07lexie400h

Reading thru tirerack.com, learned that the best performing snowtire is a Michelin X-ice Xi2 that IS NOT MADE for the wheels on my FWD 400h. I CAN buy new wheels to get these tires. Wondered what your advice is, on specific snow tires, and whether I should make the investment in new wheels. I will be spending ski season in CO near Vail.

I've read thru most of the posts here on the RX400h FWD performance in snow. I'm planning to spend the winter in CO ski country...so want to equip my car with the best snow tires I can get. The top rated ones seem to be the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 -- but those require that I purchase new wheels. Do I need to also purchase the Tire Pressure Monitoring System ($300 from tirerack) that goes with it? I'm based in TX. The other tires Tirerack viewers rate best for ice and snow are the Bridgestone Blizzak DMV-1..those don't require new wheels. But there's still the TMPS thing. Evidently to register a 2nd set of TMPS settings I have to get all this done at my dealer.

So, wondering what specific recommendations you have for me for which brand/size of tires, whether to get the ones that require new wheels, and whether I really need to hook up the TPMS. My next step is to call Lexus dealers in the Denver area to see what they recommend. My local dealer couldn't help (understandably).

Thanks in advance,

Lynda

I have a Lexus 400h, with FWD, not AWD. Wondering if I should chance driving it to Colorado in ski season?

I have brand new Michelin tires on, but they are not snow tires.

I travelled through Ohio and Indiana last week, snow coming down in buckets....two of the three lanes in a 3 lane interstate (I80) were covered with snow and ice, only one lane left free (on and off). The 400h performed perfectly. I was going 45-55 mph and it never veered or slid. I bought this car less than a month ago, traded in my Prius which had terrible "traction control" problems. The 400h is definitely a great car to have in snow. I felt very safe all the way to Wisconsin. There, the temperature hovered from 10 above zero (high) to 6 below. The car, parked outside, turned on every morning with not a moment of hesitation. Best car I ever had.

GKM

Do you have AWD on your model?