, you need good tires. From experience from my last car, if the ABS is clicking when you are barely touching the brakes, you know that you will have to get winter tires.

And yes, please keep the accidents low, as I don’t want the insurance companies seeing the Mazda 3 as a high risk, and up my rates.

[AfterBurner]

2 hours to get to work today as opposed to the regular 30mins. Started of with mad wheel spin but thank to my manual transmission and some extra clutching I did not slide or have excessive wheel spin after I got used to it (First time driving this car in snow). The Proxes are actully pretty good (compared to the RSA\'s) as I never slid or had excessive braking distances (I don\'t have ABS). I love my Mazda3!:D

What is up with all the BMW\'s broken down on the side of the road in Richmond Hill??!!

[Xenon]

Well I can agree with everyone... the RS-As are CRAP.

Not to mention mine\'s already missing 24000Km of thread :p

I survived todays\'s driving not because I had good tires, but because I had skill. My tires might have jsut been bald. Total crap.

[wtom]

Originally posted by Xenon

I survived todays\'s driving not because I had good tires, but because I had skill.

Haha are you sure it\'s not just pure luck? A few of the other members here slid even at 5km/h turns... FIVE... with definitely a lot newer treads than yours. Keep up that skill though... if it stays cold, all that wetness will freeze up good by the time the work day ends. :(

[bluntman]

On days like this I miss my RAV4. :(

[majic]

Originally posted by wtom



Originally posted by majic

if my friend was only available to get snows on!!! ugh.. hopefully tomorrow! can\'t wait to see the difference..

Seeing as this is your first car with first set of snow tires, don\'t try peeling off the line or even giving it gas like on a normal dry-pavement day... you will spin the tires regardless snow or all-seasons. That and you won\'t be invincible with snow tires on so don\'t try cornering or braking with traffic at normal speeds. However, feel free to do all kinda wacky stuff in a big empty parking lot to really \"test\" the snow tires. :)

totally.. and for MT newbs like me.. if u spin too much.. start in second gear!!!

[Xenon]

So only in a Canadian winter do we know what the Goodyear RS-A\'s stand for....

Really Suck-Ass

[FLIPDADY]

Ah the beauty of snow tires!!

[wtom]

Originally posted by majic

totally.. and for MT newbs like me.. if u spin too much.. start in second gear!!!

I was able to spin the tires even with second gear! Hehehe... yes it just proves I have a freakin heavy foot. :(

[///M]

I wonder if I\'m the only one thinking this - today left me wondering if I really needed snow tires. Apart from maybe 10m or so of driveway that was snow covered, all of the roads I drove on today on my daily commute were just wet. No snow accumulation whatsoever.

I did take it into a few snow-covered side streets to test out the snow tires and get to know their limits - braking hard, accelerating etc. I can still get the tires to spin out in second gear. ABS worked great though, braking took considerably longer but it didn\'t slide around all over the place. I might find an empty parking lot tonight and test them further to get a feel of what they can/cannot do.

My car\'s really dirty now. I\'m itching to go wash it even though I know it\'s going to get dirty in a matter of minutes. :(

With my heavy right foot - it also leaves me wishing I had AWD!! Too many times I got the front tires to spin out while accelerating. I saw a Jeep in front of me launch hard and off it went without much tire spin.

[wtom]

I was driving along Steeles from approx. Markham Road to approx. Victoria Park and it was all snow covered. No asphalt could be seen on Steeles. It took 45 mins to make the entire trek. I only spun my wheels because I was heavy on the gas at first. Once I got use to it (adjusting from summer driving mode to winter driving mode) I didn\'t spin my tires anymore.

It\'s best to prepare for the worst when you\'re driving... sure you can be lucky and just drive all highway and main streets but even then, what if a storm comes down in a matter of minutes just like this morning? No one expected it so much and so quick. There accidents all over the place. It just takes one careless driver (not saying any of you here at all) to cut in front of you and without snow tires, you\'re sure to slide off either (luckily) into the curb or (unfortunate) into other cars.

Then it\'ll be too late to question, was that money spent on the winter rubbers really worth it compared to what I have to go through now (insurance, repairs, physiotherapy, and all that crap with traffic accident)?

That is how I justified my winter tire money.

