I was talking to a Mazda dealer about the RX-8 and he told me they come with a tire inflater/sealer kit (canned air?) instead of any kind of spare tire, (a lack of space issue). He said with the low profile tires thats all you'll need.

Maybe I'm getting old, but the thought of driving around without a spare tire dosen't leave me feel very warm and fuzzy.

Anyone else hear anything about this no need for a spare philosophy.

 

We went to the dealer on Saturday to go check one out, was a loaded car.....MSRP was $33,100 (give or take).

No Thanks.

 

hmmm. That's not a good thing. They are strange looking, I guess I haven't given it time to grow on me yet.

 

It is optional. U can buy a spare kit if you feel you need one. But why? if you inisit, just ditch the stock tires and buy some Ultra Hi Performance run-flat tires. Problem solved.

 

Run flat tires are shit.

 

I would have been screwed if I only had that canned air and sealant crap in my blowout. I got a slice about 1.5" long in my sidewall, sealant wouldn't have helped me.

 

I thinks some BMW's are like that too.

 

Run Flats..........someone explain how you know you got a flat?? Thay go for 55 miles and then "go flat"...great! Delayed flat tire syndrome.

 

They have a sensor which is linked to an indicator in the gauge cluster. It tells you if you have a flat, then counts down the miles till it goes flat

 

C5 series vettes don't have spares either.

 

A real sports car will nt have a spare most of the time, but the RX-8 isnt a real sports car. Run flats are heavy as shit too.

 

Don't run-flats ride like shit? I've heard they're stiff as shit, have no feeling...

 

Yes, and they're loud. What ppl do on corvettes is they change out the tires right away.

 

Screw the tire problem. I would be worried about the whole damn car. Don't get me wrong, as a rule I like mazdas. A co worker has a protege as a daily to/from work driver with a manual trans. It is just a nice, maybe better than a comperable civic. As for the miata, I never warmed up to it. Too much like the old mercury capri or any saturn ever made. Somehow, I have a problem with guys driving these cars.

But if you check back issues of Car and Driver, they did a 50,000 mile test of the car. Initially, the staff had fights over who gets to keep it overnight. Over time, the car silently self distructed. I don't remember all the details, but here is some that I do.

In the spirit of keeping things light (that's a good thing), Mazda went overboard on the sheet metal for the body. You could damage the damn thing by leaning against the side of the car.

In checking high RPM misses in the engines, the mechanics were so fearful of turbo seperation that most refused to stand near the car as it was revved up. They wanted to be on the other side of a wall!

Some mysterious rattles were traced to loose suspension components. On a bullet car (capable of >150 mph), that AIN'T GOOD!

Lots of mysterious electrical problems, some were never solved.

And I do remember clearly that when the cost of oil changes, break pads, and stuff not covered under warranty, the cost per mile to own this car was through the roof!

I hope mazda has corrected these shortcomings in the RX-8. We all need more choices now that the CL is gone.

 

really? my car came w/ an extra rim and tire. same for my friends e36 and e46 m3. not sure about other models

 

i went 120 mph on the freeway with a flat....

but i do have super low profile nittos on 19's, so the sidewall held up the weight

 

not true at all, the runflat tire technology has advanced ALOT in the past few years.



also, I don't trust spare tires at al (seen alot of bad accidents w/ them)l, I always use that can shit when I have a flat, if it doesn't hold it for good, it atleast does well enough to get me to a repair shop.

 

dumbest thing i've ever heard. Did you know you had a flat? You are very lucky, while the sidewalls are stiff on low profile tires, they aren't that stiff. You are very lucky man!!!

 

the new ones are good for close to 300 miles I believe

 

it's debatable, some change them out right away, "most" keep them. Most of the people who change them out change them out because they are traction limited. My dad just purchased his 2nd set of runflats for his vette, great tires. Pretty sticky too, only downside is they are a little heavier then the normal.

 

I think its just a new trend.

 

Run flats, you either love them or hate them. I knew one guy who had them changed at the dealership the day after getting his vette. A guy I work with swears by them. I guess I'll wait to own a vette to judge myself

 

I have a 99 C5 that had run flats. They ride like crap. Harsh as hell. Just replaced them with the non-runflat version of the exact same tire (Goodyear F1). This is a totally different car now. Much nicer ride, better handeling. I would not have runflats again.