I just moved from a warm climate to a very cold climate with lots of ice and snow, and my 2006 RWD lexus is250 is STRUGGLING on the roads here. I currently have hankook v12 all season tires on my car, and was wondering, will certain snow tires give me the ability to actually have traction out here on the snow and ice, or do I need to consider getting a new vehicle with 4WD or AWD? I feel like getting rid of the vehicle sounds extreme, but I am not just knowledgeable on how certain winter tires will affect my current setup.

 

Hankook V12 are summer tires. These shouldn't be driven in weather below 32 degrees and absolutely not in snowing conditions.

Get yourself some Blizzak and you will be able to drive in the snow

 

I have an RWD IS350 and live where it snows a lot. You're gonna need yourself a set of dedicated snow tires. All seasons are fine for mild conditions, but when it actually starts snowing and roads have a build up of ice they won't do much. I have Dunlop Winter Maxx and IMO its the best winter tire you can get for the price they are. They are very soft tires so on dry pavement they spin easy but on snow and ice they work perfect.

 

Yes. There is an abundance of videos showing how winter tires excel in both winter and rain conditions. There's no way I would be driving a RWD on A/S tires. Then again, I'd probably dump the car as an excuse to get an AWD car.

 

Yes without a doubt, ever car I own has a dedicated set of snow wheels/tires. Some people argue that you don't need them, but I will never not have them, they brake better, get going from a stop better, and save the life of your summer tires. I live in Buffalo New York and drive a ton and am often in ski country to, and snow tires made my rwd GS300 able to handle snow much better than most cars with all seasons

 

Yes. Actually a good set of 4 winter/snow/ice tires on a RWD vehicle will preform better than a AWD vehicle with all seasons. Do your research on what tires to get though; not all are created equal.