Ok guys we finally got something SOLID.

Here's the deal. The current price is $1430 + G.S.T (quebec add HST as well). + shipping.

Shipping to Ottawa is $35, T.O. probably around $50. If more destinations are needed I'll find out.

The package I got quoted was for 17x7 ET48 FRD 30 alloys with Toyo Garit tires 215/55/17

John STILL has his hopes up for a 16" alloy that fits. Which would mean we could go with less expensive tires such as Toyo G02's which are about $50 a tire cheaper.

This of course includes balancing of the tire on the wheel.

Now, we all know everyone has their own choice in tires. What John told me was that if you want a different package that is FINE. You will still get the group discount.

You could buy 16's 17's or 18's of any tire with any rim that will work. He will give you the group buy discount!

The catch is we all must purchase at the same time.

We can do this 2 ways.

1. everyone phone in to his shop give him our name/number etc and wait till a certain date then he orders.

2. PM me with your information, I'll collect this stuff, we choose a cutoff date. On that date I phone the order to John and he contacts you for your payment (credit card etc).

So let's keep this thread "clean" .

I've posted as a poll, only vote if you are SERIOUS about buying. At the end of the week. We'll decide on our next action plan.

I'm PM'ng you for order but I need someone else's shop in Toronto that I could drive to (contact Tel. No./E-mail, etc.).

Can someone from Toronto make a suggestion?

Hey Wing,

Thanks for coordinating this. Do you have a link to any pictures of the wheel your describing?

I'm expecting the car in a week so definitely want to get the winter tire thing organized soon. Thx.

Guess I'm first at bat here. PM'ed you info.

Sure I have attached a pic of the wheel, you can as I have mentioned order different wheels if you wish, and STILL qualify for the discount.

Is anyone doing a US version of this for those of us with Cdn type weather? (I grew up in Toronto and Cleveland seems to have similar winters)

I can find out if he is willing to ship to the US.

EDIT: Talon said SURE, but he will ship UPS which means you will pay customs and brokerage, although he can find out exactly what (probably $100). Result it would probably cheaper from a US dealer.

So currently the price is $1430 CDN Add probably $100 USD for shipping and such. See if a US dealer can do better for you.

Come on guys VOTE! I've had 3 PM me saying they are in, yet only 1 vote.

I will STILL be doing this, even if I am getting rid of the 8.

I'm such a nice guy :)

Guys,
When you are ready give John at Talon Tire a call 514-337-0833 mention the RX8 and he'll put you in the group buy!

Where is the edmonton guy? Sorry I lost your PM I think.

Shipping is $45 to edmonton. $38 to T.O. $35 to St. John's and $35 to Ottawa.

Oh Alberta has to pay $16 tire tax of some sort.

Thank you WING for your work!!!

Since I am now keeping my 8, I guess that I will need the winter wheels and tires. I will call Talon Tire today. :)

Just placed my order via e-mail.
Tks Wing (& I respect your decision to return RX8).

Eeek gord, you better give them a call make sure they get the mail. They never replied to mine a few months ago.

Has anyone heard whether they were successful in fitting 16" wheels?

Also Gord, I'm curious about what you ordered (wheel, tire, price) any info would be helpful. Thanks!

Thanks for all of your work in this Wing. I called John and put my order in for 17" FRD 6 wheels and Pirelli Winter 210 Snow Sport 215/55-17's. The price of course was more than the other package quoted.

John was pretty good to talk to. Guess I'll be set for winter now.

I'd also like to suggest that anyone else thinking about driving in the winter give John a call. He mentioned the price may drop depending on how many people call orders in. This is the real beauty of group buys.

Well Gang, I'm finally getting my car tomorrow. Yeehaw! I predict I will have trouble sleeping....

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in putting together a group buy for later in the month (cash a liiiittle tight right now). Maybe if we all get our orders in to Talon before a certain date Say Oct 31, he puts in the group buy at that point for anyone who's in. This way we don't pay until closer to actual winter conditions.

Thoughts?

Good to hear Sharky. Enjoy her.

When I talked with John, I asked how soon before I get my wheels/tires. He mentioned mid-October. Speaking for myself, the sooner I get these in my garage, the more at ease I will be. You might consider putting your name in now with a delivery of when is best for you. I would think that John would work this out as part of the group buy.

Some people want the tires sooner but give Talon a call, he can probably hold your order off till later and still be in the group buy. And if you put it on credit you'll get an extra 30 days or so right ;)

Got a blue one I guess sharky? Nice!

