After reading extensively thru the posts about winter tires and snow and ice and the joy of an RX-8 in those conditions, I am pretty freaked out, I'll admit.

The wife and I are stuck driving to see family for Christmas - not sure what happened, but poor planning is kicking me in the head now...
We live in Vegas - no need for snow tires, obviously, and I still have the stock tires on my 8. We need to drive thru Utah up to Idaho - and I expect to run into at least a little snow, maybe quite a bit as we get north.

The 3 options I see are as follows:
1) drive the rx-8 - it has the warranty, is in great shape, and is comfortable.
2) drive the wife's 96 acura integra, not in great shape, maybe a transmission problem coming on that I'd rather not face over the christmas holiday
3) try to rent something that will prevent us from sliding off the edge of some cliff somewhere and becoming an ink blot in an ugly winter cartoon.

I've not driven alot in snow, and never have I driven a sports car in the snow. I don't think it's worth buying a set of snow shoes for one trip - but I don't want to die either, you know? Rental cars aren't always the best option, since there's no guarantee there either, unless I rent a tank...

So what do y'all think? Just looking for some opinions from those more experienced (hopefully you'll share my desire to not die on the road as well, but I guess that is optional...)
Thanks in advance... Kress

 

I would just rent a car. It sounds like it'll be more reliable than your wifes integra, and if it's not, they'll give you another one.

 

I'm voting for the tank!

Driving in snow can be pretty tricky (only done it a few times since I live in CA) especially with tires such as ours.

Does the Integra have better tires or snow chains? If not, I don't see it being too different then the RX-8.

Renting a car this close to X-mas might be a bit tough / expensive but possibly your best option...probably what I would try and do if I were in your shoes.

 

Seeing as you have very little snow and ice experience in the 8. I'd say go rent one. And not one of those cheapie ones either. Get a nice minivan if you can. You'd be happy with that. And call all your local car rentals right now!!!!!

Oh and merry christmas

 

My brother has an S2k with the same tires as ours, and he got caught in the middle of a snow/ice storm last week and did a couple of 360s when he was only going 30 mph driving carefully. He is okay, but scared him shitless. Granted the S2k does not have tcs/lsd, but from what I gather it doesn't matter with these tires.

If I were you, rent a car or take the Integra.

 

You have to take the Integra—or rent something. The RX-8 comes with "summer" performance tires that are never to be used in snow. It's not even an option! When I bought my VW GTI with summer tires, it came with a big, bold disclaimer about how you were never to use them in snow and how you must replace them with winter tires. I don't understand why Mazda doesn't make this fact more obvious when you buy the car, but it's not a "judgement call". The car is very dangerous to drive in snow with the stock performance tires. If you take the 8 in snow you'll live to regret it. (Actually, you might not.)

Maybe you can buy a set of winter wheels/tires from tirerack.com and then sell them here or on ebay after your trip.

 

If you feel you have to drive, rent an all-wheel drive car like a Subie as CBD says. When you run into snow just slow down and don't make any sudden moves, either with the accelerator, the steering wheel, or the brakes. Allow MORE space than you think is adequate between you car and the car in front of you, especially when you anticipate a braking situation. Do that and you should be fine, unless some idiot takes you out, which you have no control over. Whatever you do, don't drive your RX-8 with summer tires and the potential for getting caught in a snow storm. Good luck on your trip.

 

You don't need AWD.

 

but it would be a good idea since you have such limited experience in the snow.

 

A good pair of snow chains should do the trick. Of course the drive would a lot longer too....I hate snow chains but use it all the time.

 

rent or death.

 

You guys are allowed to use snow chains down there. That's messed up. We can't use them in Canada.

 

Not only allowed, but if there is some snow on the freeway, they outright require you to put on the chains on certain routes, otherwise you can not continue driving. I was forced to put on chains once when there was only some sleet on the road, and had to aim to drive on some snow between the tire paths otherwise I'd have driven on wet asphalt. Talk about messed up - but come to think of it, since so many people in Cali have no idea how to drive under winter conditions, maybe this is still a safer solution.

To answer the original question, my vote goes for the rental.

 

Rent a front wheel drive car or a 4x4.

Trust me on this one: You don't want to take the 8 on summer tires anywhere near where there might be snow.

I had the excursion of my life two weeks ago with my 8 and the stock Potenzas. Not fun.

 

Okay take it from me. Two days ago I spun my S2K off of a one two lane highway because I thought it might be okay to drive in a "little bit of snow."

Now I have a 2100 dollar repair bill for new rims and a refinish of the bottom of my passenger side.

I'd imagine the 8 would do a little better with traction control, but never again will I risk anything like this.

