Rotary Nut

Well It is snowing out right now although it is not sticking to the streets. I have to go to work in my 8 and I have not had my Sumi HTR+ all season tires installed yet, errrrrrrrrrrrr.

The only shop in town that will install them can't get me in untill next Wed. and the tires are sitting in the garage right infront of the car mocking me as I type this. Bwahhaahaahaahaa!!

I work the late shift so I just know it will ice up after dark. I will really have to take it easy coming home and hope like hell I don't wind up in a ditch.

Wish me luck!

RX8Lover

You're gonna need it! The stock tires might as well be slicks in the snow - believe me, I learned the hard way. I had to get my car towed home because it was useless on FLAT GROUND with very minimal snow coverage. Even if you mange to get the car moving, good luck turning, or more importantly...BRAKING.

Good luck!

Gord96BRG

DON'T DO IT! Rent a car for a few days if you have no other transport options, but hope alone won't do anything to keep those OEM slicks on the road! Leave the RX-8 parked.

Regards,
Gordon

Rotary Nut

Thanks RX8lover.

Where on Long Island are you located. I was born in Hempstead and raised out in Medford in Suffolk county! Graduated from Patchogue-Medford high school, class of '78.

Go Raiders!

RX8Lover

I'm located in Deer Park.

It really is no joke that those stock tires are completely useless. No matter how good of a driver people think they are, they soon realize that their skills mean absolute CRAP.

Like Gord said, I'd rent a car before I'd drive the RX8 with the stock slicks.

Rotary Nut

Hey my Aunt lived in Deer park. There was an apartment complex there that had these freaking spikes at the entrence that were spring loaded to prevent people from going out the in gate! If you did it would puncture your tires. A true "gated comunity" back then!

I can't afford the rental car as of right now and anyway I would have to drive there anyway to pick it up.

RX8Lover

small world!

cruzdreamer

I agree...stock tires are horrible...useless....risky to go out with in any snow!!! I could not believe how bad it was and to try and turn was almost impossible.....did it at about 90 degree's! Be extremely careful if you have to go out but I'd hitch a ride if it gets on the streets. Wow, long wait to get the tires on...too bad!! Good Luck! Be safe!

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

Really, don't do it.

I have never driven a vehicle worse in snow than the RX-8 on stock tires.
I imagine it may be the best ever on the right tires due to all the traction systems, but on stock tires it is simply uncontrolable.
I to got stuck on flat ground with only a thin film of snow and I slid backwards into my neighborhood for over 50 feet at less than 5 MPH. It was if someone was towing the car with a rope.

Just leave it home and take a cab or whatever else is possible.

Icanrel-8

Ditto on the "don't do it!" Renting sounds good. I know where you can borrow a Rover with good snows on it for, say, ten thou...:D :D

Another tack to take is that you could put on cables. Not the big honkin' tire chains of yore, but the cable chains that if not available in RX tire size, can be made custom-fit IF there is a store around you that actually does that...

Then you keep them in your trunk and put them on for icy days (best not drive over say 35-45mph--SLOW) useful even after you have your snows for the worst blizzards. OK so there aren't many blizzards in VA...

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

Ah, you need to understand the DC area mentality.
Anytime it snows at all, it is a blizzard.
In fact, if you say "snow" around here, it is a federal emergency and FEMA gets notified.

G8rboy

Here's one more for the "Don't do it" vote... those Potenza's are crap. More than a mere dusting of snow or ice and anything over 5mph is uncontrollable. Call a friend, neighbor, whatever, but it's not worth banging up your 8.

BRx8

with only 1 inch of snow on the ground i still couldn't park the car...it just wouldn't turn...i couldn't even go up a very slight incline, the car started sliding downwards...in short, walk if you have to...not only are you endangering yourself, you're endangering other ppl...the RX-8+Potanza+snow=deathtrap


(slight exaggeration but to the point)

Icanrel-8

Ahhh, gotcha... we're equally divided between the crazed SUV drivers who drive way too fast even in the real blizzards, and the chickens who can't handle seeing a falling snowflake. And I hate it when they get in my way and I have to slow down... :D

Well have FEMA check with drivingcomfort.com -- they have those cables, and you can input the tire size and do offer a custom fit as well. I've never dealt with them, I just did a google search and their site looked good.

