If you're looking for Dunlop Winter Sport M3 snow tires for your other car in size 235/45HR18, www.tirerack.com has them in stock on *special* for only $89 .......... I wonder why so low? See http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?model=Winter+Sport+M3&make=Dunlop

What's the opinion on using these for an RX-8 on stock 18" rims in the winter to replace the 225/45R18's summer tires? Probably not a good idea because they are too wide I suspect.

regards,
rx8cited

PS: I am not affiliated with www.tirerack.com (other than being a happy customer :) ).

that would be my advice, plus they are a bit taller. You're better off with narrower, not wider, for snow. (Saabs used to be well known for snow handling with just front drive, and back then (80s)most of their cars had 185/15s.

They still might be a good option for those areas where snow isn't ever-present, since an all-season tread in the OE 245/45/18 doesn't seem to exist.

The 235/45/18 is only 4.5 mm taller sidewall height, which ain't much. Being H rated they should ride real nice. I might give them a try. Thanks for them head-up.

I just recieved my 235/45HR18 from the tire rack yesterday. I will have them installed on the OE rims tomorrow. Yes, the ratio is alittle taller which would help in the snow.
We're expecting some heavy snow this weekend, so I'll test them (on my local street) and let you know.
Tire rack did have them for $89. What a steal.

Al

Originally posted by 80CuIn
I just recieved my 235/45HR18 from the tire rack yesterday. I will have them installed on the OE rims tomorrow. Yes, the ratio is alittle taller which would help in the snow.

The height will only marginally affect overall ground clearance. As Tire Rack describes, a narrower width tire is preferred for snow conditions. Wider will be worse than other snow tires, but still the winter compound and tread pattern will make them far better than the OEM summer tires. Still, 215 or 225 width for snow tires is a much better bet.

Regards,
Gordon

Your absolutly right Gordon. However, by the time I took delivery on my 8, there were no 225/45/18 sizes left from the Tire Rack at least.
At that point I was aiming at a 17' rim and snow tires (225/50/17), but since this tread opend up, I went with the 235s. Yes I would of prefered 225s but here is my logic.
I have the 235 snows installed on OE rims. Then come sping, I have the OE 225s installed on 18" SSR Comp (which Iv'e coveted for years) and well as installing and extra set of wheels. Although my wife does not know the details (price of SSRs yet), she does know I need tires for the spring/summer/fall. I just hope the s**t does not hit the fan too hard for me. I can't even buy her a gift to lessen the blow because, most the cash will go the the SSRs.
Al

I ordered me a set of these tires with some low end wheels from TireRack today. They are being shipped ground, but they are only located 100+ miles from me. So I should receive by Monday hopefully. Nothing ever comes on Friday when you want it!

My logic, yep not exactly the size i was looking for, but for $89 a tire, i could live with it. :) Seriously, thanks Gord96BRG for all your input on the winter tire subject. Keep your notes for next year's newbies!

Update: 235/45HR18 Dunlop M3

No problems or issues with these tires and size whatsoever. Had them mounted on Friday. Tested them during the blizzard on Saturday (6-8 inches of snow) around the block. No problems in the snow and, no rubbing issues.
Drove into work this morning 6:00am over some icy patches, DSC kicked in once. Again no problems.
For those who missed out on M3 225s, the 235 are a great alternative (albeit 18"). Although 225s or 215 on a 17" rim is better, the 235s on 18s work for me.
Al

Your right. However, I'm hoping, hoping to get SSR Comps for the OE tires for sping. All depends on my boss (wife).
Al

I jus placed my order for these, and Tirerack.com called me to confirm that the increased size (235 vs. 225) would fit on my car. I am relying on this thread hoping that there won't be any problems. I am following your lead, 80CuIn!

After this past weekend with all the snow here in NY, I have no choice but to do something about my car. The stock tires did absolutely nothing in a flat parking lot, and I wound up having to get the car towed home, which is absolutely ridiculous. How Mazda allows such a tire to be the tire of choice for the entire country is beyond me. Half the country gets snow, yet summer tires are what we get? Heck, my 98 Eclipse GS-T came with all season tires that beat the heck out of the ones on the RX-8.

Originally posted by 80CuIn
Update: 235/45HR18 Dunlop M3

No problems or issues with these tires and size whatsoever.

