I've searched this forum quite a bit, but it seems like many of the threads consist of people arguing about which wheels/tires will work on the car and which won't. So I'd just like to hear from some people who used certain wheel/tire combos this past winter and how you fared.

I'm looking for a winter tire & wheel package in the neighborhood of $1500-$2000. 17" wheels are fine, unless there's something decent in 18s that falls within my price range. I like 5-spoke wheels, nothing too fancy though. I live in Detroit, so we have the potential for snow 7-8 months out of the year, but realistically I'd have the winter tire & wheel package on from late October through mid April. My two-way trip for work is about 25 miles.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, feel free to rip me a new one for asking this question when there are plenty of existing threads on this topic. As I mentioned before, many of these threads are not exactly easy to extract useful information from.

 

check out the one on ebay. type in rx-8. u'll find it at 1200 dollars. Good winter tires, not sure about the rims. But a good deal. their 17's which would help u out when u buy new winter tires for them. 18's cost so much. Good luck. PM me if u need more info.

 

Yeah, it might be a bit of work finding the threads, but it's worth it. There are pictures of at least a dozen different winter wheels posted in threads (search for 'winter wheel' or 'winter tire' in the Wheels, Tires forum section or in the Canada regional section).

For 17" tires - ideal (narrower) size is 215/55-17; 225/50-17 is a reasonable second choice. You do not want to go wider for winter tires. Tires used by forum members included Toyo Garit HT, Pirelli Winter210 SnowSport, Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 (avoid the WS-50 if you can), and Dunlop M3 (the M3 and LM-22 are available in the OEM 225/45-18 size also).

My setup: Konig Holes 17x7 wheel , Toyo Garit HT 215/55-17 winter tire

Regards,
Gordon

 

Dunlap M3s and your choice of rims. Check out tirerack.com for a reasonable selection. I also called NTB and they had winter tires for the 18 rims. I ended up going the 17 winter route. I'm sure NTB has a good selection of rims also but I don't beleive they have an internet catologue, at least not as of 4-5 months ago.

 

Gord, thanks for the post! It reminded me that I don't have the M3s, I have the Blizzak LM-22s, and they did great. I can't believe I forgot! Any dedicated winter tire (other than the ws-50) should be fine. Just look at the ratings/comments at both tirerack and 1010tires.com among other sites. There are many. I spent at least 6-10 hours researching and am very happy price-wise and performance wise with the 17 LM-22s.

 

Thanks for the replies. I've learned a bit more through searching as well. Is it true that only some 17" will fit over the brakes? If that's true, wouldn't I be better off sticking to wheels that others have had success with? Also, TireRack only has the Pirelli Winter 210 Snow Sport tires (225/50HR17) in stock. Is this simply because it's off-season for winter tires? Will there be a larger selection later in the year? Thanks for your help.

 

I was very happy this winter with my Dunlop M3's and 17 inch Kazera's i bought from the tirerack.com ... great service as well

I'd recommend just buying a seperate set of wheels for snowtires rather then putting winter tires on your stock rims - this way it only take 15-20 min if you want to swap tires in a hurry

 

True, but you lose the benefit of the tpms unless you get a second set of sensors. The tmps are valuable and hope to equip my winter wheels with them before next winter. 15-20 minutes is if you have a lift available, if you're jacking each corner plan on 1.5 hours. I jacked each corner with the stock jack. I tried my floor jack in the left front and couldn't use it due to clearance reasons (the car's too low and the support is too far in) so I used the jack that came with the car. After the first change, I continued using the stock jack--so I forgot to try my floor jack at the rear. In retrospect, I think I could have used the floor jack at the back end. Also, there's now threads directed toward best ways of jacking the car. One post shows driving on wood blocks to increase clearance. I think this would have worked with my cheap floor jack. This may be very usefull at autox events.

 

Hi RX8_Buckeye,
I bought all brand new: stock 18" RX-8 wheels (5 spoke, simple as you said you like), TPMS sensors, and Dunlop 225/45HR18s Winter Sport M3s all for ~$2k installed and used them this past winter with no regrets.

rx8cited

 

Way off topic, but a buckeye from the state up north (it means Michigan around here in Ohio)?

 

Thanks for the replies--I'm getting some useful information.

Heh... yes unfortunately my wife and I are Buckeyes in TSUN. We both finished up at Ohio State (BS in '02, and MS in '03) and I got a job as an engineer with Ford. That required the move up north. Fortunately, I think it's better to be a Buckeye in SE MeatChicken than a Wolverine in Columbus. In Columbus, we only had the Buckeyes and Blue Jackets, whereas here there are the Wolverines, Spartans, Lions, Tigers, Red Wings, and Pistons. For that reason, I'd say only about 1/4 of the people up here are die-hard MeatChicken football fans. In Columbus, I'd say at least 2/3 of the people are fanatical about the Buckeyes.

Don't get me wrong, we take our fair share of crap here, especially from our coworkers. I just hope no one keys my '8 for having an Ohio State Buckeyes license plate bracket!

 

Another thing to consider: Do you really want pure winter tires, or would some good Ultra High Performance all-season tires do you? You can get them in 18" sizes so you can use your stock rims, and you wouldn't need to swap them out every season. They won't be as good as pure winter tires, but some of them are pretty damn good at both dry roads and the slick stuff. And, this is a lot less expensive than buying a complete new set of wheels and tires.

If you like this idea, check out this thread.

Just a thought!

 

Hey thanks Omicron.

I was hoping to read how well those tires performed in deeper snow and on ice. The streets in my neighborhood were ice-covered for an entire month (no salt applied!!!), and on several occasions we got a good 6" or more of snowfall. For those reasons, I'm just a little apprehensive about going with something other than dedicated snow tires. My wife and I are planning on getting rid of our third vehicle, so if my '8 can't get me to work I'll really be screwed.

However, I do really like the idea of having excellent handling on the 60-70% of snow/ice-free winter days, not to mention the cost savings over a whole new set of wheels. You've got me thinking some more.

 

I'll throw in my 2 cents. I bought a set of 17 inch Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22s (225/50/VR17) on Alloy Wheels with new TPMS sensors from Tire Rack for under $1850 last December. They were delivered to my door. While I don't have quite the conditions that you will, I was VERY happy with the Blizzaks and don't regret the decision at all. During the bad weather with the snows on my 8 I felt more secure than in our Volvo S-40 with all seasons.

(Check my Avatar for a pic of the snows and rims on the car.)

mm

 

I was looking for the cheepest solution.

www.bestwheel.com

Dunlop M2 Snows 225/40/18
RSL Ricochet 18" wheels - black

4x=$899 - mounted, balanced, and delivered

I was very happy with the set-up through the Boston Winter.

I wanted a black wheel. If you're looking for silver, your options are much broader.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the information Positron and NEWireless. If you have pictures of these wheels & tires installed on your cars, could you please post them in this new thread I started?

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=28442

Positron, I know you referenced your avatar, but do you have the picture in a larger size? Thanks a lot.