reyoasian

that actually sounds like a really good idea, except my trunk is tiny and i won't have room for other things :( i think i'm just going with the 16's and ignore the warnings.... It fits in the spare tire compartment right on top of the spare tire thats in there. I think the mini trailor tire is about 12 inches across total. I just deflated it, pushed the tire bead in and slid all the sensors inside it. Then reinflated the tire. I had to add air to the mini about 1 or 2 times a year, but it worked great. Then I got the TPMS elbow extenders for my rims and later was able to have them reinstalled so I don't need to do that anymore. Thanks! I'll keep that in mind

I was just looking up your choices. The General tire is intended to be studded, correct? If you are not going to insert the studd, then go with something else. steviej Well, it's studdable, but the reviews on non-studded ones are even better than the X-ICE Xi2...also I think studding is illegal in Toronto..? So I should go with the Hankook W409 then? they are $70CAD cheaper in total price including rims and balancing/mounting. THe reviews on tirerack aren't as good, but i'm sure with safe driving, any snow tires will do...

that actually sounds like a really good idea, except my trunk is tiny and i won't have room for other things :( i think i'm just going with the 16's and ignore the warnings....

I get the TPM warning light on the dash, as well as a message on the display for gas-consumption on the dash. No noise though.

How about the Hankook W409? Are they decent? The reviews on it seem decent but I'm not sure if that's just marketing or true quality. Anyone had experience with these or just Hankooks in general? Thanks!

I got a quote from a place: 4x 205/55R16 General Altimax Arctic + 4x 16" Steel Rims = $840 CAD (ALL Inclusive with tax, mounting/balancing, etc.) This seems like a good deal?

I would do the whole new set with TPM thing except it's so expensive haha. When you say 0.3% slower, do you mean like...If I'm going at 100km/h my speedo is reading 0.3% less OR if I'm going at 100km/h my speedo is reading 0.3% more?

Exactly what I said. Some people cover TPMS warning lights on the dashboard with a piece of tape so they don't have to see the warning. I'm not all that familar with 2 gen IS -- only ridden in one a few times ... don't know if it is practical to cover the warning light with tape on an IS. Myself, I'd probably buy an extra set of TPM sensors to use with snow wheels if my car had TPM. For the past few decades, I've followed a routine where I check the fluid levels and tire pressures in our cars every Sunday morning so I guess I don't see TPM as being very important. Our cars have sensors and warning lights for the coolant and windshield washer fluid tanks but I still check them weekly and top up the fluids if necessary. I check the battery and oil levels weekly too ... just a part of regular and thorough car maintenance which takes less than 30 minutes weekly to check both cars. Oh, so you did mean it literally then. That's not gonna work for me because aside from the warning light, I get warning messages on the display screen :( sucks...I'm gonna call Lexus tomorrow to see what they can do because I think I'm going to go with 225/55R16 unless it really just won't work out; then it's back to original 17's again... Thanks a lot for your info though!

If you've read my other post regarding snow tires, I've decided on the General Altimax Arctic. (EDIT: Or the Hankook W409. What do y'all think?) Now I'm deciding on whether to get it in 225/45R17 and keep my original rims or getting new rims in 16" as well If I decide to get new 16" steel rims for winter, does the tire size 205/55R16 work for the IS250 AWD (Canadian model)? TireRack recommends 225/50-16 and 215/55-16, but my friend tells me 205/55R16 is fine for it. What do you guys think?

What do you mean covering the TPM warning light with a piece of electrical tape? Should I still get Lexus to reprogram it so I don't get any warnings, etc.?

I'm just kinda of stating what I hear around, but I've ought to test it out for myself this winter! Shopping around for some decent snow tires right now :)

I was thinking about the 205/55R16 but the guy at Lexus told me if I do that then I won't have the TPM's, else I have to get the whole set from Lexus for over $2000. So I decided to stick with my current stock rims so the TPM's won't be affected or taken out. That sounds a little steep. However the dealer does need to take his mark up. I was given a rough estimate of an additional $125 per tire to install TPMs for the new rims. I chose not to get them. I also wanted more flexibility changing the wheels out by myself if required. There is some slight risk to the rims and tires every spring and fall when you re-mount your tires too. Did you have the TPM warning lights on after changing to 16's without the TPM's? If so, did you have to take it to Lexus to get it reprogrammed? I'm just afraid of all the trouble of doing this way. P.S. What kind of risk to the rims/tires from re-mounting?

Very nice! Did you get Brembo brakes?

Try TireRack.com, they've got some pretty good information, along with decent prices as well.

I'm gettin snowtires too. I talked to Lexus service/parts they said if I only change the tire and keep the rims/tpm the same then all I have to do is take it to Lexus and they will reprogram the TPM to match snowtire PSI for free. If you change both tires and rims (without TPM) then you're going to get the "tire pressure" alert, where you have to take it in to Lexus for them to reprogram it still.

Same thing with me man, I think your dealer's right.

