Connor, is bolt patter 5X114 the same as 5X114.3? I am not sure if Tire rack just does not add the .3 or if there is an actual differance. Thanks

I live in indianapolis, and my parents live close to southbend would it be possible to pick up tires that i ordered on the Site, insted of getting them shipped? I am also looking at getting snow tires. And would love to test the tires around your track haha ;)

Connor,

I apologize if I have missed this comparison in another thread, but how would you compare the Blizzak LM-22 vs WS-50? Why would a person buy one over the other?

Thanks!

Zoom, Zoom!

Looking at a set of Pirelli's but not sure about the staggered tire size, any suggestions? Thanks.
225/50HR17 PI W210 SNOW SPORT 94H TIRES

235/50HR17 PI W210 SNOW SPORT RF TIRES

staggered in snow bad. you want to go with the narrowest possible.

yea l live in fla, but i am an x pro skier. cold is bad. for the price of those you could buy a subrua 4wd wagon late 80s and never put the 8 in danger.

beers

Ok, I am trying to make sense of this thread and failing. Can someone talk to me about tires in the language of someone who doesn't know anything about tires?

All I know is, winter is around the corner and its time I figure out what I'm doing about snow tires. The only thing I know for sure is I need 4 snow tires. And maybe wheels.

Newbie questions:

1) The normal wheels are 18", right? But 17" wheels seem to come up in this topic. Are 17" wheels better? Why?

2) If I change the wheels... isn't there some kind of sensor doohickey thingy for the tire pressure monitor? What are the issues with that if I change wheels?

3) Particularly in light of 2) above, do I need to go to a Mazda dealer for tires/wheels or can I (should I?) go to just a regular tire place?

4) So let's say take the car somewhere and get 4 wheels/tires. How do I get the 4 summer wheels/tires home in my RX-8?

5) Obviously people have different opinions of different brands; just how much difference does it really make in the end? Are there any brands that really SUCK and should be avoided?

advTHANKSance for helping to educate me.

Krankor
05 Shinka 6MT

I'll take a shot at these questions, but I'll also say that I'm not an expert. I expect Connor will gladly correct anything that I say incorrectly. I have lived in Wisconsin my whole life, and have had snow tires (Blizzak WS-50s only) for about 10 years. I feel strongly that you should have dedicated winter tires if you live in "snowy" parts of the US. Anyway, here goes:

1. The stock wheels are 18"x8" and most people consider using 17" wheels for snow tires. I have 17"x7" winter wheels. Buying new wheels allows for a narrower size, which is better for snow traction. (You want the tires to "cut" through the snow to the hard pavement below, rather than "floating" on the top of the snow. Narrow tires will do this, and wide tires act like skis.) Also, some of the more aggressive snow tires are only available in taller, narrower, lower-performance sizes. I wanted the WS-50 rather than the LM-22 because I drive on poorly cleared back roads, and I felt comfortable giving up the dry performance of the LM-22 to gain the loose snow perfomance of the WS-50.

2. Yes, the sensor doohickey thingy is called a TPMS sensor, and you don't HAVE to install one on your new wheels. If you don't, then the TPMS light will be on all winter. If you do want them installed on your new wheels, you just need to buy four of them and have them put on the wheels (very easy to do) before mounting the snow tires. Some places (insert plug for Tire Rack here) will install the sensors and mount/balance the tires before sending them to you. This is the easiest. Anyway, any garage monkey can, if he's careful, mount the sensors and the tires for you without any special training.

3. covered in 2.

4. Heh heh. Good luck. You can take them home in your passenger seat one at a time, you can bribe your friend with the pickup/SUV to help out, or you can pay the tire changing place to store them for you. My suggestion is to buy the wheel/tire combo already mounted, and change them at home. You just need to jack up the car, change a wheel, and repeat X 3. (This is another argument for winter wheels, rather than just buying tires. You will have this problem next spring, and next fall, and the following spring, etc. If you pay $50-60 each time for mounting and balancing, you aren't spending much more to buy some cheap winter wheels.)

