Zahir

I live in the lower midwest (little snow, some ice but mostly cold) and have the stock tires with about 27K on them while driving moderately. I am a bit nervous about the weather and driving in cold rain/slush/ice with these tires.

The question is whether it make much sense to buy winter tires since the average winter snowfall is only about 10-15 inches and mostly it is a bit slippery in the morning but okay during the day as the traffic mellts away.

How long do stock tires last? Should I just buy new all season tires instead of winter tires? Should I buy tires at all since the stock ones are still okay?

I do not race the car.

MattC867

I live in eastern PA and last winter I had all-seasons on throughout. It was mostly ok, but there were a few storms where driving to work the next morning was a little bad. That car was my S1 touring, so it had traction control, and on the ice and snow it came on often.

My experience last winter with all-seasons and the fact that now I have a sport S2, without DSC/TC, made me decide to invest in a dedicated set of winter tires. But I just put them on last week and havent gotten a chance to use them so I can't say if they're better in the snow yet.

Edited to add:

I look at it this way. Over the long term, it costs the same. You get dedicated summer and winter sets and they're likely to last about the same as two sets of all-seasons.

cpenner

I live in Vancouver, Canada. Here is what my experience is.

1) The stock tires really start to lose their grip at about 5-8 degrees celcius (41-46 fahrenheit). The cold road and air doesn't let the compound warm up to grip.
2) Hitting even one thing because you stepped the rear out on acceleration, or had 10 feet longer braking distance would cause more damage to your RX than a set of winter tires.
3) winter comes around every year - guaranteed. Your winter tires will last you more than a single year. I'm aiming for 3.

I picked up a set of aluminum rims and winter tires for about a grand. Many here will have done it for less.

The winter tires don't bring you up to summer grip on summer roads. But the difference between the stock tires and a set of winter tires on cold roads is VERY VERY noticable - and is worth it for this alone. Add in the ice and snow days and you WILL NOT REGRET investing the money in the tires.

Hope this helps.

(oh yeah - side benefit - your nice summer rims don't get road salt damage, and you can pick a higher profile tire to deal with potholes etc.)

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

If you only want to deal with 1 set of wheels, compromise with good all seasons. You will be able to get by, and mostly avoid people laughing at you. If you are willing to deal with a 2nd set, buy a set of snows and watch their laughs fade to shock as the try to fathom how in the hell you are dealing with it far better than they. With your light amount of snow, you might not benefit enough from dedicated snows to make it worthwhile.

DO NOT try driving on the summer tires, especially the terrible OEM. Even dry pavement, they get harder and harder as the temp drops, and the OEM tires are unsafe below about 40 degrees due to this hardening. Passable, but unsafe. Not even passable under about 25f.
I've gone through 4 new england winters on snow tires without issue. I even look forward to driving in the snow due to how much fun it becomes. And my coworkers finally gave up on predicting all my woes. Perhaps it was being the only one to make it to work every open snow day without issue, or maybe the part where i was driving around stuck suvs on the hill into work in my low slung rwd sports car.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

The stock tires, RE-40s or RE-50s, are *summer* tires. Below ~40 F, traction is awful, even without snow/rain/ice. Not to mention that these tires do not age well. Some decent all-seasons are most likely your best choice.

kevinande

If a "winter rat" is not an option, definitely get a set of winter tires. Sometimes a cheap second car can be had for less than 1k if you happen to be in the right place at the right time. I lived in Upstate New York for several years and learned very quickly that a good POS car for winter was a must. I had a toyota corolla that you could see the road through the floor, but a floor mat kept the heat in lol. It's not worth destroying any car you like. The 8 sits very low and it is easy enough in some locations to have accumulations higher than car sits off the ground compounding traction problems.

usnidc

the stock RE-40's on mine were good in 70 F degree weather until I had about 20,000 miles on them. then they got LOUD and hard and wet traction drop quickly. Now I have an all season "touring" tire that is quite, and still gives me about 90% of what the RE-40's gave me when they were newish. I live in Virginia where we only get a couple of snow days a year but we have many sub 40 F days.

ken-x8

Here in Northern Virginia we usually only get a couple of real snowfalls each year. After my winter car was put to sleep, I bought some performance all weathers. I do have the option of working at home if it's a known snow day; just need something if there's an afternoon surprise. That happened twice last winter. I made it home both times, including the infamous storm where lots of other people took 8 to 12 hours to get home. A bit more squirrely than my old Accord with all-seasons, but way better than my first car, an Alfa with bald tires.

