Winter tires - What to do... what to do?
 

Hey guys.. I know its a little early to talk about this but im planning on getting my winter tires (blizzaks) and rims very soon. Im having a hard time deciding on what size tires though. What im thinking of doing is getting tires that are the same size as the ones i have on the stock rims (so for next winter ill use my stock rims for winter). OR should i just get winter tires with the winter rims (black rims everyone uses).

Also what do you guys think the price difference would be between low profile tires (for stock rims) and "normal" size

What do YOU guys personally do for the winter? Wat rims and wat size tires.

Ill accept all the help i can get.

Thanks cheers

I have a set of Alpines that I bought acouple of seasons ago. They're expensive, but they've been awesome to me and for all intensive purposes don't show any sign of tread wear... they're mounted on 17" steelies and have the same ride height as the stockers... the other crazy bit is they're actually speed rated higher then the normal all seasons that come stock on the car (guess that's why BMW recommends them for the M3's).

I'm actually going to be selling mine in the fall since I'm not gonna be driving the 8 in the winter anymore... lemme know if you want em.

rotary rx8....i would strongly suggest you buy chris's tires. If i could afford them i would probably buy them from him, concidering i'll be sticking with my rx8 for at least another year.

ultimately though, if you are buying new, i would definilty suggest 17s. you could probably even score some decent looking 17" alloys for cheap. alot of companies have specials on them this time of year, around the 140 mark would be pretty standard for some random 17" alloys.

anyways, as for size, whatever you do, dont get the stock size. even if you get them to fit stock rims, get tires that are the same overall diameter or close to it, but you want the treadwidth to be as narrow as possible. 225 is too wide for winter tires in my opinion. even going one size narrow, 215 could make all the differecne in deep snow. I run 215/55r17s on steel wheels. My tires have always been low on tread depth...i get them used, but i've never been stuck once. my parents camry got stuck in our driveway once and drove around the car like i was driving a 4x4. haha. for the most part, narrower is better in the winter. still, if you are rockin blizzaks, any size will do. those tires are great.

Anyways, thats the my advice. good luck.

Ive been thinking about it lately. And what i wanna do is get new tires and alloy rims. But i wanna get the tires a size that will fit the oem rims. Just so that if i do decide to use my oem rims next winter... ill be able to do so. So my question is (sorry but im a total noob when it comes to tire/rim sizes) If i get 215/55r17s .. will i be able to fit that on the oem rims ?? If not whats a good size thatll fit the oem rims ?? Good as in performance wise (dont care much for looks in the winter lol).

Thanks

If you wanna look ballin' all year round.. then look no further. Get some alloy stock size rims and get stock size winters! That's what I do.

No, you can't fit a 17" tire on an 18" rim.

I have 225/50r17 Hankook Icebears on cheap alloys. Works well (narrower is better, though).

Footman's idea is what I wish I had done, though.

I do wanna look ballin :):lol2: But in terms of performance in the snow. How do the 18" tires compare to 17" tires ? One more thing, if i get 18" tires but narrower ones.. will they still fit on oem??

Footman, what size winter tires you running ?

Check these out!
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-parts-sale-wanted-44/hankook-icebear-w300-203287/

Sorry bro... im gonna go with the blizzaks... heard nothing but good stuff about it. Thanks anyways !! GLWS

I ride with dunlop graspic 245's on the stock rims in the winter. I would defenately recommend to be a baller and not compromise. Stock for winter/new rims every summer!
you drive for 6+ mths in the winter, why steelies? steel rims are lame.

I run on FAST PHAZE wheels (which are Volk TE37 look-alikes) 18 x 7.5 +42mm offset. This makes the wheel stick out just as far as the stock wheels. I then run Dunlop Wintersport M3 225/45/R18 tires. Performance is phenomenal in dry and in snow! Also just like Rev_Illusion's case, they are higher speed-rated tires than my summers. They they re-inforced sidewalls.

If you have the money and want to look good all year round, like I said, just get 18" alloys and 18" performance winters.

