I bought the Dunlop WinterSport M3s in the stock tire size from tirerack. I got the tires installed by one of the tirerack partners and had them drop shipped. When I went to get the tires installed I just made sure they knew there were tire pressure sensors on the wheels. They were very careful when doing the mount. I imagine the sensors can take quite a bit of abuse. The mazda engineers probably designed for someone hitting a pothole or bump at a decent speed.

On the other hand, the tires are absolutely awesome. The snow traction is great, but what impressed me the most is the dry road traction/handling. Definitely a great fit for the 8 in winter.

 

Anyone check their tire pressure for the winter tires? Gr8boy mentioned that Mazda says winter tires should be at 36psi not 32. Mine were between 30-32.

 

Just a little trivia regards to tire pressure. For every 10degrees the temp drops you will lose 1psi of tire pressure. so if your tires are adjusted in a +60degree garage let say and you pull it out and let it sit outside at +o degrees your tire pressure will be lower by 6 psi. Tire pressure should be set at what the manufactor has put on the sidewall of the tire. Tire pressure should be checked and adjusted when the tire is "cold " and has not been warmed up by running.

 

That's true about the cold. When I picked up my car it was a very cold day and the warning light came on. All the tires were 26 lbs when cold as they were probably filled in the warmer months.

However, tire pressure should be set at what the car manufacturer recommends you can find that information on the door jam, not what is on the sidewall.

 

Good warning about the temperature effects on pressure, but the above note is completely wrong. The tire pressures on the sidewall of a tire are the maximum permitted pressure at full load on the tire - they are by no means the recommended pressure for daily driving!

Tire pressure should be set at what the vehicle manufacturer specifies on the door jamb of the vehicle, or in the owners manual. Running at maximum rated pressure will result in much poorer ride and handling and excessive (uneven) tire wear.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Thank you I stand corrected on the recommended tire pressure verses the max pressure that is on the tire sidewall.

 

You guys were absolutely right about the stock tires. I just completed the longest 8 miles of my life in 1" of snow here in De. All I could imagine was my brand new "8" in a ditch. I almost didn't make it up my driveway. Boy, these tires suck in the snow. Lucky I still have my 4X4 . Looks like I'll have to save up my pennies for a set of winter tires.

 

Just Picked up a RX8 for the wife and it's snowing, just a light accumulation. Tried getting out of the driveway and There is absolutely no traction, no steering, and the DCS is locking up like crazy. Finally nursed it back into the driveway with the DCS off in second. Called the dealer to see if they had any snows, and they just laughed. Checked with all the usual tire dealers including Tire Rack and found that no one makes the size (225x45x18) or they are out of stock until next fall. Called Mazda and was warned that fitting a 17" wheel tire combination will void the warranty. Despite a conversation about wheel height, diameter, rolling distance, etc., they would not ok it (they just didn't want to hear about it, plus they were located in sunny south Ca. and couldn't relate). Any ideas out there? Thanks Allan

 

Get the 17 inch wheels. They will have to prove that they caused a problem to void the warranty. Then it would only apply to the parts involved - suspension mainly. I got the 17 inch wheels with LM22s and it is a great combo - though I never thought that the 17s would void the warranty.

 

They claimed that the ABS, DCS, would be effected and the odometer would not read right. out of the 3 snow tires they mentioned to me, one was the stock tire, the LM22 is Out of stock until next year in the 18" and the last I could not identify with any tire mfg. I know if the car was an auto, it would definitely screw up the trans, but the ABS and DCS I'm unsure of. I'm sure I did some wear, at best, by trying to drive the damn thing in the snow, smells like burning brake shoes. But with no other options, I may just go with the 17", and take them off should the car break down somewhere. And you though having no spare tire was bad enough.

 

That would be presuming that the tires were of different diameter, or different front to rear. Obviously you spoke to someone who knows nothing about winter tires, and was just covering their butt with the usual "if we don't understand it, we say it's not covered".

Many of us are running 17" wheels with 215/55-17 or 225/50-17 winter tires. There are absolutely no adverse consequences with ABS or DSC, they function perfectly. Diameter is within 1 or 2% of stock, so the odometer is unaffected as well. There is far more selection in those 17" sizes than in 18" (especially now), and the 17" wheels and tires are noticeably cheaper than their 18" equivalents. By all means, get a 17" winter set and be safe!!

Regards,
Gordon

 

All true.
Further:
I am running on 17's with low profile tires, so my size is smaller (circumference) by 5%. That makes my speedo read 5% high.
(I am going faster on the speedo than what my real speed is)
Of course the stock speedo readings are out of whack to start with.
Stock readings are about 2-3% optimistic. With my winter wheels/tires it is about 7% optimistic.

There is no effect on DSC, ABS, etc.

Simply put, the dealer you spoke with is covering their butts, and have no clue what they are talking about.

In Japan the base RX-8 is equipped with 16" wheels and tires!
The 18's are a dealer added option.

They do not adjust anything else, re-flash the ECU or anything!!

Bottom line:
If you run an RX-8 on the stock wheels and tires in ice or snow you are a traffic hazard and should be arrested.

