Mazda Rx-8 Tires

In the late 70s, the Mazda RX-7 shook up the automotive world as the first rotary-powered sports car. The RX-8, introduced in 2003, was the RX-7’s successor; it was a sporty 2+2 that was available in Sport, Touring, Grand Touring, and R3 trim levels. Later versions of the RX-8 were strong performers, with 238 hp and a choice of several drivetrain options. Drivers and the automotive press loved the handling of the RX-8 thanks to its low polar moment of inertia and near-even 50-50 weight distribution. For model year 2008, a 40th anniversary RX-8 was offered with Bilstein shocks, an aerodynamics package, urethane foam injected front frame cross-member for improved steering feedback, blue-light fog lamps, and custom wheels. The model’s mid-cycle refresh in 2008 incorporated improved engine oiling and frame modifications that boosted rigidity and handling. Unfortunately, the RX-8 was discontinued in 2012, partly due to the rotary engine being unable to meet European emissions standards.

Here at SimpleTire, we’ve gone through and rounded up some of the best tire options for your Mazda RX-8, including UHP, all-season, and winter tires, then ranked them in Best/Great/Good form according to SimpleScore. Ready? Let’s go in for a closer look:

1. Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate: Best Ultra-High-Performance tire

When it comes to UHP tires, the Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate is one of our favorites, a tire that truly delivers jaw-dropping performance. The Eagle Exhilarate is designed with a five-rib asymmetric tread pattern and wide circumferential grooves that evacuate water from the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning, as well as a high-silica tread formulation that boosts wet-weather grip and long wear. The tread also incorporates sipes and lateral/angled grooves for slippery conditions, enough for a SimpleScore of 9.9 for traction. Cornering, braking distances, and steering response are all top-notch as well, owing to reinforced shoulders, a stiff tread face that resists inertia and G-forces of cornering, and tread blocks that keep more rubber in contact with the road for a handling score of 9.9. Internally, the Eagle Exhilarate is built with a polyester casing, lightweight, high-tensile steel belts, and two layers of polyamide reinforcement plies – the kind of durability that Goodyear offers a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, and for SimpleTire to register a SimpleScore of 8.6 for longevity. That’s especially impressive when you remember that most UHP tires don’t offer a mileage warranty at all.

2. Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus 3: Best All-Season tire

The Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus 3 is an all-season tire that’s designed for exhilarating performance along with year-round traction. The P Zero All Season Plus 3 starts with a new polymer-enhanced tread formulation for durability and long wear, with a polyester casing, twin steel belt package, and polyamide reinforcement plies for a 50,000 mile warranty. With that in mind, we give the Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus 3 a very respectable SimpleScore of 8.9 for longevity. Year-round grip is a strong point with this tire, with an asymmetric tread pattern that’s designed with a minimal void area to put more rubber in contact with the road. A variety of sipes, including full-depth 3D sipes in select tread blocks, help deliver great performance in wet or wintry conditions, for an outstanding SimpleScore of 9.9 for traction. Larger pitch-sequenced tread blocks and reinforced shoulders enhance steering response, braking, and cornering for a SimpleScore of 9.9 for handling.

3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32: Best Winter tire

Here’s a great winter tire fit for your Mazda RX-8; the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 is proof that winter tires don’t have to be noisy, clumsy, rough, and tiresome to drive. The Blizzak LM-32 is a performance-oriented winter tire that’s designed with a special winter rubber compound that stays flexible for traction in subfreezing weather, with snow platform indicators molded into the tread to alert a driver when the tread has worn down to a point where it affects traction (SimpleScore of 8.5 for longevity). Winter grip is outstanding and worthy of the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service. The Blizzak LM-32 has a directional winter tread design with stepped independent tread blocks and Lamellen edge effect sipes for confident grip in snow and slush, for a SimpleScore of 9.9 for traction. Cornering, braking, steering response, and control are all what you’d expect from a performance tire (thanks in part to a reinforced rounded shoulder), for an outstanding 9.9 SimpleScore for handling. Just remember that winter tires like the Blizzak LM-32 will wear quickly in warmer weather due to the softer tread formulation; they shouldn’t be used if temperatures are above 45 degrees F.

While these are the best Mazda RX-8 tires on the market, there are plenty of other tires to consider:

4. Yokohama Advan Sport A/S+: Great UHP All-Season tire

Here’s another tire that’s designed around the versatility of all-season traction along with the driving dynamics of a UHP tire. The Yokohama Advan Sport A/S+ uses a custom-blended rubber formulation that’s rich with silica for durability and enhanced wet-weather traction, with an optimized sidewall design that extends reinforcement higher up the sidewall (high turnup) than most tires for durability and great handling. With a 55,000 mile warranty, SimpleTire gives the Advan Sport A/S+ a SimpleScore of 8.6 for longevity. Year-round grip comes from a combination of circumferential grooves, inboard serpentine grooves, and a combination of wavy sipes and streaming Z-grooves, registering a very solid SimpleScore of 9.9 for traction. Extra-large outboard shoulder blocks, the high-turnup sidewall, and 2-in-1 intermediate tread blocks deliver excellent cornering, braking, and steering response for a very respectable 9.9 SimpleScore for handling.

5. Kumho Ecsta PA51: Good UHP All-Season tire

We’re going to wrap up our list with the Kumho Ecsta PA51, another distinctly performance-oriented all-season tire. The Ecsta PA51 is designed to live up to UHP levels of braking, cornering, and handling performance while delivering all-season traction, thanks to wide circumferential grooves that resist hydroplaning on wet pavement by channeling water from the tire’s contact patch. Wide shoulder blocks mean improved cornering ability (for a SimpleScore of 9.4 in handling), and a semi-solid center rib augments straight-line stability, steering response, and road manners. An advanced, custom blended tread compound gives you superb traction, stiffness for cornering ability, and long, even wear (for a 45,000 mile warranty), and a combination of sipes and specially-designed tread blocks deliver winter traction. SimpleScore for traction is 8.9, and the SimpleScore for longevity is 8.6 with an overall SimpleScore average of 8.8. The Kumho Ecsta PA51 might come in at a somewhat more affordable price point, but that doesn’t mean any kind of a compromise in performance or quality.

Order Mazda RX-8 Tires Online

Buying tires online can be a stressful process, but it really doesn't need to be. SimpleTire offers a simple approach to finding the tires that are best for you and your Mazda RX-8. Select your Mazda RX-8 below, then tell us a few more things such as year and trim level to determine your tire size. From there, we'll show you tires that fit your vehicle and are the best match based on performance characteristics, but you can also look for the best value tires