Recently drove my wifes 2005 RX8 in a blanket of hail (Southern Orange County, California) not a normal occurance in my town. Found the vehicle very difficult to drive in the icy condition. Brakes were terrible, car slid like it was ice skating. To be honest it had,by far, the worst handling charateristics of any vehicle I have ever driven. Once on the wet surface, it was great, as usual. Anyone else comment on this. Really surprised me. Tried a search, but couldn't find info.

if you're on stock summer tires it's no wonder you were sliding. besides being RWD (which isn't all that bad since torque isn't high in the 8), it's a lot like any other car in that weather. slow down and respect the elements. and if your'e on stocks, i blame you for trying to drive in that kind of weather.

Did you have the stock summer tires on?

Stock summers are horrific in ice/snow. Other summers are generally only slightly better at best.

There is a DRASTIC improvement if you have ice or snow tires, to the point that deep snow is your only real challenge, you will outperform any other car on the road, including AWD or 4WD. Almost easily.

No offroader would consider using drag slicks, and no dragster would consider using mud tires. Dry vs snow is no different. The rubber you are on is the single biggest factor in how much trouble you have.

Try searching using "winter" or "snow." That should turn up a lot of discussion.

Like CTrx8 says, it's the tires. Have you driven a car with summer performance tires on wintry stuff before? Ice is always tough, especially near freezing, even with winter tires.

Glad you survived it.

Ken

People have sold their 8 because they didn't have the correct tire for the season - everyone above is correct. If you plan on driving this car in winter conditions, you NEED a winter tire... I'm sorry, but all seasons don't really cut it if you want to be confident driving in icy conditions.

Talk to myself, or anyone from New York, Penn. and even those crazies up in Canada who drive their 8's year round and I promise they will all say the same thing. "The 8 is great in the snow IF you have the proper tires" (or tyres) I know I can handle up to about 5 inches of snow - my only limitation is when I start to scrape the whole car because I've run out of ground clearance.

Living in Cali - I don't think you should drop the money for snow tires... just accept that it might happen once in awhile and see if you can either ride out the storm, or if you MUST drive, turn on those flashers and creep along, even then it won't be fun experience at all.

As mentioned...

Car has nothing to do with it.

Wrong Tires for Wrong weather.

Thats it.

Beleive me. I drive in more icy conditions in 1 month then you probably have (Im assuming, might be wrong) in your whole life.

On ice, all cars are shit. Even with the best tires.

You have to be carefull no matter what.

It might FEEL ok in a big SUV... until all 4 tires break loose and you crush that little Pontiac Firefly at the red light...

I've driven all winter with my 8 in this godforsaken cold country. Driving on stock summer tires in snow/ice is madness whether you have a Jeep or a Ferrari. Snow tires are a MUST if you even think of driving when it drops towards freezing temperatures. If you buy snow tires though, avoid getting too big tires... For optimal performance in snow, anything more than 215/55 is excessive. The 18" stock rims aren't ideal but I guess they'll work. Too width tires will make the tires 'swim' upon the snow instead of gripping the surface.

the stock rim is retarded to put snow tires on. you can get rims AND tires for the same price as an 18 inch winter tire.

^ Yeah... and Norway doesn't exactly salt the roads... they just drop fine gravel all over the place, or in the mountains its just sort of accepted that the base of the road will be covered with ice

(I lived in Oslo for 1 year - I don't miss the driving conditions nor do I miss the 4 hours mere of sunlight in the winter)

However, Norway does allow studded tires, which most places in the US does not.

Guys . . . OP is in So.Cal. There's no reason for winter rubber. The hail & ice they got hit with recently is extraordinarily rare.


So yes, the tires on the 8 are not made to grip ice. But running out an buying winter tires for a SoCal 8 is pretty much out of the question. Just don't go out in that crap again - if it ever happens again, that is.

Guys . . . OP is in So.Cal. There's no reason for winter rubber. The hail & ice they got hit with recently is extraordinarily rare.


