RX8 in the winter

[sawman]

I have been wondering about the rx8 recently as a daily driver. Was talking to a sales chap this week who suggested it might not be any good in the winter. Has amyone got any views - winter / all season tyres?
I live up north where we have proper winters

[sherman]

I live in Scotland and have never put winter tyres on my Rx8 ever and it has coped fine in every condition apart from fresh snow. It worked fine in slush and hard compacted snow. It was completely flummoxed by 2" of fresh snow. I ended up having to turn off the traction control to get the car to move the last 200m to my driveway. The lack of low down torque means that driving in a higher gear is sometimes not possible as the car just stalls.

If there is over a few inches of snow it is best to leave the car in the drive and walk as you will get stuck somewhere.

Edited by sherman on Thursday 15th August 10:08

[probedb]

No difference to any other rear wheel drive car surely? I drove my RX7 in summer tyres in winter for 4 years without any issues, finally got some this year and they do make a difference grip-wise. That said I have no traction control.

[sawman]

Cheers, I hadn't really considered that an rx8 would be a major issue in the winter - my current merc barge puts out 200bhp (or therabouts) - I was planning all seasons when the current rears wear out - but I guess the rx8 is a bit lighter over the wheels. It was the sales guy who brought up winter issues

Whilst I have your attention apart from the petrol cost would there be any significant issues running an rx8 for 20k miles a year?

[sherman]

For 20k a year you will probably need at least a set of rear tyres and the fronts will be getting worn.That will be around £130 for each tyre for a decent brand
It will need at least one service as the service interval is every 12,000 miles. Service starts at £250
You will need at least 10 litres of oil so thats about £50.
Im not sure on brakes as I dont do that many miles in mine each year but front discs are £200-£500 for a set and the rear discs are £150-£300. The front discs are enormous at 323mm iirc.
If the engine is around 70,000 miles I would budget for some form of rebuild.
The catalytic converter is £1500 but the other two bits f the exhaust are about £300 all in.

I think its down to the LSD that causes the winter driving problems.

Edited by sherman on Thursday 15th August 13:34

[sawman]

Awesome, thanks

[StarmistBlue400]

I could never get mine out of the drive when it snowed I guess winter tyres would have helped.

[wolves_wanderer]

StarmistBlue400 said:

I could never get mine out of the drive when it snowed I guess winter tyres would have helped.

I remember sitting in snow with the engine ticking over in second and the back wheels spinning pointlessly

Edit to add useful advice. If you are doing 20k a year then you will be going through at least a set of rears every year. Buy a spare set of rims and put some winters on them.

[fernandofan2008]

Ive got AD08 semi slicks on my RX8. In the snow, DSC off and the low torque work a treat below 4.5k revs to get the car moving. And these tyres arent reccomended to be used under 1 degree Celsius.

If your just relying on tyres your doing it wrong. Always keep some chunks of cardboard in your car. All you need to do is get some cardboard from your local shop or whatever, put it in front of the rear wheels and the car will get traction and continue its momentum and off you go.

Bailed me out plenty of times.

[keelerad]

Had similar worries about my GT86 as I live in Macclesfield and work in Nottingham and get there via the Peaks.

Bought a spare set of rims and had winter tyres (Avon Ice tourings) fitted. Drove all through winter and the only time I had issues was when the roads were physically blocked with snow (i.e 2-3ft drifts across the road)

I would strongly recommend them as its not just traction for moving away but also the better grip provided for steering and braking that just makes winter driving safer.

My vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvOZl2O13lQ

What convinced me to try them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9OkURLNO2k

Alec