Love my VikingContact 7s on my 2017 Civic Si. Makes driving in the snow a blast. If anybody hasn’t tried dedicated snow tires on a FWD car, it is worth a try. Unless you live in Eskimo land, AWD is an unnecessary waste of money, space, and weight on a NORMAL car.
Legit question. If you live in an area with hills, how do the tires handle snow on hills? I'm a California boy but will eventually be moving to Spokane, Washington for a couple of years where there are some snow events. Not really worried about driving on flat surfaces but since I have a FWD vehicle, I'm wondering how these tires will perform once going up and down 7-15% gradient hills that are present in some parts of Spokane.
I love my 2018 Mazda3 GT 6mt! It does really well in the Colorado snow even on all seasons. The 3s only real limitation is ground clearance so on big snow days I take my Tacoma. I believe Mazda makes the best cars; it would be nice to get a modern midsize truck Mazda…
I'm on my third winter with my VikingContact 7 winter tires and I agree with everything you say about them. I love them. I had them on an '09 Mazda 6 FWD and now they are on my '21 Mazda 3 Turbo AWD. I recommend them to friends and family all the time.
Funny, I boot it as well to figure out the road conditions. Didn't know other people did that. I agree with the traction/stability control. My 2019 Mazda 3 FWD has the best electronic traction aids of any car I've driven.
Great stuff, cool to see it doing so well in the snow! I am shopping around for cars and I am very interested in the CX-30. I have watched your videos on the CX-30 and I want to say that I really value your opinions and inputs on the car, and I really appreciate and enjoy those videos a lot! I was wondering if you could do one more sound system test on this car before you possibly sell it, that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for providing us all with quality content!
I've had the Conti Vikings on my Subaru since 2019 and they've been the best winters I've ever owned. Also perform great on cold dry pavement when the roads get plowed here in Canada, unlike the blizzaks which are a bit too aggressive for non mountain driving I find. I don't see many people talking about these, but happy to see more people getting them, as they were hard to find when I got them.
Love your POV videos! I just got a CX30 Turbo. Was there any negative results when you went to a 225 width tire? I live in the Cleveland area and plan to replace the stock tires with some winters to start.
Totally agree on using winter tires living in Chicago. My first set were a pair of Blizaks on an 81 RWD Celica 5 speed. After a blow out on the highway on a 45 degree day I decided to switch to Michelin X winters on my future FWD cars. Only did the fronts and have been very happy with driving control. Thanks for this great video.
Continental is usually a good brand, but at 11k miles, my Continental tires are already almost bald. I'm going to be contacting my dealer and see if there's some sort of warranty because I've never had a tire wear so prematurely.
@@shivakiranreddy6539 My local dealership said they will be receiving them sometime March- April. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s coming a little later considering the chip shortage and all.
Great car in the snow!! I put vredestein contrac pro on my wife’s cx30 turbo and vredestein wintrac pro on my daughters cx30 premium awd. Goes through our NE Ohio winter great.
Topher, I’m curious why you wouldn’t get a CX-5 or CX-9 since you like the Mazda family so much. I’ve driven a 2022 Highlander quite a bit which is nice too, but Mazda’s are definitely more engaging to drive (having had a 2015 Mazda 3 6MT and currently an ND1 and having driven a 2019 CX-5).
Pretty sure the CX-50 will eventually get the same hybrid power train as the RAV4 prime. Something to look out for if you want something with more interior space
that would be awesome. I have an AWD CX30 and my biggest complaint is the gas miliage, especially on city trips and short trips (in my defense, we're using it city driving a lot more than I anticipated). a plug in hybrid version a la the rav4 would be awesome -- when I saw that Toyota was working with Mazda for the hybrid cx50, I was like, "hopefully it's the same as the rav4 prime!"
Oh Nicee I wasn’t expecting this video, I live in Detroit and am considering a cx30, must be snow complianttttt I don’t want all wheel drive so im gonna order a 21
You mentioned them being worse on ice. Is that by any big measure, or just a bit? Ohio here and looking hard at a Mazda3. Where I'm at in the state snow has never been much of a concern but icestorms have trapped me a few times the last few years. Part of my main concern looking at a new vehicle has been remote start+mirrors for deicing and ice driving performance. I know it's a narrow band of temps where it's relevant compared to wet and snow performance, but it's the only stretch my old Mk4 hasn't dealt well with. Only thing stopping me from jumping onto the 3 has been waiting to see how the Integra turns out. As much I love about what I've seen as I worry about. What trans do they make the auto option, is SH-AWD an option anywhere in the lineup, do they muck up the interior trying to make it different from the Civic, etc. An Integra that checks all my boxes would be the perfect car, but Mazda is always in the background tempting me to stop waiting and commit to "damn close".
