Emoney0826

Last winter, I bought the Blizzak LM-60 tires on my IS350(18" RWD) and they were terrible. I've been an advocate for winter tires all my life, but last winter was the first time I was ever scared while driving in snow. Unfortunately, there are only two options for winter tires for the 18" wheels.

This year, I'm thinking about buying some 17" wheels because of the larger selection of tires to choose from as well as a larger profile on the tires. Does anyone have experience with the Dunlop Winter Maxx tires, Blizzak WS80 tires, or Yokohama iceGuard iG52c tires?

Thanks guys.

embolism

the problem might not have been the tires themselves but the width. Running a 255 on the rear drive wheels is asking for trouble on the 350 in any substantial amount of snow.

Drop down to a 17 inch rim stock or steelie wheel and go with 225 or narrower on all four corners so you can rotate.

I've seen steelies on 2IS before but not sure if they were 350's. Not absolutely sure a steelie will clear our front calipers.

chi123

iTrader: (12)

I live in Chicago and last winter was terrible. However, my IS350 have always been just "okay" in snow. I've had Blizzaks before but had to change them out and went cheap with Nankangs. Couldn't tell the difference. They cost half the price but performed just like the Blizzaks. I also tried using 225 in the rear and it was kind of stretched. Didn't help either but now I have 245 since 255 looks too fat. With snow tires, the RWD IS350 gets through snow fine but not as good as a FWD car with all-seasons. An LSD would really help. I always get one wheel spinning when I need both to get me unstuck.

AJ@TireRack.com

Emoney0826,

The tire you have, the Bridgestone LM-60, (the replacement is the LM-32)is a tire more-so designed for cold weather, not maximum traction on ice and snow. If you live in Wisconsin, the tire you likely need will be from the Studless Ice and Snow Category. I expect the Yokohama iceGUARD tire to perform well and it is symmetrical, so it can be rotated for longer life.

I also agree with Ebolism, narrow is better. I would still advise a Studless Ice and Snow tire.

Check out this link for information regarding sizing for winter use.

If I can be any further help, please let me know.

-AJ

Emoney0826

When I bought the car last spring, I immediately bought the LM-60's for my 18's for the following winter. I never thought about buying 17" wheels because I wasn't sure if they'd fit over my brakes. Two weeks ago, I had to use my spare and noticed that it was a 17", so that's why I'm considering downsizing now. The three tires I mentioned above are all studless ice and snow on Tire Rack. I only bought the LM-60's last year because that was all that was offered for that wheel and didn't realize or pay attention to the fact that it said that they were Performance wet tires. Live and learn I guess.

The 17" Blizzak's will cost roughly $120 more for the set compared to the Dunlop's and Yokohama's. I've always been a Blizzak fan and have never tried the others. That's why I'm curious if anyone has any input or if spending the extra money on the Blizzaks is just a waste of money.

I struggled to get up steep hills with my car last winter and it felt like it just wanted to spin in circles on the freeway. I've always had FWD my entire life, so winter never scared me, but this RWD is no joke. Just trying to figure out what's best for me. It's that or buy a beater with a heater for the winter, but the IS has spoiled me and I can't imagine not driving it year round.

AJ@TireRack.com

Anything from the Studless Ice and Snow Category will be better than what you had.

If you search on Tire Rack with the correct year/make/model, the info given is guaranteed fitment, even when downsizing and up-sizing. Our fitment info also takes into account the factory overall tire diameter and tire load, so you will not see any significant speedometer, odometer or gearing changes.

We get our fitment info from physically measuring the vehicles ourselves, before making any recommendations.

Click here to search winter product by year, make, model on tirerack.com

embolism

I am running 225/45/17 blizzak WS-70's on four stock IS250 wheels I got off craigslist since winter of 2010. I just drive on weekends now so probably have 2 or 3 winters left on them. Turning of traction control really helps too.

Emoney0826

emoblism, how do you turn off your traction control? The button on my dash doesn't seem to turn it off. It just displays the orange car symbol on my dash when I press it but I can still feel the traction control kick in when my tires lose traction.