kramerlex

I haven't bought winter tires and rims in a long time so i am little unsure if this is a good deal from the local Toronto Lexus dealership.

$1768.00 plus taxes INCLUDES:

 4 MICHELIN X-ICE Xi2 205/55R16
 4 LEXUS OEM ALLOY RIMS
 4 TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SENSORS
 INSTALLATION, BALANCING AND PROGRAMING OF SENSORS

I looked around and a good winter tire will cost about $200/tire. So i guess is it worth paying an extra $800 for OEM rims, tpms and installation?? I thought about putting on steel rims on but doesn't that cuz issues when i go to put my summer tires on? The system has to be reset by the dealership which cost money.

thanks.

My0gr81

First most members here are US based, where tires are also lot cheaper. Second, OEM rims are overkill for winter,specially in Ontario where they use a lot of salt on the road. Third, there is reason why dealers are called stealers.

Go to your friendly tire shop, there are plenty around the GTA if that is close to you.

minato

iTrader: (1)

^^nuff said^^
I see you got the winter deal flyer in your mail and decided to follow up,
save money and go to your local tireshop and get your rim / tires

reyoasian

iTrader: (2)

$1768+TX for 16"...are you kidding me?
1. OEM wheels have no benefit in snow use especially in Ontario. If you have aftermarket wheels, and then use your STOCK wheels for winter that's understandable.
2. TPM in snow tires are useless unless you have that money to throw around
3. Just how does steel wheels cause issues? Steel wheels are TPM compatible as well if that's what you're worried about
4. Why does the system has to be reset by dealership? All 2IS are compatible with 2 sets of TPM at a time. Once configured, you can go back and forth with the press of just a few buttons. Any reputable shop that sells wheels would know how to configure such, but again as I said TPM are useless in winter unless you have the money to throw around
5. Why buy at dealer? They are #1 ripoff place to purchase anything to do with cars (except the car itself of course, we have no choice on that). Lexus doesn't make tires, neither does any car manufacturer. No, they don't "import" either. They order from local wholesaler just like any small shop, and these wholesalers can be one of the big wheel/tire shops down the street.
6. Why get Xi2? Michelin may be big brand but doesn't mean all their products are good. Original X-Ice was a very high-rated tire. But Xi2 was nowhere nearly as good as the original.

Depending where you're located in Ontario, you have many options. If you're in GTA, I'd recommend SimplyTire or Tires23. I personally go to SimplyTire for all my tire/wheel needs because they're local, they're professional, and Allen is a sick dude.

FYI just for comparison, I had 205/55R16 Hankook iPike W409 on steel wheels all mounted, balanced and installed for $750 flat back in 2009. Prices have gone up since but that's expected these days with inflation on everything. Changing to alloy wheels will cost $250-300 more, as well TPM is usually around $200 more. If you pay cash you save another 2.5% interac fee or something like that. Check them out: http://simplytire.com/contact.php

My0gr81

Costco has 17" steelies for $50 each, a little cheaper for 16". Xi2 are discontinued, in fact CT has them on clearance , check out the thread on redflagdeals. The tire shop I deal with in RH can give me good quality alloys for less than $100, mounted, balanced. I ended up buying a used set of 17's on Kijiji for $375. Last winter, I did 18" for a 2011 RX350 for $1200 all in with alloys that look like OEM. I just put up with the tires light during winter, not worth the cost of tpms sensors.

kramerlex

Thanks everyone! I will check out simplytires since it's close to me and see what they say.

reyoasian

iTrader: (2)

Very good point for OP. SimplyTire is selling Xi3 now

Snow tires are only good up to maximum 6 years from MANUFACTURE DATE even if they're never used or still have lots of tread life because the compound of the rubber degrades. Normally 5 years would be good rule of thumb, but 6 is absolute max max.

I'm 100% positive all the Xi2 that some places are still selling right now were manufactured for the previous winters and therefore already have 1-2 years on them after being made so even if you get it for a cheaper price (which isn't even the case here), you will not be able to use them for as long. It's dangerous.

kramerlex

So i am going to Simply Tires tomorrow to get winter tires. So i have narrowed it down to Michelin Xi3 or Toyo GSI5 (tire size 205/55r16). The cost is the same. So which one do you recommend i go for? Both seem to have good reviews..

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

All this talk of Michelin and others, Bridgestone is consistently the best performing winter tires and they are generally cheaper than Michelin too...

in a 205/55-16, at tire rack, you could get a better tire, Bridgestone WS-70, for $520 plus shipping...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=136

At Tire Rack, you could also get a set of wheels and those same Bridgestones for $876, which includes mounting and balancing, just add shipping... If you want TPMS sensors, add $220...

just a thought...

sm1ke

iTrader: (5)

I bought a winter setup from tirerack.com. 16" alloys with Michelin Xi3 tires. Because I went through a local group buy (Phil @ Fast Toys), I got the set for $1200, shipping + taxes + fees included. No TPMS though.

This is my first winter using winter tires (always had all-seasons on my fwd), AWD and winter tires is just so much better!

kramerlex

i looked into ordering tires from tire rack or 1010tires but shipping cost eat up most of savings. Which sucks. Shipping will cost me another $128 just to have the tires shipped plus tax. Right now i am going to pay $1040.00 CDN all in for my set from Simply Tires. So it kinda defeats the purpose of ordering from Tire Rack.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

I agree, that is the downside to ordering online...

My0gr81

And being north of the 49th parallel. Our dollar may have gone above par, but we still pay higher price for the same products.

azndriver

Out of the choices...

would prefer Gislaved Nordfrost or Hankook snow tires over those too...I know simply tire carries the two of those brands..

But really in my opinon, a snow tire is a snow tire...private label brands (Kingstar, Sailun, Nexen, etc)

perform just as well as any name brand tire.. why? cause as so long as you a snow flake on the tire, from what I learned from one shop, it means to have been approved by Canadian governent standards for snow tires

what really matters or key especially winter driving is driving according to the conditions...

embolism

I got my winter setup for $1200 all in which included 4 WS-70 Bridgestones (225/45/R17) from Costco and 4 OEM rims off craigslist. When it comes time to replace them, I'm definitely driving to Buffalo.

I also didn't bother with TPMS in my winter set since my summer tires are stored in the garage right in front of my car. If the light does go on (when I'm driving for more than 30 minutes), then it will go off when I get close to my summer tires again. Sometimes you have to wait a bit for it to sense them but the light doesn't really bother me.

TPMS are the most useless thing on cars nowadays. They only go on if your tire is dangerously low. I'm talking to the point where you can visually see the tire is low. What good is something like that?