Astral

Waxing my ASA JH3s tonight with Zaino... at least one coat of Z2-Pro, maybe two... just to keep them looking a little fresher and easier to clean through the winter.

vectorwolf

^That's a good idea... If I weren't so lazy, I'd probably have done that myself.

Downshift, thanks for the post! I always like hearing firsthand accounts. If these tires don't let me get around as well as the Miata, I'll be seriously disappointed... Thankfully, though, I'm now living in an area with almost no hills (unlike the previous town), so it should be quite a bit better anyways.

nhguy

Same combo that I purchased last winter for my black RX-8. I love the whole package and the tires do great in the snow.

Punksux

Here is an image of a Ti 8 with the kazera. Also is a close up of the black spacers.

Astral

I installed my wheels yesterday. Will post pics soon. Meanwhile, I weighed the tire/wheel combos...

Stock tire/wheel: ~47lbs (OEM Dunlops on stock 18s)
Winter tire/wheel: ~49lbs (Wintersport M3s on ASA JH3s)
Spare tire/wheel: ~24.5lbs (weighs less than my subwoofer/enclosure combo)

Astral

Dunlop WinterSport M3s on ASA JH3s (more pics here)

vectorwolf

VERY nice!

Astral

i will say, so far the m3s give me lighter steering and feel softer/squirmier than the stock tires. oh well, that's what you get with a winter tire! it's not all that bad though, still feels pretty good!

winter vs stock:

Astral

In case anybody reads this thread later, here's some installation notes on my ASA JH3 wheels from Tirerack.

You have to use thin-wall sockets. I used the Gorilla thin-wall sockets from TireRack. The lug wrench that comes with the car has too thick of a wall for the ASA JH3 wheel lug holes. It's pretty tight clearance.

When installing, keep the wheel pressed against the hub and get the first lug slightly tight. This pushes the wheel against the hub and gets it centered using the supplied centering rings (pre-installed by TireRack). If you don't tighten the first lug, then the wheel will slide down and make screwing other lugs on difficult.

I used the lugs that TireRack sent, as they were longer and fit the "deep socket" style of the ASA JH3 wheel. However, those lugs would not work well with the stock wheels as they would be too long and look bad.

(I didn't realize this centering ring thing and spent like 1 hr trying to get the first wheel on. I thought the lug nuts were just too big and almost ended up calling tirerack).


ALSO I noticed the wheels tend to stick out wider than the stock wheels. This is probably due to the offset of the market wheels. I'm not complaining as it looks pretty good.

vectorwolf

w00t! Just took a quick drive to the post office. We have 1-3 inches now, visibility is poor, anyone who still has summer tires is stuck (Mustang GT and 300C on 22's so far...), and the new tires are AWESOME. Didn't have any problems braking, cornering, or taking off on the handful of hills I came across. Probably would have stayed out a little longer if not for a couple of overconfident drivers who got me a little concerned. Even had the gf take one or two short video clips to show how deep the snow is. I'm VERY impressed.

*rant on*
Just wanted to say boo to all who think the 8 can't handle the snow. Get some good tires, and you'll be more than fine.
*rant off*

gonnahanvan8

Gonna put my new ASA JH8 with Dunlop Winter Sport M3's on in about 15 min. Cutting it close, supposed to get 3-7in tonight. just started snowing. hope I make it home to do it.

vectorwolf

Good luck, man... The roads are pretty bad here...

Astral

4-8 inches of snow tomorrow! wahoo! i can't wait

vectorwolf

Just had a fun trip. Went out to get some food, but decided to take a detour and see what downtown Indianapolis looked like (I get bored easily, what can I say?). The only snowplows I saw were JUST starting to come out at about 7:30, and one or two of those were stuck behind a line of traffic stretching nearly two miles...

Downtown itself was kind of 50/50; some good spots, and some bad. I came across one guy in an Infiniti FX-35 who slid into a gutter by a sidewalk and couldn't get out (a $40,000 SUV with nearly bald summer tires... really odd). I decided to stop and help the guy get out. Took about 20-30 minutes, but I finally dug him out and sent him on his way. I really need to remember to go out and buy a small shovel and a few rubber floor mats in case I run across anyone else needing a hand...

On the way back, I stopped by Kroger to pick up some food (and there were no lines *gasp*), and did a sweet ~300 degree drift into a parking space (no, NO ONE was anywhere near me) just for ****$ and giggles. I love snow.



Here's a short video of one of the local roads. The 8 handled the snow like a champ:

gonnahanvan8

Just made it. It started snowing on my way home from work. It took about a half hour to switch the summers tires to winter. I got some Dunlop M3's on ASA JH8 wheels. It took me an hour and a half to get to school (it's only about 5 miles) I just got pulled into the parking lot and a friend from class called to say the instructor was dismissing everybody. We ended up getting 6-8 inches of snow. The snow tires were worth every penny. I was amazed how well the Rx8 handled. Still got to respect the snow though.

vectorwolf

They ARE worth it, aren't they? They may not make the 8 a snowmobile, but at least you don't have to worry about getting stuck on a hill, or sliding off the road. Glad to hear you made it home safe!

Dark8

People look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them the RX-8 is one of the best "snow cars" I have owned. Get some snow tires on it and drive like a sane person and it will do great in the snow.

vectorwolf

^+1 That's half the reason I like going out in the snow in the first place. Just to blow everyone's mind.