[Midnightsky228]

Since winter is here and in full force I thought I would start a thread for everyone to share their experiences good and bad owning/driving their Gen 3 in the deep freeze.

My first experience in the deep freeze was Christmas day driving home after my car sat outside all afternoon. That magical moment after your car has been sitting outside in -20C all day and your clutch becomes a stage 4 race clutch lol. During the drive home it dipped to -33C which sure didn't help my clutch lol. After about 2 hours of driving it had gone down to about a stage 2 clutch. Similarly today it was -20C all day and when I got in to drive home it was a race clutch again lol. Thus far it has not had any issues starting, no struggles cranking, and fires right up even without using the block heater which I think mine has but have never looked for the plug lol, im sure its there somewhere. I find that the HVAC buttons get kinda sticky when its that cold tho thankfully none have actually stuck down on me. Heated seats and steering wheel are definitely a treat to have, so glad I got them. Thanks to my local tire guy(a fellow racer) I have been super stable in the snow/ice rocking the Pirelli Winter Ice Zero Studded tires. It bites down hard and keeps the car pointing in the right direction. Ive tried to get the back end out but it doesn't want to come out, which I suppose isn't a bad thing anyway. On ice I can get it to sorta come loose but its still very firmly planted and it takes extraordinary force to get it out. Traction off the line isn't too bad either, 1st and 2nd gear require some pedaling but pulls nicely if modulated correctly. I wish I had a real E-brake, that would have been nice for winter, Im not sure how comfortable I am using the button, it is a hydraulic E-brake technically, but I doubt it is built to the standards of rally use lol. Has anyone tried it in a parking lot?

That's my stories and experiences so far from the deep freeze here in Western Canada. Share your experiences in "Tales from a deep freeze"

 

[zero_gravity]

Southern Ontario here (well north end of it) and similar stories. Yes the clutch is interesting in the cold lol. The engine revs at nearly 2k at first so when you get it moving it likes to lurch forward a little. Passes quickly, can't complain.

A block heater is a great way to avoid this and it's better for the engine as well. Added bonuses, it'll drop your fuel consumption by reducing warm up time and your car will blow heat sooner it's an easy install if you don't have one already. If you can replace the coolant you can do this.

Besides that, it handles well in the winter for a FWD car. For tires I have a set of gislaved nord frost 100's. The dealer gave me a reasonable deal on them when I bought the car. $1000 with the steel wheels. Little noisy on the road but they do their job well.

Only mishap was the front windows froze shut yesterday morning...but I also need to clean them. Might help.

 

[muchikori]

Toronto Here, the first time it snowed, i was driving 40kph and turned left.. pretty much drifted for the very first time. Mind you I'm using winter tires XD

Also, this morning, starting the car was pretty unusual. since we're at -22C it felt like the car struggled to start and pretty much idled at 2kRPM.

 

[lordnikon]

Lots of snow in Toronto a few days ago. I was going only 40kph and the car was darting all over the place despite having decent winter tires. Not a fun experience. Traction off the line was good though.

 

[zx6rrdan]

Hit -32c here on 26th and car fired up but of course slower turning over. I was saying ouch for my car

 

[mazda318gt]

It was a balmy 8 degrees at my house this morning in PA. A little warmer than that now. My car is garage kept so it has always started just fine when I leave the house. I went out at lunch today and I was SO happy that I had a heated steering wheel and seat. I don't have snow tires yet since I just got my car in September and I am going to keep the stock tires for now. We also haven't had much snow to worry about yet. It has all stayed up in Erie so far.

 

[Mitchell_A]

I wish I had a real E-brake, that would have been nice for winter, Im not sure how comfortable I am using the button, it is a hydraulic E-brake technically, but I doubt it is built to the standards of rally use lol. Has anyone tried it in a parking lot?