Both would be solid options! The difference in ice driving performance is marginal, any winter tire will be way better than an all season, and the difference between this continental and a Blizzak will be down to a few feet of stopping distance vs. dry/wet performance and noise.
I absolutely love the Vikings 7. They are a great blend of comfort/road noise and snow/ice traction. 20,000 miles after they still rock like the first day, impressive! Conti seems to nail it lately, I’m curious to try the DWS06 plus as a “summer” tire!
@@myemailiscool I’m still debating if I should go with real summer tire! In a place where it can still snow in June, or start snowing late August, it’s nice to have a tire that’s a minimum safe on light snow.
Awesome review. Would you recommend putting winter tires on the factory wheels or getting another set? I see you have them on your factory rims. Would be nice keeping the tire sensors on during winter.
Long term I’d prefer a second set of wheels, after a few seasons it starts saving money (and you can always resell the wheels if you get rid of the car).
Itchy Boots going through crocodile infested rivers was not as frightening as you driving on the expressway at high speeds on the unplowed lane. That was scary 😬
Topher, do you prefer the VikingContact 7's VS your old Conti WinterContact SI's? I'm thinking of getting either of these 2 but cannot decide.... the SI's are cheaper...
just ordered an AWD mid trim for $35,000 CAD all in. Great deal, and didnt see anything else comparable. Interior feels very high quality and has great and feel good physical buttons. How is the paint on these things? Would you recommend getting it coated or rust proved before next winter?
Whats shaking fellow Michigander. Have you looked into just running newer "All Weather" tires year round? Something Like Nokian WR G4, Michelin Cross Climate 2, Firestone Weathergrip.
Quick Question: I'm looking at replacing my '14 4Runner in the next year or so. I'm looking at the CX-5 and the Cx-30. My girlfriend and I plan on having one or two kids in the coming years. Would the Cx-30 be fine for that or is it tough fitting car seats and stuff? We also have a medium sized dog
Mr. Topher, what are you and Mrs. Topher considering for more space? My partner has a premium 2021 CX30 and we’re worried about the storage when we have a baby
Holy FWD Batman! 2022+ will all be AWD. Thanks for showing us the last of the fwd generation
The FWD CX-30 and its reasonable fuel range will be missed!
@@TheTopher I want this car so much. Would you recommend reaching for a newer model or hunting for an FWD? I live in Arizona if that helps.
I have always been a huge Mazda fan. The CX-30 is my idea of a perfect commuter car. I think I would probably have to go AWD though.
Mazda is such an underrated car company. They're amazing.
Totally Agree, I own rare ones by myself and i never would sell them.
Way better than Toyota
Love my VikingContact 7s on my 2017 Civic Si. Makes driving in the snow a blast. If anybody hasn’t tried dedicated snow tires on a FWD car, it is worth a try. Unless you live in Eskimo land, AWD is an unnecessary waste of money, space, and weight on a NORMAL car.
Legit question. If you live in an area with hills, how do the tires handle snow on hills? I'm a California boy but will eventually be moving to Spokane, Washington for a couple of years where there are some snow events. Not really worried about driving on flat surfaces but since I have a FWD vehicle, I'm wondering how these tires will perform once going up and down 7-15% gradient hills that are present in some parts of Spokane.
I loved our front wheel drive CX5 in the snow. Mazda traction control is pretty fantastic.
Bought a set of viking 7s last year after buying a Mazda 3 hatch, after years of only buying 4x4 SUVs due to winters, never going back.
Man the dash looks so premium
I love my 2018 Mazda3 GT 6mt! It does really well in the Colorado snow even on all seasons. The 3s only real limitation is ground clearance so on big snow days I take my Tacoma.
I believe Mazda makes the best cars; it would be nice to get a modern midsize truck Mazda…
Going to be putting the VikingContacts on my new BRZ next winter. Appreciate the review!
Congratz on the baby Topher!!!
I'm on my third winter with my VikingContact 7 winter tires and I agree with everything you say about them. I love them. I had them on an '09 Mazda 6 FWD and now they are on my '21 Mazda 3 Turbo AWD. I recommend them to friends and family all the time.
Sweet car
You should keep this if you can! I think it will be a super reliable vehicle over time!
Funny, I boot it as well to figure out the road conditions. Didn't know other people did that.