I had intended to get Blizzaks on a set of 17 inch wheels and swap every equinox, but back problems made me rethink that strategy. I also wondered if winter tires/wheels would cost the crispness that I love about driving the 8.

Ken

New Yorker

^ What he said.

Either buy a set of winter tires, or sell your summer tires and buy all-seasons (as there's no point in having both summer tires and all-seasons; if you're goin' to the trouble of owning two sets of tires and switching 'em twice a year, summer tires + winter tires is the only combination that makes sense).

Whatever you do, DO NOT drive with summer tires if there's even a CHANCE of icy spots on the road, let alone regular snow and ice.

Prophet

Snow tires. Just do it, they may save your life.

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

Add heavy rain to that as well lol ... cant count the number of times my rear kicked out on saturated roads during crazy downpours.

Rotary-RX8

iTrader: (1)

in my personal experience. i wouldnt drive with the stock tires even if theres a bit of snow. cause if its snowing .... it means its cold enough to turn the tires solid as rock ... and they do get hard as rock. With that said you wont be able to move anywhere. Trust me.


I put my summers on too soon this spring. Left the car sitting for a good 5 hours in the parking lot. Started snowing. Could not move.. had to go home get my snow tires then do the swap in the parking lot. It sucked.

Iluvrevs

I went with the Blizzak LM-60s on dedicated wheels. In CO we get a bit more snow that you indicate, but its usually gone in a day or 3. The LMs provide very good dry weather performance for me and are awesome in any bad weather.

RiderCoach Lar

Could not agree more. I'm in Chicago and as far as I'm concerned, stock tires are not an option during colder (~40-45 F) weather. So the question becomes winter tires or all-seasons(?).

Personally, I went with a complete set of winter wheels and Blizzak tires and could not be more pleased with the results. If you're getting 27k+ out of stock tires, it may make more sense for you to go with all-seasons. I barely got 20k out of my first set of summer tires, but it sounds like your driving style is conservative enough that a set of all-seasons should last you....forever (or close to it).

smedly

I have 2 cars . A Honda Civic w/ all season tires . And My RX8 that I have a dedicated summer and winter tire setup . I'd recommend getting snow tires . The RX8 w/ winter tires is FAR superior to the civic with all seasons . I make my wife take the RX8 in the winter because it's safer than the civic w/ all seasons . I am now looking in to getting snow tires as well for the civic . IMHO you can't put a price on safety and peace of mind .

KRMRX8

iTrader: (1)

I run the 215/55 LM Blizzaks on a set of 17 inch wheels bought from Tire Rack mounted and ready to go and couldn't be happier in Minnesota winters. The ride comfort is way better than stock with summer and have yet to ever get stuck in snow nor had any problems on iced over roads. The 2008 40th also has traction control and stability control that makes the Blizzaks a nice safer ride.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

As a resident of the snow belt, I much prefer real snows in winter to all-seasons. However, were I say in southern Indiana, the compromise would go more for good all-seasons. While AS are a compromise in snow, snows are a compromise in the dry. TireRack.com is full of info towards making a rational choice. I would think twice about mounting/demounting tires on one set of rims every season; the /45 profile is an invitation to sidewall or rim damage. While a second set of wheels + snows may be the best choice, it's hard to do this for much under $1000.

Still, be 100% sure, RE-40's in winter are really really bad news!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

The OEM summers, yeah. They are terrible. My summer tire of choice (on my 3rd set across 2 cars) is the Yokohama S.Drive. By far the best rain/heavy rain/anti-hydroplane summer tire I've ever come across.

And I live in the 7th highest ranked city by annual precipitation (most of it is rain, Providence itself doesn't actually get tons of snow, sea level and too close to the mitigating water http://www.currentresults.com/Weathe...on-by-city.php). Heavy rain traction is a critical factor for me in tire choice.

The OEM summers lasted me 12,000 miles. The same driving on the above mentioned S.Drives (which are better on dry than the OEM) netted me 35,000 miles before I hit the wear bars.

So, your tire may certainly vary