11/21/04 sunday...leaving vegas at 2:00 pm..got back to L.A... 1:00AM...if you guys havent checked the weather yet it was snowed out on the 15 from baker to barstow until victorville...this was my first time driving the 8 in snow storm and on icy roads...the stock tires really suck on the road!! i was sliding all over the place!!i was driving at a pretty steap incline with DSC turned on only going about 9 miles an hour in 2nd gear..i started to slip bad then DSC came on and stopped the tires....there were like 30 cars behind me holding them up...all of a sudden a little civic breezes past me not even a flintch...hahaha so i turn DSC off and ease off the clutch...finally came out of it going 4 miles an hour up the rest of the hill...now i really understand what you east coast guys are talking about when you need some snow tires...hahah...anyone else have any snow stories with the 8...

Pictures down below...

 

Sliding all over the place? Thats odd... When it was poring I was going up hill and killing SUV's with my stock wheels.

 

this is sceary LOL havent beeing like this for at least 10 years or so ... the world is changing i think few lil earthquicks really low temps what els is left ??

 

Volcanos...

btw: driving in the rain is A LOT different than driving in ice and snow

 

i wish i could have killed those suv's and diesel trucks...but every time i tried appying a little bit of gas, my wheels just started spinning...next time use high gears...

 

Yep, I live in Vegas now but I used to live in Wisconsin. Driving on snow or ice is much different than driving in rain, even that pouring rain in Vegas. In rain you have some traction, but if you go too fast you'll hydroplane. On snow and ice you start out with road friction like hydroplaning and it only gets worse with speed. Additionally, hills in snow make a huge difference, if the car doesn't have traction the front end will want to come arround going up hill and the back end wants to come arround going down hill.

The RX8 wasn't designed to be a snow car, while you can put snow tires on it and have some success, the 50/50 wieght balance works against you, the wide tires also don't help, and the low body is likely to hit the snow ruts and ice chunks that form or fall on the road in bad climates.

Good work getting to LA in one piece.

 

thanks man...i was actually the last car to make it up the hill before they closed down the 15...to me..i see it as a personal accomplishment...**** was kinda scary though..driving down the road at a max 35 mph through ice on these tires...man the 8 just wanted to spin out...would have been fun though in a open parking lot..hahaha

 

here are the pics...the first one is at a gas station in barstow...the next pic is along the interstate 15...keep in mind..this is still in the middle of the desert..hahaha

 

it is all about the temperature...and as I can see the snow in his pics...it ain't pretty thank goodness there was no accident for him

 

XDEEDUBBX!
I was driving back, made it through the 15 pass that they closed off by vegas just 20 minutes before they closed it. First time driving my car in the snow and feeling the back tires slip was crazy. On top of it I started to brake, I was going about 5 MPH and a slow brake, this LOUD *** noise came from the front tires and my wheel was shaking hardcore, I wasnt stopping well and everyone around me heard grinding noises.

Little bit freaked out, browning told me nothing was wrong with my car after I brought it in. They told me to bring it in and that what I was describing couldnt be anti lock brakes or the DSC system. :P

 

i heard the same thing too...what you were hearing was your brakes locked up..happened to me too... basically your pads were grinding the surface of the disc break...but i agree with you..it was a crazy *** experience...the 8 without snow tires does horribly in the snow..hahaha

 

thanks..