I went out just to play on Saturday night after we got four inches in Madison. It was such a blast.

 

I run Continental Contact Extremes on 18" rims without TCS/DSC: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/rx-8-snow-report-48055/

Since then, I did have trouble in one severe storm last year... it was especially icy and it took some effort get the car moving from a stop on an uphill. But lots of other cars were having the same problem and otherwise it was fine.

I wanted Pirelli PZero Nero M+Ss, but they were out of stock when I needed tires so I got the Contis. From the reviews here and at tirerack, the PZeros aren't as good in the snow, but are better dry road performers. My original plan was to sell my stock tires, but I don't like the Contis' reduced steering feedback and increased body roll (though they grip better than the stock Potenzas). So when I found a set of used stock tires/rims online, I picked em up and now I run with the Contis only during the winter.

Do a search and you'll find lots of threads about this.

 

The Avon Tech M550 seems to generally get really good reviews. I'll probably be taking this route when my RE040s wear out (26k miles and plenty of tread left - go figure).

 

Yea, and tirerack had those avons for something like 100bucks a tire.

 

i just bought the avons a couple of months ago and it appears tonight will be my first test in the snow with them.

the OEM tires were absolutely HORRIBLE (I can't stress this enough) in the snow. the one time i drove my 8 in about 2" snow with the OE tires on them was probably the scariest experience of my life. ANY type of acceleration/decceleration and you would fish tale.

i'm crossing my fingers and hoping my car isn't a death trap tonight with my all-seasons like it was with the high-performance.

 

Reading the "driving in snow" threads here and on miata.net and on vwvortex.com (I have a MazdaSpeed Miata, and I had a VW GTI 337, both of which came with summer/performance tires), I sense that some people don't "get" the fact that summer tires are not meant to be used in the winter. Period. Maybe some think that "summer" tires only means they perform a little better when it's warm. No! Summer tires are not meant to be used in winter condtions. I would think this is a pretty easy concept to understand, but apparently it's not. I read post after post about how "I took my RX-8 out in the snow for the first time today and it totally sucked—what a horrible winter car this is!!" That's like going to Spain with an English-Italian dictionary and then complaining about how horrible the dictionary is.

Two simple facts:
1) Most cars come with all-season tires. All-season tires will work in snow and ice (though not especially well). Your RX-8 did not come with all-season tires; it came with summer tires.
2) Driving with summer tires in snow or ice is not an option.

 

Let us know how the Avons take to the snow...

 

Having made this exact mistake I think I can speak to this issue. Over the years, I have driven many cars that performed poorly in snow but no matter how bad the car/tires were, I was always able to find some combination of speed/gearing that (at least on flat or slightly inclined roads) allowed me to drive safely, albeit slowly.

So I assumed the same was true for the RX-8. While many people on this forum talked about how bad driving was in snow, I assumed that with sufficient care I could drive safely, particularly with a manual transmission. January two years ago it snowed here in Richmond, VA covering the roads for the first time that winter (about an inch). I was surprised to discover that no matter how I drove (with the Potenzas) the RX-8 could not be operated safely. It was completely unstable and I ultimately had to abandon the car at a friends house on the other side of town.

In retrospect, I realized that because I had never before driven on a set of "summer" tires, I never "got it" that the tires were essentially dangerous in winter conditions. Apparently all the RX-8s handling/braking technology (50/50 weight distribution, ABS, LSD, TCS, DSC) assumes that at least one wheel has substantive contact with the pavement, which is not the case with summer tires in snow. Luckily I learned this lesson without damaging either my 8, myself or anyone else.

I write this while looking out my window at the 4 inches of snow that fell this afternoon. My 8 is safely in the garage and will stay there until the snow melts. Snow is too infrequent here to justify winter or even all-season tires (which would definitely solve the problem). However, my mind goes back to that frightening afternoon two years ago when I learned the hard way something that never sank in from all the advice on this forum.

 

Exactly what I have been intending to say all along. Thank you for the wonderful way you emphasized my point to those who think I'm an idiot for making this kind of assumption.

This is the first car I've owned that had the kind of "OEM tires turn into stone with zero tread in cold temperatures, and are utterly useless in snow" stock summer-only tires.

Thus, my horror behind the wheel at the seasons first snowfall.

My bad. Lesson learned.

 

Thanks. I'm going to check those out, along with the Avons that others have suggested.

Consumer Reports recommends a snow tire called a Vulcan, which is one of the least expensive tires, and which they claim handles better on dry and wet pavement than typical snow tires.

 

I think the assumption of "stock == all-seasons" is very commonly ingrained in people's minds.

So the real question is: have you changed the tires yet?

 

That's pretty good... will have to remember that one.

The stock tires' traction is reduced in cold weather, but it's not as bad as some make it out to be. I've read posts here stating that the Potenzas shouldn't be used below 40 degrees (F), but I haven't noticed much of a difference down to the low-mid 30s. It was a little easier to slide around when the temperature was low-mid 20s (at night a few weeks ago, before switching my rims over), but it wasn't dangerous like it would've been driving on snow or ice. Once it gets below freezing, I just don't take exit ramps at silly speeds

 

That matches my experience. Performance degrades dramatically below 50 degrees but on cold dry/wet roads I have not found the tires to be unsafe, as long as you adjust your driving style.

 

Actually the summer tires are not safe below 40*. They get hard and loose traction rather easily. They also produce a rough ride at low temperatures. my next set of tires is going to be the avons all seasons. I can run them longer into the year without worry of getting caught in early snow slippery situations without my snows on the car.

 

Avons are just about 500 for a set right?

 

$129 apiece at Tirerack.



http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...=All&x=71&y=12

 

I have the Dunlop Winter sprt M3s on right now. Payed $179 each for 18s at tire rack. They work perfectly in the snow and ice. Take it from me. This is my 3rd winter with the 8. The first 2 were with stock tires and I was scared out of my mind on many occasions and just knew I was going to wreck her. It worked out perfectly for me cause my stock tires were so bald I had to get new tires. Next spring I'll buy new summer tires. looking forward to researching the best ones. Don't know if I'll go with the stock Potenzas again, maybe, I don't know.

 

^ don't do that. There are plenty of better options for summer tires (cheaper too). You'll see when you begin your research...

 

***Update - Most 17" after market rims that I had hoped to mount my winter tires on reportedly screw with the Mazda Tire Pressure Monitoring System!!!

SONOFABITCH!!!

 

Up until yesterday I had been riding on Kumho SPTs and I thought they were working out pretty well for being summer tires. Then I put my Dunlop M3 snows on and what a difference. The Kumhos are awesome warm weather tires, and moderate cold weather tires, but the M3s made the 8 feel like it was summer all over again.

 

I don't have the TPMS in my snows (17"). I just inflate them to 32psi and use valve stem caps that show the pressure. I ran all last winter without the TPMS and other than the dashboard mooning me ( ! ), I had no problems.

 

What's the big deal? I have 17" rims that have no TPMS (and don't allow it probably). My light starts to flicker about 10 mins into driving. I kinda don't care. I will cover it with a sticker later.

 

I'm anally retentive. The TPMS light will drive me bonkers.

 

I haven't had any problems driving in low-30's weather on the potenzas. No problems stopping, accidentally breaking traction, or anything.

 

I noticed OEM protenzas traction declines quite abit on wet roads below 45 degrees and do not compare to my dunlop snow tires which stick like glue in cold wet weather driving. BE CAREFUL AROUND CORNERS.