Good? Bad? Disaster waiting to happen? Any feedback would help, thanks!

 

No snow tires = Disaster waiting to happen. Forget it, don't even leave your driveway.

Snow tires = Absolutely great. Blow by SUVs.

Look around the Wheels, Tires, Brakes and Suspension forum.

I have Dunlop Winter Sport M3s on stock 18" wheels.

rx8cited

 

I remember my 1983 RX-7 in the snow. Even with chains, the weight distribution was such that traction suffered tremendously. Not to mention the limited slip rear end. The end result was I bought a Jeep Cherokee for those trips to the mountains.

 

SERIOUS!!!! You must be joking! I am thinking about an 8 for the Milwaukee area.

 

I'm not joking. We're not talking about icey roads, okay - just snowy or slushy roads that have been plowed.

If the SUV or any other car for that matter does not have the right tires for snow, it's going to have to be driven much slower than a car with snow tires on snowy / slushy roads.

It's all in the tires. Forget about rear wheel vs front wheels drive or AWD ...... it's the tires, tires, tires!

As long as the roads were plowed, I drove the RX-8 to work all last winter and will be doing so again this year as it's my only car.

rx8cited

 

I am thinking about getting a Rx-8 in St Louis. This will be my only car and used to commute 30 miles interstate each way to work.

Any thoughts / concerns? Do you need snow tires or can some sand in the trunk tide one over? How have other st louis drivers faired?

I would really love to get this car - i have test driven it a few times and love it!!!. I have succeeded in strethcing this into a "4 door family car" - well not really - but the car seat fits fine ... but my wife still has concern about rear wheel drive. Any help is appreciated.

 

ONFLMAO!!! :D :D :D

 

It is all about the tires. The tires that come with the rx8, prevent it from being used in winter time, but that can easily be fixed with a set of winter tires. There are several brands to chose from. The Pirelli 240 Winter snow sport may be the best snow tire for the money, and it has better tread life then the stock tires, so it can be used as an all season tire, with the ability to tackle snow. With tires like the Pirellis, combined with traction control, the rx8 is a very capable winter car, so don't let the rwd affect your decision. Throw a little weight in trunk, and car will be even more effective. You may be able to work a deal with dealership to replace the stock tires with capable winter tires, which would avoid the hassle of spending extra $$ and swapping. You do lose some performance, but it's small price to pay for having rx8 as year round car. You can also buy a set of snow tires, and swap them on stock rims twice a year, so you dont' lose the performance, or buy a set of smaller rims with snow tires mounted on them to use as well. Plenty of options available, so don't let the rwd affect your decision. This car is very capable in snow with the right tires, and other then an all out blizzard with massive amounts of snow on unplowed roads, you'll have no problems in any kind of weather buying rx8. Good luck!!

 

I am planning on buying 17" rims and winter tires from tirerack. My question is, what kind of effect will this have on the tire pressure monitoring system? I am guessing the monitoring system will not work with the snow tires, but can it be disabled so that it isn't giving false warnings?

 

In the Tires and Wheels forum, Connor from Tirerack gave some package prices for snow tires on 17 wheels. They appear to have a Mazda pressure unit that works with the RX-8 for about ~$120.00/wheel.

 

I keep posting this info. and here it is again.

"Stock" wheels/tires are not very good below about 0 C (freezing). The tires are performance "summer" tires, the rubber gets very hard when it's cold, and hard rubber is slippery. Not the best for snow and ice.

The stock wheels with the stock tires leave little room in the wheelwell for ice buildup (you northern US guys will know what I'm talking about here!).

The air pressure monitor system will give you a red light if you use aftermarket wheels without sensors (cover it with tape for the winter). It will not cause a "limp mode" that we have seen. We used "AR" wheels - inexpensive but good looking aluminum spoked wheels.

Sooo, go to 17" wheels and tires of the same size as stock except in 17" size. We found the Nokian WR to be excellant. On ice as well! And they are great in rain too. Yes, it's not a four wheel drive, but with the DSC and antilock helping out it's quite fine to drive in all but the worst conditions. If there is lots of unplowed snow on the road you will be doing the plowing, and that's not good for the front bodywork.

Data point - we are in Edmonton, where we get our first "permanent" snow the last week of October, and it finally melts around the middle of April. Average winter temps. -10 to -20, min. temps seen -50 C (yeah the 8 wouldn't start!). Oh, and we got our first snowfall last week, but it's all melted now and it's back to dry road fun.

 

You've got snow already...?!

 

From evertthing I have heard if you have 4 quality snow tires and traction control (GT) you should have no problem in the winter with snow and ice. In the Calgary market I was out today pricing tires. For the stock 225/45/18 size tires I found a few options....but they are all expensive....about $350 per tire.

Its well worth the money rather than going with the stock tires or an All Season tire. I think people have been spoiled with driving the idiot proof front wheel drive cars for too long. I used to drive a 305hp 84 Capri RS in the winter with a couple of winter tires on the back and a couple of sand bags in the hatch. Let's just say it was an interesting ride. You didn't so much stear the car with the steering wheel as you did with the gas pedal.

I think the only issue might be in places (eastern Canada & U.S.) where you get much more snow than we do. You might run into problems with clearance. We tend to get more bitter cold than huge snow dumps. That means we usually are driving on ice for 6 months.

 

Lots of threads on this elsewhere...but...

Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S 245/40/18 on stock rims: Top-rated all weather tires and better than the stock tires in the summer. Almost the same roll-out and do fit on the stock rims with no problems.

HOWEVER, as with most all-weather tires or this size (which also fit the 350Z) they are back-ordered...you better place your order now for whatever tire you choose.

 

Katchoo makes a good point. I ordered my Dunlop M3's in Sept. last year - before they sold out. They will probably sell out again - I remember people here not being able to get winter tires in the proper size last year. It may be a bit better this year since they 8 has been out a year, but who knows?

I just got M3s to fit on my stock wheels. They worked great, and I had no problems up to about 4" unplowed. Much more than that and the car would've started plowing and I wouldn't have gone far.

I remember last year there was debate about whether or not you should put weight in the trunk. Some said it would make things worse, throwing the balance out of whack. FWIW, I never added any weight and had no trouble. In fact, the DSC light might have come on four times during the winter. The car was a champ.

 

To RX 8 Friend, You said you have Nikonians. I was looking at them today. How do they compare to the others talked about in other threads here? Thinking about Blizzaks, Pirellis etc. The dealer at STS said they are "The best snow tire out there" could this really be the truth? Thanks

 

I lived in Milwaukee, Madison, Kenosha and Green Bay at different times. Even if the 8 is good on snow, slush and ice with snow tires, remember the big ice chunks that appear everywhere on Wisconsin roads, ground clearance is likely to be a problem. Let us know how this turns out.
Thanks

 

I didn't believe the posts on this forum of how bad it was until I actually had to drive my 8 in snow. We have had exactly one snow that stuck to the roads in Richmond, VA since I got my 8 in July 2003. I can now tell you first hand that with stock wheels/tires you had better leave it in the garage. They don't call them "summer tires" for nothing. The ABS, LSD, TCS and DSC all work great but they require at least one tire to somehow connect to the road.

Wet pavement, no problem. Snow or ice covered pavement, get some winter wheels/tires (I hear the 8 is great, particularly if it has TCS/DSC).