In your shoes, I'd go rent a nice SUV.

 

oh yeah I live in Vegas too...was coming from Mt Charleston. What possessed us to take the S2K up there, I have no idea.

 

It depends on where in Idaho your are going. Right now in southern Idaho things are ok. I live in Sun Valley, and there is snow on the ground, but the highways are in pretty good shape now. We had a little bit of snow today, but nothing to worry about. Have you checked out the weather forecasts? Even though everyone complains about the weather people, they get it right more often than not.

 

You know, it isn't just the snow. The summer tires get hard as bowling ***** when it is below freezing and they have terrible adhesion when cold. I try to change over to my winters when it gets just below fifty. Please, just take the Integra or rent something, and have a happy holiday!

 

He can rent a nice SUV or front wheel drive car for around $25-$35 a day. Or he can just take the Integra, transmission problems and all.

You never know when you're going to hit rough weather on a long road trip, and once you're in it with the stock 8 tires, you're farking screwed.

Renting a car will be cheaper than buying snow tires, and give peace of mind.

I'm waiting for my Nokian RSIs to arrive before taking my 8 out into the snow and ice again. I'll never make the mistake of driving the stock tires on even a dusting of snow - white knuckle city.

I swear as God as my witness - my driveway is on about a 2 degree grade - and with two inches of snow, I could not make it into my garage after a treacherous 20 mile drive. I had to literally shovel my driveway before I crawl into the garage.

Good thing Michigan is mostly flat, or I would have never made it home on the stock Potenzas. Almost had a heart attack, too.

 

I've experienced the nerve wrecking ordeal of driving the 8 in the snow. Like everyone else here is saying PLEASE, PLEASE get a rental or drive the Integra! At some point you may feel comfortable in the 8 and it will just out of nowhere spin out on you. When I drove across country I was in Wyoming about 6 exits before Utah and it suddenly started to snow. I tried to stay in the tracks of a truck and that didn't work. I ended up in a ditch fortunately with only minor body damage underneath and some scratches on the rims. I have years of experience of driving in the snow. I learned to drive in upstate NY an drove in snow for a good amount of the winters. The 8 is not safe at all with the summer tires evenwith Traction Control/DCS and/or LSD. As mention before FWD or AWD will be safer in this situation!

 

If you get a rental, and you wreck it due to limited snow exp, you just give it back to them and let the insurance worry about it. And you still have your shiny new 8 to drive when you get back. It's like gambeling without the possibility of winning. The best you can do is break even. Snow has the house odds and there're 8 decks in the shoe.

 

Throw another vote on the rental fire.

However, don't be thinking that FWD is such a panacea. People wildly overestimate the snow difference of FWD vs. RWD. Yeah, FWD is better, but I've had my share of incidents in it. Some years ago, in my MX-6 (FWD, all weather tires), some serious snow, but I decided to go to work anyway. Driving slow and carefully, all of a mile from my home, came to a gentle curve in the road (curving left). Turned the wheel, nothing happened; despite anything I could do, the car proceded to drift off the road to the right, gently running into a guard-rail, denting the fender very nicely. Indeed, nothing I did made any difference, it just decided it was going, and it went. So don't be thinking that just because you have FWD, you're covered. It might be enough for what you need on this trip, but you still have to take the snow very seriously if you hit any. Again, the real issue with the 8 isn't the RWD-vs.-FWD, it's the tires.

 

Well, I figured I'd at least update the crew on the results of our little holiday adventure. Despite all the good advice, I ended up taking the 8 with the stock tires and some beef jerky, just in case. The trip up was cake, since the snow fled and left nothing but rain. Constant rain, admittedly, but that's no problem...

Up in Idaho, there was a little snow, but the TCS is freakin' great. We didn't have to go more than a mile or two at a time, really, since it was the holidays, so it worked fine.

On the trip home, midway through Utah a fairly solid snow storm hit, and then it was interesting. The 8 actually did great. I was able to follow a big dodge truck, stay in his tracks, and only got a little slippery once or twice. I was rather impressed with the 8, as I was thinking imminent death was upon us... Maybe I don't have stock tires, as I think about it - I just bought the 8 and it's got dunlop's on, but they're nothing special.

So - either way, that's the last time I drive that far no matter what car I'm in. Next time, if my wife don't plan ahead far enough to get plane tickets, we're celebrating Christmas in the middle of February or something. And that's that!

Thanks, y'all...
Kress

 

I live in Colorado, I have driven in the snow for over 15 years, and I PARK the 8 in the garage when it snows!!!!!

The car does horrible in very small amounts of snow.