I wasnt planning on it but now I have no choice. I have to run my 8 through the winter. So my question is what size winter tire should I buy to fit my OEM rims? M car is a 2004 GT 6spd. Can someone recommend me the size tire I should put on them. Pretty sure they are 18x8.5's. Any help asap would be great. Also I hear some tire sizes can conflict with the speedo. So i need one that wont give me this issue. Anyone know what brand I should get aswell?

thank you soo much guys!

 

225-45-18...look at Michelin X-IceII....seem to be a new great tire.

 

blizzaks? every one on here talks about those tires all the time...

the stock width of the rim is 8, the rim its self is 18x8, stock tire size is 225\45

 

Im also looking for winter tires it seems like either the xice or the lm-60s are the best choice but i have a buddy who has his old stock rims off his 04 mustang which i believe are 16x8 will those fit on the 8 and clear the brakes and such? Winter tires on those would be cheaper

 

other than price what is better? running that size tire on the OEM rim, or buying smaller, thiner tires and rims?

 

IMHO, it's far more important that you get a snow tire at all than it is that you find the perfect one.

If you are allowed studs and there are long periods that you don't see actual pavement, I'd seriously consider a studded tire. Otherwise, any of Tire Rack's top 10 rated snow tires in the correct size will do.

225/45/18 is fine for snows. If you can swing it, I'd recommend getting a set of 17" wheels and matching tires in 225/50/17, 215/50/17 or 215/55/17. It should lower the cost of this and future sets of snow tires. Additionally, you won't be beating up your 18" wheels during the harsh winters.

 

planning to get new rims for summer, and studded tires are illegal here

 

Dedicated relatively inexpensive 17" steel rims (no sense degrading your nice OEM's, and the 17's afford a taller sidewall).

215x50 is typical (slightly narrower to improve potential 'snowplowing').

edit: I now see you're getting new summer rims, so just go with 225x45x18 snows.


Bridgestone Blizzak
Dunlop M3 Wintersport
Michelin Alpin

There you go - but do you realize there're already a ton of threads on this subject???

 

As most people already said 215/50/17 or 215/55/17 make a good choice for size.

As for brand/model, I always use Nokian Hakkapeliitta. I've been using these for the last 5 years and I'd never buy anything else. They are amazing and you won't regret them. Decent alternatives are the Michelin X-Ice and the Toyo Garritt.

 

i run bridgestone blizzaks. i remember reading someone praising hankook icebears.

whatever you get, rest assured it'll be much better than an all season.

 

we just had 3 inches of wet slippery snow today in Maryland. i couldn't get my new RX8 out of the driveway on the OEM tires. everything I've read on this blog for the last 6 weeks about the failure of OEMs in snow/ice was exactly as it happened today. I may not need winter snows, since we don't get much, just a few storms per winter of less than 2-3 inches. wouldn't top of the line all weathers work for me? Tirerack recommended Dunlop SP Sport Signatures, and the reviews seem solid. Any thoughts by drivers are appreciated. thanks

 

Yes, south of the Mason-Dixon line quality All Seasons should be fine.

Michelin has great all seasons.

 

Sidewall height doesn't really mean anything, the stiffness of the sidewall is what effects how the car rides.

 

^ Sidewall height in the context of a bit more ground clearance and shock absorption.

You are correct in that snow tires do maintain more sidewall flexibility, and therefore ultimately better surface contact, in winter cold.

 

i just bought the Michelin X Ice 2 on saturday, i got them at Active Green + Tire for $1,162 and this is a very nice looking tire, and its a great tire, its such a soft tire, feels so smooth and quiet on the road, I would recomment this tire for any winter rx8 driver!

 

I'm loving my hankook IPikes (17")

check them out, they are about the same price as the blizzaks

 

Ok, so i found 2 deals for snows xi2's for 645$ shipped and blizzak lm-25's 595$ shipped. I know the new lm-60s are supposed to be great dunno about the lm-25's but their 50$ cheaper tho whats ur guys' opinions?

 

Go best price (Blizzaks) given that they're both great snow tires.

 

I was in the same boat about a month ago and decided to buy 17s with tires. The best argument for me was the fact that the local shops wanted to charge around $150 to mount and balance the tires on 18" rims. So if I were to switch tires twice a year that would be $300/yr in tire swaps. With the winter tire configurator on TireRack I found 17" wheels for $109 apiece so that tire swap business started to look really stupid from a financial savings perspective.

With that being said you should really consider the Continental ExtremeContact Winter tires. I believe the recent TireRack tests show that they are definitely better that the X-Ice tires from Michelin from a dedicated snow performance perspective. However the dry tire performance isn't the best. But if you encounter any major snowfall I would highly recommend them for two reasons...they brake like no other tire (in the snow and ice) and they corner extremely well in the snow. I used to run Michelins, Pirellis and Dunlop winter tires and these Continentals are hands down the best in the white stuff.

Lastly, I went with 215/55R17s since they do seem to cut through deeper snow better than a 225, 235, or 245 tire. The 235 and 245 tires are a joke on the snow unless you have a heavier vehicle (like my wife's Toyota Highlander). At that width the tires felt like snow shoes and didn't really offer too much grip for me. Just remember that with the RX8 you need as much mechanical traction available in a snow tire since it's only driven by two wheels and by today's standards the RX8 is LIGHT! I think the RX8 is actually lighter than a Civic which I thought was supposed to be a subcompact.

 

I've got 245/40 18 Dunlop Graspic studless mounted on the stock rims and they work so much better in the cold. I would never run allseason, they should be called three season or southern all season.

edit; Windsor/Detroit gets alot more cold weather than snow. skinny tires are better in the snow but I prefer the wider tires on the cold icy roads.

 

There's nothing wrong with a light RWD vehicle in the snow. The ol' VW bug with its skinny tires and low torque was a wonder in the snow.

 

tires under engine weight = win!