80CuIn,

That's great to hear! I wish they were available when I bought my 225/45HR18s ;) at $157 each.

rx8cited

Did anyone get the road hazard option with your tires? I live in Kc and I know this is pothole heaven but I donn't know if hazard insurance is worth the money.

Originally posted by RX8Lover
I jus placed my order for these, and Tirerack.com called me to confirm that the increased size (235 vs. 225) would fit on my car. I am relying on this thread hoping that there won't be any problems. I am following your lead, 80CuIn!


Oh, they fit ...

Originally posted by WHealy
Oh, they fit ...

WHealy,
Nice wheels :) ! Tell me more about them, model, price, where you got them.

regards,
rx8cited

Originally posted by RX8Lover
How Mazda allows such a tire to be the tire of choice for the entire country is beyond me. Half the country gets snow, yet summer tires are what we get?

:mad: Stop it! Don't you dare complain about vehicles being equipped with performance summer tires! ;) All-seasons are a compromise both summer and winter. Just what the hell are they good for, anyway? Poor performance in summer, poor performance in winter. Unfortunately, there's much too common a mentality that people should cheap out on tires and accept marginal performance year round. There's no such thing as one tire that is good year round.

ANY vehicle equipped with performance summer tires (certainly not just Mazda) has lots of warnings about driving in winter conditions - go ahead, check your owner's manual! I'm personally grateful that Mazda put proper tires on the RX-8 for summer, instead of useless all-seasons that I'd still take off for the winter anyway, and want to replace for summer use also.

Bottom line, it's a performance sports car, not a minivan. It deserves performance tires - both the summer variety and the winter variety. I factored in the need for separate winter tires up front before even buying the car, as I would have with any other car that I'd be driving in winter conditions.

Regards,
Gordon

Originally posted by rx8cited
WHealy,
Nice wheels :) ! Tell me more about them, model, price, where you got them.

regards,
rx8cited

rx8cited,

Just the tires we're talking about here on this thread. The wheels are 18x8 Mille Miglia Evo5 Bright Silver. All this arrived from TireRack this morning and made it on just before evening. The dry pavement ride is a little bumpy. But not through the steering. So I assume it's not a balance issue, but rather a difference in ride. But when the bolts finally come in for the tire sensors, I'll have them check the balance when the install the sensors. ... assuming they fit! Interesting, I did a test drive tonight (obviously) and no warning light ... yet. I swear I drove for over 15 mintues before I stopped to fill up. I guess I'll just have to go on a longer drive! :)

Originally posted by Gord96BRG
I factored in the need for separate winter tires up front before even buying the car, as I would have with any other car that I'd be driving in winter conditions.

Regards,
Gordon

Gordon,
Hi. Unfortunately many of us were not as tire savvy as you are - but we're learning :) . I admit I did not even consider the tires on the car until I was too in love with the car to turn back :) .

Fortunately my friend with a BMW 330i explained the need for snow tires and I picked up some good advice here too.

regards,
rx8cited

Originally posted by WHealy
rx8cited,

Just the tires we're talking about here on this thread. The wheels are 18x8 Mille Miglia Evo5 Bright Silver. All this arrived from TireRack this morning and made it on just before evening. The dry pavement ride is a little bumpy. But not through the steering. So I assume it's not a balance issue, but rather a difference in ride. But when the bolts finally come in for the tire sensors, I'll have them check the balance when the install the sensors. ... assuming they fit! Interesting, I did a test drive tonight (obviously) and no warning light ... yet. I swear I drove for over 15 mintues before I stopped to fill up. I guess I'll just have to go on a longer drive! :)

WHealy,
Thanks for the info. They look really sweet :) .

I'm a bit confused ...... Tire Rack shipped you the wheels without the sensors - so when the sensor nuts (not bolts) come in, are you going to send the wheels back to the Tire Rack to have the sensors mounted?

Be sure to put 36 psi cold in your winter tires (vs the 32 psi cold for our stock summer tires).

The directions in the TPMS bulletin say after you swap wheels, turn the key to the on position, then back to off for 15 minutes before driving (sensor autoregistration). I'm guessing if you did not do that, maybe that's why the light did not come on during your first drive.

