Question for AWD owners: is it ok to replace just the fronts / rears on these cars? Since it's not possible to rotate front/back due to the wheel size difference I'm assuming they wear at different rates, but I also know it's not good to run different tire depths on an AWD vehicle since it stresses out the AWD system. Is the IS AWD system more forgiving than a normal AWD set-up? Thanks.

 

Yes, you can replace just one set without issue. I do this every 2 years on my AWD. Not sure what the comparison would be for tolerance of mismatched tire diameters, but I run 225/50/18s front and 255/45/18s rear. The difference in circumference between fronts and rears is far greater than any tire difference you’ll experience from tread depth. Hope this helps.

 

Actually, your tires are pretty much the same overall diameter, they have a 0,66% difference (roughly 4,5mm), which isn't far from OEM which is 0,24%. Under 1% could probably be considered safe (I go no more than 0,5% though)

Used tires VS new tires could be worse than that, considering 6/32 is roughly 5mm, that makes nearly a 10mm difference between the new tire (let's say 10/32) and the old tire (let's say it's at 4/32). Depending on the tire brand, it could be even worst. Honestly, it's all depending on the wear the tires you'd be keeping have, but don't do that blindly.

 

Thanks. I ran this question past the dealer for the OEM take, and of course they said it would be no problem. I was skeptical because this goes against what I've learned in the past about AWD tire replacement. Sounds like more frequent replacements should be anticipated to avoid a big difference in tread depth.

I see you have the 500... any issues with inside wear like the previous 'gen' had?

 

So far so good! I only have about 6k kilometers on the clock, but from what I heard from friends at the dealer, this issue is fixed on 2021+ IS's.

 

Sounds good!

What mileage is everyone else getting out of their fronts / rears on 2021+ AWD models? Might be too soon to ask this question.