Hey y'all,

Since the snow started yesterday I've been afraid to take her out of the garage. Anyone driving in the white stuff with the stock rims and tires? Since the snow events are so few and far between here in the Puget Sound I have been reluctant to purchase separate snow tires and rims.

I've driven my AT in the rain but not on ice and snow (and I probably won't because of the stuff they spray on our roads).
It handled very well in the rain.

You may want to try Siping your tires. It helps with slick, icy roads.

What is not known about Siping our RX8 stock tires is how it affects driving on dry, warm weather roads. There is another thread where they discuss Siping but basically it's where they put additional razor-like slits in the tire tread. It usually costs about $10 per tire (which beats buying snow tires and rims).

Good luck.

I've had a couple chances to drive it in the snow with the factory wheels and tires. I've driven better cars in the snow, but the 8 isn't that bad. Far better than my last Rx-7. What realy sucks is that this past week its been snowing on and off again, and the road have'nt quite cleared off enough to get a couple good hard 9krpm runs in. :( Infact...its snowing right now again. CJ

I drove my 8 from Olympia to North Bend and on many backroads News years eve. I also was kind of suprised at how it handled. I started in second gear a lot and shifted often to keep the engine lugging so the tires wouldn't spin, that seemed to work well. Also the DSC kicked in a couple of times but I couldn't tell if helped that much.

I wanted to get my tires siped before I took off to North Bend but Les Schwab told me they couldn't sipe tires with 18 inch rims.
Any ideas on places that can sipe tires on 18's?

I had siping done on my 4runner and it seemed to help a lot. Since the 8 is our only car I think siping would be greatly benefitial considering the weather in the NW.

Thanks everyone.

We've picked up 6+ inchs since this morning...I think I'm gonna keep the 8 in the garage and drive the Tacoma for awhile. :) And its still snowing too....

CJ

i've been driving every day in the snow here in salem-town on aftermarket rims but stock tires, people look at me like i am crazy but i've been going back and fourth from tigard to here and have had no problems, infact got stuck once, here in the parking lot at work. rock chips are a problem though, its been alot of fun, just be careful and turn off the traction control and you will be a-o-k :D

I could'nt get up my driveway the other day. Had to shovel off all the ice and snow first. Man, the TCS shure does make it hard. :) CJ

I have to wonder about those who complain about the DSC. Just take it easy. Wheel spin doesn't get you anywhere. Even on sheet ice, if you are gentle with the throttle and easy on the steering wheel, you should be able to navigate. The great thing about the DSC in the 8 is that you really have to go overboard before it kicks in. It's Traction Control for real drivers. Same with the ABS. The system allows for threshold braking and steering without mucking up the maneuver while keeping the car from going into wild girations and skids. If conditions are bad enough that you can't drive without disabling the DSC, you probably shouldn't be on the road anyway.

If conditions are bad enough that you can't drive without disabling the DSC, you probably shouldn't be on the road anyway

Thats just when the fun starts.:D CJ

I too have considered siping, but I think that I will wait it out - we just don't get enough snow here in Stumptown to justify cuttin' up the rubbers. Then again, a spare set or wheels and tires would be nice. A rain/snow set for 8months of the year and a performance set for the sunshine months...

And the snow is coming down again....I've never seen it snow in the valley this often before. This is just crazy. CJ

wah wah wah... It's been snowing here in Spokane since Nov. I have a seperate set of snow tires and wheels. I did have one problem with the DSC. I live on the South Hill here in town and as the name implies it's uphill. When I was driving home last night the DSC kicked on and started to slow me down. Someone was stuck half way up the hill and blocking one of two lanes leading to a jam. we never came to a complete stop but with the loss of forward momentum and the DSC kicking in I came to a stop. Fortunately it was next to a police officer (I never thought I would be so glad to see one in my 8). The officer gave me a push and once I started going again I was able to get up the hill. The DSC kept me at about 6-8 mph but with the road conditions I was still slipping around. I don't think I would have made it up the hill at all in a pick up. So by slowing me down so much the DSC did cause some problems going up steep hills on snow and ice. Otherwise it does work good keeping you on the road.

The snow tires make a big difference. Unfortunately, most of us on the west side can't justify the cost of snow tires/wheels and pressure sensors when we get 1-2 days of snow a year.

wah wah wah... It's been snowing here in Spokane since Nov

Sucks to live in Spokane. :)

It's melting! It's melting!!! The time to drive draws near...

Sucks even more when your from L.A. No surfing, thong swimsuits, etc.

my baby has been in the garage teh whole time. i didn't want to risk the stock tires in below freezing conditions. i was going to break it out today but the developement i live in still has like 4 inches of snow with 2 inches of ice on top of that. there were some ruts i could have driven in but i didn't want to risk becoming a snowplow and messing up the front end. i'll probably get it out tomorrow.

Considering the rather large amounts of rain we get in WA, what are you guys getting for replacement tires once they're worn out?

Are summer tires good for the whole year or is 4 season the way to go? I've been looking at both S-03's and TDW's and they both look great, but they're summer tires and I was wondering if it was okay in this area (I moved in recently from eastern canada...)

Summers should be fine year round. We've had this year's snow. There probably wont be any more this year.

I think I will get Yokohama AVS Sport. Probably one of the best street tires made. I have to buy seperate winter tires anyway so might as well have the best summer tires I can.