Snow Tires For Is350?

[craig john]

I will be getting an IS350 just after X-mas. I am coming out of a 1997 BMW M3. The M3 was horrible in the snow until I put a set of Blizzack's on it. The differnce was night and day.

Working on the assumption that the IS with "summer" tires will be just as bad as the M3 in the snow, I'm planning to get snow tires for the IS. I'm wondering if anyone else has done so and what wheels, tires and sizes you got? How good is the resultant traction? My IS will have 18" wheels, so I'm thinking I will need wheels as well as tires, probably 17's. Will 16's fit? Does anyone know the bolt pattern, offsets, etc. for the 350?

TIA, for any help.

Craig

[Lexusfreak]

I will be getting an IS350 just after X-mas.  I am coming out of a 1997 BMW M3.  The M3 was horrible in the snow until I put a set of Blizzack's on it.  The differnce was night and day.

Working on the assumption that the IS with "summer" tires will be just as bad as the M3 in the snow, I'm planning to get snow tires for the IS.  I'm wondering if anyone else has done so and what wheels, tires and sizes you got?  How good is the resultant traction? My IS will have 18" wheels, so I'm thinking I will need wheels as well as tires, probably 17's.  Will 16's fit?  Does anyone know the bolt pattern, offsets, etc. for the 350?

TIA, for any help.

Craig

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What type of driving will you be doing in the winter months? Snow tires & Winter tires are 2 different things. B)

[ZINFANDEL22]

I will be getting an IS350 just after X-mas.  I am coming out of a 1997 BMW M3.  The M3 was horrible in the snow until I put a set of Blizzack's on it.  The differnce was night and day.

Working on the assumption that the IS with "summer" tires will be just as bad as the M3 in the snow, I'm planning to get snow tires for the IS.  I'm wondering if anyone else has done so and what wheels, tires and sizes you got?  How good is the resultant traction? My IS will have 18" wheels, so I'm thinking I will need wheels as well as tires, probably 17's.  Will 16's fit?  Does anyone know the bolt pattern, offsets, etc. for the 350?

TIA, for any help.

Craig

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Original equipment is 17's. Plus your fronts are 225 x 45's and rear are 245 x 45's that tire size is going to push alot of snow.... bolt size is 5x114.3 i beleive as most all toyotas are the same. puting different wheels on may able you to drive a thiner tire that will go through the snow better.

[Lexusfreak]

Here is the explanation link for the difference between snow & winter tires, including how to store them...scroll down. B)

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26040

[ZINFANDEL22]

Here is the explanation link for the difference between snow & winter tires, including how to store them...scroll down.  B)

  http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26040 

   

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NICE LEXUS VERY NICE INFO. Mine are about 8 ft from my furnace,go figure!!, And my wine cellar is full of wine and to small.

[Lexusfreak]

NICE LEXUS VERY NICE INFO. Mine are about 8 ft from my furnace,go figure!!, And my wine cellar is full of wine and to small.

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Happy to help. B)

[craig john]

Lexusfreak,

Which tires qualify as winter tires? Are their snow handling capabilities the same as "snow" tires?

Zinfandel22,

I agree that slightly narrower tires will push less snow. The Blizzack's on my M3 are 225/16's. They work great. I was thinking of a non-staggered setup for the IS. Do you have any suggestions for wheels/tires and sizes?

Doing some on-line searching, I have found some Nitto's, 225/45/R17's with a VR speed rating. Is anyone familiar with these tires? Wet, dry and snow capabilities?

Thanks.

Craig

[ZINFANDEL22]

Lexusfreak,

Which tires qualify as winter tires?  Are their snow handling capabilities the same as "snow" tires?

Zinfandel22,

I agree that slightly narrower tires will push less snow.  The Blizzack's on my M3 are 225/16's.  They work great.  I was thinking of a non-staggered setup for the IS.  Do you have any suggestions for wheels/tires and sizes?

