I feel the same as the OP. I love the sound of the stock exhaust, but would like to go for something a little quieter in certain areas of the revband. I will be picking up a Racing Beat Dual Tip sometime in the not to distant future.
Only one answer to noisy suspension parts....Turn the stereo up! In all seriousness though. I haven't had a problem with mine. I think it depends on how they are installed. Do it professionally and you'll be fine. It something rattles, take it back to the shop that installed them.
Not really sure if it's vinyl. I bought the car with everything on it. The only thing I added was the roof rack. I think it could be paint and it stays on pretty well because the car has a clear bra installed too. Sorry that I couldn't give you a better answer.
Nope, nothing wrong so far. I check them occasionally, but so far so good. Because of work I haven't used the racks all that much. Crappy weather lately too. I used only the equipment provided in the kit. I think some people may have over tightened.
Nice vid Lutexas. Makes me want to go for another ride soon. One of the best feelings is having a day off work and hitting up a trail for the a few hours.
Glad I could be of assistance MS3 Clarity.
Here is a good write up on this question. Someone should sticky this somewhere too. Now if we could only source some Canadian Roof Rails.
http://rackattackportland.wordpress.com/2009/09/16/mazda-3-sedan-or-wagon-hidden-factory-fixed-points-for-yakima-and-thule-roof-racks/
More detailed...
Honestly, you can't go wrong with either one. I did the "mount direct to the roof" setup with the Yakima. I bought Yakima, because there was a sale at REI. Snapped up some more shots today after a ride. I got the racks themselves this past week. $286 shipped for both.
That thing screams "scrape me" I would get obliterated in my area. The one on the 2010 MS3 looks better. I would recommend the DG Motorsports Lip in either CF or fiberglass. Protege Garage can get it for you.
The look heavy. I would think that one of the main motivators for buying new wheels for a car would be lighter weight too, not just looks. Each to their own, but they definitely look like something that someone in the midwest would like.
I should have taken a better picture.
Yakima Control Towers
Yakima Landing Pad 11
Yakima 48 inch Bars
Yakima Accessory Locks 6 pack
Yakima 40 inch Fairing (locked too)
I bought everything from REI during their Labor Day sale. All Yakima items were 20% off. I ordered the Highroller bike racks online for $139 each which is a steal, but I haven't received them yet. I totally recommend buying the accessory locks too. Don't want anyone stealing your setup. That...
Damn, auto text. Hehe. I was doing a whole bunch of searches a while back and my puter remembered the searches. Definitely not an MSP. I fixed it.
EDIT: Well, I guess I can't edit the actual title. SO it's stuck saying MSP forever.
I know that there are couple of post out there, but just though I'd add mine on here. For those of you who aren't sure whether you want to buy the Yakima Landing Pads/Control Tower route or go the Q-Tower/Q-Clips route. I would encourage you to for the cleaner looking Control Towers. Took me...