Its appropriate the MSP comes in Orange

P

Proto-JB

Member
Because that damn car is like a carrot being dangled in front of us, just slipping out or reach as rumored release date after date comes and goes...

All the magazines said "should be in the dealership by the time you read this....i.e. September"

Then that passed and folks w/ "reliable sources" said October- the 16th to be exact so said Riot21 (who I haven't seen post since that date)

Now, end of October or November 15th. Sheesh. I don't think this car is EVER going to get here! The Nov. 15th date does sound reasonable though. If they can't make that then something is up.

But, its no big deal to *some* of us. I still have 2 months on my lease I need to pay for and more downpayment to save up. I still can't get past the fact that this car has slipped so long. I mean, Mazda doesn't want all that positive press to wear out from all the magazine articles, do they? I think they really intended for the MSP to be out about 2 months ago then ran into problems- as long as those problems don't add up to blowing up motors, I'm cool. It really sucks for you guys up north, I wouldn't be surprised if alot of you all took your deposits and grabbed an AWD WRX instead.

Anyways, just had to vent- I know ALL of this frustration will be gone the first time I turn the key in my new MSP.
 
i know. :(


i drove by my dealer yesterday night to maybe see something but all i saw was neon white "MAZDASPEED" sign hanging in the window and all lit up, but no cars
 
Well.. No one expected this port thing on the West coast and since a lot of the stuff for the cars was in those boats we got screwed. I know for a fact AAI (The east coast plant to mod the MSP) has a few hundred in the lot (Just wish I could get on the lot for some pics ;)) Nov 15th is supposedly the nationwide release date. The end of October is the date where the demo cars will be shipped to the dealer for introduction and test drives. The cars should be on the dealer lot on the 15th.
 
This is pretty ridiculous. People in Canada/Northern states are going to have to take their rims off and slap some ugly winter wheels on as soon as they get this car - just like people did with the late release of the SE-R Spec Vs. Pretty bad move on Mazda's part.

Chris
 
sux even more for people who dont have / cant afford winter wheels (like me)

lol, i think ill be fine though with the stock s***
 
Dexter said:
sux even more for people who dont have / cant afford winter wheels (like me)

lol, i think ill be fine though with the stock s***
Click to expand...

Be careful my friend! Z-Rated tires are not meant for any type of snow/slush/ice. The $400 for some black steel rims and tires may seem like a lot, but it is minute in comparison to slamming into a curb and having about $1500 of damage to your wheels and suspension!

Chris
 
Doo_Mer's right.

Most Z rated tire treads are not conducive for clearing snow from the tread blocks nor are they very good for snow traction. Even more important is the fact that most Z rated rubber turns rock hard below freezing and won't stick to frozen surfaces for crap. I had an "83 Z28 Camaro that you could not stop or start at traffic lights or stop signs in freezing temps. due to the Z rated rubber. Jim
 
dealer demo cars in Montreal

Montreal had a dealer drive and test day here is a pic of some of the mazdaspeeds and the M6
 

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Dexter said:
sux even more for people who dont have / cant afford winter wheels (like me)

lol, i think ill be fine though with the stock s***
Click to expand...

dexter,
those tires on the mazda speed are totally not for winter use. those tires are very close to a race tire. alil overkill for a all year round type car (non-exotic) why mazda put those on there beats me. they should have a discounted 200-300 dollar option for winter tires and rims to calculate into the financing of the car..my tires will be on order next week thru tire rack. if you value your car...even if work/school is under 5 miles...you'll spring for the winter tires..especially chicago winters.
 
okay maybe i will spring for some winter tires....any recommendations? also, do i have to buy wheels? or can i get the Bridgestones taken off the Racing hearts and have winter tires put on the wheels, and just keep the Bridgestones in my garage?
 
it costs money to unmount and mount/balance tires back onto the stock alloys not to mention that you'd be wrecking your nice alloys. in other words, you'll be paying a little bit more in the long run or even less? depending on how often you change your tires and save time and the hassle.

at around $40+tax per steel wheel (canadian dollars), i don't think it's that cost prohibitive.

the things i'm getting when i get the car are the following:
-rockguard clear tape
-steels
-winter tires
-mudguards for front and back
-and maybe tint
 
