TTAC Long Term Update #2: 2015 Mazda 3 Sport

by Derek Kreindler

Published: January 2nd, 2015

ttac long term update 2 2015 mazda 3 sport

This will be the first winter since 2009 when I will not be driving an open top sports car. I can say with confidence that for a daily driver in the Snowbelt, the answer is not necessarily “Miata”.

As much as I adored my Miatas, I had come to the realization that the six months of blissful, open-air motoring in the summer was outweighed by the misery of driving one in the winter.

Traction in the snow was the least of my problems. With a good set of winters and a limited slip-differential, I was never once stuck, spun around or slipping excessively in the snow or on ice.

Things that did suck, in no particular order

The utter lack of insulation, which made the car freezing cold. Not even the hardtop could remedy this.
No ABS. Some of the more cantakerous types will probably be rolling their eyes at this assertion. I know how to threshold brake, but I also know the sheer panic of trying to come to a complete stop on a slick road after a child has just ran into the street to get their ball. Never. Again.
The rather limited cabin space is not conducive to wearing a parka and size 11.5 EE Red Wing snow boots.
Jack’s accident made me think twice about driving a car with a less than modern suite of safety features.

For now, I am enjoying the relative warmth of the all-steel bodyshell, the heated seats, the Bluetooth system, the rear seats and proper trunk. I am sure that, come spring, I’ll be missing my Miata.

The big change for this month was the addition of a set of snow tires. Our friends at TireSpot recommended a set of Hankook Winter i-Pike RS W419s in 205/60/16, and I immediately installed them in preparation for another Polar Vortex. Of course, it’s been a warm winter, with only a light dusting of snow, but this weekend’s winter storm should reveal how they perform in the white stuff. Fuel economy is sitting at 26 mpg, largely in town. On our next tank, we’ll see what kind of effect the snow tires have on fuel economy.

#2015Mazda3 #2015Mazda3Sport #Mazda #Mazda3

Derek Kreindler

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SPPPP on Jan 06, 2015

"... I also know the sheer panic of trying to come to a complete stop on a slick road after a child has just ran into the street to get their ball. Never. Again." Derek, You may have heard this before, but ... beware of ABS + snow. If it's really slippery, ABS often EXTENDS your braking distance by forcing the tires to keep rolling. If they could slide, they would build up a little snow in front and stop sooner. You may have more steering control with ABS, but your braking ability is often diminished in exchange.

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- Rpn453 on Jan 06, 2015
  
  There are few driving situations more frustrating than feeling the ABS rapidly pulse and release pressure every time the tires start to lock up and dig in. Another is when you only have one or two wheels on a single s*de locking up on variable icy surfaces and the pulsing prevents you from modulating the rest of the brakes properly. That pulsing that is tolerable when you're braking firmly becomes a real detriment when a light, precise touch is necessary. The locked wheels are irrelevant, and often beneficial. All you really need to know to benefit from disabling ABS in winter - as*de from the basic principle of not trying to steer while braking - is how to correct the vehicle if it begins to rotate under lock-up. That's not difficult and, with practice, it can be done in a small fraction of a second. Once you've got the muscle memory it happens automatically before you have a chance to even think about it. Release, correct, squeeze. Winter driving without electronic interference really is a lot of fun.
  
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- Krhodes1 on Jan 06, 2015
  
  @rpn453 Modern ABS systems really decrease this issue. Winter tires decrease it even more. As I mentioned, with the Geolanders on, which are a far more aggressive tire than you would typically have on a car, my truck will do exactly this on slippery surfaces. Touch the brakes, and the ABS cycles because the tires have no traction. With the Hankook snows on, you can brake HARD before the ABS cycles - like cause significant nose dive hard. But even with that said, I would still love to see an on/off switch for those VERY rare occasions when no ABS is better.
  
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Davepod on Feb 11, 2015

Glad to see this review. We are thinking of a 15 i touring and really interested to see if there are any other issues out of the plant and to see how it drives and the gas mileage. The mileage really interest us with the capacity of a hatch. BTW living in Pittsburgh no snow tires FWD cars and get around fine but I've had snow tires in the past and they definitely helped.

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