I have a 09 IS250 AWD. Apparently, the AWD from Lexus is a "fake" AWD. I'm hearing that the traction control on this is horrible with very slow reaction; slow enough to scare you *BLEEP*less. It's nothing like the full-time AWD quattro, which was awesome when I drove my friend's A5 last winter. Lexus' AWD is one of those where the power is still mainly in the rear most of the time (I think it's 80/20 rear/front split) and when the car slips, the car adjusts its power between front and rear wheels to fix things. But this "slip" just might be too late. I'm really thinking of an Audi for a next car in a few years.... I hear the stock all-seasons on the IS250 are horrible! Which tires do you have? I have the Stoneridge ones I think... I'm still shopping around for a set of snow tires though since my parents are making me =\ Hopefully it will be fine. My friend who has an 06 IS250 AWD says he had trouble in winter at times, and hit his rims on the curbs a few times after turning, so he's planning to get snow tires this year as well.

Maybe the car's homesick...?? ;) just a thought...

I don't know about the convertibles but the IS350 sedan is pretty fast from what I've known (even beats 335i in drag races) So I'm assuming the convertible will be the same? I have the 250 sedan AWD, and it's horribly slow. Doesn't feel like 204hp, 184torque at all. But I guess this is because the torque hits peak at almost 5000rpm and the hp at over 6000rpm. I came down to this car from an Acura RDX, and I've driven my friends' cars after I got the Lexus (A5 2.0T, 335i, 328xi, Mazda 3, Altima Coupe 3.5 V6, etc.). One word to describe the differences: SLOW.............0-100kph in 8.3s? come on....! So if power is really a concern for you, then I'd say take the 350!

Congrats on your car, what colour did you get? I just got mine in August in silver! Anyways, take a look at this: http://www.insideline.com/car-news/10-tips...-a-new-car.html According to this, you shouldn't get ANYTHING other than the actual car from a car dealer. I'm gonna have to agree to this because I actually got the paint/leather protection package and paint/rust warranty for my car. Within 2 weeks, my mom scratched my car while backing into the garage (very slight scratches on the edge of the body at the right/rear wheel) I took it to Lexus and they said that this is not covered in the warranty.............then what is??! So I cleaned it up myself, waxed it, and touch-up-painted it. Now it looks fine, slight scratch on the metallic part and a bit of a longer scratch on the plastic bumper part. So from what I hear and my experiences, I think dealers honestly just trick your money from these things. All these warranty packages, etc. When something DOES happen, they try every way they could to make you into believing it is not covered. So as that website states, there's nothing you can't do elsewhere for a cheaper price! P.S. I want to do tinting on mine as well! Anybody know of any good places in TORONTO??!

My last comparison is between the Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 and the General Altimax Arctic. Tire Rack's customer ratings says that the Altimax are equal or better than the Blizzaks in every aspect except just slightly worse on ice. What do you guys think? Which one should I get? P.S. I'm driving a 09 IS250 AWD (Canadian model) and I'm not changing the rims because of the TPM's so I'm gettin tires of size 225/45R17 Thanks y'all!

I was thinking about the 205/55R16 but the guy at Lexus told me if I do that then I won't have the TPM's, else I have to get the whole set from Lexus for over $2000. So I decided to stick with my current stock rims so the TPM's won't be affected or taken out.

Yeah I checked out the WS-60 as well they seem very nice. But I'm still having second thoughts about ordering online; I'm not a big fan of online shopping due to previous bad experiences. I'm thinking whether I should just get the X-ICE Xi2 from Costco...they have cheap installation too and a $60 rebate for Michelin sets right now. I don't need the best, and I'm sure with safe driving procedures any of these will be safe. So it all comes down to whether I should order online. If I'm to order online, I think the Altimax would be good enough, it's got pretty good ratings on Canadian Tire, and it's fairly cheap. Installation will just be about $100 more, still cheaper than the Michelin's and Blizzak's after installation.

Got my new IS250 AWD (CANADIAN) just this summer in August. I am hearing that it does really bad in snow with the stock all-seasons (I got the Bridgestone ones) I live in Toronto, and I will be driving a lot of highway back-and-forth to Waterloo for school (on weekends) EDIT: I've decided on the General Altimax Arctic as the price is much more acceptable for me. Now I am stuck between using original 17" and only changing tires or buying new set of 16's. I would most prefer to get the set of 16" rims and the tires for it, but what size is recommended for the IS250 AWD? Would 205/55R16 fit fine? Thanks all! EDIT 2: $840CAD for 4x 205/55R16 General Altimax Arctic + 4x Steel Rims including everything, even mounting/balancing. How is this price?

Picking it up on August 21st, 2009 IS250 AWD with leather/moonroof and nav. However, there was only 1 car left and it's silver, no other choice.... I originally was hoping for a dark grey one, but oh well, silver doesn't look dirty! So I'm just waiting... I hope it can come faster. Excited!!