kiwi

looking to buy some winter tires, just curious what has been used and which tires to avoid.

looking to get the bridgestone blizzak DMZ3

LexusPia

Get the Blizzak WS60 (rated best winter tire by Tire Rack). I have a set on dedicated rims for my GS4 and those babies are absolutely amazing in snow and ice. They are also very quiet on highway (quieter than my all-seasons). My RX350AWD has all-season tires year round and I have no problem getting around on them in wintery mix. If your area gets lots of snow and ice, then you need dedicated winter tires. Suggest you get an extra set of rims to mount these winter tires. Good luck.

tawm

I got a set of 4 Blizzaks from Tire Tack, mounted on (rather pricey) rims. The convenience of just swapping the All Weather set is terrific. To my disappointment, I found my All Weather Michelins slipped in snow and slush -- the snow tires are not great on wet / slushy pavement, but seem to provide better traction than the All Weathers. I'm located in suburban NYC area.

kiwi

i should have included my location, i am in nova scotia, canada. we get alot of snow ice slush mixture. i know i want winter tires, just trying to choose some.

and from what i saw, the WS60 is not available in my size, 235 55 18

rosen39

I got these tires mounted on rims that look like the stock Lexus rims (Sport Edition), from the Tire Rack. I dropped down one rim size because I did not want a low profile winter tire hitting a pot hole. I ran them last winter, and they performed fine in the snow and ice. They are a smooth riding tire, but the sidewalls are not like the stock tires, so you will not be taking an exit ramp as fast as with the stock tires. I put some black electrical tape over the TPM light on the dash. Tire rack wanted $100 per sensor, and Lexus wanted $150 to program the new TPM #s into the computer. Not worth the extra $550. I can check the pressure with a tire gague each week.

kiwi

i wont be using winter rims as i can change the tires myself at a auto club. and i find if you keep your alloys clean in the winter they will do just fine.

thanks for the input, i will be ordering the DMZ3 tomorrow to beat the winter rush.

biff44

If it is going to be anything like last year, they are going to run out of snow tires in RX350 sizes very early. So I would get them right now if you need them.

tromly

+1 biff44, by Thanksgiving they'll be out of stock

kiwi

just ordered the DMZ3, the description indicated that they were almost out of stock and once out they would not be getting anymore,

i know its early, but my winters will be here on the 7th or 8th of october,

so i am good to go, just have to install

biff44

Yeah, I learned the hard way last winter. 2nd winter season, first snow storm, and my stock michelins tread had worn off enough so the traction was just not there. Went to buy snows, and the ONLY thing I could find in the whole country was some pirelli scorpions. Turned out they were ok, but I would rather have had some X-Ice or Blizzacks. I like the X-Ice on other vehicles I have had, as they grip the ice very well (we do not get as much snow anymore in New England, but often have black ice on the highways).

Last year, the deal was that Canada had passed a new law REQUIRING snow tires on every vehicle, and that wiped out the entire stock.

kiwi

just to clarify, not all of Canada is required to have snow tires, it was only one province (Quebec). but it did put a dent into the winter tire buying market.

there are other provinces however which are looking at following suit. but not this winter.

the problem was that the tire manufacturers decide how many tires they will produce well in advance of the seasons, so it was too late to increase production

Fuzzy

Kiwi...I live in Moncton, NB. Just wondering what you paid for your Blizzacks ?
Isn't there preferred pricing for Club Lexus members ??

kiwi

not that i know of, i followed the instructions on the tirerack threads. i think all it does is give credit to this site, so they get a kick back. i bought the DMZ3. it came to 782 USD, once converted it came to 868 CAD. still much better than local dealers by about 100 bucks, better in my pocket.

i ordered them on a wednesday morning, and they arrived the following monday (came from delaware) and i am in halifax. so thats quick.

keep in mind that the DMZ3's are on low quantity, so if you want the cheaper winter you better buy sooner rather than later.

JasDmw

I have a set of Michelin X-ice for my 350 on a separate set of 17" wheels. Worked very well last winter. Also have same for my othercar; 5th winter this year and hopefully there is enough tread left make a difference.

LexusPia

You can deviate from the original spec to something like 225/55/18, 225/60/18, 235/60/18 or simply go down one size to 17-inch which will be a lot cheaper but will definitely require dedicated rims. Besides the outside diameter for the snow tires on the 17 inch will be identical to your current all-season 18s.

Depending on where you buy your tires and the size you want, most major chains like Sams Club, COSTCO, Walmart, .... will not put a different spec (size) tire on. However smaller local tire shops may care less. COSTCO won't deviate at all even with dealer approval when I wanted to order a set of Michelin Primacy MXV4 for my GS but instead of 55 profile, Michelin only had 60 profile. Sams was willing to do that when I showed them the written authorization from the dealer. Walmart said no. Couple of small tire shops I called said that was not an issue.