Burst32

I am going to try and trade in my IS250 AWD for a used IS350. I am a power hungry person, and didn't really take into consideration the power difference when I first bought my 250. I didn't test drive both... BIG MISTAKE. I live in Ohio and go to school in West Virginia, and I know about bad winters. But honestly, a good pair of snow tires, ECT Snow mode, and a decent level of driver skill will get you through those few days when the roads are bad.

GO FOR THE IS350!!!!!

slowandlow

i say get the 250 awd and then get a summer car that has tons of power. that is what i am up to in 3 yyears i am getting a saturn sky rl

Koz

I can tell you that putting a set of all-season tires on the IS350 has made a day and night difference in bad weather (wet roads). I purposely hit the gas hard on wet pavement with the summer tires and the all-seasons and the all-seasons stick like glue. It actually takes an effort to get the traction control to kick in. I can travel on the highway in the rain, at any speed, with complete confidence. I have not had the car on snow yet but I will see how the all-seasons do first and if I have to I will get a set of winter tires. So far, I am amazed at how well the car handles the bad weather.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ech+M550+A%2FS

caudlek

I had been driving a 2001 is300, and now a 2006 is350 for the last 7 winters here in Ottawa ,,,, they are not great snow cars but are certainly 300% better that the ’82 Camaro I was driving a long time ago. The traction control on the 2nd Gen seems much improved over the 2001 IS ,,,, no problems there as long as the snow is less than ~4 inches deep ,,, if over that, than the rolling resistance and ground clearance of the IS work against you big time . I also DON’T have any hills to deal with so that’s a big factor I haven’t tested.

For those of us in Canada, and in the Northern most States, the difference between an Ultra-performance and a top line Snow in cold weather is huge. The new All Seasons are closer and if you don’t see much snow and take it easy then you’ll be OK.

I have run Blizzaks, Michelin X-Ice, and now NOKIAN HAKKAPELIITTA RSi ,,,, all are really good although the Blizzaks seemed to lose a bit of traction after being about half worn. I think the X-Ice might be the cheapest ,,,, I may go back to them on the next set. Frankly, I’m a little surprised how good the IS350/nokian setup has been working for me but I also work form home if the snow is bad ,,,,, that’s a nice “option” with any car.

Keep in mind that every 1/32 of rubber you wear off a cheap snow, is a 32nd of rubber you save on your $300 ultra-performance tire!!!

My present setup on the is350:
Winter Wheel is SPYN D5 Hyper Silver
NOKIAN HAKKAPELIITTA RSi
front 225/45R17 94 R XL
rear 225/50R17 98 R XL

This is a wider tire than I would normally run but that’s what it came with. Narrow is better for snow ,,,,, lower resistance to snow buildup (plowing effect).


If you do a lot of “in snow” driving, or like to ski, then the AWD, with a good snow tire, would be super. I just ‘needed’ a performance boost over what the IS300 had, and the IS350 did that.