As somome pointd here pointed out my first 8 had the Portenza's , and the one I just picked up has Dulops.

Any idea why the switch, or any thoughts as to which was a better tire?

 

? UK cars come with potenza re040's still afik. - they have been criticised a lot tho.

what dunlops?

 

What is the Dunlop tire model?

In the past I haven't been impressed with Dunlop tires but that was years ago.

I really like my Bridgestones FWIW.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

Have Dunlops on my SLK320 and they're much better in snow - period ! In fact drove to Canada late last year - thru upstate NY with the SLK - very useable and they had 20K on them. John

 

do a search under wheel and tires, then new tires.

 

Most likely the switch had to do with the bean counters, and Mazda saved a few pennies per tire. It's not ALL performance.

 

At the Dunlop homesite (www.dunlop-tire.com), they show two tires (which seem to be the same tire) for 225/45/18 wheels. A "winter" tire ("M-3 something"). If a 'winter' tire in our size is available, maybe a 'summer' tire will also be manufactured in the future.

 

Dunlop Sport 8090 from https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...highlight=8090

 

Dunlop Radial's......ya they suck horribly. the bridgestone potenza is what my car is equipped with. when i test drove the car it was a lightning yellow with dunlops, i noticed greately how much better the potenza's felt on the road.....way more manuverable.

 

So, based on the above comment and the other threads, it appears to be a handling vs. tread life tradeoff, with the RE040s offering better handling vs. the better treadlife of the Dunlops. It will be interesting to get some side-by-side comparisons to see if this is true.

One thing to remember about tread wear ratings is that each manufucaturer is free to choose their own system. Which is to say, if you compare two different Dunlop tires, one having a treadwear of 140 and the other being, say, 180, you know that the 180 tire will last longer. However, you cannot make that assumption across manufactures - a 180 Dunlop may, or may not, last longer that a 140 Bridgestone.

Of course, given that the Dunlops have a treadwear rating twice of the Bridegstones, it seems prettly likely that they will last longer, but not necessarily twice as long.

 

Money, money, money.

The tires are one of the most expensive single components for the new car company to install, and they force the manufacturers to haggle the contract to enth degree. Personally, I think that this decision was pressed entirely by cost and no other reason.

Also personally, I think that the only tires worth buying are Michelin and Vredestien, and when the time comes I am probably going to go with a set of Vredestiens, but that's a very personal opinion.

 

I wonder this..... let's say you test drove and saw in the showroom an RX8 with Potenza's, then the car you bought was delivered with another (inferior?) tire, does that constitute a breech of contract or false advertising? I didn't sign anything that stated the manufacturer has the right to change specifications at any time. Seriously - had I known about the tire change in advance - it might have altered the choice in the rx8 I got- there are plenty of cars made a few months ago sitting in dealers lots- I actually could have gotten a better deal onother older 8 that I passed up becuase I mistakenly thought a later manufacture date meant better quality. In some aspects that is true- the cup holders of my 8 dont get as hot as the first one I had, and I belive the AC has been changed not to cycle as much.
(havn;t had a chance to test it though too cold here in NY)

 

emailists,

Hi. Right off the electronic version of my window sticker:
"Mazda Motor Company reserves the right to change product specifications, options or prices at any time without incurring obligations. "

I don't think you have a case here. Especially after you've already taken delivery of the car with the Dunlops on it. We have a few lawyers around here ...... maybe they'll put in their 2 cents worth .

It's unfortunate that you did not check the tires when you bought the car. Are the really that bad in your personal opinion? Remember, around here some love vanilla ice cream and others hate it.

Also on the bright side they'll wear out soon enough - then you get to buy the best tires of your life :D. Until then, I hope you enjoy your car.

rx8cited

 

Pilot sports are not that good either my friend.
You got it right with the S02s.
Had them on my car, probably some of the best tires you can buy.
Only downside is that the driven tires were bald in 6K miles.

 

After reading so many threads about the Potenzas wearing out after 10000 miles and warnings to NEVER EVER drive with them on snow or even cold pavement, I am certainly hoping that I get Dunlops on mine (due to arrive in a couple of weeks). I would much rather have a tire that has at least SOME treadlife and might possibly be "survivable" in the snow. I don't encounter snow in my normal driving but it would be good to know that if I ever hit a patch of unusual weather that I will stand a chance. I would think the same hold true for people in colder climates who might be surprised by an unusually early or late snow. "Summer" tires are one thing but tires that are absolutely useless/deadly with the slightest show should not be fitted as OEM, imho. They should be left either as an option for the enthusiast or simply rely on aftermarket.

That said, are these Dunlops actually any better in snow? Do they qualify as "all-season"?

 

I got my RX-8 in December and it has the Potenza's. Love the grip, but they leave alot to be desired in the snow. Omicron just posted that he's putting on a set of Zero Nero's (M&S). I'm thinking about switching over when the stock rubber wears out.
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...047#post277047