I've given it a few tries here on the East Coast. Even with TCS off, if you hold the e-brake it will just kick on and off again until you release it. Kind of disappointing. :|

 

[Midnightsky228]

I've given it a few tries here on the East Coast. Even with TCS off, if you hold the e-brake it will just kick on and off again until you release it. Kind of disappointing. :|

shouldn't have to hold it for more than a second, its just to get the rear end loose as your turning

Having decided to try it for myself I am in full agreement its useless, not because it doesn't hold, but more simply because its a delayed response and very difficult to time correctly. It would take alot of practice and patience to get it right every single time. Better to Scandinavian flick it with added motivation from a clutch kick, more predictable results and would be faster around an ice circuit or snow circuit.

 

[paulff3]

Very happy with how the 3 is handling this cold spell. Car heats up fast and the heat is very warm. Nice!!!

 

[Hartmann]

New Brunswick here, my first time with my 3 in the snow, I got off work to my car being set around a almost foot high snow bank all the way around my car ( plow guy was a dick >.>), was no problem for my 3, moved it back about half a foot then pushed my way through, drifted through the parking lot when i git pavement or well kinda hit it, the tcs came on like crazy but never failed me, Never gotten stuck once with my 3, we've been through blizzards together, drifted up hills and through intersections while the city was shut down because of the storms, tanked through snow drifts while 4x4 pickups got stuck in them, even 4 foot snow drifts when im shoveling out in the morning, with a good set of studded's on I can make it out of any situation, never gotten stuck and I never will. But I will say this now, winter driving with this beast just brings out the inner rally driver in me

 

[zero_gravity]

Just wait until tomorrow morning my fellow canucks

 

[Midnightsky228]

Just wait until tomorrow morning my fellow canucks

Our Chinook starts Monday and should be a nice week after that

 

[zero_gravity]

Our Chinook starts Monday and should be a nice week after that

So glad I park my car in my garage with block heater plugged in. Had to go to work at 5:30 am this morning.

 

[tots]

I don't live up north where is gets really cold, but glad to hear the 3 does well at some very low temps!

 

[Stelth3]

Brampton here. Third year with my 3 in winter. No problems starting up in -30 weather. Just the clear gauge cluster cover fogs up, and the rearview mirror rapidly freezes after I have started the car. The leather seats are frozen solid, so the heated seats are good.
Its colder inside the car than outside.
The electric steering is slightly effected by the cold so it needs a few turns to get lose.
I'm going for a drive tomorrow morning, out to Kitchener and maybe up to Barrie just for the hell of it. I don't want the car to sit for a whole day in the cold.

 

[louisbosco]

-22, -33, -40C... f me dead, i'm on the opposite end of the spectrum and kinda jealous of the snow.. although it does sound like a pita to get about..

 

[Midnightsky228]

-22, -33, -40C... f me dead, i'm on the opposite end of the spectrum and kinda jealous of the snow.. although it does sound like a pita to get about..

lol you don't know what your missing

 

[LeeMazda3]

In the last 7 days, the daily high temperature in Ottawa has averaged -20°C; park my 2014 in an open car port (no block heater) and was luckily able to start it without incident. Expecting a respite (-8°C) from the deep freeze over the next couple of days, but then its back to the usual temps.

 

[GTeyes]

Car is a 2016 GT sedan with 96,000 kms (I drive a lot).
It's been chilly here on the east coast of Canada (Nova Scotia). No starting issues, car is working great. Car handles the snow wonderfully (car has Michelin X-ice tires).

I'm noticing that one of my rear door switches is sticking/freezing so the interior lights aren't coming on when you open one of the back doors. I had a rattle develop at the bottom of the windshield but it was just a loose trim piece that I shimmed with some two-sided tape. It was the trim piece that is at the bottom edge of the windshield between the glass and the fender/wiper tray.

 

[paulff3]

-11 F just north of Boston this morning. Car started but made noises I've never heard before. Sounded like an old man getting kicked while taking a dump and having an orgasm all at the same time.