IS winter wheels

December 11, 2017

1 hour ago, rayaans said:

No, there's too much grip in the IS

You need a GT86

malcolmw · December 11, 2017

So, just to clarify things, what is the Lexus recommended fitment for winter wheels and tyres on the IS300h?

rayaans · December 11, 2017

40 minutes ago, malcolmw said:

So, just to clarify things, what is the Lexus recommended fitment for winter wheels and tyres on the IS300h?

No idea but I would have thought they'd just say to change the original tyres to winters

J Henderson · December 11, 2017

Yes, probably OEM sizes. Don't they (Lexus) offer to store your other set for you when they are out of season? If you buy from them, that is.

Re: Winter tyres. I always run them, have done for a while. I've got a 2nd set of wheels that I change over in November, and remove again around March/April. I don't like the idea of having smaller ugly wheels for the best part of 6 months though, so my winter wheels are nice-looking 18's (same as OP's summer wheels).

I've been stranded and unable to even leave my street too many times in the past with previous RWD auto cars to not have them. On older manual cars you could sometimes get away with just giving it some welly, using higher gears etc and eventually free yourself with copious amounts of wheelspin, but modern cars have these nanny systems that cut in even when supposedly switched "off"...

Nick W858 · December 11, 2017

On 9 December 2017 at 11:54 PM, Carl1983 said:

I agree not a huge fan of the look compared to my f sport wheels but I'd prefer to have the grip and safety when needed, also nice knowing my 18's are all polished up and not getting any salt on them . If anyone prefers to drive in winter with summer tyres on, they need to try a decent set of winters. On Friday there was a 4x4 stuck on summers tyres, I went straight past in my rear wheel drive Lexus haha.

Great story - I imagine that was one heck of a smug grin on your face 😀

Ben1001 · December 13, 2017

Are the tyres 205/55 R16 H?

malcolmw · December 13, 2017

Ok, so I have asked Lexus for their recommended winter tyre program fitment.

For the IS300h there are no steel wheel options available. You have to have the OEM alloys. You can fit the 16inch wheels with 205/55 x 16 Yokohama winter tyres but these need to have TPMS sensors fitted.

The total cost for a set fitted, balanced etc. with Lexus storing the summer set is £1742 inc VAT.

The cost of 4 x 225/45 x 17 Yokohama Winters is £413 inc VAT, fitting to your existing wheels and storing the summer tyres.

Any comments? What do people think?

alanc745 · December 13, 2017

I enjoy a bit of slip though - getting any in the IS is a chore in itself - got a bit too much traction and traction control cuts in even when completely off. Its been fine in winter without any winter tyres - not so in the previous Merc which would benefit greatly from winter tyres.
I love giving the RX some in snow with traction control off - the OEM bridgestones are rubbish but they're OK at low temperatures - just need warming up a bit first.
Really like the MK5 Golf at low temperatures though, spins the front wheels everywhere in 1st gear - its a hoot!
Im not entirely sure that winter tyres would make much difference to my driving in good conditions below 7 degrees. It barely gets under that temperature anyway, recently its been about 5-6 degrees but its usually bang on 7 or above on most days around here.
I did run M+S tyres on the previous RX which were good all year round but can't seem to get any in the 4RX size.

Well I have winters put on my F-sport wheels every winter since having it 2 years ago & after having other rear wheel drive cars in the winter would not be without them.
We do not get many days of bad snow & ice but we do get many days where the temperature is low enough to justify the.
This is a link to my clip of driving straight down my drive & back up in deep snow to allow a visitor tracks to drive in

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Nick W858 · December 13, 2017

Personally I would follow Carl's lead - I think those alloys are off the latest shape Auris but I would be looking at a used set of those, source my own winter tyres and ignore the TPMS (if that is possible) - far cheaper. My local tyre dealer stores my wheels FOC and in return when I need new tyres I always buy from them and they are also very competitive on cost. The Lexus option as usual sounds very expensive although you probably do get a nice tin of mints left in your armrest after they have relieved you of a substantial part of your wallet.