I'd expect that without the sensors, the TPMS light will start flashing after you've let the car sit for more than 15 minutes since that first drive, then drive it again for more than 15 minutes ........ let us know.

regards,
rx8cited

Rx8cited,

My current understanding is that the only place you can get sensors is Mazda. As a result, TireRack can not have them put in your tire. Although I didn’t explore sending them to Tire Rack. I did post previously that I ordered and since received my new tire sensors. (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15768) Unfortunately, while this item was in stock, the separate bolt that holds them in place is on national back order. So I can’t complete the tire sensor part of the switch until they get in. Currently, that 12/15.

Be advised that some folks have decided to put on snow tires and ignore the tire sensor warning light. This is an option as well. I’m also at risk of the sensor not fitting my new wheels. But I decided to take that chance and get the “deal” from TireRack. As a result, I haven’t had the chance to initialize the new sensors yet either.

You should also be advised that some snow tires and 18 inch OEM tires are directional. (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16189) The driver side tires rotate counter clockwise in forward motion where the passenger side ones rotate clockwise (directions edited based on rx8cited's comments below). So you have to make sure you put the correct tire on the correct side. Also, I made notes for which tire was where and what mileage to assist in my rotations that I will now being doing on my own.

All my information has been gathered thanks to the folks that contribute here, especially Gordon (Gord96BRG). I’d be lost without everyone’s input as I’ve never done these things before either.

Hope that clears things up a bit.

RX8Lover,
You can thank RX8cited for starting this thread. If he did not point out that they were available at 235s and at $89 a pop, I would have opeted for the 225 or 215 on 17" rims. So thank you RX8cited.
All I did was research the size to make sure there were no rubbing or spedo issues (as per Miata tire size calc). Please don't ask me to add the link. I don't know how to do it.
I'm quite glad that the 8 came with summer tires for the same reasons Gordon mentioned. BTW, I don't think there are all season tires available at our OE size.
Another Update:
So far so good. I've tried to break the tires loose several times on my local road (still covered in snow/slush/ice). I also made sure no one was around and or parked cars. They did slip some, but the traction control/DSC seemed to of set it straight and helped control the slide. I need to find an empty parking lot which is still coved with snow and test the cars/tires limits there. But for my daily commute (30 miles) thorugh back country roads... no problem.
Al

My only problem is how to pursuade my wife on purchasing $1600+ on a new set of rims come spring. Any ideas?
I guess I can always sell my OE rim/snow tires (ha)!
Al

My tires are on their way - $89 a tire is unbeatable. They will go on my OEM wheels for the time being...glad to see those of you that have these tires are getting fairly decent results. I don't plan on driving my car through treacherous snow banks...I just want to be able to drive on semi-covered snowy roads, and not get stuck in a flat parking lot like last Friday...

Originally posted by WHealy
Rx8cited,

My current understanding is that the only place you can get sensors is Mazda. As a result, TireRack can not have them put in your tire. .........
The driver side tires rotate clockwise in forward motion where the passenger side ones rotate counter clockwise.


Hi WHealy,

Okay I got you now. I thought you bought the whole wheel/tire/sensor package from Tire Rack.

FYI - Tire Rack can now supply the tire pressure sensors (about $104 / wheel) as I first heard from TreknMazda who is getting his winter tire package from there - he is waiting on those darn sensor nuts too :( .

At the time I ordered my 225/45HR18 M3s Tire Rack did not offer the sensors, so I bought another set of stock wheels/sensors from Trussville Mazda - but your wheels look nicer to me and they are a bit cheaper to boot ($189 vs $225).

I have not see all seasons for our 18" wheels either, but I think I'm converted to the winter/summer tire mindset now that I own two sets of wheels :) and Gordon has explained the advantages.

Good point you made about the unidirectional tires. I think you have the directions backwards? Is it not:

"The driver side tires rotate counter clockwise in forward motion where the passenger side ones rotate clockwise" .

If you orient the direction arrow to the top of the tire, it should be pointing to the front of the car.

Also, again, keep in mind, snow tires need 36 psi cold. A gottcha' for me was the lug nuts are 21mm - so make sure you have a 21mm socket handy for your torque wrench. If you don't own a torque wrench, Sears has some on sale for $49.99 this week (I'm guessing that's a good deal? I bought mine there a years ago).

regards,
rx8cited

Originally posted by 80CuIn
RX8Lover,
So thank you RX8cited.
Al

Hi 80CuIn,

You're quite welcome :o . I'm glad it worked out that y'all were able to take advantage of this deal.

