Winter driving
 

Hi

I just got a R8 at the end of last year, and I am still getting used to the driving , but I already notice that the back slides a lot on wet and snow. It come with Kumho tires and specially in the back, the tread seems to be a bit wasted.
I am looking for someone that can advise me in what are the best all season tire for the money . I do not drive much in the winter ,so did not want to get winter tires...someone that does some drive in wet and snow conditions.
I am willing to look at used ones if available.
Thank you all.

Dont buy all seasons for the 8. Garbage you might as well bus everywhere. Get a set of used winter tires even if you dont drive much in winter, it can save your life.

And as for the back end sliding, well ya its a rear wheel drive car. Normal, just take it easy.

I didn't want to buy winter tires either because I don't drive the rx-8 much in the winter but I quickly realized it's just best to grab a used set. I got a like-new set of 4 winter tires for $300 from kijiji. I would REALLY advise you to do that and just put those on for the next couple of months.

I just recently bought my rx8, First thing I did was grab a set of used winter tires...I got lucky and found 95% tread left on black steelies for 500 bucks. Been the best decision I must say.
^ yes. I even took my car out of the first day of that super snow storm and enjoyed drifting around some parking lots.

This, go for winter tires. My rear end still slides with blizzaks, just be careful :sweatdrop

^ yup same. Blizzaks here too and despite the fact that theyre probably the best winter tires on the market (in my opinion anyway) i still occasionally slide.

All season tires = poo

Using all season tires is like using Glad plastic food wrap as a condom instead of a proper prophylactic.

All seasons are a compromise trying to be acceptable at all seasons. The end result is that they aren't good in any season.

Buy snow tires if you plan to drive under 10C. I have driven many years with numerous rear wheel drive cars..these cars are challanging to drive in the snow. I use Pirelli snows and try not to drive the car if snow is in the forcast. Safe driving

Winter driving
 

replace all 4 corners with winter tires, DO NOT do a minimum thing where you're just replacing the 2 drive wheels... this is your life and your asset that you are toying with in the winter.

It's easy to find a set of rubbers to fit the rims you have on kijiji...personally I just searched for 225/50/17inch rims and rubber. Get yourself a deal that way.
I'm running on Blizzaks here too. Took me a while to find a good price and rim that fit the rx8, but definitely possible.
Take advantage of the warmer weather this week and find yourself a nice set!

You can also check the Mazda 3 forum for 17's as they fit nicely on the 8. I believe the tire size Mazda dealers put on and tire rack recommends for 17 inch winter tires is 215/55r17 but you can go with a different size if buying used.

Blizzacks are awesome, I loved doing controlled drifts in the snow when I had my car. LOL.

But yes, its very unsafe to drive the RX-8 in the snow/ice without winter tires. Is it doable on all-seaons if your super careful and paying attention all the time, I guess so but I wouldn't want to.

thewird

It's not smart to drive any car without winter tires.
There was an article in car and driver a couple of months ago about Quebec and basically before it was law to have winter tires, 2/3 of cars already had them on. They found that of all the winter car accidents the majority (something like 70% or 90%) were caused by cars not running winter tires.

My pathfinder feels pretty safe with the 30-40% all-season Michelins even in heavy snow and ice. I just have to turn the 4WD on when I'm in those types of conditions :)

thewird

^ Does 4WD help you stop?

I'm not a fan of all season tires either, but TO doesn't get a lot of snow I could see someone limping by with all season tires. I fully admit to not having driven this car in the winter with all seasons.

Here's a test which shows the difference between winters, "performance" winters and two flavors of all seasons. IMO there's not a strong argument in favour of the performance winters over the all seasons. 2009 Winter Tire Test Comparison Tests - Page 6 - Car and Driver

It obviously doesn't but I don't see a need for it as I'm pretty aware of surface conditions. And it really isn't bad, I'm actually surprised how well it brakes in the snow for its weight with worn all-seasons lol. They are Michelin MS/2 tires though so maybe higher quality is playing a role.

thewird

Don't take that test as a reason to not use winter tires. Note that they mention that all 4 tires have "mud and snow" designs, so even the two that don't quite classify as winter tires are far better at winter driving than most all seasons.

It also doesn't help that the winning Michelin Ice-X tire is pretty much focused on what it's name notes: Ice. It's actually not much better in the snow than most all seasons. Yes, I have had a set, and my current Blizzaks are light years better in snow fluff, slush, and snow pack. The difference here is largely in tread design, as the Ice-X doesn't have large blocks to grab the snow, but DOES have quite a bit more sipe area on the tread, which is pretty critical in what limited grabbing of ice is possible.

But, if a change in 30 to 0 stopping distance of 40 feet (2.8 times the length of the RX-8) from an all season to a dedicated winter tire doesn't seem like enough, then you are probably a lost cause :)


Think about that for a moment. A stock RX-8 with OEM crappy rubber on dry pavement stops from 60mph in 118ft. In snow on that lowest all season in the test, stopping from half the speed took 5 feet more, and the top tire stopping the car took 1/3rd less distance. Another way to see it, A 33% improvement in braking grip is incredibly obvious, and very much usable. EASILY worth it.

I always laugh when people say they don't need winter tires because they pay attention to road conditions and drive leave lots of room and drive more carefully, but what happens if someone cuts you off and you stopping have to make a panic stop?
The fact is it's called an 'accident' because a collision is not on purpose. Buying winter tires is the same money out of pocket because it means your summer tires will last a few seasons longer. Even just curbing one wheel because you slid in snow or ice will probably cost more than buying a full set of snows.

I run Goodyear Ultra Grip snow tires on a second set of stock factory rims. Wouldn't be without snow tires, AWD or not, our Subaru has Hakka winters on it.

What I find funny is that folks will tell me with a straight face that they don't need snow tires, yet they will ramble on about the intricacies of F1 tire compounds, medium vs hard, wet vs dry, WRC dirt stage tires vs Tarmac tires, studs vs hand cutting, etc, etc, etc. Really? Motorsports matches tires to conditions for best performance but you're "fine" on all seasons in deep snow and ice because you pay attention and understand the road surface? Whatever.

Jezzzz this got into a heated debate about winter tires....
I found that in QC, 1/3 accidents are caused by all season tires. Honestly, to save yourself a bit of money (maybe $1000 new) to risk damage to your car or someone else, is bad risk management.
As long term investments go.. two sets of tires will last longer than one.... as Boeuf said*
It really can't hurt. Plus hasn't been the first time hearing..."oh I have AWD I'll be fine in Winter" Haven't seen so many SUVs rear-end other cars.
Think about if everyone in winter tires stops 3 feet shorter at whatever speed and you stop 3 feet after....thats 6 feet you don't want to play with, and that's if you're luck and hit the brakes at the same time...with the same traction (eg ice, packed snow, wet etc).

Can always check out what QC gov't says: Transports Québec : Ten Myths... About Winter Driving !

3ft either way is actually saying the all seasons are quite good. :) The test linked earlier shows that at 30mph, it's closer to a 40ft difference. Pretty huge.

If the difference is 40ft...I need a steel girder attached to my car ;( lol.
The highway traffic act says 236ft is your braking distance (60-0)...the rx8 does ~110ft. Yes this would be on dry conditions...That 40ft will kill my car =(
Winter tires 4 life!