Yeah, I'll give them a call and see what they'll do. I'm sure they're happy to be getting some business from Ontario. I guess I'm just freaking a little what with the bank account drainage tomorrow and all!

I just got off the phone with John and looks like I'm #7 on the list! Like Bulldog said earlier, "the sooner I get these in my garage, the more at ease I will be".

Thanks for all of the upfront work Wing!

I called John at Talon as well... really helpful guy... I'll be calling early next week to solidify my order... thanks Wing for the initiative to organize this!
cheers...

I called John twice today and he did not return my call. I'm getting a black GT on friday.

He's pretty busy, give him a call in the afternoon. He doesn't get in till like 11am.

I just received my $500 cheque from Mazda today, so I'll be giving Talon a call - my son wanted me to spend the money on a spoiler, but I think winter tires and rims are a better buy.

Thanks, Wing, for all your work on this ...

I haven't been able to get a hold of John.

Anyone know what he will charge us for wheels only? I've got $242 a wheel for the 17x7 Konig Holes that Gord mentioned. 8 lbs lighter than the FRD... but I'm sure more expensive than the FRDs.

I will be going with the 215/55 Pirelli 210's as well. mdmaclean mentioned sloppy performance on dry pavement with these tires ... anyone else have any experiences with the Pirellis? Would love to try the Michelins - extra $40 per tire is too much.

The FRDs were like $165 a wheel, not sure about the konigs though.

These are the Konigs that Gord bought - and I'm still on the fence about. I'm looking at about $75 per wheel difference to shed the 8 pounds.

Have to say, for winter driving, I'm leaning back to the FRDs. I didn't realise the difference would be so much.

I sent an email to John at Talon Tire yesterday but still have not had a response. I asked him when he would be finalizing the group purchase and how many people were on the list.

Does anyone know the answers to these two questions?

Thanks!

My experience they aren't too fast on the e-mail.

I can call monday and ask about for the group if I get a chance. I have his direct line someplace around here on my desk.... I hope.

Thanks Wing!

Actually, it's the Graphite version of the Konig Holes that I'm getting, like below. The dark gray centre looks great on the Titanium Gray RX-8! I test-fit a wheel yesterday, and the inside of the rim clears the outer face of the caliper by a whole 3 or 4 mm! (I can't see how a 16" wheel could possibly fit). Anyway, my winter set should now be a done deal - these Konig Holes with the Toyo Garit HT 215/55-17.

I wanted the lighter weight wheels not so much for the handling benefits, but for the better ride and responsiveness. Personally, I think the stock 18" OEM wheels are overkill, and were specified by the Mazda marketing department rather than the engineering department. The weight compromises aren't made up by any performance advantage - there's plenty of 225/50-17 or equivalent sizes in all the performance tires. I think that the lighter 17" wheels will be an improvement, rather than heavier winter wheels that will cause a degradation in ride quality or feel. After all, we have to use the winter wheels for 5 months of the year!

Regards,
Gordon

Wow Gord, those WILL look "bonza" on the Titanium!
(I just picked up that word from a nice 'Ozzy' I just met on the forum, hairdresser I think he said he was...)
I phoned John in 'Q'bec, but he hasn't returned my call. I will probably start looking locally next week......
.
.
.
doc

How about a new category for your poll?
"Phoned Talon, but was ignored..."

Originally posted by Doctorr
How about a new category for your poll?
"Phoned Talon, but was ignored..."

Well, I gotta tell ya - TireTrends has been great. They shipped me the wheel without charging for it - trusted me that I'd send it back to them. They always answer the phone, and actively participate in the Tires and Wheels forum (that they sponsor) over at www.canadiandriver.com . TireTrends also sells the FRD wheels, and at my request had taken their own time to take a few wheels over to a local Mazda dealer to test fit them on an RX-8. I can't recommend them highly enough - call and ask for Bob, tell him Gord from Calgary sent you! (Let's talk customer service - I bought a set of Konig wheels and some Falken Azenis tires for my Miata last year from TireTrends. This spring, one of the centre caps fell off somewhere. I phoned TireTrends to order another cap, fully planning to buy one or 4 depending on how they sold them, and instead they insisted on sending me a full replacement set of 4 centre caps at their entire expense - didn't cost me a penny. That's great customer service that is worth my repeat business.)

