xeos

Hm, if *that* actually had been true.... Hehe, I can allready hear the outraged cries of customers in scandinavia! (Myself included!) :D :p :D

But of course this reseller is wrong, as all cars that goes on sale in europe *must* be tested on snow. (And photos/video of this testing has been shown...)

Just goes to show how much the general american knows of the outside world :D (No offence)

Cylo

You can't just say something like that and then make it all nice by typing: No offence. Some "stupid" american might get upset.

zoom44

******* is a customer service person at MNAO. i'm surprised he didn't know about the testing in europe but then they just go with the info given to them and are not actively seeking all available info like we are. maybe i should email him some of those pics as he has helped me on several occassions and i would hate to have people thinking he didn't know what he was talking about.

xeos

"Aaw - Can't we all be friends!?" Homer Simpson

I just had to coment that salesperson.... :D
But he is probably right, since american spec and european sepc RX-8's isn't *exactly* the same.

zoom44

again ******** is not a sales person, he is a customer service person who works for mazda north american operations.

Cylo

Nice reversal... and yes we can be friends, just don't try and hug me or kiss me on the lips or anything -- I am not down with that freaky European friendly affection stuff.

xeos

Ok, didn't see your last post there zoom44

zoom44

sorry to be snippy about it, but i had trouble getting to someone at my dealer who could get my car ordered. after trying another dealer in town (who was worse) i got really frustrated and called mazda and that guy answered. he made phone calls to people and got the right person at the dealer to call me back and they had got my order done right away. so i sort of feel like i owe the guy even though he was just doing his job.

eccles

Granted. But the general consensus from the Miata folks is that adding sandbags is not a good idea because the extra weight over the rear wheels doesn't add a whole lot of traction, but does introduce some undesirable handling characteristcs, with the end result being a less drivable car under those conditions.

Fëakhelek

It also depends on the specific conditions. If you are in a "Texas Blizzard" :D with a half inch of snow and trying to drive as close as possible to the speed you normally would then I would not recommend weight in the back. If however you are a Yankee in Pennsylvania driving through a foot of snow on top of the previous day's foot that has been packed down to an inch thick then you aren't worried about handling characteristics. You are worried about whether you will make it up the next hill or if you will slide down it backward with your wheels spinning.

For as much as people talk about how great FWD is in snow, the only advantage is having the engine weight over the front wheels. BTW, that's another thing I have an opinion on. I would much rather have a RWD car in the snow. I don't like FWD first because in my 4cyl car there really isn't that much advantage from extra weight over the front wheels and second because when the front wheels do slip then you have lost traction and steering. If I'm going to apply torque to 2 wheels I'd rather they not be the ones I steer with.

I really don't want to drive my RX-8 in the snow, but I think that with limited slip (not sure how DSC will help), and ABS I think I would be better off than I am in my FWD Probe without any of those features.

ACRX8

I also live in PA outside of Philly. FWD is better in the snow than RWD because it is easer to pull than push. I hope the RX-8 can handle moderate snow - it will be my only car. :D

MikeW

The Rx-8 has loads of ground clearance [the lowest point is the catalytic converter] at least 5" under cat.

Also you could fit your fist between the top of the tire and the wheelarch.

Add some 215/50 17 winter tires, and you are good to go.

rael

Problem in snow and ice is stopping and that will be a problem considering the width of the tyres and lightweight of the car. I think it will be very difficult to drive.

rael

wakeech

again, with thinner tyres, and maybe dedicated winters (if the weather gets that bad), the light weight of the car will be a plus... you'd outbrake any SUV you can think of.

P00Man

less weight = more likely to stop sooner (theres another word for it too!)
________
Stock picks

quicks8

I just did the worst snow [worst as in worst weather] driving in my 99 Miata that I have ever done and although I was plowing more than anything else, as I hear it brushing up against the underside of the car, I still think the Miata is better than people give it credit for in the snow. I don't use sandbags, just 4 14" Blizzaks.

I think when it comes down to it it is about 60% car and 40% driver experience in snowy conditions. I have about a 30 mile drive to work in the mornings, so when I get there and someone calls it and says the weather is too bad for them to come it, I always wanna say, hey you know if I made it in in the Miata.....

MikeW

Less weight doesn't mean shorter stopping.

wakeech

he's saying less momentum... and ceteras paribus (i know my latin spelling is awful... if that's right, just a lucky guess :p), you will stop sooner with less momentum.

Midnight Flyer

The issue is not momentum but inertia. I was watching a program on the French channel here in Ottawa and they showed three vehicles trying to stop on ice at the same speed. The small car stopped in just under a 100 feet at 60KPH while the SUV stopped at almost 200 feet. At 100KPH the SUB was in the next county compared to the small car.

I drive a miata in the winter and with decent snow tires I have not been stuck yet. I expect the 8 will handle the snow as well as the Miata. The secret is in the tires. As far as putting weight in the trunk the concensous is that the advantage of the extra weight over the wheels to start the car is countered by the disadvantage of making the car spin more easily as there is now more weight in the back.

Goldenhue22

I can't even believe that people are arguing this point. First of all FWD is better, in EVERY circumstance, than RWD...period. Second of all, putting weight in the back of a RWD car will indeed help also in every circumstance. Third, we aren't comparing the stopping distance of small cars to big cars. We are comparing the stopping distance to a small RWD car to a 4WD SUV- again in every circumstance, with all other things equal, the SUV or any 4WD vehicle will stop sooner than any RWD vehicle. I can't wait for the RX-8 to come out just as much as the next guy, but we can't be ignoring the fact that it won't be a gem in the snow. Snow tires and driving safe is all you can do and it should be manageable but to say that you would rather drive a RWD car over a FWD car is ridiculous.

Hercules

That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.. I'll just reply to say..

AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHA.

Thanks for the laugh.

Goldenhue22

Sweet response there Hercules. I hope that you know more about cars than you do about the English language since stupidest isn't a word. And obviously by your statement you have no knowledge about cars either...

Hercules

Allow me to retort...

First, by going after the grammar skills I have (which will later be discussed), I can only see that your arguement holds no water. Sadly it seems that the internet discussions that go on all over the world when scoffed at (as I did yours, saying FWD cars are better than RWD ANY DAY, and AWD SUVs will brake quicker than RWD.. but I digress..), they turn first to defending their claim.

That is not the case with you, you didn't defend your claim. You stated what you did and left it at that. It's going to be made fun of (for the main reason that it's simply untrue and rather foolish to say). So you turned to the best alternative method, and that's to make fun of my grammer and spelling.

Which brings me to that point.. 'stupidest' *is* a word. So sadly even your grammar correction (and your poor retort) is wrong as well.

So here ya go, for my proof of claim: Stupidest is a word.

Buger

Hi Goldenhue22,

I don't think I understand your point. Why do you think a 4WD SUV will stop sooner than any RWD vehicle? Wouldn't the heavier SUV be at a disadvantage?

Thanks, Brian

Hercules

:D