Velocity-8

I heard ya but I disagree.

First, to clarify, I'm talking about ZR rated ULTRA High Performance tires and not normal all-seasons.

I had a Twin Turbo Z that I switched the tires to Pirelli P700SS. Those tires handled the dry and rain much better than the stock ones. I drove the Z in snow and it got around OK. They are not intended to be driven regularly in Winter conditions but they give you enough traction to get by once in a while which is what I need.

fluque

I asked 3 dealers about the RX-8 needing winter tires and all said they have not heard of the car (or the tires) being bad in the snow. They either playing dumb or are extremely ignorant..... I don't know what’s worse.

On Mazda's end (as a manufacturer) I honestly believe they should at least offer an after market solution to the winter tire problem.

I find it outrageous how dealers in the DC area neglected the need for winter tires.

Gord96BRG

Typical for dealers - either they really are that ignorant (not that unlikely) or they deliberately play dumb to avoid jeapordizing a sale because of the summer tire issue. I doubt this issue belongs exclusively to Mazda dealers - what are 350Z owners saying? Are they wishing for all-season tires also? It's probably less of a problem for S2000 owners, as more of them are probably parked for the winter conditions. When you get to the higher end cars like Porsche, the dealers probably aren't as scared to advise that the car will need winter tires.

Regards,
Gordon

fluque

Gordon, I sent you a PM....

New Yorker

When I picked up my VW GTI 337 (w/summer tires), the dealer made a big deal about the need for winter tires. There was also an insert from VW cautioning to not use the summer tires in winter.

Trx8

I bought 17" Pirelli 210 SnowSports with ASA KA3 wheels from tirerack, and had them shipped to my dealer. The stock tires are in the garage waiting for summer weather. I drove it home, six days and 350 miles ago, and have only seen dry roads a few times since. Even with these tires, the RX-8 is very agile on dry/wet roads and is magnificent at getting around those that would "legislate morality in the fast lane".

Today is the second snow day for the local schools. For sure, the rear wheel drive is different in the snow than our previous Honda Civics, Accords, and Odysseys. For those cars, too much acceleration causes the front wheels to lose traction, and for the RX-8 it happens to the rear wheels. These are very different effects when trying to accelerate through corners. If I keep the acceleration on the edge of causing the rears to break loose, I can get the car to smoothly side slip around corners; any more and the back will gracefully break free, and it side slips about a car width before recovering.

I drove it on the expressway, clear of other cars, in mixed conditions (wet, packed snow, slop) yesterday, trying to maneuver through the worst of it. So far, its working well in the snow, but I think the low ground clearance will start to become a limiting factor when the snow gets deeper.

Roaddemon

I have ASAKA3 17'rims and dunlap SP m3 winter sport tires 225/50 H from tire rack on my rx8. They work great in the snow, just as good as any front wheel car I have. They look good and handle close to the stocks. I paid $1288 for the pkg mounted and balanced. I can drive in any weather now and the m3's are rated very close to the Blizzaks and are supose to have longer tread life

loco4rx8

OK, I can't believe I got out of my driveway this morning. Three inches of snow with a nice 1/4 inch or so glaze of crusty slick ice on top. Driveway is long and hilly and curvy. The '8' had no problems with the Dunlop M3's on. I slipped a bit going downhill but nothing bad, no spinning at all.

I'm with Gord. I really wish people would stop saying this car is no good in the snow when it's excellent with the right tires.

This was something I was really worried about before I bought the car - I'm not worried any more. I think it'll be fine unless there's a 6" or more snowfall. Then I'll just have to get someone to scrape the road. Oh, and you do have to worry about the other jokers on the road.

Velocity-8

My comments have been that I feel Madza should use Ultra High Performance All-Season tires like Pirelli P7000SS or better as OEM tires. Mazda calls the RX8 "a sports car for the real world". They address areas where the car gives up a little extreme performance in order to make it a better everyday car (see the Road&Track supplement on the RX8).

A tire like the P7000SS is very close in dry performance to the Potenzas that came on it. They have the ability to drive in snow with a lot more traction and stability than the Potenzas so why not OEM these?

I just bought my 8 a week ago and I don't think I should have to got out and spend $500-$1200 just to be able to drive in 1-2 inches of snow.

Trx8

RX-8 Manual Clarification On Snow Tires

Email to Mazda:

What is the reason for the 120 km/h (75 mph) speed limit with the snow tires? This speed appears to be far below the speed rating of performance oriented snow tires, some at 240 km/h. Is there some "snow tire related limit" in the RX-8 design?

Email from Mazda:

In regards to your question, no, there is no RX-8-specific "snow tire related speed limit". The information that you read is included for safety purposes. It is not recommended to exceed these speeds simply due to the fact that it would represent a danger. Naturally, most drivers would adjust their speed to observe conditions if snow is present anyway (especially if snow tires are required). Moreover, we recommend staying within the posted speed limits (particularly in more extreme weather conditions).

wolfbeast

If anyone is looking for a cheap set of winter tires and wheels I have a set for sale.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2456135059

They are Toyo Garit HT 225/50-17 and FRD6 17"x7" rims. These are lightweight rims and high performance winter tires. They have been highly recommended are perfect for the RX8.

The set is new and mounted. It has never been put on a car and is still in the packaging. It is on sale for a very low price!

Neil

loco4rx8

Sorry if you got the idea my comment was directed at you. It was directed at people who say the car is no good in the snow. Period. You obviously understand the need for "different from OEM" tires when driving in snow.

