That is my preference, but it is worth pricing out different options. 17" P215/55R17 Pirelli P210's would be ok, just not as nice performing on dry winter days as the 18" Blizzak LM-22's

 

I'm intrested also.

 

Wow we are up to 10 interested parties.

Looking good.

I'm not sure how much shipping will be.

Talon Tire is in Montreal only so no provincial tax if you are out of Montreal. I was told $35 to ship to Ottawa. Other places might be more expensive.

Check out their website www.talontire.com

There may not be much room to move on Rims, but tires there is for sure! Heck we have a discount at work that offers 45% off tires from a local store.

But Talon Tires prices are lower than 45% off MSRP to start with!

Also a good deal can be had at www.tiretrends.com, if Talon can't accomodate we can also go with the 17" package from tiretrends i'm sure they can discount on volume as well.

f1michel any update?

 

I compared the Tiretrends and Talon sites.
Talon is slightly cheaper on Bridgestone, and slightly higher on Dunlop, Pirelli, etc.
So, freight is likely an important deciding factor.

Can someone call them and ask what they charge for freight, for say, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and Vancouver?
I am talking price for frieght on tires, premounted on wheels.
Say 17" x 7" rims, and 205/50/R17 tires..

 

It is discussed on another thread, but to be sure i just checked with Mazda Canada.
We do not have the tire pressure sensors. USA is the only place with them.

 

canzoomer, you are correct we do not have pressue sensors, you could have just asked

Tiretrends charges $12 a rim and $12 a tire to Ontario. So that's $24 a tire!

We'll find out about Talon as soon as we have a package put together.

Talon recommended Toyo G02's or Yokohama AVS901's. We can probably get a few different choices going.

Let's be patient. We have yet to even see if they have rims to fit us.

 

I DID ask! Thanks!
Tiretrends quoted me $70 per set of 4, anywahere in Canada by Purolator ground.
1010 uses UPS at a 45% discount.
All we do not know is Talon now..

 

Hey Wing,

I'm in with the right package. I want something for ice/slush since Ottawa doesn't get too many days with deep snow compared to icy roads

 

I'm interested, but it depends on the details. I definitely want "real" snow tires, with the mountain/snowflake logo on them. Also, I don't want to pay too much for wheels - steel or cheap(-ish) alloy.

Thanks for organizing this, Wing.

 

No prob, it will be for sure "real" snow's and possibly a few choices to choose from.


But like Mac said, here in Ottawa it's silly to get "snow" tires. "Winter" tires for sure with the mountain/flake logo but ones that are best on dry / slushy / icy conditions would be more benificial that ones that work great on snow.

Most of the roads are saltled by the time I'm out of the house at 7:30am.

 

I was just using the term "snow tires" as a synonym for "winter tires". I guess it's because when I learned to talk there was no difference between the two. Back then, the cool new word was "radial". :p

 

Oh I'll put that on the list, make sure they are radials "check" :D

 

I'm definately interested in getting something to put together for winter driving as well but, as you can see from my location, I'm not in Canada so the group-buy probably won't work for me.

I'm going to need to figure out what to do about pressure sensors too. I'd be satisfied if there were a fuse that could be pulled that would turn off the warning light when I had my set of winter tires on and then put it back when spring comes so that I didn't have to worry about getting the sensor to work. According to what Mr. Yaw has found out as he's in the process of designing wheels, the sensors are not a trivial thing to deal with as far as balancing and sealing goes.

Your preferences all sound great to me as far as steely's go and as far as cost / tire size goes. Even if I can't participate in the group-buy I'd love to know what configuration you guys come up with.

 

I'm also interested in what you guys come up with... being in the USA it looks like I'm screwed on the pressure monitors though

 

Why not simply replace the original tires by winter/snow tires in 225/45R18 ?

 

Ben I'm not sure if they use salt where you are, but here they use salt. It terribly pits your alloys and they look like garbage at the end of the winter. Best to save them.

 

1) contact patch is too big on a tire that big.
2) wheel well clearance is too tight. Snow will pack in the wells, "locking" the wheels in position. This is DANGEROUS.
3) Many of us do not wnat to expose our good wheels to winter damage. Do you know what those wheels COST?
4) It is almost impossible to get snow tires in this size.

