Well, The fun is over.. Just installed my winter tires.

The freezing rain warning for the GTA caused me to think tonight was the right time to make the switch.


Any crazy, I mean brave people still running summer rubber?

 

Some of you guys are crazy to be running summer rubber in this weather!

Unless you live right downtown, you should have made the switch a long time ago....

But, I see my neighbour 3 houses down still has the summer rubber on his/her Blue RX-8! I'm pretty sure they'll make the change over this weekend.

 

I still have fun in my winters!

 

what do you mean...the fun has just started. I've been playing "drift king" since the snow arrived. You have to love that DSC off switch!!!

 

Well call me crazy. Then again, I been caught in freezing rain on my bike! Proly will put on the snows this weekend, just had no time.

All this hysterics makes you wonder how people survived anything pre. '90's. Why in my day I remember at 16, driving my first car (a huge '76 Grand Prix with a 455), no ABS, ESP, or for that matter steering feel, suspension feel...

Those early radials had absolutely no grip...and they think drifting is a new sport!

 

those early tires would still have been better than the performance tires on the RX8 because the rubber compound would not have turned to bricks so quickly when it got could.

 

I got lucky... just picked up my 8 from the shop in Missisauga (took six agonizing weeks to repair!) today. Drove back to London and fortunately just skirted all the freezing rain zone, because she still had the summers that were on when I left the car! Blizzaks go on tomorrow... *sigh*

 

Even with snow tires I still **** my pants a little every time I drive the 8 in the snow! the DSC light comes on like Xmas light every few min. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like driving with stock tires!

 

^^^ You don't want to drive in stock tires! I got caught last year during a freak slush storm on my way back from hockey. Scariest drive ever. I was going maybe 30-40km/h up Macleod with the DSC flashing like an epilepsy-inducing-flashing-Japanese cartoon.

 

i just realized im one of the crazy ones ur talking about. today was one of our first bad snowfalls in london, driving was TERRIBLE. i just parked the 8 in the garage and refuse to move it until i have a better solution/better weather. What kind of tires do u guys have, and do you recommend them, oh and what size? and where did u guys get them from?? and do you guys have weights in the back?

It was interesting watching cars pass by me today. I cant wait until summer again to show them....

 

Im using Blizzak WS-50. Its my first set of winter tires ever so I cant say if I recommand it or not.. But my sister's '06 WRX on stock tires handles better than my 8 on WS-50 haha. I was told that 215/55/17 is the best for winters ( narrower tires = better for winter ? ) and right now I dont have any weight in the back ( except for a few bottoms of rims cleaner.. inflation kit... microfiber towels. etc)

 

don't put weight in the back...the car is niely balanced for difts in the snow the way it is. Do you have DSC? If so, then combined with your winter tires you shouldn't have any problems.

 

If you thought that day's dusting was terrible, I can't imagine what you thought today's snowsqualls were like. I seriously hope you got your winters by now. If not, try Don Ashman's on Piccadilly. Good guys. I bought 225/50R17 (couldn't go 215/55 because my 17" rims were apparently too wide to safely stretch 215's across them) Blizzak WS-50's from them. In the end it was about $50-100 more expensive than it would have cost to ship them PST-free from B.C.'s 1010tires, but I didn't have to wait.

I've had WS-50's on our cars ever since the Ice Storm '98 in Ottawa... those events had me sold on how well they work in the ice. And they pulled me through the deepest, worst Ottawa winters... sure they roar and have zero road feel, but I care more about making safely from point A to point B in the snow, so I didn't feel the need to step up to LM's/M3's/Garit's that seem to popular here.

Today's commute was actually fun

 

Still on the stockers, tring to get a 16" rim to fit. my 93 rx7 rims are ubber close, there is just a little lip on the inside that is stopping it. Might throw them on a big lather and turn it off, or just buy 17's, but even 17 " steelies dont look like they will fit

 

I just came in from London after they got 20cm of snow today. I've put Michelin x-ice on my '04. First time in the snow with the car and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it handled the snow and ice. The tires are reasonably quiet on the highway and around town.

 

i just got my Avon M550 tech all-weathers.. those should work just as well from the reviews. yeah.. my car at the moment without them feels like a goddamn hockey puck.

 

There's an 8 around that has 18" steelies, and no covers - the thing looks like something out of Mad Max or Robocop.

 

X-ice will be noisy as HELL after a season. I have plenty of threads left and i cant STAND IT!... I wish i got the dunlop M3 last year. HOWEVER, the tires DO give VERY VERY VERY good traction on ice and snow....
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StickyAndSweet