Doing some on-line searching, I have found some Nitto's, 225/45/R17's with a VR speed rating.  Is anyone familiar with these tires?  Wet, dry and snow capabilities?

Thanks.

Craig

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I would check out ebay they have tons of wheels for lexus cars and many are oem aluminum that people are getting rid of cuz they went chrome. You can get some good deals on these rims as they almost all will fit your car. 5 x 5.4 is the same as 5 x 114.3 I found out also. I would think a 17 x 7 or 7.5 will be fine for the winter . I am not sure what hieght tire you can go with on your car you will have to call tirerack.com or others and ask. I would think a thiner tire may not look near as nice but its for the winter so its got to work thats all.You will probably be buying your rims seperate since you will be puting winter tires on them.

[Lexusfreak]

Lexusfreak,

Which tires qualify as winter tires?  Are their snow handling capabilities the same as "snow" tires?

Zinfandel22,

I agree that slightly narrower tires will push less snow.  The Blizzack's on my M3 are 225/16's.  They work great.  I was thinking of a non-staggered setup for the IS.  Do you have any suggestions for wheels/tires and sizes?

Doing some on-line searching, I have found some Nitto's, 225/45/R17's with a VR speed rating.  Is anyone familiar with these tires?  Wet, dry and snow capabilities?

Thanks.

Craig

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Craig,

Snow tires focus primarily on 'deep snow' as opposed to icy & slushy road conditions.....snow tires will be somewhat 'sloppy' in the handling department as it is not the tires specility.....you have to ask yourself what type of winter driving you do in the area you live. Considering the type of vehicle we are talking about here, I would be leaning more towards a 'winter' tire over a 'snow tire'.

A popular & recent consumer magazine rated 12 'winter' tires......your 3 best bets would be....

- Michelin X-Ice

- Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice

- Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50

Check tirerack or your local tire shops for size & price availability. Hope this helps. B)

[craig john]

Thanks guys! I checked both Tirerack (sold out for season on Blizzack's) and Discount Tire Direct. DTD is where I found the Nitto's. They also have some wheels pretty reasonable.

I also have a local tire dealer I'll check with tomorrow.

I can't wait to get my IS!

Craig

[Lexusfreak]

Thanks guys!  I checked both Tirerack (sold out for season on Blizzack's) and Discount Tire Direct.  DTD is where I found the Nitto's.  They also have some wheels pretty reasonable.

I also have a local tire dealer I'll check with tomorrow.

I can't wait to get my IS!

Craig

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Good luck Craig! B) The Nitto's you were talking about earlier......were they summer or winter tires? I could not find anything on their website about winter rubber as I was under the impression they did not make such a tire.

[ZINFANDEL22]

Thanks guys!  I checked both Tirerack (sold out for season on Blizzack's) and Discount Tire Direct.  DTD is where I found the Nitto's.  They also have some wheels pretty reasonable.

I also have a local tire dealer I'll check with tomorrow.

I can't wait to get my IS!

Craig

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CRAIG,Check out the dunlop winter sport m3 I would buy these for my car in a second.

[SKORPiO]

I just got my IS last friday and I love thecar but hate those summer tires... I couldnt even get in my driveway with .5 inch of snow on it... Its horrible so the next day I went to local store and ordered new 17" wheels and Dunlop Graspic tires. Manager recommened non staggered setup of 225 55 17 all over which is 2.7% off the rear tire diameter (if i remember correctly).... but now an issue comes out... which is a tire pressure monitoring system... I looked at the manual and you can select between the main tires (oem 18s) and 2ND set but this one also should have pressure senders... I dont know how it will work out... but I would hate 3 beeps every 3 minuters while driving. There isnt much info on this so I guess Ill be a test rabbit.

o yea... I got a speeding ticket next day I got the car so I guess the break-in period was a success...

regards, Bart

[bartkat]

I don't know anyone that has figured out the no sensor problem yet, but several people are working on it. I'll report if someone finds a solution.

