snow/winter tyres for rwd lexus

bargainbasement

Hi i have a rwd lexus IS and i am thinking of investing in some snow tyres. i would appreciate any advice anyone has on whether this would be a good investment, its either this or get a new car which i would rather avoid as i have only had my car for a few months and i like it other than it doesnt like snow!

THanks

10JH

How about just getting snow chains for when it's really bad out there?

A lot cheaper, and far more effective when it's proper snow. Not great for long distances though!

mikey72

Nokian WR G2 work well for me, on a FWD though.
Fit them in November, forget them until March. Not the best time of year to buy, but worth it none the less.

gilbert_and_sullivan

You'll be struggling to find any of the best makes for this winter and if you can they will be expensive.

Might be worth considering some good all season tyres (only consider those with the snowflake winter tyre symbol) as normal replacements for all year round use.

Vredestein make excellent all season tyres (Quatrac 2 and 3) and have done for many years, but other makers have now seen the gap in the market, Goodyear and Kumho being two of several, not as good as specific winters but a hell of alot better than summer tyres which might as well be bald for all the use they are in ice.

I use winter tyres and keep them on a second set of rims, correct sizes and speed rating all seasons were not available before i bought the winter sets or i should have gone all season.
By the way i'm on my 4th winter and they still have 7mm of tread, Vredesteins, i have a 4wd pick and am yet to need anything more than the rear two wheels driving this winter.

Be warned once you've run on winter's in the winter you are hooked.

Till you can find what you want, keep a couple of cwt bags of sand handy and chuck them in the boot when snow is due.

Hammyman

10JH wrote: »

How about just getting snow chains for when it's really bad out there?

If its like most of the UK, you'd only be able to legally use them on side-streets and then you'd have to take them off, put them back on again etc etc etc.

Dustykitten

Is it true you can let some air out of your tyres to make them grip better in the snow? Not tried this but a Slovak Sainsbury delivery driver recommended it to me.

Empty_pockets

Paving slab in the boot.

That or a body.

leosayer

Do it, you won't regret it if you don't have the option of not driving.

The layout of your car (front endgine rear wheel drive) is probably the worst for traction on snow and ice so it needs all the help it can get.

Winter tyres can mean the difference between getting stuck and getting moving and can make scary winter drives into a real pleasure.

Lum

My car is 4WD but it's RWD unless it detects slip. I have winter tyres on it (Nokian WR-G2).

Unless you make stupid trips up into the mountains like I did, you can almost drive perfectly normally on them, and the 4WD hardly engaged at all, so I'm sure they'd be fine on your car too.

I doubt you'll find any in stock now though. September or October is probably the best time to order a set. By the time the snow had started falling here the Nokians had literally doubled in price due to demand.

colino

Unfortunately with rwd, low profiles and probably autobox and asc, your car really doesn't like slippy conditions. I cant agree with people going to the expense of snow tyres and chains though, for the handful of days that they are needed, even here in darkest Scotland, they don't make financial sense and if the cars a pain, stay at home or make alternative arrangements.

wr1ght

I also have a Lexus and had to abandon my car in the heavy snow, got some of these http://www.autosock.co.uk/ in the boot so at least next time ill be able to get home. you will need two sets tho with it being rear wheel drive