I know some of you really don\'t have the finances to make this purchase, so please drive as carefully as you can. Even for those of you with snow tires... nothing is an invincible star... unless you drive a tank, literally. :)

EDIT: My trek was from 8:40am to 9:25am

[bluntman]

Originally posted by autoexe


I wonder if I\'m the only one thinking this - today left me wondering if I really needed snow tires. Apart from maybe 10m or so of driveway that was snow covered, all of the roads I drove on today on my daily commute were just wet. No snow accumulation whatsoever.

I did take it into a few snow-covered side streets to test out the snow tires and get to know their limits - braking hard, accelerating etc. I can still get the tires to spin out in second gear. ABS worked great though, braking took considerably longer but it didn\'t slide around all over the place. I might find an empty parking lot tonight and test them further to get a feel of what they can/cannot do.

My car\'s really dirty now. I\'m itching to go wash it even though I know it\'s going to get dirty in a matter of minutes. :(

With my heavy right foot - it also leaves me wishing I had AWD!! Too many times I got the front tires to spin out while accelerating. I saw a Jeep in front of me launch hard and off it went without much tire spin.

AWD/4WD isn\'t all it\'s cracked up to be. It\'s great in situations like today, but you can get yourself in much deeper trouble if you let the AWD/4WD get to your head.

[miggiddy]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by autoexe

...
With my heavy right foot - it also leaves me wishing I had AWD!! Too many times I got the front tires to spin out while accelerating. I saw a Jeep in front of me launch hard and off it went without much tire spin.

AWD/4WD isn\'t all it\'s cracked up to be. It\'s great in situations like today, but you can get yourself in much deeper trouble if you let the AWD/4WD get to your head.

I concur. I\'ve seen AWD vehicles in the ditch being towed out as I passed them with my front wheel drive car. Mostlikely cause, going to fast thinking that the AWD would prevent them from losing control of the vehicle.

[majic]

Originally posted by autoexe


I wonder if I\'m the only one thinking this - today left me wondering if I really needed snow tires. Apart from maybe 10m or so of driveway that was snow covered, all of the roads I drove on today on my daily commute were just wet. No snow accumulation whatsoever.


today was NOT a heavy snowfall by ANY means and it was close to 0 so the snow melted pretty quickly w/o much help from salters..

Originally posted by autoexe
With my heavy right foot - it also leaves me wishing I had AWD!! Too many times I got the front tires to spin out while accelerating. I saw a Jeep in front of me launch hard and off it went without much tire spin.

^^^^ what bluntman said..

kinda like snow tires vs stock tires.. ppl who put snows on and think that they are invincible are dreaming just like those who trade up from FWD/RWD to AWD.. unles they get the RL with SH-AWD :D but yah.. a lot of it gives this false sense of comfort and they drive teh cars at the same or greater speeds.. eveen when u have snows on.. slow down b/c your braking distance will increase greatly in snow/ice

[super_vixen]

Well I finally got to inspect the damage..and its worse than I thought.
The edge of my rim, about half way around the entire edge is scraped...like deep chunks torn from the pavement along with scrapes along the flatter portion of the rim...I nearly cried.
On top of that, when I finally reached 90-100km/h my steering and car started to shake really violently....I assume its because of the alignment, but then again, it could be the rim/tire..any ideas?

what am I supposed to do now? Get a new rim..if so how much are we talking..alignment? Should I bother taking it to a dealership and get ripped off? or just go elsewhere to investigate???

[teambedlam]

Originally posted by super_vixen On top of that, when I finally reached 90-100km/h my steering and car started to shake really violently....I assume its because of the alignment, but then again, it could be the rim/tire..any ideas?

last winter my P5 started shaking violently at highway speeds. turns out it was snow frozen to the inside of the rim that was throwign it out of balence. It was snow that got packed in there after driving through a snow pile.

Hopefully your problem is the snow and not alignment.

[billyfo]

I got Nokian Happa (SP) 1, not brand new about 3 yrs old:p , but still like new tires for me, so spinning, ABS worked only once when I hit the ice pack. I drove on 407 with constant 70km/h without any problem.

AWD/4WD are useless until you also install snow tires, as others said, many cars drive to the ditch are SUV/Pickup w/ 4WD, of course driver skill and what they are thinking are the most important part for drive safe.

