Hello All......

I live in the DC/Baltimore area and am looking at the 8, but I am concerned about the unavailability of all season tires on the 18" tires. I have read that the standard tires are not even recommended for cold weather, let alone light snow.

Is do not want to get into swapping out wheels and tires just for a month or two. This car has to be a daily driver, so is there a solution or should I look for another vehicle?

I was really keen on the 8 until I started reading this forum! Flooding, MPG, A/C cycling, no all season tires. I am really thinking about waiting one model year to see if all these things get resolved.

Any thoughts on the tires?

Thanks very much for any comments.

Well, there isn't any solution if you can't find all season tires in the appropriate size and you don't want to swap wheels.

I live in the same general area as you, and I've ordered winter tires for my 8. The tires aren't cheap, but I'll just have the dealer change the tires when I go for an oil change some time in December. Not that big of a hassle.

As for the "flooding, MPG, A/C cycling" issues, just remember you're reading a forum where people come to find answers when they're having problems. These and other problems you read about here are not necessarily representative of all RX-8s.

I am getting a set of Winter tires in a few weeks -- I do this for all my cars not just the 8 -- well worth the $ in the long run IMO.

That aside -- reading car forums when you are in buying mode can be very depressing -- I challenge you to find a forum for a car that is not full of this supposed issues and problems. Some are real, some are not but remember anyone who has a problem is likely going to search out an online forum and either look for a solution or vent their anger -- the danger of the online world. I remember researching an Audi a while back and was horrified at the problems reported on audiworld -- have to learn to not base impressions on the online reports.

Thank you both for the replies. Yes, I take your points about looking at forums before buying......bit of a double edge sword really.

Well, test drives are planned for this weekend, so maybe emotion will take over and I'll bring one home.