Since you researched this (and I don't feel like thinking hard right now :) ) , do you know what's the speedometer % difference when you use the 235/45HR18 vs the stock 225/45HR18. That's something to keep in mind for y'all using these right?

regards,
rx8cited

Should of posted this on my last entry.
As per the Miata Tire Size Calc:

OE tire size = 225/45/18
Sidewall = 4.0 in.
Radius = 13.0 in.
Diameter = 26.0 in.
Circumf = 81.6 in.
Revs/mi. = 777.0

New tire size = 235/45/18
Sidewall = 4.2 in.
Radius = 13.2 in.
Diameter = 26.3 in.
Circumf = 82.7 in.
Revs/mi. = 766.0

Speedo with new tires is 1.4% too slow. When your speedo reads 60mph, you are actually traveling 60.8 mph.

Al

Originally posted by rx8cited
Hi WHealy,


Good point you made about the unidirectional tires. I think you have the directions backwards? Is it not:

"The driver side tires rotate counter clockwise in forward motion where the passenger side ones rotate clockwise" .

If you orient the direction arrow to the top of the tire, it should be pointing to the front of the car.

Also, again, keep in mind, snow tires need 36 psi cold. A gottcha' for me was the lug nuts are 21mm - so make sure you have a 21mm socket handy for your torque wrench. If you don't own a torque wrench, Sears has some on sale for $49.99 this week (I'm guessing that's a good deal? I bought mine there a years ago).

regards,
rx8cited

Yep! That’s my dyslexia kicking in again. Thanks for pointing that out. I’ll go back and change my post just in case someone would dread it and be steered in the wrong direction.

Pressure wasn’t a problem. TireRack delivered at 35. Left them there for now.

Oh, and as for the 21 mm, yep you’re right, for the STOCK LUG NUTS. My new wheels lug nuts needed 19mm or ¾. Had to run out and get that too even though I had already bought the 21 mm.

One more thing, i just received word that the tire sensors are in and shipped! Good thing, my warning light went off durring lunch!

Originally posted by WHealy
One more thing, i just received word that the tire sensors are in and shipped! Good thing, my warning light went off durring lunch!

WHealy,

Great! Now when you get the sensors in, you'll be taking these beautiful new wheels somewhere to have the sensors installed, right? Suggestion: Go over the mint condition of the wheels with the installer before they touch the wheels and verify that they can do the job without scratching up the face of the wheels.

rx8cited

PS: If you're not going to a Mazda dealer, taking a copy of the TPMS service bulletin might help:
http://www.finishlineperformance.co.../02-002-03.html

Originally posted by Gord96BRG
:mad: Stop it! Don't you dare complain about vehicles being equipped with performance summer tires! ;) All-seasons are a compromise both summer and winter. Just what the hell are they good for, anyway? Poor performance in summer, poor performance in winter. Unfortunately, there's much too common a mentality that people should cheap out on tires and accept marginal performance year round. There's no such thing as one tire that is good year round.

ANY vehicle equipped with performance summer tires (certainly not just Mazda) has lots of warnings about driving in winter conditions - go ahead, check your owner's manual! I'm personally grateful that Mazda put proper tires on the RX-8 for summer, instead of useless all-seasons that I'd still take off for the winter anyway, and want to replace for summer use also.

Bottom line, it's a performance sports car, not a minivan. It deserves performance tires - both the summer variety and the winter variety. I factored in the need for separate winter tires up front before even buying the car, as I would have with any other car that I'd be driving in winter conditions.

Regards,
Gordon
Although I prefer the summer performance and winter tire option, I don't see why Mazda couldn't offer a choice of either performance OR all-season tires. Other car makers do.

Gordon, you'll have to remember, some folks live in areas where the winter weather is relatively mild and may opt for one set of tires year round. They may be willing to sacrifice some performance for financial reasons.

The difference in ride Whealy refers to is most likely from the difference in unsprung weight. Those MM Evo5's are like 26 lbs apiece just for the wheel...not including the weight of the tire. That in itself would account for a change in ride quality.


Mark

Originally posted by troch
The difference in ride Whealy refers to is most likely from the difference in unsprung weight. Those MM Evo5's are like 26 lbs apiece just for the wheel...not including the weight of the tire. That in itself would account for a change in ride quality.


