Best winter alignment, 0 Toe, 0 Camber?

[byez]

I drive a rear wheel drive Mazda RX8 at times during the winter here in Alberta.

I currently use a set of Nokian Rsi's and last year I found the car constantly wanted to rotate on the really slippery stuff. I would drive straight forward but the back end would constantly want to swap ends with the front even with very light throttle inputs. Very squirrely and it always gave me an uneasy feeling on ice.

I have not done an alignment since purchasing the car used so I can't speak of the current settings but would a 0 toe, 0 camber, alignment work best in my winter conditions?

 

[disturban]

There is a reason you don't see many RX8's, corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs ect ect driving around in the snow and it is not an alignment issue. Spend $500 and get yourself something like a 1990 S10 Blazer 4x4 for the winter!

 

[Captain_Klink]

just trade in the rx8 for a Subaru Impreza. Subaru Impreza drives like a tank through snow, will race down a Mazda RX8, keeps its resale value, looks good, drives beautifully. All of the 2009 have built in stability control as well as full time all wheel drive. the flat four engine gives the lowest possible centre of gravity, and the vehicle lasts forever. it has 5 star crash rating, in the very unlikely possibility of a crash. as a Canadian, you can buy a used one from USA, for the cheap US price.

 

[youdontwannaknow]

are you guys in the wrong thread ?? the OP's not asking about suggestions for replacing the RX8!

its a good question though - alignment and traction are related - rwd or not.

 

[bdcardinal]

what he is experiencing is NOT an alignment issue. its the nature of the vehicle, no matter what is done to the alignment.

 

[PandaBear]

RWD sports car will have these kind of spin.

Put a 50lb bag of sand or rice in the back of the car to make the driving wheel heavier.

 

[eljefino]

In the summer a nice aggressive alignment lets the tire deform and grip better in hard corners etc.

This ain't happening on snow and ice. Best thing for your contact patch is some skinny winter tires that bite down through to pavement.

 

[byez]

Already have a 2008 5.7 Tundra with Blizzaks for most winter days.

I actually quite enjoy RWD in winter. I would say straight line traction is better in a FWD, but I would much rather be in a RWD during a corner.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
In the summer a nice aggressive alignment lets the tire deform and grip better in hard corners etc.

This ain't happening on snow and ice. Best thing for your contact patch is some skinny winter tires that bite down through to pavement.

+1 on the skinny tires, they may allow you not to bother changing the alignment. Also a cheap thing to try is disconnecting one side of the rear sway bar. I put one in the back of my Neon this summer and on loose gravel it rotates much to easily. I'm disconnecting it for the winter even with my new skinny(155) snow tires.