So yes, the tires on the 8 are not made to grip ice. But running out an buying winter tires for a SoCal 8 is pretty much out of the question. Just don't go out in that crap again - if it ever happens again, that is.
i agree 100%. snow tires are not necessary if you don't get a lot of snow/ice.

however, as you also said, the biggest point here is that the OP needs to understand what could have been easily found by a quick search. summer tires are not meant below 40 degrees and definitely not in snow/ice. if he/she is not used to that kind of weather b/c it doesn't snow there often, they need to understand the basics - dress for the weather. you don't wear dress shoes when hiking or trying to tredge through snow. if you do, you know you take it easy and will slip. you don't put on summer tires when it's too cold or slick to drive on them. if you do, you have to know you need to take it easy in any car - not just the 8.

^IDK, I like to wear high heels and a dress when I go hiking.

^ Yeah... and Norway doesn't exactly salt the roads... they just drop fine gravel all over the place, or in the mountains its just sort of accepted that the base of the road will be covered with ice

(I lived in Oslo for 1 year - I don't miss the driving conditions nor do I miss the 4 hours mere of sunlight in the winter)

However, Norway does allow studded tires, which most places in the US does not.

Heh yeah but we use some salt here in Bergen though because of the milder climate. We have snowy roads quite often though and I drive over the mountains sometimes each winter too.

Believe it or not but I have studded tires on my car lulz. I've got 225-55-17 on my winter tires/rims. Previous owner bought them because he lived in Lillehammer where they've got snowy roads all winter. My advice, don't even think about getting studded tires for a sports car. I can't accelerate and shift gears on max RPM without the DSC working like crazy for many seconds everytime. And the grip sucks compared to regular snow tires. I mostly drive without the DSC on because of this or atleast tend to turn it off everytime I'm thinking about doing max throttle. Unless the roads are covered with snow 90% or more during the winter, just don't get it.

^IDK, I like to wear high heels and a dress when I go hiking.

Don't we all...:naughty:

^IDK, I like to wear high heels and a dress when I go hiking.
and that is why i keep trying to get you to go hiking

Psh just gas it hard and call it a day haha. I was on my motorcycle that day! You've just been in cali tooooo long. Rain/Snow/Ice/dirt/sand is a aquired taste. Just watch the ...2008 seattle Formula D?? Whatever year and wherever it was that it was raining. Rhys Millen was all like wweee haaa because he does rally and baja and drifts in the rain, versus the people that never drift wet were in the walls and just having a horrible time.

you californians are too pampered with your year round nice weathers :P

yea winter tires is deff a plus in winter...I drove last winter with summer tires and almost crashed multiple times but god was with me and saved me and this year I bought a set of winter tires and the traction/handling was ALOT! better.

most people are just noobs when it comes to snow driving. I have 60% tread nankang ns-II's that were $65 a piece and I have no problems. Sure the vehicle wasn't meant for it..but I still get around even in a few inches of snow with no sliding. I only slide when my driver input causes me to slide..

Obviously with my tires in the condition they are right now, I have to start in 2nd and take it like a grandma when it's real snowy or icy..but honestly those occasions are pretty rare and I drive everyday.

you californians are too pampered with your year round nice weathers :P

im from california and so is my family but i must say they are bitch drivers when it comes to snow / ice.


disclaimer: not all of them..but most

As a native Masshole who's lived in California for 4 years now, I can say with great athority that people in California have absolutely no idea how to dive when it precipitates. They will eventually get used to driving in rain, but I'm always amazed by the number of speeding tailgaters you get the first rain of the season. I've never seen what happens when it snows, and I hope i never need to.

But yeah. Rain is one thing on summer tires. You can get away with it. Ice and snow? Just stay home unless you have some proper all weather or winter tires.

...and almost crashed multiple times but god was with me...

A man was driving along a country road one night. Suddenly another car passed him at a pretty good clip...and then ran off the road at a bend just ahead.

The man stopped at the wreck and ran over to it, just in time to see a priest crawl out and dust himself off.

"Father - are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. The Lord was riding with me."

The man looked at the mangled car, then said "You better let him ride with me. You're going to kill him driving like that!"

Ken

As a native Masshole who's lived in California for 4 years now, I can say with great athority that people in California have absolutely no idea how to dive when it precipitates. They will eventually get used to driving in rain, but I'm always amazed by the number of speeding tailgaters you get the first rain of the season. I've never seen what happens when it snows, and I hope i never need to.

But yeah. Rain is one thing on summer tires. You can get away with it. Ice and snow? Just stay home unless you have some proper all weather or winter tires.

