Mazda 3 Sport, 55 Plate

[QuirkyPixel]

Hello, I recently acquired a Mazda 3 sport! (I sold my Nissan 350Z to purchase a more practical vehicle... ::))

The car is overall very excellent on paper, but there are a few things I'm still struggling with: the gas mileage isn't that great, and the unit of measurement is litres per hundred miles... that's just irritating and juvenile!

I have observed quite a bit of road noise, almost as if there is a droning noise emanating from the rear axles, despite the fact that the car has only travelled 22,000 miles! Don't know whether or not this is cause for concern.

Enjoying it as it is a large, practical vehicle that is not too sluggish and simple to operate.

Is it also normal to run at 3.5k at 70mph?

Thanks!

[CelestialSeeker]

hello and thank you for joining us.

tyre hum is something I can empathise with. I'm not sure what tyres come standard on the sport, but the bridgestones on my car really did hum. We seldom touch what is described in the book, and as for high revs while cruising, I believe mine runs pretty high at cruising speeds. After changing to goodtears, the road noise has been decreased, and the hum has disappeared. There is also a lot of information on the fuel economy on this page. I can't tell you how many times I told myself that I needed another gear. However, I am used to it now.

[QuirkyPixel]

Thanks, I may consider buying some toyo proxes t1-r.. I've owned them before and really liked them.

I've already reached for reverse several times while travelling at 70 mph! New drivetrain imminent? (6 gears in the zed...poor practise).

The used car dealer from whom I purchased the vehicle provided a 3-month warranty, but I cannot fathom them covering bearings if they fail.
 

[CelestialSeeker]

Ah, I thought you had a six-speed in a sport. Then yours will be worse than mine, since I have a six-speed but sometimes feel like I need a seventh gear. At work, we have a new Citroen berlingo van with a five-speed gearbox. I always go into reverse in that van, but my Transit has six speeds, so people behind me must be surprised when the reverse lights flash on for a split second.

I don't see why the bearings shouldn't be taken care of if you just picked up the car and drove off with it. They should have been taken care of before you got the keys.

[migueldosantos77]

Hi pixel.  I concur with Seeker that replacing the tyres will reduce the commotion.  I switched to Goodyears and the tyre noise has been drastically reduced.

I strongly endorse this one.

[KOOLCAR]

Toyota proxy tyres make a huge difference on Mazda 3s, making them much quieter than normal tyres. 

[nicebubby8]

I believe that Toyos are astonishingly awful (especially when it pours)....I would purchase Continental Conti Sport 5, as they appear to be excellent tyres for the price.

[honeycut_mazda5]

I've been having trouble with what I thought was a broken wheel bearing for a long time. I took the car in for a service, but Mazda couldn't find anything wrong with it. They blamed it on the V-shaped wheel. I wasn't sure, but the noise was so bad that I thought about leaving.

After doing a lot of study, I took the plunge the other day and put a pair of Matador tyres on the front. WOW, what a change! The car is much quieter now, and the only noise I hear is from the two rear tyres I didn't replace. I'll do that next month.

Go to Tyre Reviews and read the Matador excellent reviews there.

[nicebubby8]

What a disappointment that almost every tyre is superior to the factory Toyos.

[Rudy7831]

Very great!