downshift

I just omitted the TPMS from my order as well. It's a nice safety device but I just can't get past the fact that they cost almost as much as a rim. The $400 can be spent on better things - like a 2-day track/driving school .

ayap888

Hey Gordon ... so what about the Tire Pressure Monitoring? How do you do that yourself? After you install tires ... what next?

downshift

You would either forfeit the TPMS or order another set for the new winter wheels/tires package. Swapping the TPMS from the stock wheels would defeat the purpose/convenience of having a separate set of wheels and tires.

zelig2

Also Gordon lives in Canada where they don't have the TPMS in their cars. Only in the states do we have fun toys like that. Search the forums here about people's experience with the TPMS. Most people seem to put a piece of black tape on the dash covering the flashing pressure warning.

MadRonin

I just bought a set of Dunlop Winter Sport M3s mounted on ASA JS1s yesterday from TireRack. No TPMS. $1078 delivered. They arrived this morning.

Suhweeeet!! Thanks Connor! :D

Rx8Freehk

Well i have recently bought the winter package offered by TireRack (Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 tires and Kazera wheels) only because I use these on my TT last year and they worked GREAT!

Not sure about someone saying the WS-50's "an OK winter tire on snow, and terrible on dry pavement" Like I said, I had them on my TT with 250+HP and i never had a problem on whindy roads or the Autobahn's at sub 200kph.

SO, I will stick these bad boys on my 8 and see what's up. I orderd them like 10 days ago... they should be here any day. Ill let you guys know what I think

-Da Freehk

RX-GR8

i'm ordering the Michelin Pilot Alpine PA2 tires 225/50-17 with the Kazera 17"rims tomorrow!

ACHYellowRX8

Well I read up on the tires offered and listened to Conner. He suggested the LM-22 over the others even though they cost a little more. He claimed they handle as well if not better than all others and would last longer than any of the other choices when you mix dry pavement with snow.. So went with the LM-22 and Kazera 17" rims. Ordered yesterday and they are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. Not bad service from the Reno, warehouse. Tires were shipped within two hours of the order. Mounted and balanced without the TPMS

jet987

After researching this forum and tirerack reviews, today i talked to Connor and ordered from
Tirerack, set of 4 225/50HR-17 Dunlop Winter Sport M3 (not run-flats) mounted on 17x7 Kazera
KZ-V LT GREY wheels, no TPMS. I'll take PICS of them once I receive them next week, but won't
put them on until I see snow in the forecast (Chicago here). btw, the stock Potenzas suck in the
winter, even on dry and cold roads!

Ike

Any dedicated winter tire is going to be a hell of a lot better than an all season or performance tire when the weather gets bad. It's not until you start trying different tires that you realize the difference. My bro has the WS-50s on his RS6 and I have driven his car in some nasty weather on the east coast (seems theres a couple snow storms every time I got visit). I've also owned Michelin snow tires in the past as well as a couple other brands. None of them even come close to the two sets of Nokians I've owned (Hakka Qs and NRW). The tread life if amazing, the stability in snow/sluch/wet is amazing, and they are rather quiet in the dry. The only thing the Blizzaks may have on them is when it's Icy, but I live in a pretty urban area so the ice just doesn't happen on the streets, but if for some freak reason is does or I'm in an ally that wasn't salted, they still stick like glue to the ice. Hands down the Nokian NRWs are the best all around tire for winter I've ever come across. I've heard stories of them lasting 3-4 times as long as many other winter tires, escpecially the Michelins, from what I've seen from the Qs and now these from 1 season I believe it.

jginiso

Just thought I'd post after mounting my winter tire kit. I got the Dunlop M3's on Kazera 17" rims with the TPMS. For some reason I thought I had to install the TPMS on each tire myself so I was a little concerned when I didn't see them in the original shipment. Obviously they were already installed in the rims so don't worry if you're new to this like I am and don't see them.

I mounted the wheels onto my 8 myself and it probably took me a little over an hour to mount them. I used the jack provided with the 8 and it wasn't very hard at all. The TPMS warning light came on during the first 10 minutes or so of my first drive after having mounted the tires as per the RX8 manual. Once the car recognized the new TPMS signal the warning light went off and everything was fine. The car handles great and there wasn't a big difference in ride or handling (during normal driving of course) between the stock wheels/rims and the new set.

All in all a great experience with Tire Rack and those who are considering taking the tires to a dealer to be mounted can really tackle this one themselves in around an hour.

Ike

Tirerack is great, they just need to carry Nokians and some less offensive cheap wheels.

kdlunde

Okay, I finally put my winter wheels/tires on. I did confirm that my local Tire Rack authorized installer would do the job for $35 total. However, due to the logistics of getting there, I instead invested in a torque wrench for about $25 (also had to get the sleeve attachments to fit the stock wheel lugs and the wheel lugs for the new Kazera wheels) - cost me $33 plus tax. I changed out my wheels/tires last night and did it in about an hour. Now if any of you knew me (non-mechanical would be an understatement :o ), you could safely say that if I was able to do it myself, then anyone should be able to do it!

Kern

RX8_Buckeye

I also went with the WS-50s and will probably put them on this weekend. For all the bad things that have been said about the WS-50s, searching this forum will reveal that everyone who has actually used them on the RX-8 is very satisfied. By most accounts the snow and ice traction provided by the WS-50s is top notch, and you won't find anyone complaining that the tires were terrible on dry pavement. In the realm of snow tires, I don't doubt that there are many other choices that would give you much better handling on dry pavement; I just feel it's a bit of an overstatement to say that the WS-50s are a "terrible" choice for a winter tire, especially considering that they are significantly cheaper than most "performance" winter tires. I am going to install my WS-50s fully expecting that there will be a noticeable decrease in handling capability on dry pavement. I was willing to trade off dry road handling for maximum snow and ice traction. With this mindset, I highly doubt that anyone would be disappointed with the WS-50s.

jaedcem

That's true. I've used the WS-50s on my Porsche for about 5 winters, and am very pleased with them. They have great grip in ice and snow. I'm always a little wary of standing water, but haven't had any surprises with their wet traction. However, they are poor in the dry. Realize that you are accustomed to Z-rated tires (over 149 mph), and the WS-50 is a Q-rated tire (up to 88 mph). The WS-50 has much softer side walls and tread, so there is MUCH more squirm when you turn your wheel. You will notice MUCH softer steering response, and it will be a bit disconcerting at first. (Turn the wheel, wait for the front end to move over a few feet down the road.) Also, the soft rubber has less grip on dry pavement. My car is automatic (310 hp) and I can't use full throttle in first gear at all. In second gear with full throttle, the tires slip at about 4000 rpm. Straight line, dry road, 45 mph, it starts to fishtail. Just be careful at first and you'll get used to them.

By the way, it makes it feel like you have a new car in the spring when you switch back. (Wow, the steering is SOOOO tight.)