[wtom]

Anyone planning to purchase a new set of rims + rubbers for the summer time? Help out a fellow sister with her busted rim! There\'re probably a few other members out there who have one bad rim who would love to replace it so it\'d be grand if one member can offer to sell his/her rims (17\") and rubbers individually (as opposed to the entire set of four). I would do it but I\'m not planning to buy aftermarket rims/rubbers... yet. :p

[Saphress]

Hmmm... Well I tried out the car today... (laugh) I dared to go to the mall to do my Christmas shopping before work. I was a little nervous... but ya know what? It wasn\'t that bad. Considering these are all seasons, I\'m not expecting these tires to be amazing. My street was barely plowed, I probably slipped twice? As long as you ease the gas... real slow... and you see a lot of snow... stay in first gear/ I found that I could control the car quite nice too... Of course with the consideration of the tpe of tires. (laugh) Better than my old honda :P...

Anyway... I\'m at work right now... (laugh) I\'ll report to tell y\'all if I survive the night home... Haha... I heard there\'s gonna be freezing rain.... Wish me LUCK!!!! :D

[majic]

Originally posted by super_vixen


Well I finally got to inspect the damage..and its worse than I thought.
The edge of my rim, about half way around the entire edge is scraped...like deep chunks torn from the pavement along with scrapes along the flatter portion of the rim...I nearly cried.
On top of that, when I finally reached 90-100km/h my steering and car started to shake really violently....I assume its because of the alignment, but then again, it could be the rim/tire..any ideas?

what am I supposed to do now? Get a new rim..if so how much are we talking..alignment? Should I bother taking it to a dealership and get ripped off? or just go elsewhere to investigate???



forget about getting a new rim unless this one is DAMAGED so that it affects the tire (ie. could cut it) if it\'s just a scrape.. meh.. shit happens.. and maybe by next summer u can get a nicer rim when u save up.

this reminds me of the time where i went too fast (40km/h) around a bend in my old grandAm (when it was snowing) and i hopped the curb hitting it pretty hard.. ~$1000 damage.. new wheel was needed.. bearings and alignment as well as other miscelaneous items.. that was repaired at the dealership tho, so privately could be less..

i would go home.. keep it in the garage so any/all snow melts off the wheels. and then take it out somehwere and see how it feels. but yeah you dont\' wanna toy with front wheels .. also get it checked out by a professional.. sorry to hear that :(

[Newlook]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by autoexe


I wonder if I\'m the only one thinking this - today left me wondering if I really needed snow tires. Apart from maybe 10m or so of driveway that was snow covered, all of the roads I drove on today on my daily commute were just wet. No snow accumulation whatsoever.


today was NOT a heavy snowfall by ANY means and it was close to 0 so the snow melted pretty quickly w/o much help from salters..


No the roads freezed after cars went over the snow... And eventrually all covered up by some 2cm of snow. It was like a ski resort everywhere (at least in Oakville). Follow the track marks made by other cars you could see the icy surface of the road. It did not get any better until 11am-noon, after the salters salted the roads a few rounds and temperature raised, but with windchill it was still below zero.

Snowfall wasn\'t heavy, it was the icy condition that caused the chaos....

[billyfo]

that\'s true, I drove from Elgin Mills to 407 on Yonge using about 40 mins, then from Yonge to Dixie on 407 another 40 mins, cause everyone has to drive slow to avoid any accident.

[Saphress]

Originally posted by super_vixen


Well I finally got to inspect the damage..and its worse than I thought.
The edge of my rim, about half way around the entire edge is scraped...like deep chunks torn from the pavement along with scrapes along the flatter portion of the rim...I nearly cried.
On top of that, when I finally reached 90-100km/h my steering and car started to shake really violently....I assume its because of the alignment, but then again, it could be the rim/tire..any ideas?

what am I supposed to do now? Get a new rim..if so how much are we talking..alignment? Should I bother taking it to a dealership and get ripped off? or just go elsewhere to investigate???



Ok Vix... Do the alignment first... don\'t worry about the rim for now.... The alignment should cost around $10-30 depending where you go... (laugh) You can try going to Defcon ... that\'s right off of Brock rd.... or even go to a Cdn Tire or something???

See if that helps... I\' m sure that the $10 - $30 is much better than the crazy amount of a rim... If you can see a huge huge dent in the morning in your rim... not just scratches... then I\'d worry that it is the rim.

[Saphress]

oh.... and for a cheap fix... (never used it before... but it may be worth a shot if your concerned)... if the alignment does work.... and you\'re ok..... but you still don\'t like the scrape on hte rim... at CT they have liquid steel... for a cheap fix :P

[wtom]

Umm... don\'t go to CanTi for any servicing. They are sometimes worse than dealership service depts. They will give you all kinds of BS reasons why this widget needs replacing and that hunkadorey needs repair and your snuffalubricant needs draining and re-topping... and the labour is like $75 or $85 an hour?

