Winter Performance for IS500?
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,118
Likes: 1,051
From: Alberta
So was there any concensus on thinner tires or different tire sizes? I am going to pick it up soon but it’s still winter here and I can’t even find matching front to backs.
best I found was slightly different blizzacks.
i would prefer a top tire like blizzack , x ice, hakkapolita.
best I found was slightly different blizzacks.
i would prefer a top tire like blizzack , x ice, hakkapolita.
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2025
Posts: 4
Likes: 1
Sorry for beating a dead horse. Newbie here and there are too many comments for my tiny brain to go thru and sort out. Asking for help for setups that are plug and play. If you are using winter tires & wheels please post your Winter wheels details i.e. rim size, 18s or 19s. 8s or 8.5s. offset, staggered or non-staggered and your tires and sizes please. Let me know how you think they perform or if you are not satisfied. Thank you in advance.
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2025
Posts: 4
Likes: 1
IS500 winter wheels and tires
Can you share your winter wheels sizes, off sets and tire sizes. thank you
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Pit Crew
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 129
Likes: 143
The OEM wheel size is fine for Canadian winter.
I’ve tried both 235/265 and 245/275 with no issues so far.
You can’t go wrong with Michelins. Just be careful when you drive on non-plowed roads as the car will squirm quite a bit if you’re not gentle on the accelerator.
I’ve tried both 235/265 and 245/275 with no issues so far.
You can’t go wrong with Michelins. Just be careful when you drive on non-plowed roads as the car will squirm quite a bit if you’re not gentle on the accelerator.
Last edited by ALRIGHTY; Nov 24, 2025 at 07:38 AM.
Lead Lap
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,773
Likes: 4,814
From: ON
^^ I agree, while the OEM size would work, when it comes to cutting through snow, narrower tires are far better in that task! The other thing also is the quality of winter tires!! I see so many people put this weird and cheap tires (just in general, not referring to IS 500 owners) but their performance are horrible. For me, I only put the Michelin X Ice or Bridgestone Blizzaks as winters (for my daily driver)
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2025
Posts: 4
Likes: 1
Thank you to all who responded. I went thru tire rack and got 18 x 8 et 35 sport edition A8-2 dark silver wheels square setup with Michelin 235/45 R18 X-Ice snow tires. Will let you know if it works well or if I run into any trouble. Much obliged.
I had these tires for a couple of seasons for the most part they have been great in the snow and cold. My only complaint was that one day we had very slushy snow fall and the car slipped a lot on the freeway driving 30-40 mph.