pigcorn

Need help making a decision..I live here on the eastcoast (New York) and think that the AWD makes sense as my friend owns a 2003 IS and on snowy days his wife has to drive him to work since the RWD on his IS does not cut it.

However I love the 350's performance and 18" wheels. Wondering which trade off makes sense, I know they are not the exact same price but they are close enough where I don't want to regret my decision.

49304

I live in northern Michigan, where snow is measured in feet. I own an IS350 without regret. Buying winter tires are a fact of life, but the car has been flawless. My last car was a 05 subaru legacy gt. The 350 has worked as well as the subaru. As I am sure you know awd does not help braking or handling. When in doubt, I would always buy the faster car.

WhatYaGot

Go with the IS350

Evitzee

Get the 350 and some good snow tires. You'll be happier when summer time comes.

Cornellian

Get the 350 dude!!!

Here's my reason for that....and maybe it will convince you too

I lived up in Ithaca, NY and it snows like alaska during winter time. That's not the worse part of it, the worst part is that they don't clean the roads completely so, there's always slush and stuff.... Now, my point is that my friend had an M3 up there and he drow it without ANY problems. I also saw lots of other M3s, 911s, STIs, etc........ and ALL w/o ANY problems!! Ofcourse, they all had GOOD winter tires!

IMO, think about how many times it ACTUALLY snows that hard so that AWD comes in handy? For the rest of the year, you'd be dissapointed in performance with AWD!

Torii

The difference is New York is not like Alaska in many ways, get the 350. the roads dont stay covered in snow and ice for 6 months out of the year.

Just remember to drive slow and safe when a 250 awd passes you in the winter.

krazykanuk

Ditto. RWD cars are no big deal in the winter if you have good snow tires and drive competently. I think way too many people overestimate AWD.

LexusNut13

It's winter time now. Go test drive both of them and see which one you feel more comfortable in. That is the best way to make your decision.

JoesIS250

like its been said ...get a good set of snow tires then rwd or awd wont matter however here in the ny/nj/ct area or northeast in general there really arent a lot of 350's. seems as if the dealers really load up on the awds due to what they "percieve" what the market ones soo goood luuuck

pigcorn

Thanks. Seems like switching the tires 2 a year would be a pain but let me ask, do the snow tires only go on the back wheels since it is RWD or all 4 wheels?

How much does it cost to go to a STS type tire place and get the snow tires put on and mounted on the wheel and then off....

murph550

I don't know about the price, but I know most people just buy a second set of wheels and have their winter tires put on them so they can change them themselves when the weather gets bad. As for the choice between the 350 and awd, I would go test drive them both. For me, I had little choice since my parents wanted the AWD, and since they are helping me pay for a fair amount of it I can't complain. Although I often wish I had the extra 100 horses, and RWD. I've found AWD cars to be relatively boring to drive.

LexusNut13

It is always good practice to put winter tires on al 4 wheels. It maintains the cars balance much better. Remember all the traction control in the world is only as good as the 4 points of contact on the road.

49304

There are several threads about winter tires. I got 4 from tirerack.com for about $800.00. Mounting was about $40.00 from a local shop. I would have went with a wheel and tire package, however I would have to buy 4 extra tire pressure monitors for the winter package. I chose not to add that expense. Usually it is not a good idea to pull tires off a wheel more than a couple of times, but I am guessing these oem tires will only be good for 1 or 2 years anyway.

LexusNut13

I have 4 winter tires on my 250 AWD. I just put them on steel wheels like most people. It's true they don't have the TPMS sensors, so I sometomes get an anoying light, and the check system message. I leave my Stock tires in the garage where I park, so it resets the system everytime I park near them.

macpro

I totally agree. I live in Wisconsin and have no regrets with my IS350. Like so many people have mentioned, a good set of winter tires (tirerack.com) make all the difference in the world. I went with the Tire and Wheel package plus addtional sensors. More expensive this way, but changing from Winter to Summer is really quick since I don't have to dismount the tires from the rims.

You will love the power of the IS350!