(dad use to go there until I told him NO) :)

[Saphress]

(laugh) Really? Mr friends have never had any problems there....

My best friend uses Defcon... if you have a garage that you deal with though whom you trust... just go there....

I have a garage dude out in Markham that I use... never had any probs with him... so I\'ve never had to head to CT before

[super_vixen]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by super_vixen


Well I finally got to inspect the damage..and its worse than I thought.
The edge of my rim, about half way around the entire edge is scraped...like deep chunks torn from the pavement along with scrapes along the flatter portion of the rim...I nearly cried.
On top of that, when I finally reached 90-100km/h my steering and car started to shake really violently....I assume its because of the alignment, but then again, it could be the rim/tire..any ideas?

what am I supposed to do now? Get a new rim..if so how much are we talking..alignment? Should I bother taking it to a dealership and get ripped off? or just go elsewhere to investigate???



forget about getting a new rim unless this one is DAMAGED so that it affects the tire (ie. could cut it) if it\'s just a scrape.. meh.. shit happens.. and maybe by next summer u can get a nicer rim when u save up.

this reminds me of the time where i went too fast (40km/h) around a bend in my old grandAm (when it was snowing) and i hopped the curb hitting it pretty hard.. ~$1000 damage.. new wheel was needed.. bearings and alignment as well as other miscelaneous items.. that was repaired at the dealership tho, so privately could be less..

i would go home.. keep it in the garage so any/all snow melts off the wheels. and then take it out somehwere and see how it feels. but yeah you dont\' wanna toy with front wheels .. also get it checked out by a professional.. sorry to hear that :(

Well I don\'t want to get a new rim until the spring anyways, unless its affecting the weight distribution or alignment...I\'m not concerned about it being a scrape (its sad but I\'ll get over it until the snow melts)....

I don\'t have a garage...so I can\'t let the snow melt off it...I\'ll probably take it somewhere tomorrow and see what they say...

[S.F.W.]

I drove from Richmond Hill(yonge just north of 16th) to the office in North York. Normally takes me aobut 20 min, took about an hour. Traction was pretty good with the snow tires(Kw17\'s), but had to keep the speed much lower than usual. The roads weren\'t plowed well if at all when I left...16ath ave. was a pain.

Heather...what about looking into some used snow tires? Wouldn\'t be a perfect solution, but it might be affordable and better than no snow\'s....


Drive safe everyone..

[keving]

In AWD you can launch much quicker in the snow than any other car, but braking distance is the same for ALL cars, no matter what the configuration.
Those with MT cars, have you tried the no-gas method? Without applying gas in 1st, just release the clutch SLOWLY and hold it at the catch point for a couple seconds (more like 3-5 secs) to get moving, then once you\'re moving like ~5km/h then you can release it all the way. I *think* this way will save your clutch a bit more wear than starting out in 2nd gear.
Also don\'t forget to brush the snow off your headlights/taillights! Don\'t want anybody rear-ending you cuz they didn\'t \"see\" you until too late!
I drove today in the snow in the stock tires, and I didn\'t slip once, nor did I engage ABS once...Hopefully this careful driving will reward me by not getting me into an accident! I really can\'t afford the insurance hike...
Drive safe and... have fun (if you know what I mean :hoho)


P.S. a little question. Those with MT, do you pull up your handbrake when you park? Or do you just leave it in gear without pulling up the handbrake? Optimally I would like to do the latter, but my driveway has a slight slope to it, so I\'m not sure that leaving it in gear will keep my car in place 100% of the time. However, everybody says not to use the handbrake during winter because your handbrake might freeze. So everyone\'s feedback is greatly appreciated!

[billyfo]

Originally posted by keving

I *think* this way will save your clutch a bit more wear than starting out in 2nd gear.
Also don\'t forget to brush the snow off your headlights/taillights! Don\'t want anybody rear-ending you cuz they didn\'t \"see\" you until too late!


yeah, I read some car mags said 2nd gear startup is no good. I just slowly step on gas to rev up a bit then release the clutch with no slipping.

also switch on the headlights/taillights, too. By law, drivers have to switch on all the exterior light minus fog:p , in reduce visibilty time even in day time, ie, rain, fog, snow. but 6 out of 10 drivers never do this and cops never issue tickets.:sarc

[Melenium]

Well I\'ll have to agree with Warren on all the points he made, I\'d say the same thing! I was also somewhat disappointed with the KW17s on my unplowed street at first. ABS kicked in pretty quickly when I tested it out, and they did spin fairly easily from a standstill. Once I got the hang of them, then it became a bit more fun to drive. To be honest I was expecting a tad more from winter tires (never having had them before), but by the time I got to school I was sold.