 

does that mean your odometer is also going to rack up the miles 5% quicker? For every 100000 actual miles driven there will be 5000 additional miles added because of tire circumference?

 

Yes, your Odometer will read higer than actual miles if you go with a smaller wheel and tire diameter. The trick is to go with the 17" and higher profile tire to compensate for the difference. I know on certian domestic cars jegs has a computer to reprogram the wheel size. I have a snap on scanner and may try getting into the computer via the OBD II port and look around.

 

I got snow tires for my RX-8 here in the Boston area. It drives great with the snow tires on. I had tested it out on the driveway with the stock tires, and can confirm that the stock tires just don't work in the snow. Although I don't plan to drive it that much in the snow, I realized that it would be a disaster if I got caught in a snowstorm with the stock tires. I wouldn't hesitate to take it out in snow now, but I do want to avoid the sand and salt!

I bought the 17" wheels with 225/50-17 WS50 Blizzaks mounted from TireRack. I lined up one with the stock tires next to it, and it sure looks to me like it's exactly the same diameter. Tire rack tests them out the wheels make sure that they have the right clearance. I just don't see how it could affect the warranty.

 

i live in long island in new york... today when going out my driveway, which is slightly up hill, and i couldn't get up the hill, granted it was a solid sheet of ice, but after having to actually get of the car and breaking the ice with a crow bar i've decided to buy snow tires...... i've read alot on this website, and seems that tirerack is the best way to go, but my questions.
1. do have tire rack deliver the tires to my house, and they are already mouted and balanced and i just take my (18 inch) wheels off and stack them in my garage, ride around till mid feb to early march then switch back..... or do i have tirerack deliver to my tire guy and he balances the tires for me, and i have to drag 4 wheels and tires back to my house??
2. with having hte 18 inch rims, my best bet seems to be 17 inch wheels, but which ones, and what tires.
3. i haven't read much on the air pressure system in the car, do you have to get special tires that would be compatible, as i spoke to a friend he told me that if i put the wrong tires on there that annoying light will come on no matter if the pressure is good or not, and it will damage the monitoring system?
any help would be nice, thanks.

 

1) I believe Tire rack mounts and balances the tires for you so just have them send it to your house. 2) The most economical way is to get 18" snows, but no one has them, out of stock until next fall. Tire rack is also running out of the 17" snows as well. The Blizzaks were a deal at $115/tire but they are out of those as well, missed them by 2 hours. The only ones left are the Dunlops and Perellis at $155 and $178. Size from others posting on this web is 225x50x17 and is reported to be close to the 18" wheel diameter. 3) You will have to get new pressure sensors, tire rack says that they can put them in for more $$$$$. So with this said, I'm thinking waiting till next year and getting a better deal during the summer. Needless to say, My wife, who I had bought the car for, is driving my Denali and I get the RX8. Just don't get caught in the deep snow and start in 2nd gear. Good Luck.

 

My first experience with my snow tires...Dunlop M2's....100% difference. It actually was excellent in the snow. Before I could not drive straight or even get up my driveway.....now there's no problem at all!! Like night and day!! Whew.....I am so glad I convinced the hubby to get the tires!!! A Mustang was behind me and he was all over the road while I was straight and cruisin' on through!!! I bet he wished he had my 8!! (or snow tires at least!)

 

:D :D

 

The Discount Tire Co. still has 18's and 17's. Check out the website for local phone numbers. They don't have an accurate listing for inventory on their website. I called them a little over a week ago to see if they still had stock for someone else.

 

Just checked with Discount Tire. NG, they are out of anything that will fit a RX8, 17's or 18's. Any other sources?

 

www.tirerack.com still shows the Pirelli Winter210 SnowSport 225/50-17 in stock.

You could also check some of the Canadian online tire vendors, as they readily ship to the US - www.tiretrends.com , www.1010tires.com , www.talontire.com .

Regards,
Gordon

 

ROTFLMAO!! I've had my 8 for a week and today it's snowing. I took the 8 out got less than a mile away and turned back. I switched up for my wife's MPV and had no problems.

Mazda really should have put ultra high performance ALL season tires on the 8. Especially since they call it a "real world" sport car.

 

I disagree about the all-season tires - can you imagine how the car would be roasted in the press if it plowed around skid pads and on the track on all-seasons? It's forte is supposed to be handling, and all-seasons would compromise that great handling. You don't see all-seasons fitted from the factory to Corvettes, 350Zs, S2000s, Toyota MR2s, Miatas, Boxsters, or any other sports car - you shouldn't see them on an RX-8 either.

Aside from being a compromise in summer, they're a compromise in winter as well. While they would provide basic get home capability, they are nowhere near as capable as proper winter tires. I refuse to use all-seasons on my other cars in winter (including an Audi AWD), I certainly wouldn't use them on my RX-8 if I'm going to be doing any winter conditions driving regularly!

Regards,
Gordon

 

I think it would be nice if Mazda offered all-seasons as an option at the time the car is purchased.

This would keep some folks safe even if they could not afford the extra expense of snow tires or a tire/wheel set.

Lots of us have been surprised by the additional expense.