5. I can't really answer this one, as I've only used one brand my whole life. I used the Blizzak WS-15 until it was replaced by the WS-50. I've used them on three different cars, and a minivan with great results. I can't comment on any other brands, or even other Blizzak models. As for what tire you should choose, the main issue is what you expect from the tires. If you plan to drive on dry roads all winter, except for the three or four times it flurries a bit while you're at work, then you should get performance winter tires. If you get the ones I have, you will NOT be able to beat any other sports cars off the line without hopelessly spinning your squishy, soft tires into little melted blobs. You will NOT be able to accelerate hard on the on-ramp without your DSC light blinking angrily at you. You will lose a lot of steering feel, along with a lot of dry road traction. As I said above, this is what I need where I live, or I can't get to work. The trade-off is that I've been able to get out of my driveway when my co-worker's 4wd blazer couldn't.

Good luck with your decision.

Much thanks for the info! Very helpful! Let me ask some follow-up questions here...

Yeah, that much I was already convinced of.

Ok, this is finally starting to make a little bit of sense to me. But does one inch of width really make that much difference in cutting through to the surface?

Interesting. And if I wanted to get winter TPMSs, what's the ballpark for how much they cost? And where would I get them from?

And ballpark what would it cost for them to store them?

So wait a minute. Are you saying that I can get someone to just mail me the whole kit'n'kaboodle, and it just means I have to put them on myself?

Well, that may have contained some useful stuff. Boston is of course hardly dry-roads-all-winter-except-for-the-three-or-four-times-it-flurries-a-bit, even if it isn't quite Wisconsin. But jeez, beating other sports cars off the line in February is the LAST thing I'm thinking about! I just wanna be able to get through the winter safely! If those are the kind of issues people are worrying about in winter tires... well, this will maybe help me make more sense out of posts here.

Thanks, and thanks again for the good info!

Krankor
05 Shinka 6MT

I'm not sure how much difference it makes, but that's the argument used, and it makes some sense to me.

I think they are around $100 each (give or take $20) - you can check with the Tire Rack and see. Make a wheel/tire package for the RX-8, and the checkout page will ask if you want the sensors. It'll say how much they are.

That depends on the shop. My local guy stored them for free, but others may charge. And, my local guy sold his semi-trailer storage place so he won't store mine any more. They're in a stack in the garage.

Yup, that's what I did. I got them from the Tire Rack, and had them sent here before I even bought the car. (I bought my car in Jan. in Chicago.) I loaded them into my dad's truck and had the dealer install them before I even drove off the lot. They even had the right air pressure.

Yeah, I agree. But you do need to realize that my tires have MUCH lower dry performance than the stock tires. I accept this trade-off, but you may not have to, if you can get by with the "performance winter" models.

Choice of tires
 

Hey Connor (I wonder if he's still checking this tread?) or someone else who really knows alot about tires,

Now here's my final choices with 225/50-17 :
- Bridgestone Blizzack LM-22
- Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2

I saw on the Tirerack.com reviews that the Michelin was better rated!
Then why do you (Connor) still recommend the Bridgestone?

Also, why don't you recommend 215/55-17 tires? Is it because there are less that are offered with this size? If not, then why? I've always thought that smaller width tires were better in snow!


ThX ! :doughpoke

In the testing that we have done between the LM22 and the Pilot Alpin PA2 the Blizzak has provided better sheer ice traction and better deep snow traction. The Blizzak will also last longer. I believe you are referring to the customer service surveys which i would never use to make a recommendation to a customer. There are to many unknown variables as to why the person writing the review said what they did.

You can use either the 215/55/17 or the 225/50/17. However there is very limited availability of tires in the 215/55/17 size. Also most of the people that i have spoken to with RX8's have requested using the 225/50/17 even after i recommended the 215/55/17.

I apologize for the delay in responding to any posts. This is the busiest time of year for the Tire Rack and i spend pretty much the entire day just trying to keep up with the incoming phone calls. If you have a question that need a quick response or would like to place an order just give me a call. I will be able to answer your questions much faster on the phone than through the forum.

I just ordered up a set of 215/55-17 Dunlop Winter Sport M3 with Kazera KZ-V rims from tirerack.com. Thanks to everyone who has posted advice in this thread and others, helped guide me through the whole snow tire decision process quite nicely.