I live around Bayview & 7, and had to get to York U for 11.30am. Bayview wasn\'t plowed, nor was hwy 7. It usually takes me about 20-25 mins to get to school, but because of traffic, it took me about an hour, but at no point was I really scared. In my last car, if I went off the \'worn in\' path, my car became like the spinner in childrens board games. Also changing lanes in the old car over the piles of snow in between lanes used to be really treaterous. With these tires on the Mz3, at first I felt scared (based on past experience), but at no point did I feel a loss of control; the car went right where I pointed it-- I was damn surprised and impressed. I could also feel the tires gripping well when braking and on the actual roads didn\'t feel ABS kick in at all. So overall, I\'m very pleased.

As for the cost, well worth it. My last car slid into a curb at about 5-10kph and blew one of the tires, so I put on another set of all-seasons and had similar grippage problems (and it cost me the same as if I\'d just sprung for a set of winters anyway). I\'d imagine the RS-As are really terrible and while you can get by most of the time (like I did), the one time you need to slam on the brakes or round a corner, they may not do what you want. To me it wasn\'t worth the chance, so I got the winters. The grad rebate covered all but $180 of the price tag :)

Now what really scares me is when you see old clunkers with all-seasons on zooming down the street at twice what everyone else is going. As I mentioned, Hwy 7 was not plowed, most people were doing 40kph, and I saw this one guy flying down at like 80 or 90.. he must have been mad.

Anyway, thats it for me.. drive safe everyone, and sorry to hear about the wheel Heather, hopefully its just snow on the inside.

[///M]

Originally posted by miggiddy



Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by autoexe

...
With my heavy right foot - it also leaves me wishing I had AWD!! Too many times I got the front tires to spin out while accelerating. I saw a Jeep in front of me launch hard and off it went without much tire spin.

AWD/4WD isn\'t all it\'s cracked up to be. It\'s great in situations like today, but you can get yourself in much deeper trouble if you let the AWD/4WD get to your head.

I concur. I\'ve seen AWD vehicles in the ditch being towed out as I passed them with my front wheel drive car. Mostlikely cause, going to fast thinking that the AWD would prevent them from losing control of the vehicle.

AWD + winter tires = less tire slippage when accelerating
braking is the same of course

[Neo]

Super_vixen,

If you hit the curb rather hard (from what it sounds like, you did...) rest assure there could be more than a few things wrong.
What does the rim look like? If there are big chunks missing from the wheel, then it could be worse than you think... If however it\'s a small chunk or something similar, then it could just be a new wheel and a bit of alignment.

I hit the curb rather hard in the 6. I remember taking the corner at 30km/h in a torential rain storm... I hit the curb at 35km/h or so. Front wheel and rear wheel hit LOUDLY! Suffice to say, the front wheel is toast and the rear is very scraped but it\'s still round. Unlike the front wheel... Never trust stock OEM wheels especially when they\'re all seasons! I took a look at the overall rating on the stock wheels offered on the 6 and the 3. The results aren\'t appealing! But like yourself, I don\'t have the money to spend on winter rubber. In truth, I would hardly see the usage. The roads get plowed fairly fast and as soon as the tires see a bit of pavement everything is well...
As for the damage on the 6.. I killed the front wheel (can\'t be fixed!), the wheel bearing/hub, and the knuckle were shattered. The rear of the car wasn\'t so bad.. Just needed a new wheel bearing.
Even after we got everything fixed, the car never behaved the same! You could still feel a bit of a wiggle... It\'s never the same after you smack something! :(

Today I had the experience of going through a bit of snow around my area. I totally agree with the rest of you on the OEM tires... They\'re horrible for snow!! I had the ABS kick up on me lots. Granted, I was going a bit fast but I was also braking a lot earlier than I usually do... I know how it feels to smack the curb so now I take extra care around corners in inclement weather. These RS-A\'s are not good for winter use! If I were you I would go with snows. You have the Auto hatch, right?? I would recommend the winter tires more for Auto cars than the Manuals. You have alot more control with the Manuals...