Mark

Mark,

Well I'll find out when I get the tire sensors put in. I called Tire Rack today and told them that I'm having pretty bad vibration at highway speeds. Bad enough to affect voice when talking! They said the tire needed to be broken down. Translated, rotated 180 degrees on the wheel and re-balanced. They said the ride should not have changed. I'll get that done when the sensors are installed. TireRack is picking up the bill. So I'll see what the outcome is and let you know.

I'm probably going to switch back to my OEM tires anyway till at least next week. Nut should be hear by Friday and I really don't want to hand over the flood prone "8" ( :) ) to a tire dealership. So I think I'll just hand them tires instead. Besides I have a calipar paint kit coming on Friday as well! So hopefully by this weekend, I should know more.

By the way, thanks for the stats 80cuin. I checked speed with mile markes on the interstate today with the cruise set to 60. Even with just my watch stop watch I got 61 seconds and some change. Of course the number was supposed to be 60 second flat. Doesn't sound like much, but that's around 2.5% off. but to be honest, it's real close to the same number I got using the same technique on the OEM tires.

Thanks for the great tip rx8cited! I cant believe I got 4 snow tires for under $400 bucks! Compared to some of the stupid stuff Ive been spending money on for this car, this is an incredible buy! Indianapolis doesnt get that much snow, but once in awhile Mother Nature likes to have her way!

Thanks again! =)

Pardon my ignorance, but there is a 10mm difference on the tire's width. Even though the pic shows that it fits and it's slightly taller, thus changing the speedo readings, I was wondering if and how this extra width would affect the tires' tread wear, safety, performance, etc?

Originally posted by downshift
Pardon my ignorance, but there is a 10mm difference on the tire's width. Even though the pic shows that it fits and it's slightly taller, thus changing the speedo readings, I was wondering if and how this extra width would affect the tires' tread wear, safety, performance, etc?

See the 5th post in this thread. Tread wear, safety will not be affected at all by the extra width. Performance - slightly worse in snow for the extra width, slightly better on dry pavement.

Not quite as good as narrower snow tire options, but still infinitely better than the OEM summer tires for winter conditions.

Regards,
Gordon

Regards,
Gordon

Originally posted by 80CuIn
Update: 235/45HR18 Dunlop M3

No problems or issues with these tires and size whatsoever. Had them mounted on Friday. Tested them during the blizzard on Saturday (6-8 inches of snow) around the block. No problems in the snow and, no rubbing issues.
Drove into work this morning 6:00am over some icy patches, DSC kicked in once. Again no problems.
For those who missed out on M3 225s, the 235 are a great alternative (albeit 18"). Although 225s or 215 on a 17" rim is better, the 235s on 18s work for me.
Al

I assume that you have the TPMS intact with the new tires, right? Any problems from the TPMS?

Downshift,
I have the TPMS installed with the OE wheels and snows. I removed the wheels from the car (car on jack stands); put them in our minivan; droped them off at the dealer; picked them up later that day; mounted them; ran the TPMS recogintion (as per TSB). There was no TPMS light or sound.
However, I did check the tire pressure before I ran the TPMS recognition proceedure (had to add 3psi more).
Al

Hi All,
You're quite welcome on the "Thank you"s.

FYI - if you were considering these tires, I just noticed this on the Tire Rack web site for the subject tires:

"Estimated Availability: Low Stock"

regards,
rx8cited

Originally posted by WHealy
rx8cited,

Just the tires we're talking about here on this thread. The wheels are 18x8 Mille Miglia Evo5 Bright Silver. All this arrived from TireRack this morning and made it on just before evening. The dry pavement ride is a little bumpy. But not through the steering. So I assume it's not a balance issue, but rather a difference in ride. But when the bolts finally come in for the tire sensors, I'll have them check the balance when the install the sensors. ... assuming they fit! Interesting, I did a test drive tonight (obviously) and no warning light ... yet. I swear I drove for over 15 mintues before I stopped to fill up. I guess I'll just have to go on a longer drive! :)

I usually don't quote myself but :D ... I did want to close out these comments and I did that on a seperate thread. So I thought I would just reference that thread here. (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=192878#post192878)

I checked on the Tire Rack special on the Dunlop 235/ 45HR18's today. They called me back and said that they were completely out of stock and would not have any more. Any other deals out there that any of you are aware of?

yeah, any deals out there? i can't find any