RX8 "sport" trim with snow tires in winter
 

Hi, I'm considering buying a base trim "sport" model rx8. I'm located in indiana so we do get snow here. I've read the specs that the base trim does not equip with the DSC stability control. I've also been searching for the threads with similar questions but most of them are talking about the ones with stability control, but not on a base trim. So I want to know that how does the rx8 do in winter with snow tires without DSC comparing with the ones that has the DSC? will the rx8 survive winter with snow tires but without DSC?

i had a sports i put all weather tires on and it helped a lot but my r3 is better. i live in ok and we get some snow

Hi, where in Indiana are you from? I'm from Northwest Indiana myself. I have an 07 GT with automatic transmission and I use all season tires. I don't know how the car is without the DSC but if you have driven any other car that is RWD in the snow then you know what to expect. No RWD car is really good in the snow but you can do it if your careful enough. I personally drive mine year round with no issues. Just use your head and if you think the car can't drive or don't feel comfortable doing it then don't drive the car that day cause most likely it will be pretty sketchy at best. There may be only 5 days a year in which I cannot drive my RX8 and like I said I use all season tires. Winter tires are even better but you will still slide and spin the tires and don't expect the car to drive well with a few inches on the road. I have driven many different RWD cars in the snow and really they are alll about the same.

I disagree. I am entering my 5th winter in New England with my 8. It is FANTASTIC in the snow. I work on top of a hill, and every winter there are at least several days where I end up winding my way around stuck SUVs and pickup trucks that can't get up the hill. 2 years ago I even left the road surface into the deeper softer snow to get around one guy, and the look on the face of the guy driving jeep in my tracks was priceless. :)

All season tires are just barely sufficient under any condition (including rain and dry). Dedicated winter tires are many times better than all season tires in snow and on ice, the way Star Specs are many times better in dry grip than all seasons are. With winter tires, I ONLY slip in snow when I want to. Period. I still slip on ice, but not nearly as much as you would expect.

The only thing to stop you when you have winter tires on your 8 is other drivers or more snow on the road than you have clearance for.

Without DSC, you need to keep a more level head and make sure you know what to expect in regards to if you spin or not, but it's entirely doable. It's a safety net that is comforting, but one that no one should be relying on anyway.

I don't know what year Sport you're considering, but I have an '11 Sport here in Colorado.

We don't get Lake Effect snow here, but every now and again we get decent dumps, of usually dry snow. Its rare here to get heavy wet snow.

If you get lake effect snow, in huge amounts, you probably are going to want to just forget about driving anywhere, until the plows have cleaned up your area, and the area where you are heading to, and the areas in between those two points.

If you are in an area where snow is occasional, and less dramatic, your choices then should be along the lines of what size tires and wheels do you want to choose, and how much that's going to improve your driving.

I chose the Hankook I*Cept Evo W310 tires, in the stock size, and they do a fantastic job here in the type of snow I deal with here in Colorado. Snow is few and far between (usually a 3 week period between snows this time of year, but more frequent in March and April), so I need a tire that will perform well in the dry and cool temps for 90% of the winter.

For that last 10% of the winter, I need to be able to drive the 30 miles to and from work over some decent hills between Arvada, CO and Longmont, CO, on roads that are either barely plowed, or not plowed at all, and can change from barely to not in the middle of the highway at highway speeds just because I crossed a border from one county into another.

If you need to deal with more constant amounts of snow, that's deeper, wet, and heavy, you might want to consider a different size, and something more dedicated to snow and ice traction where as mine are a performance winter option.

But ultimately, the Sport RX-8 can work well enough in the snow to get you where you're going. You have to be smooth while driving, because the limited slip rear can do funny things with the back end of the car if you aren't smooth, and the right conditions are present.

I'd rather be going uphill in a LSD equipped RWD car with snow tires than an open diff FWD car, from a stand still. But I would rather be in the FWD car when cresting a hill, in a curve, and applying power.

If you live in a flat land area, that shouldn't be too much of an issue.
If you live in a hilly or mountainous area like I do, that can be a bit of an issue.
You just have to change how you drive, that's all.

BC.

I have an 04 Sport w/DSC. I live west of Chicago and commute to NW Indiana. I use all season tires. The roads, I travel on, are major arteries and well mainlined (as far as snow removal). I find the TSC to be a hindrance and rarely feel the DSC become active in the snow. I've found these drivers aids aren't calibrated for and aren't effective in snow/ice conditions.
I've been driving for 35 yrs and this is my first car to have that feature. You just have to slow down in the winter.

i go to purdue! the automatic rx8 doesnt have limited slip differential, does that give you any trouble?

