Hi all,

I'm seriously looking to trade in my 2k Celica GT for a Titanium Grey RX8...I'm thinking more along the lines of the GS...

Since this will be my main ride (40 kms commute one-way 25%city/ 75% highway), I will need this ride to be as bulletproof as my Celica is/has been...Spring/Summer should be fine, Its the Winter Driving that really concerns me. Is the GS w/o DSC-TCS drivable in the snow?...I know and will be Changing to Winter tires for Sure...Anybody with a GS use their RX throughout the winter?...And by winter I mean an Ottawa-Montreal type winter and not a Van-city winter...

I've been reading the board for while now, and I've searched for all 'winter'-related threads....But a lot of the posters in the threads have a GT with the traction aids...

thanks in advance for any help...

 

yes this car is very good for communting. I drive 40km to work and 40km back and it's great. I could take the train but driving is so much better!

If you drive in the snow make sure you get snowtires and you should be fine. There's a lot of 8's in calgary, montreal, toronto who drive in the winter and had no issues. Make sure you get snowtires. if you don't and it snows, you will have an accident.. very very bad with stock summers in the snow. trust me, i know


MrJynx

 

Do you have a GS w/o DSC & TCS?...Just wondering if these traction aids will make a justifiable 'upgrade' to the GT...

 

if the GS doesn't have the DSC/TCS i suggest upgrading.. I personally believe it is worth it. You'll also get xenon lights which I think are absolutley AMAZING!!! People that get into the 8 who have xenons as well can't beleive how good it is..


MrJynx

 

Auto Leveling Xenon lights at that, and leather.

 

It's all personal preference . I had DSC/TCS in my previous car and COULDN'T STAND IT. I always turned in off.

The xenons I agree with .... they're GREAT !

Not a big fan of leather or sunroofs(less headroom)..... I drove my future father in law's 8 and it seems a bit heavier. He said the same thing after driving mine and getting back into his ....

Is the GT Heavier then the GS becasue of the leather and sunroof ???

Whatever choice you make .... it's gonna be a good one considering the car you considered .... Good Luck !

 

Thanks for the input...

I'm still leaning towards the GS and drivin like a Buick-owning Grandma during the occasional bad snowy days of winter...{Don't Honk if your drivin behind me!!!..hehehe}

While Leather, HID lights, heated seats, etc are nice-to-have's...the only thing I would like from the GT is the traction aids...especially for a reardrive car in the winter...

 

I've tried turning off DSC/TC in a snow covered parking lot with the snow tires. With DSC/TC, it takes an effort (like dropping the clutch at higher rpms) to spin the tires and when doing donuts the DSC does a really good job by braking each rear wheel to keep the back end from breaking loose.
However, with the DSC/TC turned off (hold button for 10 secs), the car did crazy 860 degree spins a lot easier (though mind you, I was TRYING to do donuts =P ).
So yea I would suggest getting a model that has the DSC/TC option.....~

and oh yea you ARE getting a manual right? :D
but personally I think if you get an auto, it'd be a better commuter and do better in the snow

 

Auto!...Perish the thought!!!...{no offence to auto owners...}

I'm a converted Manu-tarian... :D

 

LOL, so am I. Was scared at first, but I will NEVER own another auto. Doesn't feel right when i drive an auto now, i actually kinda feel scared about not having the control I do now(or maybe i've become one of those stuck up sports car drivers :P.

Personally I wanted a car that had sunroof, leather seats, heated seats (which really suck in this car), and xenon. the GT fit all of those specs so i got it.. I haven't driven a GS so I can't comment on the weight thing..



MrJynx

 

I have a 6spd GS.
I drove it all throughout winter, and had no problems with it. Personally I like to break the rear out a bit, but concidering that u drive like a granny, you should be ok with it, if you can control a rear-wheel drive in the snow. I had mine parked twice only, once cause the snow was really deep, and the bottom of the car was sitting ontop of the snow, and another time, there was over a foot of snow on my street, so couldn't make it out until about 11am until some other cars plowed it down to about 6-8 inches, and I managed to get out fine, which surprised me. When its deep, just accelerate very slow (granny style) once you're up to speed, and hold it there, you don't slide. If you are comfortable with it, and have done it before, you shouldn't have a problem with it really, I guess.

 

Upgrade to the GT...you will want the DSC in the winter! You can always turn it off when you want to have fun.


oh...you nedd to make sure you get the manual tranny. You will be kicking yourself down the road if you get the auto......do some searches, you will find many people who regret not getting the 6speed manual.

 

Get the RX-8. I had a 2K celica as well. It was a great car, but the RX-8 is so much better in everyway. As far as snow driving, its not amazing when the roads are covered, but it can get you around aside from the extreme days. I have the GT though....but i dont think the no TCS will hurt you too much.

 

If you can drive manual (and actually like driving a manual), get the 6-spd GT. You get insane revs, HID, DSC/TCS, Leather, racing style pedals (kinda), sunroof, limited slip differential, auto dimming rear view mirror and an anti-theft alarm system (never seen it in action but my owners manual says I have one!).

Oh, and 41 horses more for only about $3,000ish more than the GS. I have a GT and I'm still drooling

On the other hand, if you hate shifting all the time and every ounce of performance isn't really what you're looking for and want the 8 more for the looks, then get a GS. :D

 

According to the 2005 RX-8 brochure, the curb weight is as follows:
4AT: 1,394kg
6MT: 1,385kg

The brochure also says the sunroof is optional but when I bought mine, actually tried getting it without one and the dealer told me that GT's w/o sunroof's don't exist (and he wasn't telling me that to sell me a car off the lot, they actually had to get it from Kitchener (and this was Burlington).

It makes sense, a torque converter isn't light and is filled with fluid too.

 

Ha ha ... that is too funny! I must have a ghost car then because it doesn't exist (GT w/o moonroof).

I would also agree with the others that the DSC is REALLY helpful. Unless you are good at driving RWD in snow, I suggest the traction control. I tried in a BIG snow filled empty parking lot to see what it's like w/o DSC/TSC and it was eye opening how much it helps.

KHTM is going to kill me for this but this is what happens when you turn off DSC/TSC (in the rain). Note his expression and gesturing ... which is basically saying "NO!! Don't look at me!"

 

Found it odd too but hey, that means I got it for free so who am I to argue?

Hmm, well, MAYBE I got it for free...was I screwed? Hard to tell with this X-plan thing as I can't base it on MSRP that easily and had windows tinted plus a spoiler put on. Now this got me thinkin!

 

Get the 6-spd GT? You get the same high revs with the 6-spd GS, same with the limited slip differential, aluminum pedals, and same horsepower (looks to me like you're comparing the GS and GT and saying that the GS doesn't have those and that extra power, maybe I read it wrong, if I misunderstood, sorry) I personally don't like the traction control. I like to know how the conditions are first hand, and control it myself, instead of a computer doing the work for me. Rather know i'm slipping and slow down and move it slower, then have the car correct it, and possibly get you in trouble (might happen, same principle as a 4x4 truck driving faster cause they think 4x4, i can drive no problem, then slide, and go flying off the road) Drive for the conditions accordingly, be it snow, rain, or dry smooth road and hammering that aluminum pedal to the floor to hear that beep.

No matter what your choice is Mobil, you will love the 8, as we all do.

 

GT AND GS are different models .

GS doesn't mean auto .

Same engine power........

I have a Manual GS

 

Ya, my bad........I realized a little too late ....needless to say, I'm the only one I know with an 8 and when I bought mine, those on the lot were either GT/manual or GS/auto (that I saw anyway).

Made a few too many assumptions there :o

 

oopps