well - not sure about regular M3, but the MS3 is a freaking death trap in the snow with its stock tires

back on point - its best to do things, 1 at a time when traction isnt the best (like the snow) - dont try to turn, and brake, or turn and accelerate at the same time - your grip is pretty much a fixed value, so you can use it to change direction OR speed, but not both simultaneously (at least not at the same rate of change) - its best to brake to whatever speed your going to take the turn at, coast through the turn, then accelerate once the wheels are strait again

basically drive the most boring way possible

if your still power sliding, your taking the turn to fast for the car/conditions/tires

as for winter/snow tires

i dont have them on the speed - dont drive everyday and couldnt justify the cost - might do it in spring if i can afford it

HOWEVER - the GF has them on her jetta sport wagon - originally it had all seasons - and its a world of difference even between them and all season - even on 1/4" of fresh snow - when every other car is sliding around, she can pretty much drive normally - i have yet to see them loose traction under any normal driving even in horrible conditions

further evident is the fact that her car is diesel - so lots of toque (240 something) starting at 1200rpms - and even under that kind of pressure the tires never slip

general altimax something or other - cheapest snow tire we could find (tirerack) - walmart installed them on the stock rims for... $40 (id recommend NOT going to walmart... long story)

hope that helps

 

I'm up in Toronto... and I have to say winter tires are a must for this car. The difference is huge. Still not invincible (last night we got about 3-4", so this mornings commute was... well, slow), but the tires make a huge difference. If you can justify the cost (i.e. get enough snow where you are, and have space to store em) you should 100% pick them up.

 

Funny, it snowed here last night (not a normal Vancouver occurence) and I drove in today on winters and my 3 was just fine.

Do you have dynamic stability control (DSC) on your car? If you do, turn it off on the snow. I find it kicks in wayyyyy too much when it's slippery and actually takes control of the car away from me.

If you're driving in the snow at all, you NEED snow tires. The difference in braking capability is huge. I read somewhere that in snow, breaking ability on snow tires is reduced by something like 50%, on all seasons, it's reduced by something like 75%.

Spending $600-800 on a good set of snow tires, which would likely last you several years because you won't be on them year round, is a lot better than costing you your or someone else's life

 

The very beautiful MissMiel is correct. The traction control, if you have it, will most likely cause you to crash, so I would turn that off in slippery conditions. It applies the brakes, so that a HUGE no-no in those conditions.

The stock all-weather tires are pure garbage on slippery surfaces such as metal(RR tracks) and ice, so you do want to get a set of winter tires. The money you spend on a set of good snow tires will save you accidents, therefore saves you money.

 

I bought my car in the summer, and I knew that the stock i Touring tires were crap from the get-go. Invested in $400 to get snows to fit my stock wheels, and BAM its almost unstoppable. Frankly, I'd put snows on any car thats gonna get driven in snow consistently, its not just the acceleration/getting unstuck, but its what keeps you from getting stuck in the first place!

 

It rains A LOT here, and I've found that snowies help in the rain tremendously too. We have basically 6 months straight of rain, which is one of hte reason I got snowies. The all seasons really are crappy.

 

I have stock tires and i was doing 75 in the highway. We just had 6-11 inches of snow. In a straight line it wasn't bad just slow down without the brake when those turns come around. As long as you don't suddenly press the brake or gas the car is very manageable. But it sucks going up any incline.

 

Jaysus guys, how much is your life worth? buy snow tires. All season tires should be labelled no season tires. They are useless below 7 degrees celsius. The rubber is just too hard. The Mazda3 on snow tires will have no trouble in the snow.

The province of Quebec made it Mandatory to have Snow tires installed in the winter. Nothing pisses me off more than to get stuck behind some eejit slipping and sliding all over the place because his tires are useless.

Pat.

 

Jaysus guys, how much is your life worth? buy snow tires. All season tires should be labelled no season tires.