I did speak with John at Talon 2 weeks ago, and he was going to look up pricing and availability on another wheel for me. He still hasn't called back...

Regards,
Gordon

I'm going to call John and ask him what's up!

I just got off the phone with John at Talon -- he's been crazy busy and was testing an RX-8 (Canada's?) when I called. He apologized and said that he'd be calling us in the next 2 days to get our orders finalized -- that's the scoop.

That's right, we tested 3 types of rims on my RX-8, two were 17x7" and one was 17x8". They all fit fine, and he will post the details here or you can call him.

Good stuff! I think that is what John was waiting for, he REALLY didn't want to sell everyone those wheels unless he knew for sure they fit.

You'll be getting your wheels SOON I am sure now that he knows they fit!

Following are my photos and specs of the magnesium alloy wheels that Talon physically confirmed to fit on both front and back of my RX-8 In addition to the FRD 30, that Wing also posted at the beginning of the thread, we also confirmed the FRD 6 that weighs the same (19lbs) but has a different look. John doesn't yet have a quote for the FRD 6 (which uses metal centering ring) but it will cost slightly more than the FRD 30 (uses heavy-duty plastic centering ring). I also attach a shot of the Toyo Garit HT tread, which I will use on Montreal winters, and the last photo is of my RX-8 posing like a ham in front of Talon.

In case you missed it somehow, contact John at:
Talon Tire
2607 Diab
St-Laurent, Quebec
H4S 1E7
Canada
514-337-0833
www.talontire.com

I will go with their recommendation of 215/55R17 Toyo Garit HT mounted on FRD 30, purely on personal taste. It was a pleasure working with Talon.

Canada

FRD 6

Toyo Garit HT: close-up of the tread surface

The guinea pig...

Great pics!

So has anyone ordered yet?

I spoke to John last Friday and I ordered my snow tires and wheels. It looks like Bulldog and I are getting the same setup which are the 215/55/17 Pirelli 210 Snowsport tires mounted on the 17"x7" FRD 06 alloy wheels.

John expects that my tires will arrive on October 22nd, not too soon as far as I am concerned.

Zoom Zoom

What was the total price for that package? I have been looking around the GTA and want to compare.

PS. Saw you at top end of 427 going south last week I think. Looking good !!!!

Talked with John this afternoon and confirmed my pakage is on the way which is the same package ZoomZoom purchased. Should be here mid next week.

Hats off to John and Talon Tire. When I first spojke with John, I talked him down on his price to match a competitor. He did lower his price, and said the price may come down mor4e based on how many members joined the group buy. He surprised me again when he lowered the price another $30.

Thanks again to Wing for starting all of this and to hanf on through to the end. Like ZoomZoom said, the sooner the tires are in my garage, the happier I will be.

Taffy, give John a call and get in on this now while you have the group buying power.

Originally posted by Bulldog6670
Talked with John this afternoon and confirmed my pakage is on the way which is the same package ZoomZoom purchased. Should be here mid next week.
I guess that's why I couldn't get hold of him today, he was talking to you. :) I'll have to call early tomorrow.

i spoke to john yesterday and confirmed my order -- i'm going with the same package as bulldog and zoomzoom... and i agree, the sooner the tires arrive, the better!

I placed my order today with Talon Tire. I'm going with the FRD 6 wheels and Toyo Garit tires.

THANK YOU Wing and Canada! You've done us a big favour. (My usual thanks for a favour is to offer someone a ride in my cool new car, but I guess that won't work for you.)

Not to sound like a broken record but...I placed my order today with Talon Tire. I'm also going with the FRD 6 wheels and Toyo Garit tires.

They said I was #12...not a bad group buy I'd say.

Thanks as well to Wing and Canada for the legwork.

PS. You may be interested in knowing that in my local search I had a tire dealer ask me who made the RX-8 and if it was a truck!!! I came close to looking around and asking him if I was in a tire shop.:D

I gave up after 2 shops in Ottawa and called Talon because of this "attitude" in Ottawa.

Ok fine they don't know about the car, but ALL of them simply open up a book and say "not in my book sorry"

Then I told them, well here's the offset and the tire size etc. They both said "not in my book, can't help you"

So I said SCREW IT, called Talon and sure enough John was willing to find us something that would work.

When's my kickback cheque coming in the mail? ;)

Spoke to John late yesterday and he said that he could not get the Pirelli 210. He was going to call you guys on Monday.

