Working with winter tires
#16
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I would prefer to drive a FWD car with all snows rather than a AWD with all season. I have done both.
#17
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
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I'd like to operate my car that way also; my ES is new. I've never done that, though, so figuring out how to make it practical is the real challenge. Sure, buying the rims, as suggested above, makes a lot of sense. And it seems like I'm stuck moving everything to a shop myself, since my slopy, traffic-y neighborhood is likely to kill someone changing a wheel on the street.
#18
Lexus Test Driver
#19
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BTW, Cross Climate 2 tires are not all season; they are all Weather category tires. A new category A hybrid of snow and all seasons.
#20
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Correct. Many poeple think they can drive in any harsh snow conditions just because they have AWD. Yes it might get then "unstuck" but its not a substitute for good snow tires.
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losiglow (12-11-23)
#21
Pit Crew
#22
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The spec according to the owner's manual is 76 ft lbs of torque for the wheels and don't be bashful asking for them to do it right.
#23
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If the car is calibrated from the factory with the 18 inch noise reduction wheels and I were to buy 17 inch steel wheels for snow tires, do I need to do anything with speedometer calibration? How about the tire pressure monitoring system? Or is it as easy as just swapping them?
#24
Pit Crew
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If the car is calibrated from the factory with the 18 inch noise reduction wheels and I were to buy 17 inch steel wheels for snow tires, do I need to do anything with speedometer calibration? How about the tire pressure monitoring system? Or is it as easy as just swapping them?
#25
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If the car is calibrated from the factory with the 18 inch noise reduction wheels and I were to buy 17 inch steel wheels for snow tires, do I need to do anything with speedometer calibration? How about the tire pressure monitoring system? Or is it as easy as just swapping them?
If your 2019 ES 350 (assuming your profile info is correct) is equipped with a navigation system, there's a "Tire change calibration" function to be:
...used when replacing tires. This function will adjust miscalculation caused by the circumference difference between the old and new tires.
The navigation system uses this calibration value and wheel rotations information to determine distance traveled when GPS signals are unavailable.
#26
Intermediate
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As I understand it, the general consensus is that if you can spare the money, the dedicated snows are superior. I've seen multiple reviews saying that snow tires are superior or equivalent to getting AWS on your car. Would you disagree with that position?
I'm driving down badly plowed country roads in light snow, and there are ditches on one or both sides of the road - I definitely do not want to slide into the ditch. There are a few hills that can be problematic in ice, also. I feel like snow tires would suck on the highway, so I'd change them out for all seasons as soon as I could, but that seems the best I can do.
I'm driving down badly plowed country roads in light snow, and there are ditches on one or both sides of the road - I definitely do not want to slide into the ditch. There are a few hills that can be problematic in ice, also. I feel like snow tires would suck on the highway, so I'd change them out for all seasons as soon as I could, but that seems the best I can do.
Guess it ultimately depends on what you feel comfortable with. If I wanted to be 100% certain then I'd get dedicated winters. If I was unsure then I'd get Cross Climates and see how they went but, if I found they weren'tt up to it, I'd get a set of winters and keep the Cross Climates for the rest of the year.
#27
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You can get alloy wheels for not much more than ugly black steel wheels. It’s a Lexus, spend a couple hundred dollars more IMO.
#28
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Question: The factory only offered this wheel in 17/18/19" configurations but according to Tire Rack they can set it up on 16" Rims.
What concerns would there be assuming the caliper clears the rim?
#29
Intermediate
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Worth checking Ebay too. When I first thought I'd need dedicated winters for a trip overseas, I was able to get a set of OEM alloys for £150. The seller had them as winters for a 3rd gen RX, but were the wrong size when he upgraded to a 4th gen.
#30
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Personally I value functionality over looks but I checked Tire Rack and you are pretty close saying $200 or so gets you away from the "ugly" bullet proof steel wheels.
Question: The factory only offered this wheel in 17/18/19" configurations but according to Tire Rack they can set it up on 16" Rims.
What concerns would there be assuming the caliper clears the rim?
Question: The factory only offered this wheel in 17/18/19" configurations but according to Tire Rack they can set it up on 16" Rims.
What concerns would there be assuming the caliper clears the rim?
As for functionality vs looks, well you bought a Lexus ES instead of the Toyota Avalon stablemate so…