I'll be going on my 3rd winter now with 225/45-18 Dunlop WinterSport M3's on my stock wheels while running RE-01R's on a set of lightweight rims (SSR Comp-H) in the summer. The WinterSports have yet to let me down. The only complaint I would probably have is that I paid more for the WinterSports than I did the RE-01R's

I've been using 215's on 17" mazda6 rims.

I did the silly thing and bought some Enkie RP03's for the summer and run the stock rims in the winter with a set of Michellin X-Ice 225/45. Damned expensive way to go.

Held up really well though, no sliding last winter and no damage to the stocks. Here's hoping to the same this year.

I bought aftermarket 17" alloys and used tires off Kijiji (225 Michellin X-Ice /w ~2000kms). ~$650 all said and done. The one thing I learned is that some 17" alloys will rub on the front brake callipers. Try them on first before buying. Also, with 17s have the wheels balanced with traditional weights, not with the stick on the inside style because they may rub. I had to clearance my callipers (ie. grind down the top).

i have a set of OEM 18's on Brand New Michellin X-ICE 2, interested?? the tires alone cost me 1100

THanks for the input guys !!! I think im gna go with 225/45/18 tires on some alloys for this winter. Then if i choose to use my oem rims next winter ill be able to. I wanna be able to have as much choices as i can to switch rims and tires. And i like the idea of being able to use my oems for winter :). Or maybe ill keep using the alloys and use my oems for the track. WEll see !! But ill go with 225 45 18. One more question, im gna shop around this week but do any of you guys know approx how much itd cost me ? 225 45 18 Blizzaks + steelies ??

i dont think they make that size steelie bro

Oh shit are you serious :(. Fawk !!

the other thing you want to consider with going 18 is that the #$%@$! rubber is ridiculously more expensive then going with the 17"s. I looked at what I was going to do, I quickly ended up going with the 17's and steelies.. nice and easy to change.. and you don't have to worry about poochin' your rims in the winter. In any case, g'luck.

Yes, 18" performance winters will set you back between 900 and 1100. You don't want to be riding on shit brands like "NANKANG" tires for an RX8. This is an RX8, not a Hyundai (cheap shot!), nor a beater.

I have looked around Toronto and did find 18" steelies. They were very expensive. I was quoted $120 each. At that price, you can surely find some ghetto 18" alloys that have some style to them and get that instead.

For your reference, my TE37 look-alike were on clearance, and I picked up all 6 for $600 CASH. I also got the guy to throw me in stainless steel valve caps and concentric hub rings for free.

Make sure you get some plastic hub rings for your alloys if the bore is not the same. I believe the 8 is either 67.1 or 73 mm, I don't remember it's one of them.

For winter in this car, narrower = better. Throw some weight in the trunk too.

I would recommend 205/55/17 on a slightly narrower steel wheel. 205/50/18 is also doable, again I recommend a slightly narrower wheel (7.5" should do it).

Steel > Alloy for winter as salt will eat away at the alloys and eventually the wheel will pit. If it pits at the seam, you will start to consistently lose air in your tire(s).

The best winter tires I've driven on are Nokian. I'll never buy anything else! The selling point was when an SUV was stuck in about a foot of snow and I just drove right around him without effort (this was not in the RX-8 mind you but still!).

Finally, the best piece of advice you will receive: store the 8 and spend the money you would spend on winter tires on a winter beater! Your 8 will last you twice as long for the same cost and you won't be swearing every day at how terrible this car is in the winter. (I'll give you a hint: it's A LOT!) :)

Decisions decisions. Well to be hoenst i actually DONT wanna have to put my baby through the harsh canadian winters. But right now i cant afford a beater :(. Also as for the winter/rims ... i saw some blizzaks 225 45 18 on G35 rims for like 800. I might get those if not ill try to find the 18 inch steelies footman was talking about. I dont mind the extra cost ... i just wanna be able to put the rubber on OEM rims if i choose too (stupid i know) but i like to have more versitality (if thats how you spell it).

say what?

You can get a decent beater WITH winters for about a grand. Won't be spectacular but in the long run it'll be cheaper than putting your 8 though our winters...

LOL actually a part of me kinda WANTS to drive the 8 in the winter. But then i think of all the salt and all the snow :(.