I was wondering about the differences between the Pirelli's and the Toyo's. I was planning on the Pirelli's until I spoke to John and I don't know much about the Toyo's.

What are the main differences?

Has anyone found the Pirelli's elsewhere?

John's prices are great and I'm still very much thinking about ordering the FRD 6 and Toyo's from him. For the price difference, the FRD 6's seem to be a no brainer unless it is a personal taste thing.

What do you guys think?

Cheers

Taffy

I wrote earlier in one of these threads that TireTrends was saying that Pirelli does not have stock of the Winter210 in 215/55-17 so far this season; he said if any dealer had these they must be old stock from last year. I went with the Toyo instead of waiting for the Pirellis to maybe arrive - the Toyos on 17" Konig Holes wheels arrived yesterday, and I installed them today. One especially noteworthy mention:

LIGHT!!! Wow! I was hoping to save a few pounds by going with the lightweight Konig, but - the OEM 18" wheel with the Bridgestone RE-040s weighed 41.2 lbs. The Konig 17" with the Toyo Garit HT weighed only 35.2 lbs - 6 lbs less per corner!!!. For an unsprung weight savings, that is huge.

It was an RX-8 maintenance day for me - since I had the wheels off, I also installed the front and rear splash guards that have been sitting in a box since July, and installed the side strakes, and also changed the differential and transmission fluids (Redline 75W90 in diff, Redline MT-90 in trans). Pictures to follow (wheels, strakes, splash guards) maybe tomorrow.

Regards,
Gordon

Left a message for John to count me in ... has anyone confirmed the total price for the FRD 30 + Toyo Garit package?

I just spoke with John at Talon today. I'm looking at the FRD6s with Toyo Garits in the 215X55X17 size. He has quoted me $1420 for the wheels and tires plus shipping to Toronto of $38 for a total taxes-in price of $1561. Talon seems to have very competitive prices compared to some of the quotes I've been getting around my area...

By the way, my dealer has agreed to have the wheels/tires shipped to them, install them on my car and take care of storing the off-season tires going forward! (I live in a downtown condo with nowhere to do the work myself). I've been pretty impressed with the quality of service I've received since getting my car 3 weeks ago...

Sharky

Give us details. Who is your dealer? It sounds like they deserve a mention. I was going to do some shopping around on the winter tire package. Did you get anywhere close to John's prices from GTA dealers?

My Dealer is Downtown Mazda. I originally asked them to price some wheel/tire combinations for me. The closest they could get on the above package was over $2100 plus tax from their suppliers. I told them I could do better and they encouraged me to go ahead and that they'd still do the install and storage for me. Who says you have to go to Lexus for good service!

That's great. They sound just like a dealer should be. I have asked my dealer about a winter tire package but they still haven't come back to me. Now that I have spoken to John, I doubt very much whether they can beat his pricing anyway.

Spoke with John today as we've been playing phone tag for a while. I was a little disappointed in not being able to get the Winter210's in 215/55-17 . I went with the Toyo's to get the narrowest tire.

I asked John how many were in the group buy. He said 16 or 17 so far. I also asked him if he could throw in some trinkets for us. He said all he had right now were hats, so dont be surprised if you see some with your tires.

I was also disappointed about the Pirelli's. I did some phoning around today and found a dealer with the Pirelli's in stock but they don't stock FRD's. They recommended Avanti as a good winter rim since the price is comparable to the FRD but they claim that the FRD do not have anti-corrosive protection and some of the Avanti's do.

Does anyone have a comment on this or knowledge of the Avanti range?

Originally posted by Taffy
I was also disappointed about the Pirelli's. I did some phoning around today and found a dealer with the Pirelli's in stock

From what we've heard, those would be old stock that have been sitting in a warehouse for maybe a year... FWIW.

Regards,
Gordon

Hats? Wait a minute here, I organized a 16 or 17 car/person group buy and YOU guys get hats? ;)

I'm still waiting for the cheques from all of you, should I expect those soon? :D

Monday night I got back from a week out of town. When I got to work yesterday morning, I had a message from Talon Tire asking if I could come in for yet another test fitting. I will do so ASAP (I'm curious what it is) - just to make sure I earn my free hat!

Wing, maybe as a bonus John could send you a replacement stock rim, to replace the scratched one on the RX-8 you returned to your dealer who charged you $258 for it - just kidding!