I\'ll be extra careful around town and what not. Try to avoid hitting the streets during those heavy snow fall days... And if I do get caught in a snow storm then I\'ll have to go extra slow...

Come spring I\'ll be switching over to some performance rubber and then for next winter I\'ll be swapping the tires out for better all seasons leaning towards winter usage...
But I think I\'ll pile on a few more km\'s on the OEM tires before I do any of this... Can\'t wait to swap the tires out for some Bridgestones!!! :)

Everyone drive safely!!

Lates,

[MazdaTree]

here comes the ABS

[chaser]

For those who expect their snow tires will give you sure-grip in snow, like summer tires (not our RSAs) glue on dry pavement, please lower your expectation. Snow tires won\'t give you glue-like grip but better grip and offer you more control than non-snow tires. You\'ll still experience spinning and sliding with snow tires. But whenever these happen, you\'ll feel and you\'ll know the car is under your control. That\'s the beauty of snow tires! ;)
Drive safe (not unnecessary slow) and enjoy winter driving :)

[triplezoom]

Im sure some of you have had the same experience, but let me re-emphasize that stock tires in this type of condition is no better than having drag tires run in snow. I think its about time i get some snows. Swurved here and there enough for one snow day. :( Not to move away from the snow topic, but any quick suggestions on what brand/type snows to get? :p

[majic]

Originally posted by triplezoom

Not to move away from the snow topic, but any quick suggestions on what brand/type snows to get? :p

look in here (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/board.php?FID=13) or do a search and you\'ll see all the responses as individual choices in tires will vary greatly

[///M]

Anyone else find it slightly unnerving doing left turns in the snow? The lack of traction to accelerate through the turn bothers me. I\'m afraid I\'ll spin the front tires, get stuck and get hit by an oncoming car.

[MazdaTree]

i pretty much feel the same way it took me a while to turn left today on the way to work
but u kno what they say u rather be safe then sorry

speakin of not being safe i saw a sunfire in the middle ditch on the 410 near the derry exit

[bubba1983]

...ain\'t it grand i live close to work and walk....LMFAO

[majic]

Originally posted by autoexe


Anyone else find it slightly unnerving doing left turns in the snow? The lack of traction to accelerate through the turn bothers me. I\'m afraid I\'ll spin the front tires, get stuck and get hit by an oncoming car.

i am .. but only b/c i\'m afraid of stalling :(

[MAZDA Kitten]

Originally posted by miggiddy

I concur. I\'ve seen AWD vehicles in the ditch being towed out as I passed them with my front wheel drive car. Mostlikely cause, going to fast thinking that the AWD would prevent them from losing control of the vehicle.

On my way to work yesterday morning I took the 407 and LITERALLY every vehicle i saw in the ditch was an SUV. In total there was about 5 or so plus a Jeep Liberty on its roof. :sarc

on a side note: the IceBears are great. No spinning.. lane changing was (with snow between lanes) was flawless.

[TheProfessor]

Ah well, might as well get my two cents in here:

Snow tires make a huge, huge difference. You just can\'t let yourself get a false sense of security out of them, otherwise you\'ll end up beside all those SUV\'s in the ditch. I too felt that there was no real need for snow tires in Toronto, until one winter when I had my civic and the stock tires were toast. I had recently bought larger rims and tires, so I figured, why not. I ended up getting a set of Nokian winter tires and all I can say is WOW. I felt such a level of control and confidence, I swore to myself never again would I go through a winter without these. Yes, the driver makes the biggest difference, but if you don\'t give the driver the proper tools to deal with the situation, then even the best driver will likely screw up.

[idreamofmazda]

Saw a real dick-wad driving a Crapaleer today, initiating Road Rage. On a street that is 1 lane each direction, but is about 1-½ lanes wide. I have seen people pass on this street before, but it’s not legal. This A-Hole was trying to pass on the right, but the snow was only plowed for one car, he gave up, as it was too slippery. He was tailgating the guy in front of him, and both were getting pissed off at each other, then going around a corner, the A-Hole tried to pass. WTF! Get off the road.

[Dr Butcher]

Originally posted by super_vixen


Well I finally got to inspect the damage..and its worse than I thought.
The edge of my rim, about half way around the entire edge is scraped...like deep chunks torn from the pavement along with scrapes along the flatter portion of the rim...I nearly cried.
On top of that, when I finally reached 90-100km/h my steering and car started to shake really violently....I assume its because of the alignment, but then again, it could be the rim/tire..any ideas?

what am I supposed to do now? Get a new rim..if so how much are we talking..alignment? Should I bother taking it to a dealership and get ripped off? or just go elsewhere to investigate???