Carl1983 · December 13, 2017

Hi

Yes Nick you are correct, these alloys are off the latest auris. There is a guy very local to me that sells genuine Toyota alloys he's does various sizes. I got them at a fantastic price, I paid £220 for all four boxed then because they are 16inch the tyres are much cheaper too and perform better in snow due to smaller width. I purchased good ultra grip 8 which are amazing for around £68 each so total setup was around £500. As I've said before yes it doesn't look as good but it's only for 3-4 months. Also I don't have to pay the charge to keep swapping the tyres over and rebalancing etc. To confirm my tyre size is 205/55/16 which is what Lexus fit in the SE bogo model

Cheers

Nick W858 · December 13, 2017

Thanks Carl - good to know as I can see the F Sport gracing my drive at some point for either me or my wife, have driven them a few times when my car has been in for service and I really like them. Winter tyres would be a must for me and the small wheels don't bother me, particularly over the worse of the winter months. I have used Vredsteins and currently Continentals TS850s which have been great and tend to come out very high if not top on the annual Auto Express tests but obviously you are more than happy with the ultra grip 8s which sound like they are very goo, reckon this is the last winter I can get away running the set I have currently on my LS400.

Neil300H · December 15, 2017

I've solved the issue of having to swap over to winter tyres in the snow.....

I take the Range Rover Sport out and leave the Lexus asleep in the snow .

So the set of 16s can stay in the garage, or go on eBay !

ganzoom · December 15, 2017

^+1

Wife's IS sat idle for the very brief period of snow we had, the 4WD make surprising easy progress on the white stuff even with 265 sectioned summer tyres....stopping the 2.5ton+ beast was another matter though

parkman · December 15, 2017

I lived and worked in France 30 years ago, and it was local law, depending on where you lived, that you had to fit winter tyres every year. In this case, you had to fit studded tyres, and there was a speed limit of 80 kph, particularly on motorways.

I believe that part of the reason for the speed limit was also to prevent damage to the road surface where there was little snow. The rubber compound was also much softer in winter tyres, so that the tread would get warmer much more quickly. If you look at winter competition tyres you will find that they are very soft, almost soft enough to stick your fingernail into.

I think that Germany also decrees that you have to have winter tyres fitted but I am not absolutely sure if it is still law. In France I always had a spare set of rims with winter tyres stored in the garage and just changed them around when the first snows were forecast.

Parkman.

malcolmw · December 16, 2017

@Neil300h

If you really are thinking of getting rid of your winter wheels for the IS then please let me know.

My RX is going to be gone in January (LC coming ) and I won't have a 4WD after that.

Andrew888 · December 17, 2017

On 12/15/2017 at 9:36 PM, parkman said:

I think that Germany also decrees that you have to have winter tyres fitted but I am not absolutely sure if it is still law. In France I always had a spare set of rims with winter tyres stored in the garage and just changed them around when the first snows were forecast.

Parkman.

=s

Yep sure is.. My friend has a CL65 Merc on 17 steelies with wintert tyres as its german law. however its discretionary when to put them on... they recommend from Oct - April but if you are caught in an accident OR driving in icy/snowy conditions without snow tyres during this period then you will be fined. Most Germans are very sensible and they change out their tyres during this period regardless. storage is quite reasonable in Munich as there are loads of places that offer this service.

Efficiency I guess!

Neil300H · December 19, 2017

I can confirm what a vast difference the winter tyres make.

I'll be sticking with the 17's and summer tyres though, this year, as I now have the RR, so the spare set of 16's with sensors will have to go..

Pete O'Tube · December 29, 2017

On 11/12/2017 at 5:25 PM, malcolmw said:

So, just to clarify things, what is the Lexus recommended fitment for winter wheels and tyres on the IS300h?

I'd like to know too. I can't find a winter rear tyre for my IS300h F sport . Does anybody do a 255/35 18 or would a 17" wheel fit round the rear brakes?