I agree with the traction/stability control. My 2019 Mazda 3 FWD has the best electronic traction aids of any car I've driven.
Great stuff, cool to see it doing so well in the snow! I am shopping around for cars and I am very interested in the CX-30. I have watched your videos on the CX-30 and I want to say that I really value your opinions and inputs on the car, and I really appreciate and enjoy those videos a lot! I was wondering if you could do one more sound system test on this car before you possibly sell it, that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for providing us all with quality content!
I've had the Conti Vikings on my Subaru since 2019 and they've been the best winters I've ever owned. Also perform great on cold dry pavement when the roads get plowed here in Canada, unlike the blizzaks which are a bit too aggressive for non mountain driving I find. I don't see many people talking about these, but happy to see more people getting them, as they were hard to find when I got them.
i have these on my 2020 fwd mazda 3 and i have had the same experience, no issues
Topher notification gang :)
This is super value car easily
Really curious to see what car you get next for your growing family :)
Love your POV videos! I just got a CX30 Turbo. Was there any negative results when you went to a 225 width tire? I live in the Cleveland area and plan to replace the stock tires with some winters to start.
Totally agree on using winter tires living in Chicago. My first set were a pair of Blizaks on an 81 RWD Celica 5 speed. After a blow out on the highway on a 45 degree day I decided to switch to Michelin X winters on my future FWD cars. Only did the fronts and have been very happy with driving control.
Thanks for this great video.
Continental is usually a good brand, but at 11k miles, my Continental tires are already almost bald. I'm going to be contacting my dealer and see if there's some sort of warranty because I've never had a tire wear so prematurely.
Would love to see Topher get his hands on the new Mazda CX-50 one day :)
Might be going to the launch 👀
@@TheTopher noo way. When is it going to release??
@@shivakiranreddy6539
My local dealership said they will be receiving them sometime March- April. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s coming a little later considering the chip shortage and all.
@@TheTopher
Glad to hear that!
Keep up the great work man
Great car in the snow!! I put vredestein contrac pro on my wife’s cx30 turbo and vredestein wintrac pro on my daughters cx30 premium awd. Goes through our NE Ohio winter great.
Topher, I’m curious why you wouldn’t get a CX-5 or CX-9 since you like the Mazda family so much. I’ve driven a 2022 Highlander quite a bit which is nice too, but Mazda’s are definitely more engaging to drive (having had a 2015 Mazda 3 6MT and currently an ND1 and having driven a 2019 CX-5).
In a past video he said it was because he was getting a good deal on one.
@@WillyToons ah, that’s a good reason then!
Just got a set of these on steel rims for my 22 wrx. Just need some snow now to test them out!
Pretty sure the CX-50 will eventually get the same hybrid power train as the RAV4 prime. Something to look out for if you want something with more interior space
that would be awesome. I have an AWD CX30 and my biggest complaint is the gas miliage, especially on city trips and short trips (in my defense, we're using it city driving a lot more than I anticipated). a plug in hybrid version a la the rav4 would be awesome -- when I saw that Toyota was working with Mazda for the hybrid cx50, I was like, "hopefully it's the same as the rav4 prime!"
@@HippoShemp hopefully they'll make a manual or automatic for it and not use the CVT currently in the RAV4 prime
Sir you are an excellent driver.
Can you do one for 2022 Mazda cx-30?
Oh Nicee I wasn’t expecting this video, I live in Detroit and am considering a cx30, must be snow complianttttt
I don’t want all wheel drive so im gonna order a 21
You must have a heavy foot! I'm averaging 30 mpg on my 23 turbo 5. We're looking at picking up a 30 turbo next month to add to the fleet.
Are you considering looking at the new CX-50? Looking forward to seeing a review of it when you get one to drive or test.
Driving one next week, excited to see what it’s like!
Great review, I'm thinking about a vehicle for a college grad. I like what Mazda & Toyota put on the market
You mentioned them being worse on ice. Is that by any big measure, or just a bit?
Ohio here and looking hard at a Mazda3. Where I'm at in the state snow has never been much of a concern but icestorms have trapped me a few times the last few years. Part of my main concern looking at a new vehicle has been remote start+mirrors for deicing and ice driving performance. I know it's a narrow band of temps where it's relevant compared to wet and snow performance, but it's the only stretch my old Mk4 hasn't dealt well with.