[craig john]

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Good luck Craig! B) The Nitto's you were talking about earlier......were they summer or winter tires? I could not find anything on their website about winter rubber as I was under the impression they did not make such a tire.

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Lexusfreak,

They are the Nitto NT-SN1 Winter Tire. They have an interesting tread pattern with a large center channel, lots of small sipes and some water shedding large sipes. Here's a link to the Discount Tire Direct website with these tires:

DTD site

If it doesn't work you can go the DTD website and search for winter tires for the IS.

Craig

[Lexusfreak]

Lexusfreak,

They are the Nitto NT-SN1 Winter Tire.  They have an interesting tread pattern with a large center channel, lots of small sipes and some water shedding large sipes.  Here's a link to the Discount Tire Direct website with these tires:

DTD site

If it doesn't work you can go the DTD website and search for winter tires for the IS.

Craig

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Thanks for the link Craig, I do not have any info on this winter tire so I can't comment. Perhaps if other members have them, they can provide you some feedback. The middle of the tire looks very close to the Goodyear Triple Tread with it's 'Ice Block' however. I wouldn't worry too much about the V speed rating however, that is overkill for a dedicated winter tire. Consider a Max of an H speed rating & go to a slightly smaller tire & wheel size to save some money. Just my 2 cents.

[dkaplan435]

hi Craig,

I hope to have my 350 in a day or two. I'm trading in my 99 M3 convertible, also w/ summer tires. The drive home the other day was scary (I'm in the Chicago area). I priced tires/wheels sets @ tirerack, they ain't cheap

Dave

I will be getting an IS350 just after X-mas.  I am coming out of a 1997 BMW M3.  The M3 was horrible in the snow until I put a set of Blizzack's on it.  The differnce was night and day.

Working on the assumption that the IS with "summer" tires will be just as bad as the M3 in the snow, I'm planning to get snow tires for the IS.  I'm wondering if anyone else has done so and what wheels, tires and sizes you got?  How good is the resultant traction? My IS will have 18" wheels, so I'm thinking I will need wheels as well as tires, probably 17's.  Will 16's fit?  Does anyone know the bolt pattern, offsets, etc. for the 350?

TIA, for any help.

Craig

←

[ZINFANDEL22]

hi Craig,

I hope to have my 350 in a day or two.  I'm trading in my 99 M3 convertible, also w/ summer tires.  The drive home the other day was scary (I'm in the Chicago area).  I priced tires/wheels sets @ tirerack, they ain't cheap

Dave

I will be getting an IS350 just after X-mas.  I am coming out of a 1997 BMW M3.  The M3 was horrible in the snow until I put a set of Blizzack's on it.  The differnce was night and day.

Working on the assumption that the IS with "summer" tires will be just as bad as the M3 in the snow, I'm planning to get snow tires for the IS.  I'm wondering if anyone else has done so and what wheels, tires and sizes you got?  How good is the resultant traction? My IS will have 18" wheels, so I'm thinking I will need wheels as well as tires, probably 17's.  Will 16's fit?  Does anyone know the bolt pattern, offsets, etc. for the 350?

TIA, for any help.

Craig

←

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Good o'l CHICAGO!! My opinion tires are great price at tirerack but there wheels are up there. Try dicounttiredirect or performanceplustires,victoriatires,I know they have some great package deals but if your looking for winter tires you will probably have to buy seperate rims and tires. Good luck let us know what you found or if better deals are out there? I know some local dealers give good deals just not where I live unfortunatly.

[ZINFANDEL22]

hi Craig,

I hope to have my 350 in a day or two.  I'm trading in my 99 M3 convertible, also w/ summer tires.  The drive home the other day was scary (I'm in the Chicago area).  I priced tires/wheels sets @ tirerack, they ain't cheap

Dave

I will be getting an IS350 just after X-mas.  I am coming out of a 1997 BMW M3.  The M3 was horrible in the snow until I put a set of Blizzack's on it.  The differnce was night and day.