I'll assume if John remembers me when it comes time to get tires for my "new" car (whatever that may be), I'll get some kind of deal :)

My FRD 6 and Toyo set are ordered and en route. Thanks again to Wing and Canada for doing all the heavy lifting.

A word of caution to the Toyo buyers (and any winter tire buyers) - take it real easy on them until you get used to them! Aside from the mold release compound making them even more slippery for the first couple of hundred kms, they will have WAY less grip than the stock summer tires. I've had mine on for a week, and I haven't hit anything or slid off anywhere, but I'm making a very conscious effort to slow down on corners. Turns and curves that the RX-8 handled easily with the summer tires could be a problem on these winter tires.

Just take it easy until they're broken in and you get used to them and become familiar with the much lower limits on dry pavement!!

Regards,
Gordon

Rack up another sale for John. Same deal FRD 6 with Toyo and a set of wheel locks. Thanks for organising guys. Much appreciated.

Wing, I think John owes you big time. Maybe even 2 caps !!!!!

Not to worry, the test fitting referred to on my answering machine was already done (while I was away) on another Montrealer's RX-8 (a red one) - it was just to be sure the rims fit with the Toyo Garit HT's and I'm told it was AOK.

Has anyone received their tires yet?

I have just given up on the LM-22's which were ordered 4 weeks ago (not from Talon).

So... rack up yet another sale for John. Same deal FRD 6 with Toyo's.

Wow! That's all I gotta say, when I started this, 6 ppl were a possibility and John was happy with that, but we are up to like 17!

I forgot to add that John said that the group buy price was only available till the end of the month. That only leaves two days if you want to get the deal!

I had a chance today to try out the Toyo Garit HTs in real winter conditions - Calgary got hit last night with rain, then freezing, then about 5" of snow, making the roads miserable this morning with snow on top of ice!

... unfortunately, I decided not to take that chance, and drove our Audi to work this morning. :p I figured with the typical morons out on the road who can't figure out that they need to slow down on the first snow day of every winter, I didn't want to risk the RX-8 getting hit! I'll try the RX-8 tomorrow... :)

Regards,
Gordon

Good idea Gord, plus the fact that half the people probably have all seasons or summer tires on!

I know that this was asked earlier, but has anyone got their rims and tires from John yet?

Originally posted by Taffy
I know that this was asked earlier, but has anyone got their rims and tires from John yet?

I'm still waiting for mine... :(

I spoke to John a couple days ago and he said that they were working on assembling them (wheels and tires). He also said that I should be expecting to see them sometime Thursday (today) or Friday. I can't wait. :D

I got a call today saying they were sent out today.

Hopefully, they will arrive in the next day or so since the weather is forecasted to be cold with some possible snow showers by the end of the week. The last thing we want to do is drive in the cold with the summer tires performing like bricks!!!!

Can you post when you get delivery? Thanks everyone.

Mine arrived this morning. I had them delivered to my office, but wouldn't you know it I left my car at home today because I didn't want to drive in tonight's freezing rain with my summer tires! Argh.

Mine arrived this afternoon! :D I guess that I will prep them tonight (Zaino the wheels) and install them tomorrow.

Was it freezing rain in T.O. Today?

Man what a nightmare it was here. Accidents on every street! People driving on summer bricks!

Mine came in this morning also. My wife called me at work to let me know. Unwrapped the first one and found a Talon Tire cap. Wonder what I'll find in the other three...

BTW, no freezing here here in the GTA but pretty chilly at 4C on my way home from work.

Mine were waiting for me when I arrived home this evening. Just unwrapped them and one of the centre disc with the FRD logo was missing. I'll have to call John in the morning. No Talon Tire cap in my package though!!!!

Zoom Zoom, what Zaino application will you be doing?

Originally posted by Taffy
Mine were waiting for me when I arrived home this evening. Just unwrapped them and one of the centre disc with the FRD logo was missing. I'll have to call John in the morning. No Talon Tire cap in my package though!!!!

Zoom Zoom, what Zaino application will you be doing?
I think a few coats of Z2 should do it.

Could one of you please weigh the FRD wheel/tire combo before you install them? It would be a useful data point...

FWIW, I weighed the OEM 18" wheel with RE-040 at 41.2 lbs.

Regards,
Gordon

(It would be good if someone could answer this in the next hour before I go to put the tires on.)

I got a box of wheel nuts with the wheels & tires, so I guess that means that the stock nuts don't fit the FRD wheels. Which in turn would mean that my locking nuts don't fit the FRD wheels either.

