MS3 at highway speeds:

sierra248

Contributor
:
2007 MazdaSpeed3
How would you guys compare the highway ride, noise, and tracking at around 70-80mph to other cars you ride in allot? Someone who rides in a WRX allot, like to hear a comparison between those 2 especially. But any info would be greatly appreciated as when I test drove a MS3, I forgot to pay attention and didn't really get to cruise windows up on highway.
Tom
 
Well compared to other new cars it rides a bit harsher but thats what you give up for a great suspension set up for the price. As for the WRX sorry cant provide input.

My 94 mx-6 with tired shocks and lowered springs makes my ms3 feel like a caddy but the opposite is true compared to my moms 05 Altima
 
How about noise level? That's one of my main concerns as I do allot of music listening and a real lot of cell phone calls with bluetooth. Is it loud like a Mustang or quiet like a Lexus? Prob somewhere in between, where in between is what I'm looking for. Tom
 
Quiet. Perfectly fine for any sort of phone call. You don't hear any exhaust or real engine noise at speed. Even with the windows down, it isn't bad at all.
 
Ill tell you what, the speed3 must be a very sweet ride. Quiet fast, decent ride, great steering, great handling. Allot for the money. Its been in a fastest lap comparison(check out C&d, this months issue, they have some vids) and a best handling cars comparison. All this while being quiet and getting over 30 on highway! I am waiting for an 08 speed3 and a review of the new.WRX, I am almost hoping the WRX is as bad a driving ar as it looks, so I can save money and get a speed3. Thanks for all the info. Greatly appreciated, anyone else want to chime in on the type of highway car this is please do(I do almost all highway driving). I know I should be buying a Camry at my age and what use I have for my car, but I have always been a SCC driver, and can't see myself in some 3500lb-4000lb car or SUV. I can't wait to make a post saying got my speed3 and love it!
 
much quieter than a wrx at highway speed. the doors are more solid than the subarus with better sound deadening. it is an overall quieter and more solid feeling car. i test drove an 07 wrx tr for 24 hours before i got my MS3.
 
AeroSquid said:
much quieter than a wrx at highway speed. the doors are more solid than the subarus with better sound deadening. it is an overall quieter and more solid feeling car. i test drove an 07 wrx tr for 24 hours before i got my MS3.

Agreed. I owned an 02 WRX before I got this car. However the MS3 suspension is bouncy, similar to the stock sti suspension.
 
sierra248 said:
How would you guys compare the highway ride, noise, and tracking at around 70-80mph to other cars you ride in allot? Someone who rides in a WRX allot, like to hear a comparison between those 2 especially. But any info would be greatly appreciated as when I test drove a MS3, I forgot to pay attention and didn't really get to cruise windows up on highway.
Tom

Not as quiet as my MS6, but definitely much quieter than my modded MSP with 3" exhaust. Easily comfortable on long highway drives at speeds around between 70-80 mph. Ride is relatively stiff, but not too harsh on the highway at all. I wish it were as tight as the MSP was with Eibach Pro-Kit springs. In fact, I would say that while adequately dampened it is slightly undersprung in the front for my liking.

R
 
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Surprised its even comparable to a 6, I've been in a speed6 and though it was pretty quiet, other then the rear diff, which is the same in WRX, I'm a fwd driver at heart and always find that odd.
Thanks for all the great info guys.
 
It's quieter than my Ranger with all terrain tires! :p
I think it's a much more fun ride on the highway than anywhere else. I do a lot of city driving and when I hit bumps or holes in the road it makes a horrible 'thump thump' sound.
 
It's pretty quiet and composed to my standards. At 100 mph it feels and sounds like going 40 mph in the small Toyota I used to have back in 1999. ^_^
 
If you really like music then you will want to upgrade the stock system, bose or otherwise. All you need is a good amp and sub to complement the stock system and highway driving will be great. Just put 800 miles on my car the past week doing 99% highway driving and I loved every minute of it.
 
The bose system really that bad, I have plans to put in an alpine powerred sub, was really hoping I'd be able to use factory bose system and just add that. I really like my music very loud!! How's the bose at really high volumes, with the bass turned down so no distortion?
 
It is a fairly quiet car on the highway. This car likes to speed on the open road. Effortless power in 6th gear for passing. Legal speed limits don't bother this car at all. It is a great highway hauler.
 
much much quieter than my mazdaspeed mx5 was but no where near as quiet as my lexus sc430
it feels well planted at highway speeds. it doesn't feel floaty at all (like my turbo mr2 did).
and it has more than enough get up and go for merging and passing people.
 
I can understand it being louder then the lexus for sure, my brother just got an is350 and its damn quiet. Well it sound like its decently quiet on highway. I usually Dyna-mat the doors of my cars(sometimes the floorboard and other areas too, more for sound suppression then audio improvement.) It can make a quiet car very very quiet and a normal car almost lexus like if you do it right.
What I was wondering the next time you guys are driving pay attention to the sounds for me if you would and let me know what the leading cause is at highway speeds, radio off, windows up: Exhaust, Intake, Tires, Wind, Floorboards, window seals, doors, hood whatever. Would love to hear were the majority comes from with the windows up. I like a SCC car that's quiet as I drive bosses around from time to time at work and as I do plan to do some mods, starting with making the interior a little quieter will prob be my first job, and while I'm at it prob replace the door speakers with some separates. The Dynamat jobs I usually use to products and it does add 50-75lbs, but this cars got so much torque, that wont make to much difference. Anyone else though of doing this?

Other then that, Hows it Track down the highway. Does it need constant corrections to maintain a str8 line(assuming its aligned correctly). My brothers lexus seems to actually know which way is str8(maybe it does...LOL) when travelling down a highway. My bothers 06 Sentra Se-r feels like it needs constant adjustment to maintain straight. I know this is mostly a steering "FEEL" issue probably more then anything else but Suspension setup, tires and aerodynamic can make differences. I'm sure all you guys with many cars driven under there belt, know what I'm talking about, just took me a paragraph to explain what i was trying to say...LOL.


Thanks for all your info guys, you all rock, unless the new WRX is a Genius of a car(especially being so ugly, and expensive comparatively). Aug 1st(hopefully) I get my 08 Speed3.
Thanks again Fellas,
Tom
Tom
 
Lets put it this way, I can tell what RPM my mustang's riding at with out looking at the tach. The Speed3 the only way I notice I'm too high in RPM is the power loss over 5500. The motor is barely noticeable. When you pull up at a stop light however you can hear the motor settle down to idle then it kinda has a purring sound which puts a smile on my face. Love that. Aside from that it's certainly no louder than my focus and yet a tad louder than our 2003 Santa Fe SUV.
 
i'd say the majority of the sound comes from the tires and up through the suspention (due to the fact the suspention is so stiff) i don't really hear much wind noise at all.
and as i said before it doesn't feel floaty on the highway so there is no need for constant correction. you can just put it on cruise control point it straight, then put your hands behind your head and recline the seat for a nap :)
 
No wind noise on the highway at speed. The only noise comes from the exhaust and the tires, although of the two, the exhaust is the most intrusive. Overall, very reasonable highway cruiser.

R
 
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