Working on the assumption that the IS with "summer" tires will be just as bad as the M3 in the snow, I'm planning to get snow tires for the IS.  I'm wondering if anyone else has done so and what wheels, tires and sizes you got?  How good is the resultant traction? My IS will have 18" wheels, so I'm thinking I will need wheels as well as tires, probably 17's.  Will 16's fit?  Does anyone know the bolt pattern, offsets, etc. for the 350?

TIA, for any help.

Craig

←

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Dave what are looking to spend? There are some great deals out there for wheels for winter probably for $600-$700wheels and tires complete.

[thesaintjim]

You're going to drive the 350 in winter??????????????????????????? Please tell me how it performs!

Lexusfreak,

They are the Nitto NT-SN1 Winter Tire.  They have an interesting tread pattern with a large center channel, lots of small sipes and some water shedding large sipes.  Here's a link to the Discount Tire Direct website with these tires:

DTD site

If it doesn't work you can go the DTD website and search for winter tires for the IS.

Craig

←

Thanks for the link Craig, I do not have any info on this winter tire so I can't comment. Perhaps if other members have them, they can provide you some feedback. The middle of the tire looks very close to the Goodyear Triple Tread with it's 'Ice Block' however. I wouldn't worry too much about the V speed rating however, that is overkill for a dedicated winter tire. Consider a Max of an H speed rating & go to a slightly smaller tire & wheel size to save some money. Just my 2 cents.

←

[clubfoot]

You're going to drive the 350 in winter??????????????????????????? Please tell me how it performs!

It performs just fine with winter tires=Pirelli Winter Sport 18" with SNOW mode selected, no problems so far.

[thesaintjim]

You're going to drive the 350 in winter??????????????????????????? Please tell me how it performs!

It performs just fine with winter tires=Pirelli Winter Sport 18" with SNOW mode selected, no problems so far.

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Wow, that just changed my entire thought of buying a 350.

[dkaplan435]

I found a wheel/tire combo on discount tire for $896 (17").

I thought I'd have my car last week, but won't actually get it until the 23rd or so. I'll keep you all advised as to what I do regarding winter tires.

Thx,

Dave

You're going to drive the 350 in winter??????????????????????????? Please tell me how it performs!

It performs just fine with winter tires=Pirelli Winter Sport 18" with SNOW mode selected, no problems so far.

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Wow, that just changed my entire thought of buying a 350.

[craig john]

Lexusfreak

How about the Pirelli Winter 240 Snowsport? My local tire dealer (a good friend and a fellow M3 owner) is recommending these in the 18" size and just swaping them on my wheels fall and spring.

thesaintjim, are these the tires you have? If so, what sizes did you go with? Also, how do you like the dry/wet handling in addition to the snow capabilities? Thanks.

Craig

Edited December 20, 2005 by craig john

[dkaplan435]

I wound up getting Blizzak LM-25s, from the deaaler, and I had them installed on the wheels that came with the car... for a few reasons.

1. I read a lot about the TPMS problems, solved by having Lexus install the tires using the existing hardware

2. I couldn't find 18" winter tires, at least not the highest rated ones (on tirerack) on either tirerack or discount tire. None of the local tire chains had them either.r

3. Lexus is actually storing my summer tires until winter is over, and they'll store my winter tires when they put the summer ones back on.

The tires are great (so far) and I can't wait until it snows to see how they handle in the wet.

I paid a lot for the tires, but I saved in a couple of ways. I didn't have to buy new wheels, which I was going to do, and I didn't have to buy TPMS for each wheel and then either find out they wouldn't work (if they weren't from Lexus) or take them to lexus to have them programmed. which wouldn't have been free... Im sure would have wound up costing at least $200 if not more...

Dave