swinger33

Just moved to Colorado and have a IS 350 with staggered setup- 225's front and 255 rear.
Looking for snow tires and don't necessarily need 255's for this coming winter.
Anyone have matching size 17's or other combo on this or similar car? If so, where is a good source for wheels?
Sorry if the answer to this is in another thread- searched for a bit but didn't have a lot of time. Thanks!

embolism

I run those staggered sizes in summer in 18's and drop down to 17's with 225/45 for winter.

Bought 4 stockies off a guy with a 250. I think it looks better than running steelies.

Even with 4 snow tires you will need to turn off traction control.

swinger33

Thanks embolism. What kind of luck do you have with your 350 in Ontario in the winter? Even with snow tires, I am a bit skeptical having RWD.

NikonGuy

iTrader: (1)

I got lucky and was able to score 17" Lexus IS300 OEM rims for $40. That's what I plan to use for snow tires. 205/50/17

scott1256c

If you aren't used to it, RWD can take some getting used to in snow.
In Edmonton, we get a lot of ice/hardpack buildup, but usually not deep snow.
I WAS used to RWD years ago, went 20+ yrs with FWD before my IS, and I HATED the IS350 until I turned off VSC and VDIM. As soon as I did that I felt like I knew what was going to happen when I stepped on the gas. So keep that in mind and at least try it. No tire is going to give you great traction in the snow, no matter what the ads say. Well, studs maybe.
I'm using Blizzak 225/45 17" which are supposed to be pretty good, but keep in mind my above comments.

embolism

there was only one time I had issues in the snow and it was b/c I was trying to reverse into my lane garage with about 8 inches of snow on the ground and once I turned the front wheels to angle in, I got stuck. Had to drive around the block then go front in that one time.

no issues even last year, which was pretty harsh but I don't go up into the mountains or anything, just city driving for me.

another benefit of running non-staggered is you can rotate as needed

jonathanz

iTrader: (2)

get continental dws, had that on my G35 coupe for past winter, i was able to drive during snow without any problem.

rod248

Newbie question here.. Is there any reason why a guy can't run staggered snow tires? My money is a bit tight now and I can't swing new wheels and new tires. Just wanted to buy 255's for the rear and 225's for the front.. will that work?

ohiois350

iTrader: (13)

I have 225&255 winter tires on my is350, yeah like the other members said you have to turn off your traction control to able for the car to move

scott1256c

So you'll pay to unmount the summer tires, mount the winter tires, then do that again in the spring?
Do you have 18" rims now? If so, and you were to go to 17" winter tires, you'd probably save money on the tires since 17" seem to be less expensive than 18". Also, you could use 4 17x 225/45 tires. The 255 will cost more and I think wider tires are can be a disadvantage in the winter. The money you save on the tires and the cost of unmounting and remounting in the spring could go a long way to paying for a 2nd set of rims, especially if you consider used ones.

Just something to consider.

Lex_Giorgio

How will studs help you in the SNOW?
Studs will help on the ICE...

Any ways, if you want the #1 winter tire out there, get Nokian Hakka 8 STUDDED, emphasis on the studded part. I had Nordman 2's last winter and this winter I have the Hakka 8 on a RWD IS250 and the car goes where you want it to go, worry free.

Once you go Nokian, you'll never go to another winter tire.

jscgilliss

i was able to drive during snow without any problem.