 

1) I used 225/55R16's P210 SnowSports on my BMW540 for a few years without any problems (I do live in the city).
2) How much clearance do you need? Are you recommending wheels/tires with a smaller overall diameter?
3) The only tires I know of are Blizzak LM-22's. A friend has them and says they are OK on the snow, but excellent on dry winter roads. That definitely makes them a compromise.

I am leaning towards trying the LM-22's on a second set of wheels, but it will be expensive, and not the best snow performance. The price and content of the group buy will be interesting.

I still have my winter alloy rims for the BMW, and they don't show any pitting from the salt.

 

I think it depends on the quality of the rim and the amount you wash them. My tiburon's rims looked like a war zone after 1 winter! You should have saw them after 3 years, HORRIBLE!

 

Blizzaks aren't the be-all of winter tires. There are plenty of other choices - this thread seems to have ignored several previous discussions of winter tires that have already taken place in RX-8forum!

Check out the discussions in this thread from the Tires and Wheels section and this thread from the Canada section.

FWIW, I'm leaning towards 17" lightweight Konig alloys with the Toyo Garit HT 215/55-17 for my winter setup.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Nothing has been ignored. I'm waiting about rims. If I can get 16" steel rims it would be MUCH cheaper than the 17" alloys.

If the 16" rims fit then we can discuss the tire options. If it's 17" then we discuss that.

I'm leaning away from Blizzak.

I'm personally looking at Dunlop/Toyo/Yokohama.

But we'll see when we get wheel fittings.

 

Sorry, it just seemed that many people focus on "Blizzak" whenever winter tires are discussed!

I agree that wheel fitment will be crucial. I'm leaning towards 16" alloys if they fit, then 17" alloys. I don't like the unsprung weight compromises that steel wheels will bring - I'd sooner live with a bit of corrosion on alloy wheels (and I don't believe it's that bad - I've run alloy wheels all winter for many years, and it takes quite a few years (and a lack of attention to the occasional wash) for a good alloy wheel to show the effects of salt. The ride could actually be better with winter tires on 16 or 17 inch alloys than with the factory 18" wheels! Steel wheels would degrade ride and handling (such as it is with winter tires and conditions - it's more correct to say unsprung weight is bad - same reason I would never switch to 19" for appearance sake!)

Different models of wheels will have different caliper clearances - all 16" wheels are not created equal! I was told by a Mazda NAO (Irvine) insider that the OEM 16" wheels (base US model) would clear the big brakes on the Sport suspension (18" OEM wheel models), but he couldn't confirm that someone had actually tried it. If you do try alloys, try models from different manufacturers. I'm partial to some of the Konig models like Helium and Holes, because they have proven to be very strong yet lightweight for cast wheels, and they aren't expensive (check TireTrends site).

With interest,
Gordon

 

One of the dealers in wheel was nice enough to measure the dimensions on a bunch of 16" wheels for me, and none of them would clear the brakes.
Also, we have to find a wheel with a lot of room to clear the calipers as well.

I am leaning towards 17" x 7" with 205/55/17 tires.
It is also a good idea to be careful of load rating and speed rating.
If you want tires with the required load/speed/size in 17" I have so far found (prices in Canadian $$):
All in 205/50/R17"
Dunlop Sport M2 - $201
Falken Ziex 2E-512 $173

Tires that are snow approved by Canada Transport:
Blizzak LM22 - $244
Pirelli Winter 210A - $212
Toyo Snowprox S950 - $220
Nokian NRW - $262
Dunlop Graspic DS-1 - $228
Michelin Pilot Alpin - $250

205/45/R17:
Pirelli Ice Assymetrico - $233

 

Hey Wing, i don't think i'll be able to go to Talon anytime soon. ( it sounds funny but i'm so tied up in stuff i cannot even go to Mtl anymore as i live so very close by in Laval )

If you can go the 30th that's great if not i'm sure we will be able to try on some wheels later on this fall.

 

Ok cool, I'll make an appointement for the 30th.

EDIT: Guess you never read your PM's We have the same car

Ok guys, guess we'll find out if 16" wheels fit this weekend!