I am the proud owner of a used 2010 Mazda 3 AT. It was a dream come true...until I took it out in the snow. It handles horribly! I traded in a Corolla that never gave me any trouble in the snow. Now I'm second-guessing my decision.

I couldn't make it up the slight incline that is the street that I live on, and with my traction control indicator lit up like a Christmas tree, I was going nowhere fast. I turned around and pulled into my parking lot, and was unable to get back in my original parking spot!

I've been doing some online research, and I've seen suggestions about shutting off the DSC. Is this a good idea? I figure it's there for a reason, but is it the cause of the problem? I'm not a crazy driver, and I don't have snow tires (nor do I want to get them). I live in NH and snow is the norm all winter long. Any suggestions/feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

I recently picked up a 2005 SP23 and fearing the the sport tires were not going to provide much traction in a snow \ ice situation I did install a set of snow tires just on time for the storm that hit us yesterday. I know you clearly stated that you don't want to snow tires but after such a good experience I feel obligated to tell you to reconsider. I work 60 miles from home and it took me over 4.5 hours to get yesterday. The road conditions were just terrible but I never lost grip. I was not that big into snow tires but wont do without them again.

On your car I believe the stock tires are Yokohama Avid S34 which have a 6.8 out of 10 review on tirerack.com which less than 5 once comes to snow traction.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....odel=AVID+S34B

 

Ncruz - Thanks for your feedback. I bought it used at the beginning of November, and the tires on it are brand-new Hankooks. I don't know their reputation in snow, but I felt pretty powerless to get up that hill!

 

If they're Hankook RS3's, they were made for sticking to dry pavement in the summer and are about as bad of a snow tire you can get. Have you thought of getting some separate tires for the winter? Like 8 months with the stock wheels and tires and 4 with the steelies and Blizzacks?

I know you said you don't want to buy new tires for the winter, but if your tires are THAT bad, you may have no choice.

 

I checked them earlier and they are Ventus Prime2x's. I believe they are an all-season tire. I guess my main concern is that I've never ever had to put snow tires on any car I've owned; all-seasons have always worked fine. Why should the 3 be any different?

 

I was not a huge believer of winter tires till literately last week. During the recent sleet\snow storm we had I was so glad to have my winter tires on. I was on a major highway where trucks and SUV were literately getting stuck on the hills or snowdrifting to the curves. In fact, a portion of the highway was shut due to the black ice formation near 40 miles from my home.

I wasn't blasting through the snow, but the traction was good enough to keep me moving. At times I even giggled seem cars like Benz spinning their tires stuck in one place while I slowly passed them.

Checkout this vid which clearly shows the advantages of snow times. btw I didn't know that in Germany it's the law to change tires during the winter month.


Good article on snow tires.
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto...e-money-1.aspx

 

Like you and others have noted the problem most likely lies with your tires and not your DSC. The stock tires are indeed all seasons, however no stock tires are ever really good in every season. The RS-A's the first several year models came with were basically hockey pucks in cold weather and had terrible tread life.

I know you said you've never had to do winter tires on your car, however it may be time to rethink that. They will greatly increase your handling and safety in winter months, especially in NH, and going up a little hill in your parking lot won't give you any problems.

Sure all-season have always been "good enough" for you. It's fantastic you've gone this long without needing them, however don't think of winter tires as something special, think of them as the appropriate tire for the conditions.

 

Okay, okay...I surrender! You all had a hand in convincing me to order a set of snow tires today. They weren't in stock, but they will have them tomorrow. The forecast for the next several days is for frigid cold but no significant snow, so I won't find out how they handle right away. But at least I won't be worrying about getting from point A to point B when it eventually does snow. The peace of mind will be more than worth it.

Thanks again!

 

I'm surprised you have a problem I have a 2010 3 sport 6 speed that is great in snow with summer tires. I live in Vermont maybe its because I have a MT?

 

You won't regret it.

 

2010 S - consider yourself lucky! I asked a guy I work with who also has a 3 MT, and he said he's never even thought about it. He said that he replaced the tires last winter with really good all-seasons and hasn't had any trouble. I guess it's just the price I have to pay for zoom-zoom!

I know that come summertime, this will all be a distant memory...

 

Even in cold the winter tires will do well. The rubber compounds are generally made to work well in 40 degrees and under.

 

I just put on some general altimax arctics. While the tall tread feels squishy when driving, i'm happy so far with the handling in snow... they have been on less than 500 miles so far.

 

I'm from NH the traction control is useless in the snow when you need wheelspeed to get up hills or leaving stoplights just turn it off when your moving it fine