Another Mazda 3 rant

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My old Altima used to spin its wheels all the time when coming from a stop and you need to accelerate kind of quickly. I had pretty good tires on it too... my Integra doesn't do that anymore, unless you really want it to. It develops most of its power in the higher band of the RPM range, whereas the Altima had a lot more torque and produced more power in the lower RPM range and kind of dropped off after 5k.
 
anyone having wheel spin problems with a mazda3 needs to move down to a 120hp Corolla or even a 100hp yaris, matrix or the likes.
 
Originally Posted By: CBDFrontier06
Wheelspin is just as present on the 2.0.

I take it that traction control is not an option on Mazda3? What about MazdaSpeed3? With even more hp/torque, that one would have to spin even more unless they gave it traction control.
 
The Mazdaspeed3 has all sorts of wheelspin nannies...LSD, traction control, torque limiting in gears 1-3. My 3i didn't have any of those. Not sure about a 3S.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: CBDFrontier06
Wheelspin is just as present on the 2.0.

I take it that traction control is not an option on Mazda3? What about MazdaSpeed3? With even more hp/torque, that one would have to spin even more unless they gave it traction control.


traction control was standard on all mazdas last I checked.
 
Dropping from the recommended 32 psi to 28 psi ends wheel hop and increases traction considerably on this car. The tires are too soft in the corners at 28 psi though, so I compromise and use 30 psi.

Really, this car needs an LSD and stiffer motor mounts.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
traction control was standard on all mazdas last I checked.


Then I guess it was non-functional in my car. I could spin one or both wheels to my heart's desire.
 
Well I bought my mazda6 in 2006. Everything I test drove, including the base 3's all had it.
 
Originally Posted By: CBDFrontier06
Originally Posted By: badtlc
traction control was standard on all mazdas last I checked.


Then I guess it was non-functional in my car. I could spin one or both wheels to my heart's desire.


Spin or chirp? You will always be able to chirp the tires. The TCS won't kick in until the tire actually starts spinning (when it chirps).
 
The car had no TCS. There was no defeat switch, and I could SPIN the tires wildly in any low-traction situation. Rain, wet corners, gravel...etc.
 
I only notice a problem with wheelspin when I'm starting from a complete stop while going uphill. Also, what exactly is wheelhop? I've heard you can stiffen the motor mount by filling it with heavy-duty epoxy to stop wheelhop.
 
Originally Posted By: CBDFrontier06
The car had no TCS. There was no defeat switch, and I could SPIN the tires wildly in any low-traction situation. Rain, wet corners, gravel...etc.


Maybe learn how to drive under adverse conditions.
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Originally Posted By: dqniel
I only notice a problem with wheelspin when I'm starting from a complete stop while going uphill. Also, what exactly is wheelhop? I've heard you can stiffen the motor mount by filling it with heavy-duty epoxy to stop wheelhop.


Wheelhop is the hopping of the front wheels under acceleration. The wheels are spinning freely before hitting the pavement and bouncing again. The rocking of an engine on soft mounts contributes to this. I'm sure engine placement is a big factor in the cause. It can be violent and it's very hard on the drivetrain. With an automatic, the torque converter damps the impact of the spinning wheel as it's hitting the pavement so it's far less likely to occur with an auto than a manual. I've never personally seen it happen with an automatic.

If you want to stiffen your engine mounts, this single mount is the easiest way:

http://www.awrracing.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=309

I can't speak for an automatic, but with a standard it makes a huge difference in driving feel to not have the engine flopping around. Once you're moving, driving pleasure is greatly increased! I removed it after a few days because the engine vibrations around 1000 to 1200 rpm whenever you start off from a stop were more than I could handle. I'd like a mount that's stiffer than the stock mount, but not as stiff as that urethane one.
 
If that rear mount is like the last gen Protege then it's a pita to change. On the Protege you have to drop the suspension subframe to get to it. The front mount is very easy to change.

Get better tires...
 
We have 14k on the 3 now. I really like this car. It handles great and the engine is excellent. Very rev happy engine. Quick little car. I wish I would have bought a 3 over the Accord. I also like the manual mode.

I still have a 11k mile sample of Amsoil ASM I have yet to send off. Right now I have the XL 5w20 in it.
 
Accords are good cars but not high on fun to drive IMO. We had a '94, a fairly new car a the time, very nice, but boring. Smaller cars are just more fun.
 
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