  We present the results of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of the
subsonic thermonuclear burning phase in type Ia supernovae. The burning front
model contains no adjustable parameters so that variations of the explosion
outcome can be linked directly to changes in the initial conditions. In
particular, we investigate the influence of the initial flame geometry on the
explosion energy and find that it appears to be weaker than in 2D. Most
importantly, our models predict global properties such as the produced nickel
masses and ejecta velocities within their observed ranges without any fine
tuning.
