ES3

What is your recommendation for the best winter tires? Looking for great traction, but ideally one that isn't too loud on the hwy? Is that possible? Also, does anyone know anyting about these?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

ES3

ANYONE???????

daryll40

Well, here is MY story! Last winter I had NOKIAN WR tires installed and they SEEMED fine. Upon inspection at the end of the season, I noticed that the rear tires had excessive wear, but still plenty of treat left. These tires come with a 50,000 mile warranty, so they are not supposed to burn up like Blizzacks do.
I figured that I may have spun getting up my driveway and perhaps this was the reason. I bought a snowblower this year so that problem should be eliminated.

Well this year I had the tires installed about a month ago. NOISE NOISE NOISE! I guess I didn't notice it last winter because we had to much snow here in Pittsburgh. This year, however, so far, no snow. To add insult to injury, I've been tracking the wear and they are burning up. I'll probably be OK thru winter, but that's it. Certainly no where near 50,000 miles...probably more like 12,000.

So I don't know what to tell you. Yes, the Nokians (and I assume Blizzack and Arctic Alpine) are good in the snow. But at what cost? $700 for 12000 miles? I bought them thru mail order, so I can't imagine how I can get much out of the warranty. I hear that the others burn up as well. Pittsburgh MAY be an exception because of the VERY steep hills all day long....but even so it shouldn't be like this.

AggieLS

I put on a set of tires and wheels from Tire Rack the Monday before Thanksgiving on my '04 LS430 as we planned a trip to Michigan for the holiday and expected snow. Bought the Dunlap Winter Sport M3 with Milia Migle Spiders, and am absolutely pleased. Hit the snowstorm in Michigan on the Wednesday before Turkey Day and had no, zero, problems in the 7" of heavy wet snowfall. Aggresive tread and good handling with them, many folks around me were off the road in ditches, overturned or just stopped and I just confidently drove right through the snow, over 150 miles to north of Grand Rapids. Only one vehicle seemed to be better in the snow, some guy in an Audi Allroad passed me and we caught up at a filling station and chatted. He lived in Northern Michigan and had the Quattro and snows on his car but was amazed that my LS was staying up with him with just RWD and snows.

Then last week we got 4" here in Western IL and I again had absolutely no problems driving around town. Had lots of roads that hadn't been plowed which the M3's handled with ease. Watched a guy with a AWD Explorer slide through a red light at an interesection that had packed snow and ice with me in the adjacent lane stopping just fine.

I had looked at Michelins, Nokia's and others but just felt these were best. Plus I have gotten several comments from other exec's I work with about how the tire and wheel package looks so sharp. Guy with a Mercedes is considering buying the M3s now for his CLK430.

vcheng

I have a set of Michelin Arctic Alpins on 16" Lexus wheels for my 2003 LS430 in upstate New York. I drive all through winter on all types of road surfaces, included unploughed ones (upto 6-8" of snow) without any problems. Sometime the only issue I will have is turning into my upsloping driveway with lots of snow, and a ridge at the road's edge where the snow plow has left a 1 foot high berm of packed snow. Since I have to slow down to get the car over that, and also make a 90 degree turn, I will have to go up and then let the car back down again so that I can get it up the driveway after making a track through the snow berm. (Am I making sense here?)

Bottom line: A reasonable driver in an LS430 ought not to have any problems with a set of four snow tires under most snowy conditions. I would recommend the Michelin Arctic Alpins. Very quiet, good traction and ride for snow tires.

Lexusfreak

Consider Toyo winter rubber & the new Michelin X-ice has replaced the pilot alpins now.

www.toyo.com

www.michelin.com

Good Luck!

AggieLS

vcheng is right about the 16" AA's, had them on my GS300 in 16" and they were great last winter before I bought the '04 LS. Turns out with that you can't do 16" on the '04 LS per both Tire Rack & the dealer so you have to move to the 17" Pilot Alpins and I just felt the M3's were a better buy for me for my '04 LS.

ES3

Hey thanks for the posts, you've given confidence to my mother, soon to be a first full time rear wheel drive owner! Another question, how much more severe is the road noise on winter tread, while on dry roads?
Also, is handling in the same conditions that much worse than with your regular tread?

AggieLS

There is a minor increase in noise that I have noticed but not enough to be concerned about from my perspective, still the quietest ride there is. Handling for the M3's has been terrific on dry roads, been to Chicago a couple of times on the interstate and decrease in high speed comfort at all.

Diesel11

Just wondering if anyone uses the stock dunlop all-season tires during winter. Am I crazy for thinking that I don't need winter tires (I live in Central PA).???

Fred

P.S. I have an ML350 that I can use on really bad days.

daryll40

The stock Dunlops, in my humble opinion, are crap for Pennsylvania roads. (I live in Pittsburgh and am very familiar with Central PA roads too as I went to Penn State and still visit from time to time). I am not sure what the answer is, but I'll run my Nokian WR winter tires into April then probably by a set of Michelins (yet another $700).

AggieLS

I sure wouldn't run the stock ones over the winter. One snowfall and you'll be slip sliding away all over the road. IMHO if you can afford the LS, a set a winter tires is a mandatory investment if you have a chance of snow in your area.

Lexusfreak

I've heard excellent things about BOTH Nokian & Michelin winter rubber.