Velocity-8

Ok, I gotcha now. Yes, my grip is with the OEM tires. After driving in snow and ice the last few days I've really been able to feel how the car responds in off axis driving. Even with the stock tires the RX8 never feels like it wants to swap ends. When the tires let loose a lift of the throttle and a few quick corrections with the steering wheel bring it right back in line.

Starting from a stand-still or getting in my driveway...now that just plain SUX. :D

Racer X-8

Yeah, tell me about it. Hehe. Around here, I like to just watch from a safe distance. It's comical, like the first time on ice skates..."what the...!" I've seen people floor it when they start to slide, a whole lot of times, like they thnik it's got to catch-hold that way. Oh - duh! These are the kind you DON'T want anywhere near you when you're out there!

kensrx8

Has anyone tried complaining to Mazda about the tires. I called my dealer to complain and they said they knew of no such problems. I told him that everyone is having problems. Has anyone taken this up with Mazda of NA?

Gearbox

As I have mentioned earlier in this thread, my dealer laughed and told me to park it. They had 20 of these cars and couldn't move anyone of them with the lightest of snow without crashing into something. Called Mazda NA ( in San Deigo) and they said I had to get 18" snow tires sized to the OEM's or possibly void the warranty for any related problems, but couldn't (wouldn't?) pin point any specific ones, i.e. DCS, ABS, etc. When I told them that there are no tires in the exact size availlable anywhere, the rep quiped that it never snows where he was so he couldn't relate. But they did confirm that the OEM tires sucked in the snow, so I assumed that I was not the only one that called.

silvercloud

I'm taking mine into the dealer in about a week for an oil change.
It will be interesting to see if they give me grief about the 17" wheels and no sensors.

Velocity-8

That is a great point! I think I need to call Mazda NA.

Gearbox

1-800-222-5500 Have fun

Gord96BRG

What's to complain about? They're summer high-performance tires. EVERY car with high-performance summer tires has the same problem/issue. Mazda does include a warning about using the OEM tires in winter conditions in the owners manual, IIRC.

If my RX-8 had come with all-seasons, then I'd be complaining about their choice of tires. It's a sports car, it needs appropriate tires. Summer and Winter. My 96 Miata in Canada was delivered with all-season tires, unlike Miatas sold in the US which had summer tires. The all-seasons were inadequate in summer, inadequate in winter. I had to replace them long before they wore out.

Regards,
Gordon

Trx8

My dealer knew about the summer/snow issue, said they can't be driven in snow, helped look for tires, and basically did what it ever took to get the car on the road. Of course they were motivated because I made "snows on the car" a condition of the sale. For safety/liability reasons, they wouldn't install wheels without tire pressure sensors, but offered to transport the car and sets to a local tire dealer that would. In the end, I found Mazda sensors at a different local tire dealer, and my dealer installed them in the wheels, assembled the sets, and put them on the car. On the day of delivery, there were five of us standing around the wheel, with the tire half-off, looking at the tire sensor trying to decide if it was workable in the particular rim. Three days later, the TPMS light came on and one of the tires was low on air. Its been good since.

Roaddemon

I look at the bright side. I'm going to keep the car 10 years. The snow wheels will help save my stock wheels from winter deterioration and I won't have to replace my stock tires as often and they sell for $278 each. whereas snows are ony $155. It will work to may advantage in the long haul. The Dunlap M3's are also Run Flat tires which means you can drive on a flat for 50 miles under 45mph. Nice feature in the winter. I 'd hate to get stranded in minus degree wheather.

Roaddemon

Tire Rack says snow tires do not require pressure sensors in wheels since they do not ride flat like summer tires. Proper Pressure is not as crucial for safe handling. Snows work fine without it the sensor.

Velocity-8

We are obviously not going to agree here.

Your Miata did NOT come with Ultra High Performance All-season tires. I would not want regular A/S tires on a Miata either.

Madza claims that the RX8 is different than EVERY other high performance car like the Z, S2K etc. The RX8 is marketed as a real world sports car. IMO Ultra High Performance All-season tires would help back this claim.

Have you every driven a 300hp RWD car in the snow with Ultra High Performance All-season tires like Pirelli P7000SS? Have you driven the same car in the summer pushing those same tires to their limit? I have and for a sacrafice of a tiny bit of extreme performance allows the car to be driven all year without changing anything.

Velocity-8

This is from the Tire Rack on the Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 ...


"Many sports cars, coupes and sedans come from the factory equipped with low profile tires mounted on the large diameter alloy wheels needed to clear their big brakes. The Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 was developed so the drivers of these cars could retain their vehicle's original wheel diameters while blending dry road performance with snow traction. The SP Winter Sport M2 is Porsche-approved for 100% of their current vehicles' winter tire needs, and factory-recommended for use on the sport models from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen and others. The SP Winter Sport M2 is engineered to deliver performance and traction whether the road is ice & snow covered or not.

The SP Winter Sport M2 features a directional tread design to help maintain good traction on wet and slush covered roads while its high-density lateral zig-zag sipes and independent tread blocks provide the edges to help bite through snow. The SP Sport is a tire for the performance car drivers who need snow and ice traction and want to retain as much dry road responsiveness and handling as possible.

The Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 winter radial meets the industry's severe snow service requirements. They feature blackwall styling and are available in 65-, 60-, 55-, 45-, 40 and 35-series, T-, H-, and V-speed rated sizes for 15" to 17" wheel diameters.

Do not mix radial snow tires with tires of other construction, size, ply rating, or pattern type. Dunlop highly recommends fitment of four snow tires of the same type and rating for optimum mud & snow traction and maintenance of vehicle handling characteristics. "