cxc511

Hi, I live in Erie, PA where we have had about 80" of snow this season. My girlfriend drives a RWD IS 250, so I decided to join over here. (BTW, I drive a BMW 328 RWD coupe and have enjoyed e90post.) Bottom line is that we have never been stuck in her car in 3 years here since she put on snow tires. The car is set up with Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3's which are more of a performance oriented snow tire. There are certainly other more aggresive snow tires out there that will give you better traction in heavy snow.

One thing I have found that makes my car handle better than hers in the snow is my manual transmission vs. her automatic. It helps to barely get the car rolling in first and then quickly shift into second when conditions are at their worst. Hope that helps.

Cyanide52

I live in ottawa ,Canada and have a is350 rwd never been stuck , snow mode helps a lot ,good winter tires I got blizzaks and love them , I also put sand/ salt bags in the trunk to weigh it down and really helps with traction and when it's really bad I drive it in standard mode with snow mode on and downshift to help slow down

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

Its all about snow tire and your driving ablity to drive in snow. I've yet to ever have a problem i dont tail whip or side ways cause i know the car very well. I drive with eas during blizzard.

P128sniper

hahahah wow ^ i wouldnt wanna shovel that out lol. good luck. thanks all for the replies. Yea snow tires are a must and i will also try to put a few sand bags in the trunk + a shovel just incase lol.

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

I don't own I shovel I put it in drive and drove right out haha..

mikersoft

iTrader: (1)

I've used Bridgestone Blizzak tires every winter on my IS350, and for the most part, it does OK. I even managed to make it all the way home during the Jan 25, 2011 snow storm that paralyzed the Wash DC area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January...rican_blizzard.

I left the office too late and it took me 9 hours to cover 30 miles. I honestly thought at certain points that I was going to have to park the car. However, I was impressed with the way the Blizzaks allowed me to drive up inclines that had other cars spinning tires in place. I barely made it though.. after I got out of the major traffic jams and near my house, I almost high centered on a big pile of snow at a stoplight. I was able to back up out of it, and once I got moving again I ran the damn red light to keep moving.. I needed all the momentum I could get! Traffic laws be damned!

One thing that I think would help (which I haven't done yet) is some added weight in the truck (like a couple of sandbags).

-Mike

cxc511

Just curious for the RWD drivers in the areas that get some snow, what made you decide to choose a RWD over AWD? My girlfriend bought her RWD IS 250 in Florida before moving to the North - so it has hardly a conscious decision there. No question, nearly all of the IS cars I see in my area are AWD, same for BMW 3 series with the x-drive.

For me, I decided to go RWD based on: 1) doing some research like like original poster about what to expect with RWD equipped properly in the snow and determining it was feasible, 2) less fender gap / improved stance (not sure if this is an issue on the IS in RWD vs AWD?) 3) opting for a less complex drive train for improved reliability over the long term, and 4) lower cost and better gas milage.

Mokey

I'm from Chicago. Have an 06 IS350 and buying Blizzaks was the best investment ever for having this car and living here. With my all seasons (goodyear eagles i think) i had so much trouble fighting the brake to stop or feathering the accelerator light enough so the traction control doesnt kick in and stops me when i was trying to go from a stop. My winter tires do not give me those problems anymore. i have LM60s in the rear and LM32s in the front and i just drive cautiously still because i ask myself, i wonder how many other people on the road have crappy tires and could run into me if im behind someone or have to change lanes quickly. Only problem i have is turning unto a street when im at a stop because the traction control kicks in but i just have to remember to turn it off before I go because it'll stay off until you hit 30mph (06 IS350). I have gone to work everyday AND drove to and from Sheboygan these past huge blizzardy days and was never in danger of sliding or out of control. These tires make me love my car even more!

P128sniper

Well there's alot of people on here that will tell you that a rwd car with good snow tires will outperform a AWD car with all season tires in the snow. I don't think there is any question tho that a AWD car with snow tires with def be ur best bet for winters. It all depends how much snow you get in your area and for how many months of the year. Because like you mentioned AWD is heavier, and heavier means a little bit slower and a little bit more gas. So if you live in a place where it snows alot for at least 3-4 months out of the year then AWD might be good for you. For me specifically, living in Chicago, we don't usually get alot of snow and as I mentioned before you just have to wait a couple hours and the streets will be plowed. Also I want a is350 and is350 didn't have AWD until years 2011 and up so that's not an option for me since I'm only willing to spend right around 20k, and an 2011+ is350 can easily go for 27+k. Now thinking back if I actually did have the money for AWD I'm not sure if I would get it or not.. Hard decision.

cxc511

The only way I would probably opt for AWD is if I lived in an area that had a lot of hills like Pittsburgh even though it get a lot less snow. My area is relatively flat but there are a few steep grades and those are the times when the RWD is less than inspiring. However, steep hills are probably not a big issue for you in the Chicago area.

Best of luck with your planned purchase.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Figured I would update this thread since I am near Chicago and JUST put snow tires on last night.

I had previously tried driving with my Kuhmo Summer Performance tires... I could hardly make it out of my flat driveway (09 IS250 RWD). Tires would spin no matter if I was using 'snow mode' and barely pressing the gas. Zero traction, terrible turning... needless to say, I didn't venture out of my neighborhood. I parked the car and worked from home.




I found a good deal on some used wheels and like new blizzak's on my local craigslist and just installed them last night. There is still plenty of snow on the roads around here so I took them for a test drive afterwards to see what it was all about. Let me tell you - I was VERY impressed. The car is completely usable, and dare I say 'good' in the snow with the proper tires. I made it through areas with 6 inches of snow (scraping my front end) but the tires didn't spin or slide at all. I should have bought these tires a long time ago! I didn't know what I was missing.