hobbes

So I did for the first time and it was interesting. Going through stop signs with the ABS kicking in. Shaking my *** from my house all the way to the first major street. Of course I did schedule the winter tire change weeks ago for tomorrow. Yes, God does have a sense of humour. Anyone else crazy enough to do what I did?
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BABI MAC

red8gt

i drove last nite for the 1st time... wasn't too bad, seems to be alot better than my camaro was in the winter... i'm changing to winters today though

herbert

Didn't take any chances here. I booked my car in for yesterday morning to get the winter tires on. Just in time. If the snow had come a day earlier, I would've waited for the roads to clear before driving it to get the winters put on. I'm not taking any chances given some of the stories I've read here. Besides, I can still drive my MX-3 around in the snow while unable to drive the 8.

btw, I was at Gyro yesterday and inquired about mud guards. He says about $260 for front and back but then tells me it's about $350 to have them painted. Is he full of it or what? I thought these came already painted for around $260 total.

apaul

Hobbes, you wild and crazy guy.

2 1/2 donuts on 401 eastbound at Meadowvale in a late night whiteout in the Miata cured me of any such heroics. Had the Hankook's c/w steellies ( Nicer looking than the OEM's actually-hated to take them off in March) installed a week ago.

Can't recommend the Hankook's highly-enough, though I'm sure everybody has their biases( no pun intended) with reasons.

Fritz the Cat

And here, I've had my winter wheels and tires on for a couple of weeks. I hate driving in 20 degree (Celsius) weather with them -- I keep forcing myself to hold back on corners!

Bring on the snow!

Shamblerock

He's full of ****. They come painted already. I know because i bought them. He's trying to take you for a ride. Confront him or the manager properly and you should see a 15% discount, potentially.

herbert

Thanks Sham. I actually think he just made an honest mistake but he should really know better.

Sorry for the thread hijack Hobbes. Let's get it back on track. You're nuts for driving in snow on your summer tires

hobbes

No worries. When I got to work and looked at the flurries, I had to ask myself. What the heck was I thinking? Well, it's going to be a slow, but safe drive home tonight.

Apaul - man, that is nuts, lol. I'm glad you came out of it alright. I remember taking the connection off the 404 to the 401 and let me say, I have never seen that concrete wall so close before. I was driving my dad's volvo as the time. I think I was more scare of what he would do to me if anything had happened. Lol.
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Agent008

hobbes,

I though you were nuts last week in the BriX parking lot, but this is pure insanity!!

I must say it was fun seeing the look on people faces as I Zoom-Zoomed by them on the snowy Hwy7 this morning. I can't believe I survived with all-seasons on my old car. Winter tires rock in the snow, but it sooooo sad on the dry days.

red8gt

got my new snow tires... and man, they are amazing... i've heard bad reviews about the ws50's but i must say i think they are great and handle better than anything i have ever used.

hobbes

Well it's...holy crap *** it's after 8pm...well, I can only hope that the drive home will be safe, tomorrow I'll be Avante, actually the ride will be, lol. Winter tires here I come..though it's suppose to rain on Sunday and Monday..
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MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS

tee_rx8

I just got my winter tire on today. The summer tires scare the hell out of me. However the winter tires not that great also. The Hankook is not as good as people have said. Especially these days have heavy snow. Damn...hope i be safe through out winter. Dont you guys think 18'' snow tires suck for winter. Duno wat to do now. Any recommendation?

The Chad

I got the WS50s too.....love passing everyone with them - especially most SUVs

Very squishy/floaty on dry though....but that's to be expected.

hobbes

Can the 8 be driven in winter on summer tires? Well I had to do to work and back home, which I didn't make it too last night. Nothing like hearing the DSC going on every so often on the highway, but on local, it was like my engine was going to fall out. I think most people figured not to follow me, since for some parts of my drive I was moving forward with my car point 20-30 degrees to the left. I live near a bottow of a hill and hoped that I would make it to my driveway at least. Well, I got as far as a few meters away from the homestead and that was it. I was thinking of coming down the hill, but that would be nuts considering I can barely steer, so I had the light buld click on and drove it to Avante, which is where I had a Honda Civic tailgate me on Yonge Street. The guy can see that I'm struggling and the car is shaking her *** at him everyso often, but there he was, close enough so I couldn't see his head lights. Then he honks at me. Okay, for one, it's a tow lane road and he could pass me if he could. Two, are you blind? So he passes me and I think he got stuck somewhere along the way, I got into Avante and saw that I was not the only 8 owner drving his ride to them at night, lol.

Well, it can be done, very slowly and not up hills, but possible. Would I do it again? I prefer not to. Anyhoo, I can't wait to get my winter rubbers on show people that this car and drive on snow. Using 17" Toyos and they work very well.
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Mercury Marquis

herbert

You're lucky to have arrived with your car in one piece. I've only been caught once in snow with my summers on. That was in my MX-3. I had the winter tires in the back and was heading to the dealership that morning but the snow came a little earlier than expected. That was the scariest drive of my life. And that was in a $16,000 car, not a $40,000 car. I swear the only thing that saved my **** going up this one hill with an 18-wheeler beside me was the fact that there was hard little "ripples" of ice under the snow. I'm pretty sure it was clearing my treads of snow so I could at least get some traction. Never again will I drive in the snow with summers on. Especially not in the RX-8. Your story's confirmed this even more for me.

MrJynx

holy **** you guys are f*cking crazy!!!!! Do not screw in the snow with the summers on.. I almost died last year being caught up in a small snowstorm (the car was EVERYWHERE!!!) .. And last night was really really bad.. I"m glad you made it to your destination safely !!! Highway you can more or less deal with, but once you get onto the side streets try stopping, the backend will swing out and try to be the front wheels.. ****, i'm getting flashbacks from my drive last year..

I learned my lesson and am keeping the 8 at home for the winter!!!


MrJynx

YT1300

If you live anywhere in Canada aside from the Lower Mainland in BC, get snow, ice, or winter tires, whatever you want to call them. There's no good reason not to. However, modification of your driving style is warranted, and of course, snow tires don't have the same feel of summer tires. Blizzaks, for example, are notoriously squidgy on dry roads near or above the freezing point, but in the snow or in the cold, they are worth the $$$. Ice tires are debatable in Canada; you can drive on snow tires most of the winter and be just fine. The only places that ice tires may be of some use are in Quebec where they: a) have poor to no snow or ice clearing capacity in some places and b) where they have lots of freezing rain in the middle of the winter some years.

dabuda

hey guys, i know you must have answered this enough times, but here goes anyways.. so close getting my rx-8,(in the process) but kinda scared driving it on ICE

anyways.. do i need 17's snow tires, or can i go as low as 16's?
and what is the proper offset for the 8 anyways?

YT1300

Brakes, man, the brakes; you have to get at least 17" wheels to clear the calipers, and even then, they *might* bump.

See, even an old guy like me can learn new things...

thaiboyrx8

come say HI! my name is ANDY new menber

Pete

Bullshit .... the guy is scamming you ... PM me if you still need them

herbert

I just don't think he knew what he was talking about. He wasn't scamming me on purpose so far as a I know. I ended up getting them at Scarboro (my usual dealership) and they're installed and lookin' good.