StewC625

OK, apologies to Ethel Merman!

Well, last night we got about 3" of fresh snow here and I went out and had a ball driving my RX-8 in it. I have the PZeroNero M+S all seasons and they are terrific in the snow. I can't judge against full-on snow tires, but man, this is fun - great grip and with the electronic controls all operating, no issue at all with keeping it going, stopping and under control.

But, what was more fun was taking my twin 9 year old sons "drifiting" around the neighborhood with the traction control off - driving sideways for a good half-block, doing donuts in the parking lot of the soccer fields near our house. Whee!

Also, something cool - it must have been the kind of snow plus the aerodynamics of the car, but the whole back end of the car got "flocked" with snow - very cool.

Pics attached.

I was very apprehensive about this car in snow, even with proper tires. Now I look forward to it!

Best,

Stew

G8rboy

Welcome to the Chicago snow drifter's club : )

Looks like you had some fun last night. Last week I was asked to leave the parking lot of the park across the street from my house while "testing" my snow tires : ). Nice cop though... didn't give me a warning- just told me I'd had enough fun :D

Matt RX8

Quick question for you guys.

What did you do with the Tire Pressure Monitoring System when you put on your snow tires (and all-seasons)?

Did you buy new monitors ($116 each)? Disable the system? Or just slap on the snow wheels and tires and ignore the yellow light on the dash?

Roaddemon

I just put on the snow wheels/tires and ignore the flashing yellow light. When I reinstall the summer tires I have to reset the tire pressure sensor. The manual tells how to do it. It's simple.

khtm

right on Stew - glad you've joined the snow lover club :D

Matt RX8

Does it beep or just flash? Do you ever worry about burning out the light?

StewC625

Well, the very nature of "all season" tires is that they are on there permanently. therefore, TPMS installed and operating. My Pirelli PZero Nero M+S's are a permanent installation. And they are terrific tires all around, dry, wet, and snow.

(anyone want to buy a set of 4 Potenzas with only 3700 miles on them?).

Stew

Roaddemon

It just flashes in a lazy steady rythem. I hardly notice it. I doubt it will burn out. I used to never wear a seat belt on my last car (Accord) and in ten years that damn seatbelt warning light never burnt out like I wished it would.

Dark8

Mine flashes every two seconds, no beep.

We had 2 days of freezing rain out here and I had to travel in it. I have the Hankook W300's and they did a great job. Much better then the SUV's that were in the ditch. I think they should give an exam to all potential SUV owners:

Question: Can you go faster on ice covered roads with 4-wheel drive compared to a two wheel drive?
Customer's answer: Yes.

And at that point the interviewer shoots the prospective SUV owner in the head and assists in cleaning the gene pool by taking another dumba$$ off the road.

Sorry for the rant.

StewC625

Dark8:

Won't find any dissenters in this room! I hate SUV guys.

Last night, I had my twins out at a "dad's and son's" event. Among the dads in the group, 7 of them drive SUVs and two of us drive performance cars (the other guy drives an M3). We came outside to the snow (which started while we were bowling), and about every one of them were saying "Oh man, I'm going to stay out of your way in this stuff!".

I just bit my tongue rather than say "No, it's you that I need to stay away from!"

Stew

G8rboy

None of the above- I bought 18" snow tires that I mount on my factory rims during the winter, and OEM's during the summer... which keeps the TPMS happy year-round.

G8rboy

Yep- I rather drive my RX-8 in the snow than my 4x4, unless we're talking 6"+ on the roads... at that point I'd rather my '8 not be a snow plow .

rotten42

[QUOTE=StewC625]OK, apologies to Ethel Merman!

Well, last night we got about 3" of fresh snow here and I went out and had a ball driving my RX-8 in it. I have the PZeroNero M+S all seasons and they are terrific in the snow. I can't judge against full-on snow tires, but man, this is fun - great grip and with the electronic controls all operating, no issue at all with keeping it going, stopping and under control.

But, what was more fun was taking my twin 9 year old sons "drifiting" around the neighborhood with the traction control off - driving sideways for a good half-block, doing donuts in the parking lot of the soccer fields near our house. Whee!

Also, something cool - it must have been the kind of snow plus the aerodynamics of the car, but the whole back end of the car got "flocked" with snow - very cool.

Pics attached.

I was very apprehensive about this car in snow, even with proper tires. Now I look forward to it!

Best,





My kids get a blast out of drifting too. I always do it as I get to the back streets towards my house. I also noticed that the back of the car gets very dirty (snow covered) compared to the rest of it.

G8rboy

I love the "snow mustache" mine gets when driving fast in a wet falling snow- looks just like a "Got Milk" ad when I get home :D

rotten42

Hey...seeing as you live in Chicago, can you find out where that NHL meeting is taking place and go kick some sense into both sides so that I have some sports to watch on TV after football is done?

.....make sure to kick thhem frequently and hard!

G8rboy

Will do... maybe a hockey stick upside their heads will make everyone play nice :D

Imp

Yes, if the 4wd has better tires (like studded tires or Ice rated tires), and the 2wd doesn't. :p

Don't hate on SUVs. There are plenty of dumb car owners too. I agree, tho, that there should be a better testing procedure not just for SUVs... but all drivers. Although I wouldn't mind just having one just for SUVs.

AWD/4WD doesn't mean AWStop/4WStop.

I can walk out to our ice covered parking lot of 50 cars and find at least 10 that don't have the right tires or have bald tires on their cars (not SUVs.. but Cars).

--kC

V_for_velocity

My 8 likes the snow (with 17" Blizzaks) but ice is a bit of a sticky wicket. We had freezing rain yesterday and now snow on top of it, coupled with crappy street clearing. "Evangeline" gets where she's going but it can be a slightly hair-raising experience. Of course I could slow down, heh heh.

StewC625

V is for Velocity, but not in snow!

My "tooling around" in the snow last night was limited to about 40 mph on snow-covered highways. I'm not much for speed in the snow. I'm sure the car would do fine. But at that speed, the car was totally surefooted as if on pavement (well, almost, anyway).

No More Oldsmobiles

On my way to work today I saw:
Fart-cannon Celica in the ditch with an ouchie to the left rear:
Gray Mustang, in the ditch, with a tow truck in front of it.
Minivan, facing the wrong way, right near a concrete divider with a splat mark on it.


My RX-8 is happy.


(Of course, it's sitting in my garage with the stock tires while I drive the winter car to work.)

StewC625

Mine likes playing in the snow like a happy puppy!

beachdog

yaaayyy

Pro Darwin

capitolgator

I did what g8rboy did- and coincidentally, we are both Florida Gators! I bought 18" snow tires and had them mounted on my stock rims- cost approx $120- but well worth the investment! car drives like a champ in the white stuff.

G8rboy

Great minds think alike : )

Go Gators! Beat Tennessee!

velred8

Stew,

Just wondering where you got the Pirelli PZero Nero M+S's, I've searched a bunch of websites and asked a few local retailers for those all season tires but haven't had any luck. The only ones I've seen are made by Avon Tech (found it on tirerack.com). Tried a search for everybrand, but couldn't find any made by perelli. I dont really want to switch tires back and forth between seasons, just wanna keep it on there until it needs to be changed.