Yes they will.

 

17" Kazera KZ-S
Dunlop Wintersport M3's

 

Dunlop WinterSport M3s on ASA JH3s (more pics here)





I purchased the tires/wheels combo from tirerack.com.

Installation notes:

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.

 

215/50HR17 Dunlop M3s on Kazera KZ-V 17x7.



Zoom, Zoom!

 

Vectorwolf - I noticed in your pics that your M3s have a dot on the sidewall, just as mine do. Do you know why it is there? I seem to remember from a past life, or somewhere, that some tire manufacturers would mark 2nds or blems in some such way. I hope that is not the case with our tires!

 

17x7 ADR Gun Metallic Sokudo rims with 225/50/17 Hankook Icebear rubber. Unbelievable how much quieter these tires are than my cupped and feathered stockies!

 

I'm not liking a lot of the rims I see.

You're more than invited to tell me to fark off, as if my opinion matters.

Has anyone just left the stock 18" rims on and done a tire swap, and if so, is there any particular risk of damage to the stock 18" rims by utilizing them in the winter?

 

I've been doing that for 3 winters now... the stock rims are holding up just fine (and we get a lot of salt around here). However I did it trying to save a few bucks as I bought my RX8 going into the winter of '03, and there wasn't a big selection of winter wheel/tire combos back then... but next spring I'm leaving my winter tires on my stock wheels and upgrading to new summer rubber and lightweight wheels.

 

This is exactly what I'm going to do.

I just made up my find.

Forget the 17" rims.

There's no reason to believe the winter conditions will be harder on the stock 18" alloy wheels as they would be on any other alloy wheel. All my alloy wheels have held up well in Michigan, and we get tons of salt here, too.

Thanks.

 

FWIW, I think I like your wheels more than any others I've seen so far.

 

Some downside to changing from summers to snows with your stock wheels.

1. I have had Volvos in the past (for the kids to drive to school - they were built like a tank) After the first Winter's experience in Wisconsin we decided to go the snow tire route. We couldn't believe that a car designed and built in Sweeden would be bad in the snow, but it was. Blizzak snows really helped the situation. After two or three years of switching back and forth on the stock wheels, we started to get bead seal failures, especially shortly after the snows were reinstalled each winter and the weather turned cold. Many flat tires in the driveway after a cold night. In examining the tires over time, the beads tend to get damaged with the repeated mounting and dismounting each year. Yeah, if extreme care is taken in the process, this shouldn't happen. But how many places take "extreme care" in changing a tire! If you put the snows on dedicated wheels, this is not a problem.

2. With the RX-8 wheels, you run the risk of damaging the TPMS units, at a cost of over $100 ea if you can't get the guys who changed the tires to pay for it. Even if they do, more hassle. It is probably best to have Mazda do the change over for this reason.

3. Many places now are charging more and more to change over tires with larger wheels, "fancy" wheels that they know customers will scream bloody murder if there is the slightest nick on the finnish, and of course the TMPS unit situation. The guy I usually use quoted $25 to $30 per wheel! At twice a year, that pays for a set of $100 wheels real fast!

Just some of my thoughts.

Zoom, Zoom!

 

Those are very good points.

Maybe I'll default to my pre-default position, again.

 

Yeah, I agree with glassetcher. Nobody gets the 17" wheels for aesthetics. It's for convenience, and in the long run it's actually a cheaper solution than mounting/dismounting tires on the stock wheels twice a year. I'm sorry you don't like what you see in this thread, but IMO you're in the minority. I actually like the way my winter wheels and tires look, and I like most of what I've seen from others. Granted, the stock 18's do look the best.

 

Agreed! In the perfect world, I'd have my snows on my stock wheels, or something even better looking. But in the real world (and budget) I ended up with the combination I posted above in this thread. Althought I didn't like the wheels at first, they are starting to grow on me. Kind of the "dark side" for the winter

BTW - RX8 Buckeye - It sounds like we have a couple of things in common - Ohio roots, Guitar, and of course the RX-8!!!

