Hello community.

I was looking for thoughts on my situation.

I bought a 2019 RWD Fsport with 16,000 miles from southern California. I absolutely love this car. My wife is sick of me talking about it.
It has Bridgestone Potenza tires which I believe makes them a summer tire.
I am in central Virginia and intend to drive the car through the winter. What will happen if i drive on those tires in the winter?
Another factor is the existing wheels. I believe they are Lexus rims that the previous owner had chromed. I do not mind the chrome but it appears to be peeling and staining in places. Driver front is also slightly bent. I didn't know it was possible to straighten it but a local shop says they can do it for $129. Is this legit?
I can think of a few options moving forward.
1. Just sell wheels and tires and move to a square setup with all season tires moving forward.
2. Fix bent rim and keep on cruising.
3. Fix rim but also purchase new rims and all season tires for the cold. ??square or staggered??

So many great member with vast knowledge. I know good ideas and insight and creativity will abound.

Thanks

 

1. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of bent rim repair?

2. What happens if you drive a summer tire in cold temperatures?

thanks.

 

Summer tires get as hard as a hockey puck as the temperature drops into the 40s - the tire's tread compound changes quickly from a pliable elastic to an inflexible plastic and the tires will have virtually zero traction. It will be like driving on rock hard plastic with no grip whatsoever.

When driving, just the slightest twitch to the left or right or quick little braking move is all it can take to spin out of control with no chance of correction or saving it. Summer tires in cold-ish temperature is absolutely DANGEROUS! Do NOT do it!!!


Also, chances are good the tire's compound will split open due to the colder temperature.

 

1) You can have a good wheel shop repair the rim.

2) as @bclexus said, summer tires at below certain temperature will become dangerous. Get some all season tires.

 

I agree with all previous posters - the RWD drivetrain on summer tires with temps dropping below 50 degrees is not a good idea if you are planning to drive in cold/inclement weather.

I like the idea of going square: The cheapest route would be to get your one chrome wheel repaired, and then change all 4 tires to 245/40 all seasons on the existing staggered wheelset.

Helpful post/thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...l#post10928376

 

Thats why A/S are the best choice.

 

Ok. Good to know. Summer tires in the cold is a bad idea. Possibly dangerous and damaging to the tire.

Do I understand correctly that if I get the right sized all season tires that I can use the factory wheels and be able to rotate them normally?

 

Tire/wheel rotation is only done for GS's that have the same tires and wheel sizes all around. Unfortunately, you cannot rotate the factory RWD F-Sport wheels because the rear wheels (19x9) are wider than the front (19x8). See the notation in the GS's scheduled maintenance booklet below.

If you get a set of all season 245/40 tires, you'll be able to mount them on both the 19x8 front wheels and 19x9 rear wheels, save on the need to buy new wheels, but still won't be able to rotate.

 

Ok That’s what I thought. So I would need 4 wheels at 19x8 in order to rotate? Would there be any significant difference in the driving dynamics of the car?

 

Yep ...to rotate you'd need four wheels sized 19x8 with the same size tire (e.g. 235/40 or 245/40). From an everyday driving perspective, I doubt you will feel much difference in the driving dynamics of a sedan like the GS but others with more experience with different tires/setups will chime in.

 

I have a F sport. It was staggered. I have them squared now. I have them at 20x9 with 35mm set up. They work perfectly for the Lexus.

 

First, congrats on the new ride, these cars are awesome. You also got a bunch of good feedback from the fine folks here around not driving on winter tires. I can provide personal feedback around that and it's also echoing what has already been said. Had an AWD Audi A4 years ago on summer only tires and it started snowing. Thinking I could still get to work, because AWD, I decided to go for it. Got up to speed just fine but could not stop and almost got t-boned by a bus as I slid through the intersection. This would have been a self inflicted incident. Don't do it.

$129 to fix a bent rim is going rate. I would highly recommend getting winter tires on your weathered wheels and treat yourself to a nice set of OEM Lexus wheels for summer (squared or staggered). As winter is hard on wheels, I wouldn't get a new set to use in winter.

 

Just to confirm, these tires will fit and work on the current different wheel size of my rear wheel drive fsport. If so then
I think I am going this road. Any thoughts between the

1. Bridgestone Potenza Sport AS (50K warranty) for $958
2. Bridgestone Turanza Quiet (80K warranty) for $912

Thanks

 

Over the years, most folks (including myself) have recommended one of the following brands: Michelins, Pirelli and Continentals. Most 4GS owners shy away from the OE supplied Bridestones and Dunlop tires.

I personally don't have any experience with the Bridgestones you mentioned but here are some links:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...l#post11105775
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...idgestone.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-question.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...0-f-sport.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...nza-tires.html

 

Thanks for all the above info and links.

just found someone selling a set of 19” rims off a Camry xse. With 235/40-19. Anyone know for sure if that will work to move to a square setup. Price is definitely good.