Traded the 8 for a Speed 3
12-19-2006, 10:18 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Richardson, TX
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Traded the 8 for a Speed 3
Overall great car and very happy with the new purchase. I did enjoy the 8 but the lack of torque and the other little things finally got to me. The one area where the 8 trumps the Mazdaspeed 3 for sure is the clutch/shifter, and of course RWD, but man besides 1st gear every gear in the MS3 is effortless speed, its amazing to get thrown back i your seat in 5th gear!!!! The car handles much better than I thought and am very happy with the first 35 miles I drove back from the dealership. I am loving this car and hopefully after 2 years I will still feel the same. No forum yet though!! So long!!!
12-19-2006, 10:29 PM
#4
Blue By You
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Milwaukee
Posts: 8,717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by RXSeven1
there was a guy at the track with a 3 when i ran my 8. he was in the 17s....my best was 15.4
12-19-2006, 10:37 PM
#6
Ahh.. don't say so long. Please come back once a month a give us a factual update on the MS3. Many of us would like to hear it.
Me for one since I'm thinking about replacing my daily driver.
Me for one since I'm thinking about replacing my daily driver.
12-19-2006, 10:48 PM
#9
Blue By You
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Milwaukee
Posts: 8,717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by SD-8
Thanks wasn't aware of the forums. I'll be back to give a review after a couple of weeks.
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=142
12-19-2006, 11:52 PM
#11
II SOCIETY
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: The Bay Area
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I saw one the other day in the dealership. Nice looking car; seats were embroidered with mazdaspeed logo and nice little details. Turbo is nice to have too. All under the cost of an 8. It'd be perfect replacement for my Accord.
But the 3 isnt nearly as beautiful as the 8's! 
12-20-2006, 12:01 AM
#13
NO PSTNZ
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Gardena, CA
Posts: 287
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I drove a Mazdaspeed 3 a couple of weeks ago and it was much faster than I anticipated... it even had torque steer in 2nd gear! Mazda really did their homework on this one! 
FYI- I heard that HKS is making several parts for this car too!
FYI- I heard that HKS is making several parts for this car too!
12-20-2006, 03:03 AM
#15
Merchant Of Pace
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Clovis, California
Posts: 651
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nice car but I didn't quite like the seat position relative to the pedals. It felt like there was too much of a leg drop from the seat to pedals. I was also quiet disappointed in the lack of adequate separation between the gas and break pedals and the gas pedal and the center section/console. I do have big feet but I don't get the way they designed the pedal set up.
12-20-2006, 07:18 PM
#20
Those MS3's are really nice! Lots of tuning potential as well. The biggest challenge with any high hp/tq FWD is learning how to control the power especially off the line. I had a 337 Gti 1.8T with a Milltek TBE with metal substrate highflow cat and oberscheider stage 2 tuning. It was damn near impossible to get a decent launch consistently off the line, but was great fun once you got going. It sounds like the MS3 is similar and obviously more powerful than my modded 337 was.
Availability and inflexibility in MS3 pricing kept it off my recent car choice list, otherwise it would have been one of my main options.
Have fun, its a cool car for sure!!
Jeff
Availability and inflexibility in MS3 pricing kept it off my recent car choice list, otherwise it would have been one of my main options.
Have fun, its a cool car for sure!!
Jeff
Last edited by N10S; 12-20-2006 at 07:21 PM.
12-21-2006, 10:03 AM
#24
Registered
could you get your computer flashed with the Mazdaspeed 6 program to gain an additonal 30 or so hp from that tune? I might go look at one of these 3's since the 8's aftermarket is terrible.
12-21-2006, 10:13 AM
#25
Registered
I took a test drive in the MS3. From what I read in the media and from the numbers, I expected the powerband to be quite narrow, but in reality, it felt fine. The spool up was quick and it felt beefy in any gear through a broad range. In the RX-8, downshifting is key. In this car, downshifting is not really necessary. The power is almost always on tap. The power makes it easier to forgive the less than optimal transmission. It's fine but a bit on the rough side.
Another thing I noticed was the handling. I always thought the BJ chassis Protege felt much nimbler than the stock Maz3. So it was a pleasant surprise to find agility and a lot of it in the MS3. It didn't feel as heavy as the numbers suggest. I think the handling feels nimbler than an STi (but not nearly as nimble as an EVO).
I still think the RX-8 is more of a driver's car. This is a fantastic daily driver supplement however!
Another thing I noticed was the handling. I always thought the BJ chassis Protege felt much nimbler than the stock Maz3. So it was a pleasant surprise to find agility and a lot of it in the MS3. It didn't feel as heavy as the numbers suggest. I think the handling feels nimbler than an STi (but not nearly as nimble as an EVO).
I still think the RX-8 is more of a driver's car. This is a fantastic daily driver supplement however!
Last edited by dynamho; 12-21-2006 at 10:18 AM.