Yea, dayum...I wouldn't do 75 in a foot of snow even with snow tires on...even VT staties will do 60 tops in the snow, and they're TRAINED to drive in conditions like that

Haha I call 'em no seasons as well...all seasons are history on my car as soon as they're worn

 

the 'all season' tires i have on this car (stock) are the WORST tires i've ever experienced on a vehicle. i hate my life with these tires. tax refund = new shoes for this car. don't care. i must stay with all season as i don't have extra rims for snow tires...but they will be quality; not this shit they wrapped on them from the factory. super tire fail. (ps - mine are the yokahamas. they suck)

 

I've had good and bad all seasons on other cars. But when the dealer told me, even before I bought, that the stock tires were terrible in the snow I figured I should budget a set of snows to go with my purchase. Artic Altimax and they are assume in the snow, sometimes I feel like it gives me to much confidence.

 

I've had mixed feelings about the whole DSC/Traction controll as well.
I put my 3 into a curb last winter( $2,700 damage and only 3 months old) on just a covering of snow and ice, which has never happened to me before and the more I thought about it the more I feel the DSC let me down.
We've had plenty of snow this season so far and have turned off the DSC and have had no problems at all, and with tires that now have 19K on them ( crappy stock Yoka's).
I think the DSC is good under certain conditions, like hitting a bunch of wet leaves in a corner at speed or starting from a stop on ice or preventing a spin on dry/wet pavement during an evassive manuver...but for driving in plain ol snow or when you are already driving at reduced speeds catiously, I think its best to go old school and turn off the DSC.

 

Yeah, I'll second the sentiment: the all season OEM tires are best seen as 'three season' tires if you live somewhere that gets a real winter with the frozen and/or white stuff. I bought some used alloy 16x7" wheels and mounted up Hankook winter i*cept evo 205/55R16 tires and the added grip makes a world of difference in the cold and on the frozen stuff. It's still reduced grip from dry warm conditions on the all-seasons so you'll want to be careful when cornering and give extra space in front of you for braking, but oh so much more grip in the wet/frozen/cold.

You shouldn't have to spend more than $400 for a set of four good winter tires (not counting wheels/stem/mount+balance). Big O Tires wanted $135/tire until I pointed out tiremonkey.com would sell me the same tire, delivered, for $94/tire. Then they matched the price. Find the lowest price tire brand/model you want, then keep playing the retail outlets against each other.

 

I live in Vermont on a very steep private dirt road, I have had only 2 days I have not been able to get up my road. I currently have Michelin X Ice2, and around here "all-seasons" are considered "no-seasons" or 3 Seasons. I have never seen a true all-season tire.

With a 2WD and a light one at that, I would only have it with snow tires and know it's limitations.

I do have fun when i take the DSC off though :blush 1: (but wish it was a RWD)

 

Check up on tirerack.com, when I had my A4, I priced a set of 15" or 16" (can't remember) wheel/tire combo mounted on steelies for less than $400. They'll come balanced for you too so all you'd have to do is slap them on yourself. (I never used them b/c the car got sold soon after I priced them lol)

One suggestion on 3 vs. RX350...if the RX350's got the stock all seasons, you're better off investing in snow tires for the 3, which will handle the smaller snowfall better than the RX350 because of the lower center of gravity. If you've got 3 ft snowdrifts than obviously the RX is better (although in that case you'd still need snows...I bet the RX's all seasons are no better than the 3's all seasons)...I don't trust all-seasons/OEM tires on any car in the snow, I'm a firm believer in winter tires

 

General Altimax is the way to go for the price. Excellent tire on M3. Stock tires are crap in the snow. Turn DSC off in the snow. Have snow tires mounted on separate black rims then they are easy to change come the spring. I own a 2010 M3 with 17" stock tires and I saved myself about $200.00 by buying General Altimax tires with 16" tires and rims. Purchased these tires at Canadian Tire using their don't pay for 6 month deal. Got my income tax refund and paid them off...

