Winter tyre recommendations (R3 wheels)

[rickp]

Hi everyone.

After getting an additional set of PZ alloys and having got these as my 'Summer' wheels, my R3 wheels are due a refurbishment and also new tyres.

These will be my 'Winter' set, but I wouldn't know where to start on Winter Tyres for UK 'winters'

Does anyone have experience of winter tyres on RX8's and can recommend what works well if on 18's or R3 19's?

With thanks

Rick

[warpc0il]

When I started to read this I assumed that you had bought the PZ wheels for winter tyres, while keeping the R3 wheels for summer.

This would make far more sense as winter tyres ideally have a higher sidewall (higher profile) than summer tyres and therefore smaller rim for the same rolling diameter.

For the S1, Mazda offered 17" wheels specifically for use with winter tyres.

wheels.jpg

While it's certainly possible to find winter tyres for the 19" wheels, they will be more expensive and not as effective as the 18" versions.

[rickp]

I was actually thinking of the 18's to also use on track days, as tyres would be cheaper on 18 vs 19, hence the 19s for the winter set instead.

The 18s are also more comfortable as a daily driver basis, as the extra tyre height makes it more comfortable for MrsP's back.

If I take it as 3 months on for winter, the 19s would last a bit longer anyway for extra cost. That's my thinking anyway...

[warpc0il]

The issues isn't just cost but performance.

R3's run 225/40R19 and the Club type price tool shows that many brands produce winter tyres in that size, with prices from £85 to £331 per corner.

However, winter tyres are much more effective at profiles around 50% (or at least 45%) as they need the structure to be more compliant than summer tyres.

You'll notice that the 17" winter wheels specified by Mazda are matched with 225/50R17 winter tyres - for exactly that reason.

If winter performance is your concern then you could probably sell your R3 wheels and buy a set of S1 used OEM wheels, plus new 225/45R18 winter tyres, and come out ahead.

[Nerdstrike]

Some of the GT86 boys/gals recommend the Nokian WRA4 for cold/wet weather. I've been using Dunlop Wintersports on my '86 and they're a bit squishier and vague than I'd like, but grip is good in the dry and very good in the wet. They just don't tolerate heat very well which is a problem when you have a super mild winter. At 15 Celsius they feel very floaty, wheras in torrential rain I've been shocked by how much grip and standing water capacity is available.

I was later forced to replace a pair after a puncture and ended up with a pair of Goodyear Ultragrip performance which are very poor in the dry.

Obviously the RX8 has a more even weight balance than the '86, but the kerb weight is within 100kg so it might be comparable. I didn't get winters for my RX8 and I had a couple of trivial situations that were very challenging in winter. Well rated all season tyres might also make a reasonable compromise since Peterborough isn't one of the iciest places. Depends where you go on your holidays!

I also think Warpcoil has the right of it though. 235/35R19 tyres have very little sidewall to spare, and wider tyres aquaplane more easily than narrower ones.

[rickp]

Thanks for the replies, I may ponder the all seasons as well, that might be a good compromise, as, yeah, we don't really get a ton of snow in peebo... And I guess you would get away with them in most places in England.

We have an All 4 Countryman, so worst case in an emergency could travel in that if we suddenly went polar one winter. Just need to sort tyres for that as well

[WildMan10]

I run 225/45/18 Michelin Cross Climates on 40th Ann wheels for the colder 6 months of the year. They’re a great tyre.

I Ran true winter tyres over 30 years but decided that their more restricted temperature range was more of a burden than their extra cold temperature performance. As it turned out, I found the cross climates to be excellent even in freezing conditions with or without snow and am pleased I made the change.

I much prefer the 18” wheels as the extra cushioning is great on the cr@p roads around me in Surrey.

[rickp]

I've decided to go with the only branded 'all seasons' that fit, as they get a decent more summer biased write up.
Yep it's the Michelin CrossClimate+ that is available in 225/40 R19 size.
Just to get the alloys booked in for refurbishment as well as getting the tyres ordered in during the next couple of weeks.

[rotatopotato]

I've got Nexen N8000s on mine at the moment (came with the car!) - fairly certain these are classed as ditch finders, and with winter coming up I'm slightly worried that the first touch of an icy road will have me spinning into the nearest wall or pole. So I'll probably get a set of the Michelins as suggested here - and blow another hole in the wallet

Standard 18s are available on ebay for about £50 a pop, so I might then invest in a second set for next year's summer tyres.

[PJBTOV]

Hi,

A couple of tyre questions if anyone can help please.

Can the R3 take 255/35 tyres?

Is the standard size for R3 245/35?

Thanks,

Phil

[Ainmhidh]

Don't know if the standard rims will take 255/35 but the specified size is 225/40 R19

[PJBTOV]

Thanks, that’s quite a big difference between the 225 then

[warpc0il]

The difference is diameter between 225/40R19 and 255/35R19 is less than 0.25%, so that's not an issue.

The problem is that the OEM wheels are 8J and nearly all 255/35 tyres are only certified to run on rims between 8.5J and 10J.

People do run 255's on 8J but it's not a good idea and you would invalidate your insurance.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

*waves* standard rims will take 255/35R19, ask me how I know

With regards to insurance invalidation, I don't think there are specifics in the UK regarding it - and there certainly aren't any safety laws or governance dictating what tyre size need be fitted. Arguably anything other than OE recommended sizes would invalidate your insurance, so Dave is arguing against himself in the post above.

[warpc0il]

There are two different aspects regarding recommendation/certification.

There's what size tyres are standard, or possibly factory optional for your model of car. Go outside of these and you need to inform your insurer, which shouldn't be an issue, other than it gives them an excuse to up the premium.

Then there's what size rims a specific tyre is certified to run on.
Run a tyre on a rim that it's not designed to fit, as is often the case with "stretched" but can also be the case with too wide a tyre on a rim, and the insurer can wriggle out of any claims, even if you told them about the tyres, as the combination isn't "legal".

Note that I put "legal" in quotes as it may or may not fail an MOT, depending how far the rim size falls outside the tyre manufacturers fitment guide.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

At no point does a tyre manufacturer specify what wheel size their tyres fit...

I've looked through Michelin's website and nowhere does it have any information saying a PS4 tyre is only certified to fit X or Y wheel widths. If you have this information then please let me know where to find it, but the only thing I can find is a shed load of people spouting rubbish on forums with no facts to back it up - which is suspiciously like what is happening here...

EDIT: Additional point, not every 255 width tyre is the same width. Same principle as women's clothes sizes, some 255 width tyres are wider than others. For example, the Accelera 651 Sport tyres are narrower than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres of the same labelled width.

[warpc0il]

You need to look at the technical data shared with car manufacturers, tyre suppliers and insurance companies, like this

download-technical-databook-data.pdf

produced by every tyre manufacturer.