I haven't talked to you connor, but I put your name down on the sales form anyway since I used some of your advice, figured it might help you out in some way.

Thank you very much, i appreciate it. As always, if i can be of any assistance just let me know.

So i was looking around and can get the M2's for about 70 bucks a tire, but the size is 225/40-18 other then the speed being off a few mph is this that big of a deal im cheap and for half the price its hard to beat

I understand the argument that narrower tires cut through the snow better, but it seems that for better stopping performance you would benefit from wider tires, with more contact surface to the ground. Is that not true?

Sounds like a good deal to me. Perfection is not the goal.

Connor,

Are the Dunlop Graspic not Uni-Directional? It shouldn't matter which side I mount them?

Thanks,
Ra

You can use the 225/40/18, however this size will not perform very well in the snow due to the shorter side wall. When you shorten the sidewall you make the tire stiffer which limits the ability to retain traction on ice and snow. there is also the fact that the tires have a lower load carrying capability due to being smaller. To compensate you will need to run the tires at a minimum of 36 psi to meet mazda load requirements.

On dry pavement this is true but on snow or ice the wider the tire the worse the traction will be. This is cause by a couple of different factors:

1) A wider tire has to cut a wider path through snow which causes more rolling resistance, which will limit the amount of control you have on snow.

2) By going with a wider tire you are spreading out the pounds per square inch in the contact patch. With a narrower tire you are focusing the weight of the vehicle onto a smaller area which concentrates the amount of pounds per square inch. As an example: what happens when you step on the an ice rink with a pair of regular shoes. You fall on your butt. But if you are wearing a pair of ice skates you can stand up with no problems (unless you are me and then you still fall on your butt) because you are concentrating your weight into a smaller area.

The Dunlop Graspic DS2 are not directional. You can mount them on either side of the vehicle.

When are people putting their winter tires on? At night it is getting close to freezing here but day time temperatures are still ranging from 40-55. What is the ideal time to put them on? (I know prior to snow fall :) I know during warmer weather they wear a lot faster.

Groo - I ordered exactly the same combination and just received them today. I'll probably put them on this weekend. What's your experience so far? Do you have any pics with the winter tires/wheels installed?

Zoom, Zoom! :ylsuper:

In response to StphNieuw, I feel that right now is about the right time to put your snow tires on. I feel much more comfortable once they're on, knowing that I won't get stranded if there happens to be snow or ice on a random morning. I had my 8 through its first winter last year with 17" wheels and Blizzak WS-50's ordered from TireRack. I installed them about this time last year and took them off in April. I just put them back on today. Last year I had no problems in snow (I was living in Saratoga Springs, NY). I had a back-road drive to work and a few times had to go through ~6" of unplowed snow. Hope this was of some help.

Guys Hello,

any suggestions for snow chains or similar product for 19'' alloy rims?
I know the Autosock and Spikes - Spider solutions,but the first won't come out for 19'' and the second is very expensive solution.
And i wouldn't like to get winter tyres,as this would end up cost more than $800

Regards

Lawya, after much research, firsthand experience and comments from Conner@tirerack I would say to nab a set of 17's and decent winter rubber.

It is insurance from the ditches, curbs, oncoming traffic, ...

I won't drive my stock tires on anything under 40 degrees Farenheit, they get too squirrely.

Groo you will be happy with the Dunlop M3 Wintersports. I have them on now and ran them all last winter. No problems, 'cept when I disabled traction control to check ability of tires. Keep in mind this was my first winter with a rear wheel drive car. A bit different to pull out of a spin than FWD. With FWD a person can pump the gas to get the wheels to grab. Do that in RWD and it spins out faster. :rock:

I just installed a set of blizzak WS-50s on 17s. The car is now pulling to right, if I have the steering wheel straight. It just started doing this after I put on the snow shoes. Anyone have any imput on this? I can't imagine it is the alignment, becasue it was working just fine before the snows.

Seriously? You want a suggestion for snow chains for 19" alloy rims? Okay, here's my suggestion - "Don't." 19" tires must be so low profile you're sure to have something metal from your chains scratching your rims.

Are you in Greece as in Europe or Greece, New York?