You should see Florida. All summer it rains for half of the day, every single day, and every single day, as soon as the first drops of rain hit the ground the drivers lose even MORE of their minds. It's pretty incredible, you'd think they'd have figured out what's happening by now.

The 8 also sucks in towing a speedboat...like everyone else has said, why wouldn't you look at the thing (or 4) that makes the biggest difference in driving on ice.

You should see Florida. All summer it rains for half of the day, every single day, and every single day, as soon as the first drops of rain hit the ground the drivers lose even MORE of their minds. It's pretty incredible, you'd think they'd have figured out what's happening by now.

It's the lubrication factor. Lubrication of their ear canals improves expulsion of brain matter.

Recently drove my wifes 2005 RX8 in a blanket of hail (Southern Orange County, California) not a normal occurance in my town. Found the vehicle very difficult to drive in the icy condition. Brakes were terrible, car slid like it was ice skating. To be honest it had,by far, the worst handling charateristics of any vehicle I have ever driven. Once on the wet surface, it was great, as usual. Anyone else comment on this. Really surprised me. Tried a search, but couldn't find info.


and what vech can you tell me drives well over ice?

because i would like to have this vech. i stil havent found a car that drives awesome over ice.

Not quite a car, but this does fairly well :)

http://www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog

LOL i died laughing. taht was funny. but awesome concept.

and that is why i keep trying to get you to go hiking

:rofl:


sick bastard.

the stock rim is retarded to put snow tires on. you can get rims AND tires for the same price as an 18 inch winter tire.


So are you saying you should buy a smaller rim for winter tires, like a 16 or 17?

Also, bear with me because I've never bought tires before, but it you get a smaller rim, you would need to get a tire with a larger wall to keep the same OD and keep the speedometer accurate, right? Unless that's accounted for in those xxx-xx-xx numbers that people always talk about when they talk about tire size.

Correct. 17" is the lowest you can go if you have anything above the base model. Base Auto is really the only one that can go down to a 16 i think. Brake calipers don't fit inside rims smaller than that.

Use this calculator if you go with different sizes than stock (stock is 225/40/18 18x9 55? ET)
http://www.wheelsmaster.com/rt_specs.jsp

IT will tell you what the changes in diameter and such are.

225/40/18 18x9 breaks down to:
225 millimeter wide tread
40% of the tread width is the sidewall height
18 inches is the size of rim it is intended for

18 inches is the rim diameter
9 inches is the rim width.

Going down to 17s generally increases the sidewall height, which improves flexibility (stiff rubber is one of the problems in cold on all-seasons or summers), as well as generally people go with a thinner tread width to cut into snow better (increased pounds per square inch of contact patch, since same weight + smaller patch = more psi) They are also generally cheaper than 18s.

The OP doesn't need them in SoCal, but you should seriously consider it on LI :)

Correct. 17" is the lowest you can go if you have anything above the base model. Base Auto is really the only one that can go down to a 16 i think. Brake calipers don't fit inside rims smaller than that.

Use this calculator if you go with different sizes than stock (stock is 225/40/18 18x9 55? ET)
http://www.wheelsmaster.com/rt_specs.jsp

IT will tell you what the changes in diameter and such are.

225/40/18 18x9 breaks down to:
225 millimeter wide tread
40% of the tread width is the sidewall height
18 inches is the size of rim it is intended for

18 inches is the rim diameter
9 inches is the rim width.

Going down to 17s generally increases the sidewall height, which improves flexibility (stiff rubber is one of the problems in cold on all-seasons or summers), as well as generally people go with a thinner tread width to cut into snow better (increased pounds per square inch of contact patch, since same weight + smaller patch = more psi) They are also generally cheaper than 18s.

The OP doesn't need them in SoCal, but you should seriously consider it on LI :)


Awesome info, thanks. I'm going to be buying one probably in the next few weeks, so I'll probably be able to wait until next winter to make the investment. I'll definitely check that stuff out.

So are you saying you should buy a smaller rim for winter tires, like a 16 or 17?

Also, bear with me because I've never bought tires before, but it you get a smaller rim, you would need to get a tire with a larger wall to keep the same OD and keep the speedometer accurate, right? Unless that's accounted for in those xxx-xx-xx numbers that people always talk about when they talk about tire size.