Is that right?

Originally posted by Len
(It would be good if someone could answer this in the next hour before I go to put the tires on.)

I got a box of wheel nuts with the wheels & tires, so I guess that means that the stock nuts don't fit the FRD wheels. Which in turn would mean that my locking nuts don't fit the FRD wheels either.

Is that right?
I have not mounted my snow tires yet but I would expect that the locking nuts will fit.

Why wouldn't the nuts fit? They probably just provided nuts to be nice, so you can keep your shiny ones clean.

Mine arrived today too. If I have time tonight, I will try weighing them.

Originally posted by ZoomZoom
I have not mounted my snow tires yet but I would expect that the locking nuts will fit.
Yes, they fit. Thanks guys. With all the incompatibilities of offset, bolt pattern, brake size I was ready to believe that the nuts were bevelled differently or something. :)

Originally posted by Taffy
Mine were waiting for me when I arrived home this evening. Just unwrapped them and one of the centre disc with the FRD logo was missing. I'll have to call John in the morning. No Talon Tire cap in my package though!!!!
Strangely, I got an extra disc with mine. If Talon won't send you one for free let me know and I'll send you mine.
centre disc
Nice Canadian spelling! ;)

Len

I spoke to Talon today and they said that it would take 2 weeks to get me another disc.

Does the extra disc have a chrome or gray background? Apparently there are 2 types.

Can you PM me and we can discuss.

Appreciate the help

Taffy

By the way, it may be obvious but remember to mount the correct tire on the correct side of the car since the tires are direction specific. The tire wall has the info needed.

Also, I asked John today about which wheels were for the front. The rims with the smaller weights should go on the front.

FYI. Hope this was useful for someone.

Mine are on. I weighed them at 48 pounds.

Originally posted by mdmaclean
Mine are on. I weighed them at 48 pounds.

:eek: WOW! Any chance you could weigh one of your OEM 18" wheels/tires for comparison (I got 41.2# for mine)? If your 48# number is right, that means your wheels weigh around 30# each, which is almost impossible for a 17" wheel.

Anyone else weight their FRD wheels/Toyo tires yet? Could you also weigh your OEM 18" for comparison?

Thanks,
Gordon

I can confirm that the FRD6/Toyo package weighs in at 48lbs. I have not changed them over yet so I don't have an oem weight.

So it might well be that my scale is off and is reading too light. That's where the relative weight of the FRD wheel/tire vs. OEM will help - guys, please keep posting weights of your winter wheels/tires and the OEM wheels/tires as you can!

(How did you guys weigh the wheels/tires? I weighed myself, then weighed myself holding the wheel/tire and figured the difference. The reason for that method is that I only have an ordinary digital bathroom scale, and it's not likely to be as accurate at lower weight ranges as it is in the normal body weight ranges)

Regards,
Gordon

Hey Guys,

I just got the tires from Talon (FRD6 on Toyo Garits) and had my dealer swap them. I also orderd locking nuts from Talon but found tht thy don't fit. Has anyone else had this problem with lock nuts from Talon? I'll have to call them but now it's going to be a PITA to send them back...

I got the FRD6's and the Toyo Garits as well (shipped directly to my dealer) ...they were kind enough to install them at n/c and also store my summers. i even tried to slip a few bills to the mechanic but he wouldnt hear of it (now thats a class act)... anyways, i gotta say that i'm really impressed with the tire/rim combo ...thanks again to Wing for organizing this. my existing lock-nuts fit perfectly (i was going to go out and buy new ones -- glad i held out)....

I had originally mounted my FRD6's with the nuts from the OEM wheels. When I told John at Talon that, he insisted that I change to the nuts he provide right away.

Since the locking nuts I had were for the OEM wheels, I currently don't have any locking nuts on. I suppose I should call John and ask about them.

Overall, I liked the package enough that I have ordered another set of wheels/Garret HT tires for my wife's G35 sedan from Talon.

Hey guys,
Has anyone used their Mazda lock nuts for their FRD6's? My dealer installed my wheels with my existing lock nuts and said that they are fine -- but I remember John at Talon mentioned that I should order new lock nuts.... (and Sharky seemed to have problems with his set from Talon)... any input on this from anyone? Thanks much...

So I just switched over to my FRD 6 & Garits. No problems. I did not use my lock bolts.

