anyone race a 2010 MS3

[zax]

I saw that episode of Top Gear. I don't really see how it is ugly. But it is opinion mostly. I don't think the Mazda is horrible though.

"It's uglier than a war wound"

[Speed3]

Well, I surf this thread because I love stis and stumbled upon a bunch of wrx vs speed 3 stuff.

Concerning the magazine quarter mile quoting, I usually see faster wrx times (due to the AWD). But someone put the wrx in the range of 13.8 and car and driver post the 2010 speed three at the same. Just saying.

Like many have already said, the wrx from a dig, and speed 3 from a roll.

Though when it comes to handling in dry weather, speed 3 FTW...unless ur talking sti... Then it's close.

[mesarec]

I have a 2007 speed3 which I'm trading in for a 2011 WRX I have ordered. From a dig..WRX easily beats it. But I have murdered some WRX's when I was stock from 15mph roll and on the highway. That being said I havent raced an 09+ WRX from a roll yet.

Speed3's are great cars for highway and summer. And who said speed3 is better handling in dry..That's someone who wants his speed3 to be something it's not. The torque steer and fwd make the WRX a better handling car in ALL conditions (at least the 2011)

I've loved my speed3 but being in New england..I want AWD and 53k on my speed3..I dont trust the mazda engine to handle all the torque they put in these..but thats just me.

[subarutecint]

It all depends on the driver. I have raced a couple of speed3s from a roll and still won. The MS3 will keep up neck and neck until it needs to shift then it will drop back.The WRX continues to rev for a sec or two longer.Those long gears make the difference. My 1/4 mile time stock were consistently mid 13s and now with the base cobb stg.2 I have gotten to 13.1. I have yet to seen an MS3 stock or modded get anything lower than a 14 in a 1/4 mile but Im sure with the right driver and some sticky tires those cars can go well into the 13s if not 12s.

[mesarec]

i've don3 13.9 (13.87) in the quarter mile in my ms3. trapping around 102-103. I have an injen CAI and accessport stage 1+ tune. SOOOOO hard to get grip off the line though, I make it up in 3rd gear...I cant wait for my WRX!!!!!!!

[Fleshwound]

I used to work for mazda headquarters and drove ms3's a bunch and they do seem to have a really decent pull to them but their torque steer is horrendous. I just picked up a wrx and am super happy with it, probably wojldnt spend the money on a ms3 but that's just me and its a ford product

[REX2011]

Yea mazda tourq steer is badd

[djackson]

I just bought my rex two weeks ago so I haven't had much chance to race. I beat a stock RSX-S at a stop light but that isn't a big deal. I honestly haven't seen any MS3's around where I live.

One thing to consider is what you mean by 'from a roll.' From a roll at 5 , 30, 60? and to what speed. It is probably a consensus that the rex has the advantage off the line. But both cars improve the time to 60 from a roll. It is just simple physics. So which car has better gearing for going from a given initial speed up to the chosen cut off.

I can't wait to destroy an MS3!

[Cephalgia]

The new Mazda front end is so fugly! I always want to ask someone why they would buy a car that is that ugly. To each their own though; people think that the WRX is ugly. Even the guys on Top Gear stated that it was hideous when they compared it to the EVO. But man, that Mazda just looks so ugly.

I'd have to say the EVO back-end is what kills it. It looks mean from the front and looks like it's sticking it's butt in the air with it's high taillights. The MS3 is black at least covers it's goofy smiling grill

[Anzioblack44]

it is a solid car, even though the torquesteer is bad. But throttle application in moderation is the key....


i see torque steer at 60 in a 3rd gear roll on on my cobalt..... but i can almost eliminate it if i dont go immediate WOT in the midrange

the rex will outlaunch it handily.... after the speed3 hooks, its role reversal.... the mazda needs drag radials even in stock form....

[fiveliterbeater]

i've been hovering around this topic for sometime now and id just like to add that STI's from a dig give me a better match in my EVO than ms3's do....
..on the other hand though...i've raced a few ms3's from a roll and they provide a better challenge to me than my fellow sti rival.
if i had to choose which car to go with though ...it'd be an STI all the way

[Deyomatic]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'll chime in as a 2010 MS3 owner. What am I doing in a WRX forum? Well, contemplating a trade-in for a WRX.
I really think that the MS3's 6 speed is a hindrance to acceleration. The ratios are too close so you don't get as much out of each gear before you have to upshift again, which we all know takes time. I haven't driven a WRX, but from the magazine numbers, (if you trust them) they all seem to show that the WRX and MS3 are half a second in favor of the WRX, which I attribute to AWD. The other thing that I dislike about the MS3 is that in order to control that notorious torque steer, they limit boost to around 5 (+/-) PSI in first and second gears, and a little higher in third. You don't get full boost until fourth, so if you're just doing around town driving and want to feel a little pull without going all out, it almost feels like the turbo isn't even there in first gear.
Since it's a racing thread, I'd bet that anyone here would waste my MS3, if not for the AWD, then for the sheer fact that my MS3 will probably miss a shift or something.
And you're right, that smiley face on the later Mazda 3s takes A LOT of getting used to. Mine is black so it's blended in better, at least in my mind.

[oguitar]

Deyomatic what is the aftermarket part scene like for the MS3? Is there a lot to choose from?

[anxiouz]

I've heard the MS3's take to mods really well.

Actually, last week a MS3 speed up to pass some cars before the road (near an abandoned air base) merges and gets straight and flat. I followed him just to pass those cars too but he floored it when he saw me get behind him.

Getting a decent jump on me it was basically a nice long 4th gear pull. I slowly reeled him in until I let off at 100mph. But by no means did I school him and it felt really even. But once you get the jump on someone it's not a fair fight and magazine numbers go out the window. I think had I downshifted to 3rd at the start I would have made better ground but I didn't really intent to race...just let my car stretch it's legs.

But MS3's are quick no doubt.

[MainFrame]

Though counterintuitive, this is actually not true. From a roll (or street-start as most magazines call it), 5-60 sprints tend to take longer than 0-60 sprints for well-anchored cars like the WRX. This is actually due to the way that the torque is delivered to the ground. Take, for example, my 2003 WRX. 0-60 was billed between 5.6-5.8 seconds for a stock car. However, a street-start 5-60 sprint took around 6.2-6.5 seconds. Keep in mind (when drag racing) that no one launches from 750 RPM; there's a reason for this.

You do realize you can launch the car just the same from 5mph? You aren't required to just hammer the gas and bog the hell out of it because you are already rolling.. push the clutch in, rev it up to 5k, and launch it.



Many years ago there was this guy that wanted to race my old stage two bugeye in his truck. He wanted to go from a 10mph roll because he thought that would give him a big advantage. He was pretty surprised when I chirped the tires and instantly had three car lengths on him.