My insurance deductible is $500 so I figure spending $800 to $1400 on winter wheels is about the same as 2 or 3 winter wrecks. Don't you own a $30,000 sports car? My suggestion (echoed and repeated all through this forum) is to protect your investment (not to mention your joy of ownership) with some decent snow tires?

If you want to drive your RX-8 12-months in a snowy region (as I do) bite the bullet and buy the snow tires (as I did) so you can enjoy your no-comromise summer grippers half the year and safe traction the other half of the year.

Are there plastic inserts on the inside of the rim?

Did you rotate the wheels? If they are directional they can only go front to back back to front. If they were beat on during the breakin period for the tires it could have caused unusual wear. If the two rear tires are on the left side and were worn from burning rubber. The larger on the left will create a pull to the right.

I noticed that one of my winter rims had a plastic ring on the inside of wheel at the center where the hub goes. None of the others had it so I pulled it out.

Conner do you happen to know why this was? I purchased the set from Tirerack.
ASA rims Bright Silver closed out last year.

I actually bought them used. I am pretty sure that I put the ones he had on the back on the front in order to give more tread to the rear wheels. I didn't notice any plastic on the inside hub. The tires are not really worn at all, however you could see which ones were on the rear as opposed to the front. Should I take it in to get an alignment??? Should I switch the front and back again??

Here is what I want to know....

I am trying to find 18" snow tires for my rx8 on ebay as I am only going to have it for ONE winter....For some reason almost everyone who is selling snow tires have different size for front and rear. Like: Front: 225/45R 18 and Rear: 245/45R 18. Is this normal? or do I need all four to be 225/45R 18? Your feedback would be appreciated. Thanks....

i got the Dunlop wintersports M3 w/17's.. 215width.. they are terrific. i can down and up my moms unplowed driveway with 4" of snow just fine:)

they handle on slushy freeways pretty well too... chalk another customer to the dunlops :)

^1. And they're great on ice. I can't recommend them enough.

Also got to keep in mind that low temperatures are also deadly as it hardens the summer tire rubber compound and the tires become more plasticy and have less grip. So if you are trying out some high speed exits, you will have some surprises.

Reagardless of snow, winter/all-season tires should be used in low temps. I use 50F as a change over mark.

Bodi

05 RX-8 MT with GT and Dunlop Winter Sports M3 (225/45R18) in Massachusetts snow.

By all means get snow tires. I've been able to drive worry free so far and even climbed a snow covered ski jump that I also call my driveway during the rest of the year.

04 MT with 215/55HR-17 Pirelli Winter Sottozero on 17x7 ASA rims

Bill

Bill : (wallyb) is that a pic of your car? Where did you get the body kit and what is it called?

thx,
Bodi

I love my Blizzaks (in MN). I needed to be pushed out of my driveway multiple times last year but have had no problems this year. Too bad I am in moving to Dallas in a month....anyone looking for Blizzaks with 2k miles?

I'm interested in getting a tire opinion from you folks here. I just got my RX-8. Has the performance dunlops on it. I took it to my favorite local tire place (a DT store that has always treated me right) to ask about snow traction, etc. I had heard about tire siping, and was wondering if that would be enough to give me snow traction for occasional use. I am a young "retiree" at 34 due to health problems - i use the car as my daily driver but obviously not for commuting. Basically his advice was to try the siping (at only 7.50 per tire, not much of a money maker for them) very cautiously the next time we have a snow, and if i don't feel i'm getting enough traction to invest in some snow tires.

I live in the Chicago area, and we seem to only get a few big snows a year. From what I've read I'm guessing that even with the siping, using the stock tires for winter is a bad idea. What I'm wondering is am I better off getting a second set of snow tires, or replacing my stock performance tires with something like the Avon Tech A/S. A person on another site claim that they basically give you 90% of what a summer tire would, and 90% of what a snow tire would. Any truth to that?

I guess I would say my driving style varies anywhere between mild and moderately aggresive. One reason I bought the car was for its terrific handling, so I wouldn't want to give up too much of that. However, I doubt since all my driving is on the street that I'm at the limits all that much. I do like the sure-footed feel of the performance Dunlops on dry and wet pavement, and for fun I will sometimes take corners rather hard, trying to pull some Gs...

