obrien72

Hey guys i was thinking bout getting a 8, i was wondering what their like in the snow. I know 2 older ladies in my town that have 1 andthey drive it all year around and they say they love them. I know it wont be compared to my subie but i really want a rx8.


And does any1 have a carset in the backseat of their 8?? haha

Stavesacre21

as with almost any car, the tires are what makes it driveable. Throw some blizzaks on it and it'll ride like it's on rails. Dare to leave the stockers on it and you'll be lucky to stay on the road with a 1/4" of snow on the ground (not joking either).

Your only issue is going to be clearance. Obviously it sits lower then many other car out there, but as long as you get the rubber in line, you'll find that it's a perfectly capable car on snowy roads. DSC only furthers to help it out.

and i wouldn't be surprised to see carseats in the back of one. not at all.

obrien72

ye i test drove 1 in the snow and it wasnt bad..i figured it had sum kind of winter tires on it, and with them 2 older ladiesdriving them in my hometown made me think haha..


i hope carseats fit in them, got a kid on the way but it will be sprng b4 hes born so dont hafta worry bout snow issue then

06shinka06

I got a car seat in mine and it fits fine.... just wondering what age or weight can a child sit in the front seat..???

obrien72

im not exactly sure its like a scale though hasta be a certain age or weight can be one or the other haha..

thats good to hear that they fit in there..that just puts me closer to getting one

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

you'll have to check with your state's laws on that. here in ohio, the rule for a child not having to be in a car seat is 4yrs old or 40lbs.

child seats fit in the back quite well. part of the reason i bought my 8. i wanted to be able to transport the entire family.

JRichter

Your choice of tires will make or break you with the 8 in the snow. I get around fairly well with all-seasons as long as I have decent ground clearance.

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

For the amount of money you would spend for winter wheels and tires, you could also buy a beater and keep the miles and salt off your 8 for a few months. Thats what I do.

obrien72

yea i got a 02 impreza 2.5 rs right now...a beast in the snow my fiance has a evo 9 SE and its alright in the snow not as good as the subie haha..but dont know if i can afford impreza rx8 and a evo insurance haha wll both of us..especially with a kid..lol..


its not like we get alot of snow imfrom western pa we got hit hard this weekend but its rarethat this happens

im juss glad to hear a baby seat fits..

what should i look for on these cars when going to buy 1?..i had a rotary b4 had a 88rx7 that i loved but it was bad n winter and small

id have to say this is the best forum id ever been on if i wold of posted this on subarus forum,honda tech or aything they woulda tried putting me don and tel me to search for it haha

04RX8man

yeah ppl here do drive them all year around in the snow however when i lived in the North I bought a beater and kept the salt and miles off my 8 like renesis07 said

Stavesacre21

Just a thought tho...then you have to also pay tax/title/insurance and worst of all, MAINTENENCE on it as well.

It may just be a beater and barely needs to run, but it still needs to run and be dependable. Unless your buying a $3-4K set or rims/tires, you'll likely end up paying more in the end. My "beater" that I bought only for the purpose of winter/towing just had to have a total of $2000 paid consecutively after one more thing kept on breaking.

If you really are buying an 8 for the purpose of a summer car (no snow/salt/weather), you should already have another car lined up for when you buy the 8.

a set of used/winter rims should run you no more then $500 (they don't have to be blingblingin) and if you keep an eye on clearance at tirerack or discounttire, you should be able to find a new set of winters for roughly $600. If you really strike the jackpot, you might be able to find someone with wtiner tires mounted on used rims for around $500-700 (i've did that twice now).

04RX8man

^my beater was 350 dollars with tax title registration etc was like 500 out the door! then insurance was 200 bucks a yr so that's 700 dollars so about the cost of tires however the salt and rust got on the already rusted car and the miles also while my 8 was sitting in the garage waiting till spring! so it depends on what u call a "beater" to me a beater is a beater and if it would break i could fix it(kept tool box with me) anything that breaks i would b able to fix but if u cannot do that then i would not recommend getting something that may have problems

05rx8gt

I got a baby due in feb hope the car seat fits and does not mess the seat up

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

Well, I kinda weasel my way around each winter lol. Last winter I borrowed a relatives 06 impala from October - April as long as I maintained it for them. This winter my gf is sharing her 03 Grand Prix with me, I paid the insurance (400 dollars) and I do all the maintanence (20 bucks so far for 1 oil change) and I have a car. Its also extremely convenient that Im her manager and shedule her for the same hours I work

longpath

iTrader: (1)

I use a set of Pirelli 240 Snowsports in the OEM size (not ideal but it minimised my cash outlay and thereby kept my wife happy) in winter without any trouble.