 

the first gen and second gen are pretty damn bad in the snow! Winter tires are a must! I remember with my 07 mazda 3 I couldn't make it up my damn driveway. We didn't even get that much snow that night...

 

I might suggest this for a snow vehicle

 

+1 on stock tire is death trap.

I swapped mine out with Conti DWS.

 

I dont know about you guys but I love snow and I always look forward to it when it comes. But its funny but when I bought my car 09 we had two blizzards in a few months and I had the stock tires and DSC turned off at all times and I was destroying everyone all around! Not saying im good just saying the car did an amazing job then I put winter tires the next year and when it snowed boy was she perfect! Now maybe that the fact that I was raised in France in an area with lots of snow and mountains nearby and lots people who know how to drive over there kinda affects things but all I have to say is this car if treated right and given good enough equipment well take care of you in snow!
Im ready for this again

 

so winters coming soon.... and im starting to wonder if I should get winter tires for my car..if so, what tires do you recommend? Blizzacks seem to be a favorite. I'm kinda short on cash so I'd like to get something that would last a few seasons and is still great in the snow.

 

The blizzaks are high quality. An continental also has a great winter tire. I'm taking my buddies continentals from his mini Cooper since he sold his. And he used em for a whole Alaskan winter on a 210 horsepower/torque turbocharged fwd car and they show nearly no wear. So they've got my vote

 

Here are two that arent too expensive
General Altimax Arctic
Dunlop Graspic DS-3

 

stock tires is [censored] crappy.

No car is bad in snow, its the shoes you give them. Yes, I'm talking light snow only.

 

Snow Performance ?

I just got a 2011 Mazda 3 itouring this summer. I had a '08 Nissan Sentra before for a few years with no problems in the snow. My sister owns the exact same model of Mazda but a year older and had alot of trouble with it in the snow. It could just be her tires but she complained about the traction control kicking on all the time. I'm worried about the approaching winter and want to be prepared. I live in Southeastern PA so I don't invest in snow tires because the weather is so inconsistent. Usually if is snows ridiculous, I dont drive to work in the car and drive my SUV. The Mazda I bought came from the dealer with all season Kuhmo Ecsta 4x tires. Is this sufficient for a few inches of snow in case I get stuck driving in it on the way home from work? Looking for advice because after hearing the traction control stories, I'm a bit worried. Thanks!

(I think its just the traction control that scares me. I drive manual and used to own a 1989 Mazda 323 with snow tires. Never had any problems. Even when I switched to all season, I still only got stuck once and that was on an untreated road in bumper to bumper traffic with crappy tires)

 

Love driving in the winter!! This is a great car with the right tires...that being winters. I run Michelin X-Ice Xi3 and love them!! They are not by any means the cheapest but I look at it this way. My life (and car) is worth more than $800 for a good set of winter tires that will help save my life. Also I'm up in Alberta and we have winter for 6 months of the year, so very much worth it.
I had a blast racing her on an ice track last season with just my X-Ice and no studs.

 

use winter tires. If you use all seasons you're just asking for issues. Proper tires for weather conditions is always a recommendation by any auto MFG. Cheaper the tire is, normally the more "garbage" it is. Get a decent set of tires and you'll be laughing. I'm dropped on Eibach's running Xice (original) and they function fine.

 

Mine wasn't too hot last year, now I've got proper winter tires and it actually does very well!

Don't cheap out on the things that seperate you from the ground. Shoes, beds, motorcycle gear, TIRES!

 

I find Conti DWS pretty good in snow (Currently on my Audi for 2 winters). Other all season tires seem pretty bad in snow otherwise. One all season tire that may be good is Michelin Pilot AS but the new version is too new to have any reviews and data. Anyhow, my Mazda is getting Blizzaks for winter so my significant other stays safer. And yes, OEM all season Yoko's are absolutely terrible.