Amer

Get a cheap pair of Rota's and slap on snow tires.

Emil St-Hilaire

Beater.

HiPER

Is a staggered setup 'mandatory' for our car in winter? I will not be using stock wheels with winter/snow tires unless I get different advice from you pros.

I see non-staggered wheels that fit rx8s + snow tires on sale sometimes.

xviper

An "expert" would tell you to keep the stagger on the car even with winter rims and tires. However, in the real world, having the same size of rims and tires front and rear has been done with absolutely no ill effects. The driver must understand that they are "winter" tires and that they are not staggered and drive accordingly in the snow/ice. On dry roads, you shouldn't be pushing the car on winter tires anyway, so a non-staggered configuration is not critical for this application.

Audi/S2K fool

This is my truck! You should have seen people's faces when I loaded this up! I've also had insulation foam in the S2K as well! Funny sight to see a little red car with a stack of blue foam strapped to it!




As for the VW diesel, if you drove it, and some careless schmuck ran into you, it probably wouldn't be as bad as if your S was totaled....Then you would have to drive the VW in the summer! Think about that. Its not always how good of a driver you are, its how many idiots are in your company on the roads.

xviper

This true and a valid argument for not driving your pride and joy. However, everything is relative. The S2000, to some people is not the end all, be all. It is just a car - a thing that serves a purpose of more than just being admired and being kept safe. Of course, it would be a shame to have someone run into it. But then, does a guy with a $50K SUV feel any better or worse if someone ran into his vehicle on a slippery roadway? And his car was designed for that kind of driving. Lots of soccer moms drive very expensive station wagons and minivans these days. Do you suppose they would feel any better or worse than someone in an S2000 if they got hit? Or would you think that most of them would drive a "beater" in winter so they can keep their station wagons safe at home?

In a city that has actual "winter" like ours, I see a lot of crashes in winter - more so than in non-winter, however, the vast majority of those are minor. The most severe and devasting crashes happen in summer. The speeds are higher and people are generally less careful. More stupid people die in summer than there are stupid people who have fender benders in winter.

Drive the S. Don't drive the S in winter. That is your choice. Don't drive it if you don't wish to risk it. But don't NOT drive it because you think it can't handle it.

SpitfireS

DrCloud Posted: Sep 8 2006, 07:45 PM
* slightly of topic *
Then why does your manual tells you to put the front wheel on the rear (hub) and the spare wheel on the front (hub) in case of a rear flat tire?

Putting the front wheel on the rear will take more attention because the centering ring is bigger, so be extra carefull torquing the lugnuts in the right order and in smaller steps to make sure the wheel is mounted correctly.

* back on topic *

DrCloud

^^ The need for "attention" was exactly my point. Using the OEM front wheels on the back hubs is fine temporarily if you have a flat rear tire. The manual, as I recall, also says to keep your speed down.

So if you want to live with this restriction all winter, do so, I don't care.

I stand by my original response: go get a set of winter wheels and tires. TireRack (with whom I have no connection beyond being a satisfied customer) is a good place to start because they'll make suggestions. HPH

Audi/S2K fool

You run snow tires in Boca?

DrCloud

^^ Ya just can't trust the weather.

Actually, I lived for about 25 years in Colorado and the NM mountains. AWD rules. HPH