dugrant153
Member
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- Slow
cortez said:
Doesn't stiffer chassis translate into better cornering?
Mazda 3 Preview
- Thread starter FrigginGLI
- Start date
Doesn't stiffer chassis translate into better cornering?
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- 92 & 16 Meyatas
i look @ the nose of the 3 and i see pt cruiser.....and as i look towards the rear i see matrix. i'm keepin the 5!
mattr652 said:
Nah, cars keep getting heavier and heavier. Just because Honda has fattened up their cars doesn't make it better. Look at this months Grassroots Motorsports to see how they compare a 1989 Civic Si vs. a brand new Civic Si on an autocross. The old Civic, even though is so much down on power compared to the new one is a much better performer.
Civics are around 2600 pounds. I used to have a Civic that came in under 2000 pounds! Still these days 2600 pounds is close to the best you can get for a 4 seater, so I was hoping that the 3 would be closer to that, judging from what mazda has done with previous cars.
The 3 at over 2800 pounds is chock full of airbags and accesories, but I guess it's not horrible. It's about the same as the current Protege, so I guess I shouldn't complain much. It's better than 3000 pounds, hehehehe...
Well if it makes you feel better from what I have heard the new GTI with a turbo4 producing close to 200 hp with all the bells and whistles will be close to 3200 lbs. The way I look at it is I drive a 2900lb New Beetle with 155hp, so a 3s with 16o hp, and close to the same weight will be plenty quick for me.
It's not just about the power/acceleration.
My previous daily driver was a WRX. It was pretty fast. It also weighted something like 3200 lbs with driver. You could feel the weight when you tried to take corners fast. You could feel the weight when you used the brakes hard.
Heavier cars are harder on equipment, like brakes, suspension, drivetrain, etc.
Anyway, it's more of a philosophy. I'm not saying that the car will suck because it's heavy. It's just that Mazda used to be better at keeping weight in control because they know how it affects everything. The 3 is not to be a performance car. That is the job of the RX-8 and the Miata and both are pretty light for their "class".
The 3 at 2800 pounds will still be a great car, judging from how Mazda sets their suspension, steering, etc. I can't wait to test drive one.
My previous daily driver was a WRX. It was pretty fast. It also weighted something like 3200 lbs with driver. You could feel the weight when you tried to take corners fast. You could feel the weight when you used the brakes hard.
Heavier cars are harder on equipment, like brakes, suspension, drivetrain, etc.
Anyway, it's more of a philosophy. I'm not saying that the car will suck because it's heavy. It's just that Mazda used to be better at keeping weight in control because they know how it affects everything. The 3 is not to be a performance car. That is the job of the RX-8 and the Miata and both are pretty light for their "class".
The 3 at 2800 pounds will still be a great car, judging from how Mazda sets their suspension, steering, etc. I can't wait to test drive one.
spec5protege
Member
- :
- 2002 Subaru WRX wagon
cortez said:
Not to go off topic, but what do you currently drive? I currently drive a wrx and am looking to possibly get something cheaper. Have always liked Mazdas/proteges (my friend has a miata and I had a probe) and am seriously looking at the new 3 as a replacement for the wrx. AWD is great for winter but awd+turbo = expensive! I really don't need that much performance, more of a classy looking, cheaper daily driver is what I'm looking for.
My daily driver is a 93 Protege LX.
It was really cheap, it has the best steering feel of any FWD car I've driven, it handles pretty good (I've just installed springs, struts, sway bars) and it is very good on fuel. It's a fun little car.
I've owned 3 Miatas before (90 Spec Miata, 95 street, 96 street) and right now I co-own another one that is a race car (90 ITA).
I sold the WRX for a bunch of different reasons, but the main one is that I was only using it to go to work and back home and I didn't need a brand new, expensive, 19mpg, WRX for bumper to bumper commute. I figured I would save some money and put it on the race car.
I am also interested in the 3, but I'll probably wait a year or so to have it go through the first year shakedown. I guess I'd rather wait for the used ones. At the same time, I might do the same thing with an RX-8 and keep the Protege for commuting.
It was really cheap, it has the best steering feel of any FWD car I've driven, it handles pretty good (I've just installed springs, struts, sway bars) and it is very good on fuel. It's a fun little car.
I've owned 3 Miatas before (90 Spec Miata, 95 street, 96 street) and right now I co-own another one that is a race car (90 ITA).
I sold the WRX for a bunch of different reasons, but the main one is that I was only using it to go to work and back home and I didn't need a brand new, expensive, 19mpg, WRX for bumper to bumper commute. I figured I would save some money and put it on the race car.
I am also interested in the 3, but I'll probably wait a year or so to have it go through the first year shakedown. I guess I'd rather wait for the used ones. At the same time, I might do the same thing with an RX-8 and keep the Protege for commuting.
