New law coming in effect in Nov that makes winter tires mandatory around here, and I'm looking to beat the rush by starting shopping early.

Anyone go to a 16" setup for the IS 250 AWD in winter? 16" tires seem to be cheaper and I generally like the higher profile for winter driving.


Also, there seem to be no steelies for IS, what type of cheap alloy rims should I look for in winter?

Finally has anyone ordered a tire/wheel combo with TPMS for the IS from tirerack.com? Is everything compatible and will the dealer be willing to program the TPMS bougt from a 3rd party?

Lexus will only program Lexus brand TPMS sensors. I know that Lexus sensors are made by Pacific. (TireRack doesn't sell these).
You can get the sensors at Lexus or from an online Lexus dealer (~$106 each + ~$6 for each required fitment kit) , have them program the sensors into the car (~$100) and then mount them in the rim of your choice. Don't buy wheels and tires prebalanced as they will only have to be remounted and balanced after the sensors are installed.

steviej

For a winter tire, I agree to go with a 16" tire with a higher profile (215 55 16 in your case). Tire rack has a sweet deal on a set of these currently...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...yes&place=5

Has anybody from Canada dealt with tirerack.com? I live close to the border (PLAttsburgh NY, Burlington VT) and I wonder if can ship the tires there and save on brokerage fees.

You can have the tires shipped to say a UPS store on the U.S. side of the border & bring them over. But if you hvae them delivered into Canada.....you will be dinged with those fee's.

Another possibility is www.tiretrends.com They are based in BC. Good luck.

Are you sure about this? I just called tirerack and they said that the aftermarket TPMS they supply is compatible. I found a local Toyota dealer willing to do the programming, all they need is the ID code.

That is what Lexus has told me and what I have read on several forums. If you get it done, let us know if it works.

steviej

They said the sensors were by Pacific or something. I'll check with some local shops and see what they say.

Does tirerack give you the sensor ID numbers?

If anyone is curious, the dealer wants close to 3K for rims, tires, sensors

they should be printed right on the side/base of the sensors.


yeah, I know. I paid $2999 for 4 graphite G-Spiders mounted/balanced with 4 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (245/40-18) and 4 sensors programmed.
But they look soooooo coool.

steviej

Not much use if they are mounted and balanced.

Did you call TireRack to see if they send any kind of written documentation with the ID numbers?
Or call your Toyota dealer and see what/how they can be programmed if already mounted. I don't know if there is a sensor tool that can electronicaly pick up the signal from each sensor and capture all pertinent information without opening up the tire. This is not an unfamiliar item to Toyota dealerships as many of their vehicles are equiped with sensor too.

steviej

Toyota told me they need the 4 ID codes. That's all. Tirerack told me every thing should be there, but were vague of specifics. If I have to unmount the tires from the rims to get the ID codes, it will annhilate any savings I could have had and I might as well buy locally.

Chatted with a rep and tirerack and they tell me they get their TPMS from the same OEM as Lexus at a fraction of the price. They also print the ID codes on a separate sheet for you. Just ordered a set of 16" rims, winter tires and TPMS from them. I found a Toyota dealer willing to program it for me. I'll keep you posted on compatibility issues.

Update: Got a set of Dunlop Wintersport 205/55R16, 16x7 cheap-o rims, and TPMS from tirerack. Took them to Toyota and they charged me 1/2 hour of labor to program them and it went fine. Everything was fully compatible.

Thanks to Doc Horvath at tirerack.com for his advice.

Nice choice! Did you get your rims from tirerack too & if so which ones?

Yeah. Sport Edition f7. Cheapest I could find in stock

this is good to know. thank you for the followup.

steviej

Hi My tire contact (in Toronto) also suggested 205/55/16 size (on a awd is150). I was a little surprised as I thought they might be a little narrow and was thinking of going with a 215/55/16 package. I am open to all ideas. How do you find the Dunlops? Any comment on the ride difference between the summer (225/45/17) tires and winter? How are they holding up after 1 season.

Thanks

What size are you going with alfaderek? I may be able to help you out with the price of winter rubber.

Welcome to LOC btw.

I am not surprised of the recommendation.
Narrower tires are better in snow that the wider ones. Narrow tires will slice through snow better.
The wider tires will try to ride up on the snow or plow thought.

steviej