Gord, I reweighed using your suggested approach. The stock wheels & tires came out at 45lbs. The FRD 6 & Garits at 44lbs. The scale is not digital so there may be slight variance.

Here is what they look like for anyone who hasn't decided on a winter package.

This is my first attachment...so be gentle if it doesn't work

and another since it worked so well :)

I have had the package on for a week now and am very pleased with the performance.

On the lock nuts, I bought the correct lock nuts from John. Comparing them to the Mazda lock nuts, they are significantly longer just like the suggested regular nuts from Talon v OEM nuts. I would also recommend using the correct nuts and lock nuts. The extra length always makes a difference!!!!

Cheers

Callsignjo, that looks AWESOME.

Originally posted by Callsignjo
Gord, I reweighed using your suggested approach. The stock wheels & tires came out at 45lbs. The FRD 6 & Garits at 44lbs. The scale is not digital so there may be slight variance.

Great, thanks! Those numbers sound good - it's nice to know that your winter setup is no heavier than the summer setup. Those FRD6 wheels look great, too! :cool:

Regards,
Gordon

I received my shipment from Talon last week (Garit HT + FRD6 - they look GREAT) and am waiting for a bit of snow in the forecast before I put them on.

Question: I don't regularly change my own rims, so this will be a bit of a new experience - does anybody have a "best" method for getting the right tension on the lug nuts without an air gun? Do you have to use a torque wrench or is there a simpler rule of thumb to use?

Originally posted by fasteddy
I received my shipment from Talon last week (Garit HT + FRD6 - they look GREAT) and am waiting for a bit of snow in the forecast before I put them on.

Question: I don't regularly change my own rims, so this will be a bit of a new experience - does anybody have a "best" method for getting the right tension on the lug nuts without an air gun? Do you have to use a torque wrench or is there a simpler rule of thumb to use?

I don't know if there is a better way, but I bought a torque wrench from Canadian tire, and then did it myself.

I have also ordered a set of wheels and tires from Talon for my wife's G35 sedan, and plan on using the wrench for both.

The torque wrench was about $99

I have the Toyo Garit HT's, 215/55R17.

What tire pressure are you guys using for these?

I ended up getting the Pirelli SnowSport 225/50/17 mounted on the FRD-06 wheels and they came delivered with 35.5 lbs of pressure... sweet ride!!! :D :D :D

The tire pressure on my Toyo Garit HT's when they arrived from Talon were 33.5 psi.

BTW - anybody know how much torque you are supposed to apply to the lug nuts when you moint them?

The owner's manual (page 7-17) states that the nut tightening torque should be 65 to 87 ft/lbs, I assume that this applies to the stock summer tires. I personally have both my summer and winter tires set to 80 ft/lbs of torque and the wheels are still on the car. :D

received my shipment from Talon last week (Garit HT + FRD6 - they look GREAT) and am waiting for a bit of snow in the forecast before I put them on.

I didn't wait for the snow. The summer tires are not good when the weather is cold regardless of snow. They harden up and the stopping performance is reduced significantly.

I would recommend changing tires as soon as cold weather hits which it did last week.

Hope this helps.

Folks, I read the threads about people slipping on snowy downhills and banging up their RX-8s. I just want to send you all my best wishes for safe driving this winter season, particularly when it overlaps with the up-coming drinking season.

I was glad to have Talon Tire mount my FRD30 wheels & Toyo Garit tires a couple of days before our first big snow. They worked great.

I try to remember that even with these great tires and a 50/50 weight distribution, nothing can keep me from starting to slide if I take too a fast turn (which I don't) on snow-covered ice. Lastly, even if I keep complete control of my own vehicle, I keep to the right and watch out for on-coming cars spinning out in front of my path.

Canada

P.S. John from Talon Tire sends his best regards to you all.

I bought a set of FRD6 wheels with 225/50-17 Toyo Garit HT tires from talon tire. However, I no longer need the set. They are NEW in the original packaging. Never opened or put on the car. I am selling them if anyone is interested for $1200 obo. I am in rochester, NY, USA

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=228479#post228479

Thanks

Neil

I can get a set of Ikan 17" wheels delivered to NY for $399.
What does anyone know about this wheel? Sounds to me like a good deal. ??
I'll still have to locate some snowtires though.
Not the easiest thing to do.

Check the offset on those!

The Garit tires on FRD30 rims are working so well that I think Talon will have another big batch of customers next season.

Check out the For Sale forum for details.