Hi, I was wondering how many people are considering driving their rx8 in the winter? I am still thinking of maybe storing it.

 

I am having absolutely no qualms about driving my '8' throughout the year.............


But, then again, I live in Phoenix AZ..... so what's winter?

 

I've had to drive in the winter. I wasn't able to get winter tires though. I will highly recommend that you get some winter tires (I don't know if all season tires will do any good even though I am considering them).

 

Have Dunlop Winter Sport M3s on stock wheels, will drive every day in winter as I did last winter. It's amazing what the appropriate tires can do for a vehicle during the winter.

The stock summer tires get stiff when the temperature drops and you feel like you're driving on square tires.

rx8cited

 

No questions here!

Thats why I upgraded to a set of ultra high perormance all season radials in the Sumitomo HTR+ 245/40ZR18's last year. My only problem is geting used to rear wheel drive again for the first time in 10 years of AWD and FWD cars.

Come on old man winter!

 

With winter tires, the DSC/TCS is amazing in foul snowy weather. I could handle the snow better than most SUVs.

 

Ditto rx8cited. The Dunlop M3's are great tires, and I had no trouble last winter.

 

does that mean you guys with the Dunlop's used the stock 8 wheels or you swapped wheels also?

 

I as well plan on enjoying car year round, i was thinkin blizzaks but those dunlops sound nice too.

 

Maurice used 17" (AR I think) wheels. Aluminum 5 spoke ones. Look good. Nokian WR all season tires. Worked great last winter. They have less traction than the stock tires when the road is warm. He used stock size except in 17".

50/50 weight distribution and DSC is a great combination for winter driving!

 

What do you guys do about the tire pressure sensors when you swap wheels and tires?

 

If you have a spare then you definitely don't need them ... I bought a spare set of 18" RX8 wheels and was planning on putting snow tires on them but I ended up getting another car (that's a story in itself) and it's quattro so I will use the 8 with the summer tires for my typical 3 - 4 times a week during winter and I will not drive it on days it's going to snow ...

 

Hey I'm in Vegas an I plan on driving my 8 in the winter but its my only car. Not like we have a winter too.
Mag66, your in Gilbert, AZ LOL! thats ma first name.

 

Swapping did not appeal to me. Hauling tires around twice a year, paying to do the swap, possibly getting the wheels or sensors damaged during the swap, ....... just too much headache .

I bought a second set of stock wheels and sensors.

Depending on where you live (how bad winters are) and your financial situations you may want to consider a set of hi performance all-season tires to replace the stock summer tires as some have done.

rx8cited

 

Thanks for the response rx8, sounds to me like it would be just as cheap and easy to find a beater winter car than new wheels and tires. No problem here, that's what I did with my 300ZTT in the winter.

 

I'll also give the Wintersport M3's a big thumbs up. Just put them on and hope nobody plows into you while your blazing through the snow...

 

I just swap the M3's onto my stock 18" wheels. Not much of a headache to me. So two days out of the year, I put four tires in my car and take them to the local shop and have them swapped. Costs about $60 to do the work, and I still have working tire pressure sensors.

I've been thinking about buying new wheels when I get some extra cash saved up and then just using the stock wheels for winter, but that's going to have to wait a bit.

 

Well it rained today wherer I live in Las Vegas, NV. Car was just fine?.

 

I've heard from others who have put different wheels on the car that they just tape over the tire pressure light so it doesn't bother them. The alarm appearantly goes silent after a short time.

 

I'm definitely going to be driving this car in the winter ... I have no choice. Is there a reason I should be concerned? Does it not drive well in the rain? Snow isn't so much of a concern since we don't get it in these parts.

 

I won't drive the 8 in bad weather -- that's what my old Protege is for. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a mild winter this year.

 

The cost of the new wheels and snows was more than the cost of the $1500 Accord I bought for the winter. I still drive the RX8 on non-snowy days in the winter, but the stock tires suck in cold weather.

I also use the Accord to haul around my bike and as an airport car. It's nice to have a crappy car for these uses and to get salt covered in the winter.

 

If only winters on the west coast were the same as on the east.....

 

I'm not a millionaire, and I didn't by the 8 to sit for four months out of the year because of bad weather. I will probably end up getting all-season tires for it, but it will absolutely be my daily driver from now until the day it dies (or gets stolen, or I buy a 2nd car). But for the foreseeable future, 8 is it.

-arattle (hoping for little snow this time around)

 

Again I will have to agree about these tires. I didn't want to risk scraping my wheels on a curb or whatever so I opted for some aftermarket 17" wheels. I also pay less for my tires now than I would if I had to go with 18" tires. You may also want to get some tire pressure monitors from the dealership. Otherwise your TPS will trip the entire winter until you get your stock wheels put back on.