I wrote earlier in one of these threads that TireTrends was saying that Pirelli does not have stock of the Winter210 in 215/55-17 so far this season; he said if any dealer had these they must be old stock from last year. I went with the Toyo instead of waiting for the Pirellis to maybe arrive - the Toyos on 17" Konig Holes wheels arrived yesterday, and I installed them today. One especially noteworthy mention:

LIGHT!!! Wow! I was hoping to save a few pounds by going with the lightweight Konig, but - the OEM 18" wheel with the Bridgestone RE-040s weighed 41.2 lbs. The Konig 17" with the Toyo Garit HT weighed only 35.2 lbs - 6 lbs less per corner!!!. For an unsprung weight savings, that is huge.

It was an RX-8 maintenance day for me - since I had the wheels off, I also installed the front and rear splash guards that have been sitting in a box since July, and installed the side strakes, and also changed the differential and transmission fluids (Redline 75W90 in diff, Redline MT-90 in trans). Pictures to follow (wheels, strakes, splash guards) maybe tomorrow.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Left a message for John to count me in ... has anyone confirmed the total price for the FRD 30 + Toyo Garit package?

 

I just spoke with John at Talon today. I'm looking at the FRD6s with Toyo Garits in the 215X55X17 size. He has quoted me $1420 for the wheels and tires plus shipping to Toronto of $38 for a total taxes-in price of $1561. Talon seems to have very competitive prices compared to some of the quotes I've been getting around my area...

By the way, my dealer has agreed to have the wheels/tires shipped to them, install them on my car and take care of storing the off-season tires going forward! (I live in a downtown condo with nowhere to do the work myself). I've been pretty impressed with the quality of service I've received since getting my car 3 weeks ago...

 

Sharky

Give us details. Who is your dealer? It sounds like they deserve a mention. I was going to do some shopping around on the winter tire package. Did you get anywhere close to John's prices from GTA dealers?

 

My Dealer is Downtown Mazda. I originally asked them to price some wheel/tire combinations for me. The closest they could get on the above package was over $2100 plus tax from their suppliers. I told them I could do better and they encouraged me to go ahead and that they'd still do the install and storage for me. Who says you have to go to Lexus for good service!

 

That's great. They sound just like a dealer should be. I have asked my dealer about a winter tire package but they still haven't come back to me. Now that I have spoken to John, I doubt very much whether they can beat his pricing anyway.

 

Spoke with John today as we've been playing phone tag for a while. I was a little disappointed in not being able to get the Winter210's in 215/55-17 . I went with the Toyo's to get the narrowest tire.

I asked John how many were in the group buy. He said 16 or 17 so far. I also asked him if he could throw in some trinkets for us. He said all he had right now were hats, so dont be surprised if you see some with your tires.

 

I was also disappointed about the Pirelli's. I did some phoning around today and found a dealer with the Pirelli's in stock but they don't stock FRD's. They recommended Avanti as a good winter rim since the price is comparable to the FRD but they claim that the FRD do not have anti-corrosive protection and some of the Avanti's do.

Does anyone have a comment on this or knowledge of the Avanti range?

 

From what we've heard, those would be old stock that have been sitting in a warehouse for maybe a year... FWIW.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Hats? Wait a minute here, I organized a 16 or 17 car/person group buy and YOU guys get hats?

I'm still waiting for the cheques from all of you, should I expect those soon? :D

 

Monday night I got back from a week out of town. When I got to work yesterday morning, I had a message from Talon Tire asking if I could come in for yet another test fitting. I will do so ASAP (I'm curious what it is) - just to make sure I earn my free hat!

Wing, maybe as a bonus John could send you a replacement stock rim, to replace the scratched one on the RX-8 you returned to your dealer who charged you $258 for it - just kidding!

 

I'll assume if John remembers me when it comes time to get tires for my "new" car (whatever that may be), I'll get some kind of deal

 

My FRD 6 and Toyo set are ordered and en route. Thanks again to Wing and Canada for doing all the heavy lifting.

 

A word of caution to the Toyo buyers (and any winter tire buyers) - take it real easy on them until you get used to them! Aside from the mold release compound making them even more slippery for the first couple of hundred kms, they will have WAY less grip than the stock summer tires. I've had mine on for a week, and I haven't hit anything or slid off anywhere, but I'm making a very conscious effort to slow down on corners. Turns and curves that the RX-8 handled easily with the summer tires could be a problem on these winter tires.

Just take it easy until they're broken in and you get used to them and become familiar with the much lower limits on dry pavement!!

Regards,
Gordon

 

Rack up another sale for John. Same deal FRD 6 with Toyo and a set of wheel locks. Thanks for organising guys. Much appreciated.

Wing, I think John owes you big time. Maybe even 2 caps !!!!!

 

Not to worry, the test fitting referred to on my answering machine was already done (while I was away) on another Montrealer's RX-8 (a red one) - it was just to be sure the rims fit with the Toyo Garit HT's and I'm told it was AOK.

 

Has anyone received their tires yet?

 

I have just given up on the LM-22's which were ordered 4 weeks ago (not from Talon).

So... rack up yet another sale for John. Same deal FRD 6 with Toyo's.

 

Wow! That's all I gotta say, when I started this, 6 ppl were a possibility and John was happy with that, but we are up to like 17!

 

I forgot to add that John said that the group buy price was only available till the end of the month. That only leaves two days if you want to get the deal!

 

I had a chance today to try out the Toyo Garit HTs in real winter conditions - Calgary got hit last night with rain, then freezing, then about 5" of snow, making the roads miserable this morning with snow on top of ice!

... unfortunately, I decided not to take that chance, and drove our Audi to work this morning. :p I figured with the typical morons out on the road who can't figure out that they need to slow down on the first snow day of every winter, I didn't want to risk the RX-8 getting hit! I'll try the RX-8 tomorrow...

Regards,
Gordon

 

Good idea Gord, plus the fact that half the people probably have all seasons or summer tires on!

 

I know that this was asked earlier, but has anyone got their rims and tires from John yet?

 

I'm still waiting for mine...

 

I spoke to John a couple days ago and he said that they were working on assembling them (wheels and tires). He also said that I should be expecting to see them sometime Thursday (today) or Friday. I can't wait. :D