Hmm, to me it sounds like it\'s more of a rim/tire issue. It\'s not so easy to test your alignment unless you\'re on a perfectly flat surface and all your tires are inflated properly. Your car normally will drift to one side on most roads because roads are designed to drain rain off them. If you feel that your car suddenly is pulling to one side then you may have alignment issues.

When your tire is out of balance you\'ll notice vibration at highway speeds, and can be really unnerving.

It\'s hard to say what it could be until you have it checked. I\'d start with a bent rim which may not need to be replaced if it can be rebalanced. Could be a shifted belt in the tire, could be part of the steering linkage, could be part of the drive system......

In the end, hopefully it\'s something minor that can be taken care of pretty easily. :)

[super_vixen]

I just got back from Ajax Mazda, driving a Sand Mica GS Sedan courtesy car. Needless to say the outcome of my trip wasn\'t good.

The technician said that my car is not safe to drive. The wheel is way too messed up.

My rim is bent, my rotor is screwed, some other bolts and things in the wheel need to be replaced. My tire is fine, and because of that it is causing my alignment and vibration.
Overall, $1160 is what it will cost to fix, and will be ready by tomorrow.

Ouch. Now winter tires are really out of the question.

[-RJ3-]

Sorry to hear that Supe, but You got a SAND MICA for now LOL which means I\'m not the only one who currently drives a sandmica 3.

If I were you tell them it was your airbag light due to the recall they are sending us. Tell them I shouldn\'t pay for this stuff \"My airbag light went on and it blinded me!! making me hit the curb in bad road conditions\" I wonder if they will buy that excuse?

Hope everything is fine with you

[majic]

Originally posted by super_vixen


I just got back from Ajax Mazda, driving a Sand Mica GS Sedan courtesy car. Needless to say the outcome of my trip wasn\'t good.

The technician said that my car is not safe to drive. The wheel is way too messed up.

My rim is bent, my rotor is screwed, some other bolts and things in the wheel need to be replaced. My tire is fine, and because of that it is causing my alignment and vibration.
Overall, $1160 is what it will cost to fix, and will be ready by tomorrow.

Ouch. Now winter tires are really out of the question.





oh man.. :( sorry to hear that.. i guess hitting the curb at any speed will cause this.. just like it happened with the grand am.. damn :(

[///M]

Today I saw an 2 M3s (BMW, not Mazda!!) rolling on the OEM 19\'s. I wonder how they get through winter...do they even make 19\' winter tires?

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by super_vixen


I just got back from Ajax Mazda, driving a Sand Mica GS Sedan courtesy car. Needless to say the outcome of my trip wasn\'t good.

The technician said that my car is not safe to drive. The wheel is way too messed up.

My rim is bent, my rotor is screwed, some other bolts and things in the wheel need to be replaced. My tire is fine, and because of that it is causing my alignment and vibration.
Overall, $1160 is what it will cost to fix, and will be ready by tomorrow.

Ouch. Now winter tires are really out of the question.





Wow, that really sucks, but look at the bright side, at least you\'re okay.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by autoexe


Today I saw an 2 M3s (BMW, not Mazda!!) rolling on the OEM 19\'s. I wonder how they get through winter...do they even make 19\' winter tires?

According to Tirerack.com, no.

[Saphress]

ouch... I\'m sorry.... hm....

Perhaps I should bite the bullet and get some winter tires then????? :( I really don\'t want to because I know I can\'t afford them right now.... BUT... if it\'s necessary....

I work frm 4pm - 12am.... so I am a little worried for 12 am drives home... ie: TONIGHT is worrying me.... what to do what to do...

Anyone know of decent (not necessarily amazing)... affordable winters?

[akz]

my mazda dealership told me that my tires were good to last me thru the winter too .. but the first snow fall in the GTA I was slipping and sliding all over.. it was a load of bull ~_~ sigh now I have to hunt down some winter tires that are sold out all across the gta rofl..

[AfterBurner]

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn\'t AWD designed to prevent a car or jeep from getting stuck in offroad conditions whereby if one or two wheels lost traction the others could provide the necessary torque to escape that condition. On a paved road in snow conditions the traction of all four wheels is affected in practically the same way (wheelspin and ice patches not withstanding) so if a car slides in snowy conditions (such as super-vixen\'s) all the wheels have lost traction and an AWD system should not make a difference.

