Search results

The acceleration numbers for both cars are well documented in the car magazines, and the 3s is significantly quicker than the 6. I love both cars, but I needed hatchback functionality because I prefer to put my bike in the back of the car rather than using a bike rack, and I like small cars. I...

The 18x8" wheels on my RX-8 weighed 24.something lbs. according to our house scale (I don't remember the "something"). According to Brian Goodwin of Goodwin Racing, the OEM wheels supposedly weighed 21lbs., but if that was right, our house scale is pretty inaccurate.

@jessicamarie, the infotainment system in my new 3 has been far more reliable, and far more responsive, than the MyFordTouch system in my 2012 Focus Titanium was. Having said that, I'm now back to where I was with the first version of the software that came on my 3 last fall. It refuses to...

The paint quality on my RX-8 (Sparkling Black Mica) seems better than what's on my Soul Red 3 and what was on my 2005 3 (Winning Blue). It's shinier and it seems to be holding up better given the difference in age and miles between the two. I think the shininess of the RX-8 may just be a...

There's not much point in that, anymore. The winter tires on the OEM wheels now are probably significantly heavier than the OEM tires, and heavier than any summer-only tires I will likely buy. I won't have a chance to weigh an OEM wheel without a tire. Maybe I could ask Discount Tire to do...

I can say that on my hatchback, the back does have noticeably more fender gap than the front. However, for me, the lowering and spring rates should be based on performance and getting the handling balance right, not looks. Having a greater drop on one end or the other will shift weight...

I think I'm going to drive my 2014 Mazda3 Friday and my 2009 RX-8 Saturday!

No one washes my cars but me.

I had significant paint pealing off of my 2012 Focus Titanium hatchback before I traded it in for my 2014 Mazda3. I haven't seen it, yet, on my 3, but it sure does have a crazy number of stone chips and scratches already.

Are we going to have a decent turnout, or are we struggling to get Mazda owners to Belle Isle? I hope we can get a decent showing here, especially since the new combined series isn't at Mid-Ohio.

I noticed that the inside lip of the new 3 has a thicker strip around the inside edge. I wonder if this is some extra rust protection? I'm pretty sure my 05 3 didn't have this.

I love the PSS tires on my RX-8, but I won't buy them again. They're expensive and they aren't lasting long. I also think there can be such a a thing as too much grip for non-track use. The RX-8 was actually more fun to drive with the slipperier OEM tires, and I got some serious rear axle-hop...

I like those Motegi wheels, grumpy!

You don't need those TPMS sensors from the RX-8 wheels, DuoofDeath1. They're not used in the new 3.

Can't be worse than it was with Ford's MyFordTouch system. I was one of the first 2012 Focus owners, and that system was a nightmare. The second-to-last update I did to it before trading it in for my 2014 3 made things much worse. The last update fixed everything for me, but it was still slow...

Cruise control itself has no means to reduce gas mileage. It's simply holding your speed constant. You can certainly do better using hypermiling techniques, which can be annoying to other drivers at best, and dangerous to everyone at worst. I have a 170 mile round-trip commute. I set my...

I started out with the OEM all-season Dunlops. They did OK, but my Michelin Xi3s did much better.

I should have also mentioned that my 2005 Mazda3 was garaged for the first 3.5 years of its life. By the time it was kicked out of the garage by my RX-8, it had already developed the hole in the rear passenger side door. The other door did the same thing about a year later. I'm hoping that...

I love them. I've had them on my last several cars. You cannot choose a set intermittent speed, but you can adjust the sensitivity, and you can always flip the lever manually if you feel it needs to be cleaned.

Yeah, not much I can do about that; however, I see a whole lot of neighbor cars with little to no rust that are far older than my 2005 3 was when it developed a hole in the passenger-side rear door B-pillar. My own Mazda dealer's body shop told me that they see significantly more rust issues...