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Here is my thinking -

1) Using snow tires will prolong the life of your summer tires so the incremental cost can be as little as "Cost of snow tires" - "Cost of summer tires" + "Cost of swapping".
2) Even with a full price set-up like mine (17" Kazera rims, Blizzack LM-22s, 4 new TPMS sensors) the cost is only $1400. Not too much more than more summer tires sooner and far, far cheaper than wrecking on the ice or snow. You can smash the car in one trip in one bad storm. If I save $500 on snow tires then I can pay the $500 deductible on my insurance coverage, right? No, better to do it the other way around.
3) Conner at TireRack give us good pricing.
4) You might get more Chicago-specific discussion in the regional forum - look for a thread in there along the lines of "When are you swapping your winter tires on (or off)?"

Thanks for the reply, CBD! Your thinking kind of mirrors my thoughts at this point. The DT guy will do the semi-annual mounting/unmounting for free if I buy the tires there. And I figure if they prevent one wreck they have paid for themselves. So basically i'm looking at the cost of snow tires with their extra security vs the cost of all-seasons.

CD, have you pretty much been able to handle anything (easily) with those LM-22s?

my 18" lm22s have been wonderful. i tried to get by on stock my first winter and the car was stuck the first time i was in any real snow. with the blizzacks ive been out in the storms without concern. its not as surefooted as the wrx i used to drive, but im confident enough to go out even in six inches unplowed

Yes.

They're the narrower 17" tires on Kazera rims (just like Vectorwolf and several others have here). They chew through unplowed snow just fine (like kellybrf says). Just to be clear - that's handle any cautious driving. It hasn't make my RX-8 into a Subaru or snow-mobile, but I drive whenever, wherever I want.

These also have a good, stiff sidewall so they don't feel all squishy and kill the road responsiveness when the pavement is dry and the weather is relatively warmer. The last thing I wanted was to save $200 on tires to make my $30,000 sports car handle like a $500 beater.

Tacoma Washington, Winter Tire?
 

I Live In Tacoma ,washington, We Don't Get Snow That Much Down Here But We Do Get Black Ice On The Road, Do I Need Snow Tire I Got My Rx-8 Two Week Ago.

:mdrmed: Snow tires, who needs snow tires? :bootyshak God bless Texas!

Bleah - Show-off - I'm already wondering how few days left until I need to pull mine out. :mad:

connor... i plan on purchasing an RX-8 in the beginning of january after i sell my integra. I was just wondering... should i purchase snow or all season tires? I live on Long Island and its kind of hard to judge which would be better..especially since it doesnt really snow as much near march..Also, if i do get these tires.. should i mount them on the stock 18" wheels or should i purchase a new set of wheels for it for the winter next year ? SOmetime during next summer i plan on getting axis hiros for it ..i would also need new tires for that too or would it be better if i get them all the same size and mount them on the potenzas? im really confused and i need help lol

Because of the area you live in i would recommend using snow tires. You will find that the tires that come on the RX8 are useless on ice, slush, or snow. You could use the 18" rims with snow tires if you wanted to however a 17" tire and wheel will offer better ice and snow traction due to the taller sidewall. I would recomend one of the following options:

If you want to use your rims with 18" tires then i would recommend 225/45R18 Bridgestone Blizzak LM25 (198.00 each).

If you wanted to use 17" tires and wheels i would recommend uing the 215/45/17 Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 (113.00 each) with the 17X7.5" ASA JH3 (119.00 each) wheel. They would come to you mounted and balanced. If you want the sensors installed they would be an additional 117.00 per sensor.

so0.. u would still reccomend snow tires over all seasonal? even though it doesnt snow that many times?

new york snows enough to merit snow tires

The 8 is not a forgiving car in the snow. You should definitely get dedicated snow tires on separate rims. I would go with the 17" rims. That will get you a taller sidewall which will be better in the snow. Trust us. The 8 is almost uncontrollable in snow or slush in anything but dedicated snow tires.

I bought the Dunlop M3's. They perform fine on dry roads in the winter time and are there when you need them when it snows.