I've had no trouble with either of two different car seats (the original rear facing Graco that my wife and I used until my daughter was 1 and the convertible I'm using now both fit without trouble or any harm to the rear seat). The convertible I'm using now is called a 5 in 1, so it has retractible wheels to let it act as an erstwhile stroller and is also FAA certified for use on an airliner.

For a new-born, I do recommend a dedicated rear-facing seat. I used the Graco with an extra base (one for my car and one for my wife's car) so it would just snap in place, making securing the baby a snap. I'd recommend a rear-facing seat that has a removable base that you can secure to the latch connectors in the rear seat ahead of time. I'm also of the opinion that the latch connectors are so much easier to get at in the RX-8 than in my wife's Subaru, making it that much easier to secure that base.

Stavesacre21

wow, that's one heck of a lucky break on a beater. I don't think i've ever even met someone who bought a car for less then a grand and didn't have to end up putting in about the same within a few years. If it works for you, let it ride...but it's definately not the norm.

obrien72

thats guy this is sum great info, cant wait to spring rolls around

hagar852

I had my 8 through 4 New England winters. The past 2 winters I got snow tires (Hankook Ice Bear) and they worked great. I was able to drive in 4 inches of snow. When I say drive I mean I was able to move and keep it steady at under 30mph. Over that and not matter what tires you have you are going to be shaky.. Car is very light and rear wheel drive sucks period no matter what car you have in the snow. But like I said I could manage just fine keeping it under 30-35 tops.

To compare, I unfortunately traded in my 8 for an AWD car and what a difference. The car laughs at snow now, but the 8 can still putt around ok best with snows though.

smedly

Recently bought a set of snow tires for the RX8 . We got an unexpected snow storm Monday (4-8 inches).Wife took the car to work and was blowing by SUV's,AWD's and FWD's. She said more than one suv owner look over in shock as a sportscar drove by them during a snow storm. Snow tires make a HUGE difference.

04RX8man

Don't get me wrong this thing was not the prettiest thing on the road and needed some work to pass inspection and had it's downfallls that needed repaired(holes in floorboards fixed with sheet metal, rivets, and roofing tar)

I had to put 30 bucks in for a broken side window(2 weeks before i sold it)....also drove it for about 5 months and then sold for 500 so i made money on the deal haha!!!!

rux

Just bought 09 Sport model and put Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 on. No problems whatsoever with snow / wet / icy, just be reasonable when driving it.

newguy

[quote=Stavesacre21;2812127]as with almost any car, the tires are what makes it driveable. Throw some blizzaks on it and it'll ride like it's on rails. Dare to leave the stockers on it and you'll be lucky to stay on the road with a 1/4" of snow on the ground (not joking either).
quote]
This is true I just took mine out and got caught in a small snow shower. Im running new Goodyear Eagle F1 all seasons and I almost got stuck on plowed but ice-base slush covered street parking as well as having to turn off DSC and spin out of a convenience store parking spot in reverse where others just backed out w/out spin.

But I expected this and have a commuter/Dodge and will be picking up a 98 Grand cherokee for $2400 to use in snow.

Stavesacre21

I believe it. I had a 97 Cobra coupe that I drove through a nasty winter here in Ohio, all on a new set of Blizzaks. It'll transform just about any car into a beast in the snow. Just don't get too overcomfident tho...all cars and tires can't stop on ice (cept chains, maybe).

Now that's the kinda deal i'm talkin about! I did the same and bought a 97 Pathfinder 4X4 and it's laughed at almost anything I could drive in. Ironically, the main reason i bought it was to pull jetskis in the summer, but it's proven almost more useful in the winter, so far!

longpath

iTrader: (1)

I regret that I've not come across an all-season tyre that is he equal in snow of the old Goodyear Eagle GT +4. I had those on my 1983 RX-7 and even in near white-out conditions, I could make it up hills and through deep snow where I was dragging the belly of the car through the white stuff. I don't know what those tyres had that hasn't been replicated since; but to equal it, I'm a definite supporter of dedicated snow tyres. When my current Pirelli 240 Snowsports wear out, I'm leaning towards getting dedicated 17" rims and snow tyres so I can use a narrower snow tyre than the OEM size rims allow.

dmc27

Winter tires FTW. The only way to go. Swap the rubber and enjoy the best performance for each season, instead of the half assed performance in all conditions delivered by all season tires.

Baby seats fit fine, though rear facing will force the passenger seat to be way forward on the tracks. If mom rides shotgun her knees will be jammed up on the dash if she's over 5'4 or so. The simple solution is to have her keep the knee pads on when you leave the house.

All of your questions have multiple threads to answer them in greater detail. Do a search by thread title and you will find plenty of info about different winter wheel options, car seat brands & choices, etc., etc. More threads like this will lead to declining pleasantness in the responses.