Only thing stopping me from jumping onto the 3 has been waiting to see how the Integra turns out. As much I love about what I've seen as I worry about. What trans do they make the auto option, is SH-AWD an option anywhere in the lineup, do they muck up the interior trying to make it different from the Civic, etc. An Integra that checks all my boxes would be the perfect car, but Mazda is always in the background tempting me to stop waiting and commit to "damn close".
Both would be solid options! The difference in ice driving performance is marginal, any winter tire will be way better than an all season, and the difference between this continental and a Blizzak will be down to a few feet of stopping distance vs. dry/wet performance and noise.
Did you have any rubbing with the 225's ? Do you think the 225-55-18 is the largest tire size to fit ?
BTW, you have a really nice voice to hear at :)
I absolutely love the Vikings 7. They are a great blend of comfort/road noise and snow/ice traction. 20,000 miles after they still rock like the first day, impressive! Conti seems to nail it lately, I’m curious to try the DWS06 plus as a “summer” tire!
a high performance all season will never beat a regular summer tire, you should try the extreme contact sport over the DWS
@@myemailiscool I’m still debating if I should go with real summer tire! In a place where it can still snow in June, or start snowing late August, it’s nice to have a tire that’s a minimum safe on light snow.
@@romaingallard8385 that's a fair point, here it's pretty easy to predict snow versus rain season. better to be safe than sorry
Can you do a video on the Maza3 Carbon Edition sedan? Love your reviews!
Awesome review. Would you recommend putting winter tires on the factory wheels or getting another set? I see you have them on your factory rims. Would be nice keeping the tire sensors on during winter.
Long term I’d prefer a second set of wheels, after a few seasons it starts saving money (and you can always resell the wheels if you get rid of the car).
Nice snow video :)
Itchy Boots going through crocodile infested rivers was not as frightening as you driving on the expressway at high speeds on the unplowed lane. That was scary 😬
Would you replace this with a CX-9?
The Mazda 2.5 engine sounds so much better than the Toyota 2.5 engine. Is it because of more sound proofing in engine compartment ?
Can you test KIA K8 ?
Topher what would be the best bigger SUV/truck for $28k or less? I’m looking at colorados but didn’t know what you would recommend.
I’d vote a used GX 460!
Topher, do you prefer the VikingContact 7's VS your old Conti WinterContact SI's? I'm thinking of getting either of these 2 but cannot decide.... the SI's are cheaper...
Wait for CX50?
just ordered an AWD mid trim for $35,000 CAD all in. Great deal, and didnt see anything else comparable. Interior feels very high quality and has great and feel good physical buttons. How is the paint on these things? Would you recommend getting it coated or rust proved before next winter?
@thetopher - oh nevermind. Saw your other video about Krown Rust!
How do you think a Hyundai Sonata N Line would do on the conti vikings?
Reverse donuts. Such a bro! 🤣😇
Whats shaking fellow Michigander. Have you looked into just running newer "All Weather" tires year round? Something Like Nokian WR G4, Michelin Cross Climate 2, Firestone Weathergrip.
With the mild winters we’ve been having lately these tires make a lot of sense too!
what will replace this vehicle?
That chunky black cladding though... could only get this in a dark colored exterior.
Quick Question: I'm looking at replacing my '14 4Runner in the next year or so. I'm looking at the CX-5 and the Cx-30. My girlfriend and I plan on having one or two kids in the coming years. Would the Cx-30 be fine for that or is it tough fitting car seats and stuff? We also have a medium sized dog
I guess I should have watched more than one minute before posting this, lol
CX-5 is the way to go! If we would've bought that to begin with we wouldn't feel the need to up-size right now.
CX50 is also an option
@@TheTopher thanks! I figured
CX-50 Turbo purchase incoming?! I'm sure you could easily get great value from selling the CX-30.
Just sold it to Vroom for $27k 👍
I daily a lowered C4 corvette up here in Quebec in the winter, you don’t need anything but a good set of winter tires.
Sure. Ground clearance doesn't matter on unplowed roads.
Only if Mazda has hybrid cars
That price is so good! But of course it will be overpriced here 😅
Mr. Topher, what are you and Mrs. Topher considering for more space? My partner has a premium 2021 CX30 and we’re worried about the storage when we have a baby
We just got a 21 Highlander Hybrid!
rest in peace the underframe. Gonna be crunchy in 2 years.
Nope, took it to Krown!
Tell me this video is sponsored without teeling me it's sponsored
I knew you would find it too small real quick with a kid. Nice car though
small but very attractive 😍
Hi 🇧🇩
FWD makes no sense if you live in an area with a real winter. It’s cheaper but also much less marketable for resale. AWD is the obvious choice
i am 3th)