I don't really understand this whole steel wheel thing. Many of us are buying the cars for the looks as well as the performance. Why then would you take off a very significant part of the looks in favor of some tiny-ass, nasty steel wheels for a third of the year? Worried about slamming into a curb and ruining the 17"s? Learn to drive in the snow. For one, I'm going to buy a set of ultra-high performance all-seasons and stick them on the car. Not only will they have similar performance such those of us who don't auto-x won't know the difference, but they'll last longer (do your research on the Potenzas, you'll be lucky to get 20k out of them) and they'll handle in the snow. All this for the same price as a set of steels with winter tires.
Some examples of what I'm talking about:
All-seasons:
http://tinyurl.com/24to
Stock:
http://tinyurl.com/24tn
 
jroof said:
I don't really understand this whole steel wheel thing. Many of us are buying the cars for the looks as well as the performance. Why then would you take off a very significant part of the looks in favor of some tiny-ass, nasty steel wheels for a third of the year? Worried about slamming into a curb and ruining the 17"s? Learn to drive in the snow. For one, I'm going to buy a set of ultra-high performance all-seasons and stick them on the car. Not only will they have similar performance such those of us who don't auto-x won't know the difference, but they'll last longer (do your research on the Potenzas, you'll be lucky to get 20k out of them) and they'll handle in the snow. All this for the same price as a set of steels with winter tires.
Some examples of what I'm talking about:
All-seasons:
http://tinyurl.com/24to
Stock:
http://tinyurl.com/24tn
Click to expand...
In places that get a lot of snow (basically anywhere north of me, and here sometimes but not often) 17" wheels with all-season tires are no match for 15" steel wheels with snow tires. In fact, in more than 6 or so inches of snow, the 17"/all-season combo will be basically worthless. People who know how to drive in the snow know the value of good snow tires.
 
I live in Mass. I've been driving on 16"s and all-seasons since I started driving. I've never once had a serious problem. If you live in the mountains or somewhere where the they don't clear the roads worth a damn I can see it but anywhere populated...I just don't see the need.
 
eh i dunno, ive driven 89 300E benz with 16" Michelin MX4 All Season tires and i was just driving when all of a sudden the car veers hard right. i had lost traction and and slid over the curb. good thing that i was driving fairly slow, so no damage or anything, and i was in a residential district so there were no other cars. (this is chicago btw)

so maybe i will get winter tires and steels. i dont know though. bleh.
 
sleeper_ said:
.

the things i'm getting when i get the car are the following:
-rockguard clear tape
Click to expand...

Sleeper, what's the tape? Is this another brand name for 3M's paint protector (like Stonguard) for the hood and dam? If so, what's the cost, and where do you get it? Stonguard isn't available in Canada, and is very expensive ($400 USD for full kit)
 
an interesting point.....
One of the things my dealer said he learned about the car at Street Heat was that you cant have the donut spare in the front....I wonder if this is a matter of the amt of power or something going to the wheel or something to do with the LSD? hopefully that means you cannot have the donut there when you have a 17" on the other side in the front, but that 2 steelies would be ok......

as for me. I had 17"s wrapped in Toyo PRoxes T1S rubber that I used for summer, and I went to school in rochester, NY. I would put my stock 14's with all seasons on for the winter like I have used ever since I got my license and those owuld be fine. This past spring I came home for easter or something and switched to my 17s. We got a cple more snows after that. Driving in my 17s? ICE SKATES! ICE SKATES! awful..... I am buying 16" protege ES wheels (probably from a junk yard) and putting balls out winter tires on them. I think that should do fine. For those of you who havent driven on 17s in snow its not just the rubber, the wider the wheel the more it just goes over the snow, instead of cutting through it, like a narrower wheel will, and possibly finding pavement. I know the 16"s wont be as narrow as 14"s will but its a compromise....they will still look pretty good, and are more narrow than the 17s, and i dont think every protege ES owner switches their wheels for the winter so they must be alright
 
Slug,
That junkyard idea is not bad. Have you called and received any prices for a set of those 16"s? My roommate has an ES with those wheels and I could deal with a set of those for the winter.

Oh, and by the way, I'm driving a '94 Probe GT with 16"s that have a width of 235 and although everyone's right in saying all-seasons are no match for winter tires, I've been driving on this setup for years with no real problems including many ski trips to NH and VT . You just have to be carefull and know the limits of your car. Of course, keeping the stock summer rubber on the MSP for the snow would be just plain foolish.
 
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