 

Hey gang....I'm a fairly new RX-8 owner having taken delivery in October of this year. With my past high performance cars that came with summer only tires I have either bought a second set of rims and mounted snows and then swapped back and forth in the spring/fall or I have just swapped out the tires. Either way it is a guess on when to make the swap and worries you might get caught with your pants down (wrong tires for the wrong weather). This time around I almost immediately purchased and installed a set of ultra high performance all-season tires (W rated). I lost some ultimate grip in the dry but gained a slightly quieter ride and a bit more compliance. Plus I won't have to switch back/forth as I have in the past. So far I could not be happier. Last week we received close to 20in of snow and a little freezing rain and I did not have any trouble making my way around on infrequently plowed and snow packed roads. Ground clearance appears to be my only limitation. Yesterday I had a business meeting and traveled across town and without thinking when I parked I picked a spot away from other cars but noticed after I stopped realized the nose of the car was noticeably downward from the tail. I figured I was going to have a tough time backing up on the shiny snowpacked lot but after the meeting using cautious throttle and clutch engagement I backed right out. So....ultra high performance all season maybe an option for some of you.

 

Yes, even ultra high performance all-seasons are a drastic improvement over the stock rubber in snowy/icy conditions. There are a large number of RX-8 owners who replaced the stock rubber with Pirelli PZero Nero all-season tires for this reason. I still like having the extra confidence that the dedicated winter tires give me. However, I plan to get all seasons to replace the stock Potenzas, so at least I can wait a bit longer in the year to put on the snows, and take them off a bit earlier.

 

I don't remember seeing anyone with my winter rims, 17" Motegi RT-5 (White) on Toyo Garits. I'm starting to like my winter rims more than the stockies, the white fits my WB well

 

Nice look, LittleRX8, especially on a snow covered driveway!

I had a scare last night. The snow was falling so fast that the problem wasn't the traction --my 17" Pirelli Winter 210 SnowSport's are very good -- but the depth of the snow on the street... I was definitely plowing here and there and ended up relieved to get home but at the bottom of my driveway because the snow was too deep. After getting the driveway shoveled, I just couldn' t get any traction... took about 40 minutes of shoveling and back and forth rocking before I inched into the garage. The front air scoop was full of snow. The traction control was a big help -- otherwise I don't think I could have even "inched" up the driveway.

I don't think I'd be comfortable with all-weather tires given the consequences to my baby of sliding into a ditch... I've had other scares here and there, and when the car is "out of control" on snow or ice and traveling at any speed, it's terrifying.

 

LittleRX-8 - Nice!

I like that look.

Okay, to everyone:

1) Can I go with a 225/55/17 Snow Tire? I have found much better prices on these online than 215/50/17 or 225/50/17.

2) I shouldn't have any fitment problems with any 17" tire as long as my rims are 17"x7" or 17"x17.5" with the proper bolt pattern, right?

Thanks.

 

The white rims are looking good! I always thought that white rims in the snow would look great!

 

Yeah, the roads were horrible for the past week where I am (Calgary), it was basically all iced because it was -10 to -20 for the past week. Being a new manual driver (learnt it when I got 8 in Oct), and new RWD (first RWD) driver did not help me one bit. However I just plan ahead, and drive slowly, it's not too bad, I just ease off the gas and let the DSC work when I'm slipping. I don't care if crazy SUV drivers NOS it past me. I definately don't think all-seasons would work well in places with bad snow/ice simply because the 8 is RWD. My Altima (FWD) on the other hand has all seasons and is fine in Calgary.

 

Does anyone know how to turn off the tps alarm? I didn't bother with the extra $100 per wheel sensor for my winter tires

 

There's no easy way. At the recommendation of MEGAREDS, I used a small piece of black electrical tape to cover the flashing light. The tape is only visible to me when the sun is at a very low angle and shines directly on it. The tape came right off without leaving residue behind, so I'd recommend giving it a shot.

 

you're kidding right?....

there has to be some "clutch in, turn once to acc, then off, then back, while in rev, holding your nuts...." combination that will turn the thing off...

 

Sorry man...