Best advice here IMO other than the obvious of using winter tires. I grew up driving in Colorado and Wisconsin winters and the one major thing people always do is go way to fast for the conditions. If it was only their life at risk I would not care, but driving like an idiot in the snow risks the lives of people around you also.

I cant count the times I have seen a truck or even a car doing 40/45 mph when I am sliding around and having trouble at 15 or 20 mph, and that was in my old FWD car with all seasons(was a tank in the snow usually).

Are you talking about the Purdue in Laffayette or Purdue Cal? The automatic doesn't give me any troubles. If anything the automatic is easier to drive in snow than the manual. Just my opinion.

the purdue in lafayette. The spec says the automatic has a traditional open differential comparing with the manual ones equipped with limited slip differential, isn't LSD suppose to be better than traditional in slippery situation?

That depends. A LSD diff will start better in snow because you have 2 wheels pushing rather than one. However, a LSD will follow the crown of the road when the tires start to slip and an open diff won't. The RX8 uses a Torsen type differential that is different than a standard LSD. This means that the tire with the most traction gets the power. This is completely opposite of an open diff.

what do you mean by the crown of the road? sorry english is not my first language.

Torsen type, is that the type they fit in the automatic transmission rx8s?

04 rx8 gt in Michigan and 2nd year driving in winter 1st year was on pirelli winter tires and they were pretty much crap. I purchased a winter beater the following year. this year i came across a set of wheels and tires for the winter. 245/40/18 blizzak run flats. By far the best purchase i have made. car handles like a dream in a few inches of snow. the DSC is a nice feature to have when driving straight, but try pulling into traffic in slippery conditions with it on and it stops you dead staring at oncoming traffic at the slightest hint of a slide. i turn mine off when pulling out into traffic. definitely get winter tires i recommend the blizzaks and they are surprisingly decent in dry conditions as well. they are not forgiving when it comes to pot holes but great in the corners and snow.

Keep it within limits and be gentle with the throttle. You don't need the DSC.

Ice timed event:

Steep snow-covered incline:

I wouldn't worry about how it drives in snow. Those videos posted by dynamho are pretty sport on. The only thing that sucks for these cars is that wet sloppy snow. Like I said I have been driving RWD cars for years in the snow and it's not all that hard. Adding sandbags to the trunk kinda help. I always carry about 190 lbs worth (about 4 bags) and it's kinda hard to really tell if it helps or not but if you get stuck you can always open one of those sand bags and help get yourself unstuck. Like I said I live in Northwest Indiana and I live right off of Lake Michigan and we get lake effect snow all the time and I can still drive my RX-8. Your going to Purdue and I have been down there a few times in the snow and they keep the roads plowed pretty good down there so I wouldn't worry about much.

Adding weight to the trunk is a common action based on a twisted conception of the benefit they are going for.

What they are trying to do is to increase the pressure of the tire contact patch against the road. Adding weight over the drive wheels ... wait, I've typed this before...


Ah yes, here it is:

^^^^^ Lol you really thought that out. To be honest I never really noticed a real difference in the snow with some sand bags in the truck but it could always be of use if I ever do get stuck.

yes, having the sand to put down for traction is the better reason to carry sand bags :)

If I don't turn my dsc off in the winter I have a hard time even moving so I think you will be fine, you just have to be aware while your driving.

That is the type of LSD put in all models that came with LSD. I'm not up on the auto models. I would guess if you have 18" wheels you have LSD. If 16", you don't.
Crown of the road refers to the way the road is rounded to allow for better water runoff. High in the center and lower on the side.

NW Indiana does a good job of plowing in the winter. The rest of Indiana, not so good. They don't want to spend the money for snow removal and figure it will melt in a couple a days anyway. Right
One winter, my father put a tractor wheel weight in the trunk of my car. It had to be put in with the front loader. Two people couldn't lift it. I don't know how much it weighed. I drove the car to the first corner and the car wouldn't turn. I went back home and took that weight out. That was 35 yrs ago and I have never added weight to the trunk since.

^^^^Yeah they keep the roads around here plowed really well. Only time they don't is when we got that blizzard back at the beginning of 2011 and they didn't bother plowing the roads till the next day when it quite snowing. BTW I'm only about 20 minutes from Chicago.