Originally Posted by VikDiddy

Lets throw some facts in here. The graphs and data were taken from Chicago National Weather Service Office, the National Climatic Data Center, and the Chicago National Weather Service Office’s on-line site. Here is a graph of Chicago's snowfall from 1885-2006. The graph deviates from the average which is 36.5 inches a year.



Here is a graphs with weather statistics from 2006 with the last 2 graphs displaying daily snowfall information:



Now 2006 was a light year for snowfall, but it gives us a general idea of the daily snowfall. Usually the total snowfall accumulation for the season comes from a handful of days with 5+ inches of snow. These days as we know the roads can be hell and unplowed for hours. This year we had a more snowfall than last year, but the trend is still the same.

This winter season my IS was left with summer tires, but I drove my RX300 most of the time. On the days that the roads were dry I would take my IS out (withdrawal ). During these trips the temperature would always be bellow 40 and the amount of traction was perfectly safe. On the days where we got any type of accumulation on the roads the car would be undrivable and I would take my SUV.

Anyone who drives their IS daily (in or around Chicago) and does not have access to another car should definitely purchase snow tires. Plain and simple. We all know how our cars handle in the rain with summers, so I wouldn't recommend the snow. A good set of tires and wheels will cost +$1k, but on the handful of days we get snow accumulation on the roads you will be thankful you spent the money.

P.S. Sorry for the long post.

Originally Posted by ALLCHILL

oblivionis,

nah, i doubt it. i cant justify the limited (and expensive) bolt ons currently available without a means of tuning. In my humble opinion, all the IS350 really needs is some light weight rims and sticky tires for the track. oh and ECT PWR on and VSC off