Yes - smaller rims, taller tires, and the tire size is in the numbers.

Simplest thing to do is to go to tirerack.com and look at their recommended winter tire packages for the RX-8. Look at both 17" (which they do recommend) and 18" versions. The price difference between the two sizes is impressive. Amazing that the better choice is also cheaper.

Since you've never bought tires before, I really recommend that you do some research at on-line tire vendors web sites, and also ask questions here. Don't just walk into a tire store and let them sell you what they happen to have.

Ken

This crazy Canadian did what many are suggesting above in this thread.

Bought my 40th anniversary edition in october and immediately put on a set of Toyo Observe Garit XK's on simple steel rims. Dropped down a size a just a little in width to arrive at a set of 215/55R17.

My understanding is that the width can't be reduced too much due to adverse affects on the suspension components.

First winter drive in the car occured on a 200km drive from a neighboring city after a trip to mexico. I could see how shiny the world was as the plane was landing. About 3 days earlier, there was a heavy rain that occurred just above freezing and turned to snow as the temperature dropped to about -20C.

It was only a white knuckle ride because I'd only owned the 8 for about 3 weeks and hadn't tested the handling yet. Obviously I took the speed easy, particularly accellerating through corners.

The 8 handled the ice like a champ, corners, steep grades, everything that mountainous B.C. driving can throw at it. I only saw the DSC kick in once when I hit a corner over the rated speed limit for it. Normally I find I can just about double corner speed in the 8, but on ice it ate them up at a good clip.

Of course, the even weight distribution helps tremendously.

Since then I've got much more used to the handle characteristics of the 8 and find that it handles a Canadian winter as well or better as anything else I've driving providing I take it easy on the gas around the corners. The complaint of low torque may be true by comparison to other performance automobiles, but it has loads of torque for its weight on snow and ice by comparison to most other vehicles on the road.

Cheers,
t

So are you saying you should buy a smaller rim for winter tires, like a 16 or 17?

Also, bear with me because I've never bought tires before, but it you get a smaller rim, you would need to get a tire with a larger wall to keep the same OD and keep the speedometer accurate, right? Unless that's accounted for in those xxx-xx-xx numbers that people always talk about when they talk about tire size.


yeah, go with a set of 17's. I bought mine from www.discouttire.com. They have sets that come mounted and balanced with free shipping. There not the greatest looking rims (not really ugly either, just plane and simple). I paid 980 I believe with the road hazard warranty (theres gives you a brand new tire, not pro rated like most companys do.)

17x7 with hankook ipikes 225/45. drives absolutely fantastic in the sh*tty new hampshire weather haha.

Any dents in the hood?

17x7 with hankook ipikes 225/45. drives absolutely fantastic in the sh*tty new hampshire weather haha.

I thikn thats what tires I have. Mine are 215/55 though. I Agree that they are some bad ass tires.

Awesome info, thanks. I'm going to be buying one probably in the next few weeks, so I'll probably be able to wait until next winter to make the investment. I'll definitely check that stuff out.

The local stores will all price match, but they don't really talk about it b/c they would rather you pay their jacked up prices. Find the lowest price (usually tirerack.com or discounttiredirect.com) and any local store should match that with a few bucks added on for what you'd pay in shipping.

Unless you can DIY, in which case just buy from the on-line stores.

I have winter tires on my stock 18s and have zero problems. The 8 eats snow storms even with the bigger size. I just couldn't do plain jane smaller wheels. :lol2:

It's all about the shoes. I watched a jeep this morning spinning all 4 tires trying to get through the crap that fell last night and I just backed out and left and it was all because of tires. He had some worn down gran-touring tires and I have dunlop winter sport M3's.

Wow! Thanks for the replies!
Having driven in snow, ice, hail and all, in every type of vehicle, I was just surprised at how badly the car handled. Granted the tires are stock "all seasons" but jeesh, my 2WD Yukon and Dodge Ram handled much better. Luckily hail happens once every ten years around here, and I'll just avoid it next time.
Again, thanks for most of the replies, very insightful and informative.

I didn't know Mazda sold the 8 with stock all seasons. I thought they all came with stock summers. Are you sure they are A/S tires?

I think he means the summer tires... Never heard of stock all-season for the 8.