Elara

I don't know how it is down there, but while there's snow in Richmond, it's not sticking on the roads. I decided to try, knowing if I had any problems in my apartment complex parking lot I needed to just leave the car. But, I had no issues at all on my way to work. However, there is less an inch here and the roads are pretty much clear.

Someone in a Celica I talked to did slide a bit on the 64, however.

Gord96BRG

Then you can't afford the repairs to fix the damage caused when your RX-8 slides into a curb, ditch, guard rail, or other vehicle... call in sick?

Regards,
Gordon

RX8Lover

when i had to make the decision to get the car towed, I thought it was much better to pay the $100 towing fee than a $1000+ repair bill when I smack into something.

MMGDC

Just another post telling you to not risk it. The OEM tires are downright dangerous in snow or ice. My old TT had the same OEM tires as the Rx-8 and it was terrifyingly bad in the snow. With Quattro.

93rdcurrent

Yeah what he said... Even my wife's Audi A4 quattro doesn't do well on ice when we have summer tires on and they have better traction than the Bridgestones. Don't do it man. Take the cab ride.

91vert

I don't understand all of these warnings about how horrible the 8 is in the snow. Here in St. Louis we get maybe 2 or 3 days out of the entire winter when we actually have snow on the ground (seems to get up to 50 the day after we get a decent snowfall and it is all gone quick).

It snowed here a few weekends ago, and we got maybe 4-6 inches. I took my 8 out in the crap just to see how bad it would be, and I didn't think it was THAT bad. I've owned some rear-wheel drive cars in the past when I lived in Ohio, where they have a ton more snowy-road days than we do here, and I didn't think the 8 was any worse than the other cars I've had.

I went out that weekend when there was about 3 inches of snow on the roads, and sure.....it was a little tricky to get moving from a dead stop on an incline, but if you know how to drive in the stuff and baby it you can get moving fine (but slowly) with the stock tires. Once the car was in motion I seemed to have no problems turning or braking. You just have to realize that you cannot try to drive the car like you're used to driving it on the dry roads. It is definitely a night and day difference in the way it feels when you are on snow-covered roads. No sudden moves in trying to turn fast, stop fast, or take off fast and it was fine. The one thing that I did notice that would be a problem is if you get stopped on a street that has more than about a 30 degree incline, you will most likely not be able to get moving. It will sit and spin. This is probably where the snow tires would come in handy, but it is pretty flat around here.

Anyway....I just thought I'd share my experience with the car in the snow.....which seems to be a little different than most others.

I'll let you all know when we have the next snow day here and I have to be winched out of some ditch somewhere because I think this car is not THAT BAD with the stock tires. :D

Rotary Nut

Phew!

Okay Okay sorry for starting another chicken little thread with these damn tires.

As Elara stated the snow did not stick so the drive to work was uneventful. The ride home had me worried..... well just a little bit at least as the snow stopped and the temp dropped to 31 dergrees Fbut the the roads home were 98% dry so there was no problems there.

The 8 is safe an sound in the garage for now, c'mon Wendsday!

Again thanks for all the warnings.

newfinator

Is the RX8 that bad in the snow?

doccable

I got mine stuck in front of my house, of all places. Combination of snow and ice. It took two family members, and a neighbor to help me get it in the driveway, let alone the garage. Almost took out a fence, and had a pretty bad go of it. I have since learned a few things about this car; the stock tires are great on dry pavement. Snow? Forget it.
There are deals to be had if you look around hard enough. I found a web site that allegedly had 17" tires and wheels for around $900/set. Now I can't remember which one that was
Most I have seen are in the area of about $1200/set before TPMS.
Good luck!
-Doccable

Gord96BRG

NO - the RX-8 on OEM summer tires is that bad in snow.

The RX-8 on winter tires is very good in snow.

Regards,
Gordon

newfinator

I had a hell of a time getting my RSX-S out of my driveway once. Quite a bit of ice had formed around the front wheels and the bugger just wouldn't go over that little hump. It took me about a half an hour to get free and I tried everything.