In regards to wheelspin when starting, with an AWD system there are now 4 drive wheels subject to the same conditions as two drive wheels on a 2WD car and therefore it should increase traction only marginally if at all. With systems that have torque transfer capabilities that transfer power to the wheels that don\'t spin would that not make those wheels spin instead (I am not taking into account weight transfer to the rear when accelerating).

It seems that AWD is just a marketing gimmick as it provides only marginally better performance in snowy conditions but is more suited to off road conditions.

Another question is what is the physical difference between winter and all-season tires? My understanding is the the composition of the rubber is changed slightly but the main difference is the tread pattern.

EDIT: Also want to know how all you Toyo Proxes users are faring? I don\'t have any complaints about mine. Of course there was wheelspin at first but I didn\'t slide unless I was trying to induce one.

[Neo]

Sucks to hear about the outcome Super_vixen.. :(

In truth, I kinda new it was going to be expensive.. Once you said there was a loud noise when you hit the curb, right away I knew things were broken/bent/shattered... :(

I think he quoted you rather high... Rest assure the most expensive parts are the wheel, and possibly the wheel bearing/hub assembly... Not to mention the Knuckle!

I\'m sure there\'s a used wheel/tire around the GTA... Anyone?? Bueller??

[S.F.W.]

Sorry about hte bad news Super Vixx...just keep thinking positive thoughts.

[M34ME]

I havent put my snow on either yet, getting them friday (16\" Michellin Arctic Alpine\'s), but yeah these RSA suck!, On a cold day feel how hard the rubber is, these are definately a 3 season tire. While driving on the RSA\'s try starting off in second gear, it helps to not slip the tires, you can do this with the auto tranny as well as stick.

[Newlook]

Sorry to hear about your damage Vix... But also consider yourself lucky that you were not one of the 500 accidents involved with another vehicle.

[Melenium]

Heather, really sorry to hear about the damage. As was mentioned, I\'m betting about 4-500$ is probably just for a new tire ($175) and rim. At least its getting fixed up by Mazda, which while it may be a bit more expensive, it should be done right.


Originally posted by AfterBurner


Correct me if I am wrong but wasn\'t AWD designed to prevent a car or jeep from getting stuck in offroad conditions whereby if one or two wheels lost traction the others could provide the necessary torque to escape that condition. On a paved road in snow conditions the traction of all four wheels is affected in practically the same way (wheelspin and ice patches not withstanding) so if a car slides in snowy conditions (such as super-vixen\'s) all the wheels have lost traction and an AWD system should not make a difference.

In regards to wheelspin when starting, with an AWD system there are now 4 drive wheels subject to the same conditions as two drive wheels on a 2WD car and therefore it should increase traction only marginally if at all. With systems that have torque transfer capabilities that transfer power to the wheels that don\'t spin would that not make those wheels spin instead (I am not taking into account weight transfer to the rear when accelerating).

It seems that AWD is just a marketing gimmick as it provides only marginally better performance in snowy conditions but is more suited to off road conditions.

Another question is what is the physical difference between winter and all-season tires? My understanding is the the composition of the rubber is changed slightly but the main difference is the tread pattern.

Yup, AWD/4WD is really a marketing gimmick for the most part. Say 160 horses/torque actually got to the road from our car. On a 2 wheel drive, thats 80 horse and torque per wheel. In an AWD/4WD, it gets distributed between all 4 wheels giving you 40 horse/torque per wheel. That means you have a lot more grip when accelerating, or if some tires lose grip (particularly useful when climbing a hill off-road for example, or getting out of a snow bank). A lot of good it does when the car in front of you is a 2wd and spinning.. and who are you going to race in winter anyway?

Everything else however is equal-- all cars use all 4 wheels to brake, and just 2 to turn, so really you gain little having the AWD. On the other hand, the dodge/gm trucks that have the new 4-wheel steering may have a bit of an advantage cornering in the ice & snow.

Traction control is also another hyped gimmick. It also reduces wheel spinning on acceleration, but does very little to help with steering or braking (beyond what regular ABS does anyway).

As for winter tires, you\'re right on both accounts-- they\'re a much softer rubber (you can feel it even). It stays soft at colder temperatures while regular tires become more plastic-like. Tread pattern is also optimized to shed water and snow instead of packing. Other compounds and designs are added also to \"bite\" into the ice, and wick away the thin surface layer of water on ice that makes it slippery.