blayze1983

I've got the same question as mattd860 above - currently running 235/55-R20 tires on my RX350 Luxury and preparing for the Toronto winter.

What size should I go with for a winter wheel/tire combo? Should I downsize to 18" or stick with the 20" Is there an online tool that tells me the sizes that fit? Sorry new to all this... thanks

toyotaman7

I went with the Lexus Canada accessory winter wheel package which comes Lexus Rims.. with 235 65 r18. I got the Michelin Latitude Ice and they have been great over the past 4 winters.

Cocal

The diameter of the tire + wheel should stay the same so that you get the correct reading on the speedometer, but in heavy snow it's recommended to go to a slightly narrower tire, what is also recommended, if you have 20", is to go to 18" or 19" wheels and the tire profile increased accordingly to get more shock absorption in the tire, if the roads you travel aren't potholed the latter may not be necessary

blayze1983

Thanks guys - that's helpful.

We def have potholes galore here, so I'll follow the recommendation and downsize to 18' - probably makes sense to go with Lexus Canada's winter package spec of 235/65/r18 as toyotaman outlined above. At that size I can get the Micheline X-Ice which is the tire I wanted (they aren't available in 20's for the RX).

Cocal

If you go with the 18" wheel make sure your tire has the higher sidewall as in the 20"

blayze1983

Based on a few local shops here it looks like I can get a wheel/rim set in the Michelin X-Ice 2 or Nokian R3 for similar pricing - Nokians being about $110 more for the set.

My research suggests Nokians are better for snow/ice, Michelins for dry/wet. Not sure which treads last longer, but the Nokians are the softer tire.

Which tires would you guys go with for Toronto? We get a few heavy snowfalls in the winter, but for the most part I'd say it's dry conditions.

blayze1983

Thanks for your help Cocal - dumb question, but how can I tell if it has the higher sidewall?

Here's what one of the shops is offering - can u tell based on the info here?

Cocal

They are all good tires, but my preference goes to Nokian, I've had them in the past, but they did not make an all weather tire 20" when I wanted mine so I got Toyo, I would not use any chinese made, but korean made in general is acceptable.
You don't have to go to the Hakka for good ole TO the regular snows will do fine.

Cocal

Let's use an hypothetical tire size, let's get a 235/70R/18 so here we go:
The number 70 is the aspect ratio, sometimes called the profile. This is the ratio of the sidewall height to the width. The sidewall height can be calculated by multiplying the ratio (70 or 0.70) by the width (225); for example, 225 millimeters x 0.70 = 157.5 millimeters.
You can also do a search for Tire Size Calculator and there you'll find a more exhaustive explanation.

blayze1983

Thanks Cocal - very helpful.

chris0055

Hi all,

New the forum as I just purchased a 2017 Rx350 F Sport. The tire is about due and we'd like to get Winter Tires package including rims for seasonal changes.

My dealer quote me here in BC18” Scorpion Winter is $2659.28 plus $20.00 tire levy and tax

18” Winter Ice Zero is $2319.88 plus $20.00 tire levy and tax

20” Winter Ice Zero is $2683.76 plus $20.00 tire levy and tax
My question is that during seasonal changes, how do I re-program my all season tires TPMS in ECU? Dealership wants $80 every time they need to update it. Is there some reliable way that I reset it myself? I don't mind spending $200 to $300 for a handheld device that can also diagnose any error code. I found a few OBDII bluetooth APP and requires $20 each month subscription, that's too pricey.

exonw

I suggest you buy "All-Weather" not All-Season tires (e.g. Nokian) so you don't have to worry about TPMS programming as rotation is included every #2 or #3 service.

I wish I should have done that , instead I had two set's of tire and bought an Autel MaxiTPMS TS501 so I can reprogram every tire change.. Some use Carista for TPMS programming.

HTH

toyotaman7

I live in Canada, so winter tires is a must. I bought an Autel TS508 TPMS Programming tool and reprogram them every season. Takes 5 minutes to reprogram them.

gadgetman1

You gotta “pay to play”. If you live in the great white north & need a separate set of all weather tires, you will need the correct TPMS for each set. That’s just how it is. It would be the same if you bought a Kia. Don’t be Jethro & cheap out, do this the right way for your family’s safety.

Academic

Hi Chris:

If you go to Garage Five in Richmond, they sell clonable sensors for our car. Since my car was so new back in 2017 (only 2nd year of 4th gen RX), no place including Costco could clone my TPMS back then and I think many places still cannot close our sensors. They have sensors called G31 Green 315 MHZ Smart Sensors that can clone ours exactly. When shopping around many, many shops back then the problem was that the car was so new at the time no one's machines could read the signal on the sensors. Only Garage Five was the only shop that had the correct gun to read the signal as well as clone the sensors. I have used these winter wheels now for 4 winters including this year and never had any problems with them. No need to reprogram anything when swapping wheels and they read tire pressure as well. If the winter / summer wheels are stored close to the car, they may read the stored tires pressures sometimes but once you drive off, it will read the tire pressure on the car at the present time.

I would also try to get your dealer to get Michelin Xice tires since there is a rebate going on right now and they wear much better. The rebate is during this time of the year annually (as well as Spring I believe) and I go to Costco for my tires. Despite 3 full winters on them going onto 4, I have very minimal wear on the Xice tires. No problems at all going up to Whistler as well.

Oh and for winter wheels, you should go with the narrowest and smallest wheels as possible. Therefore even though I have an F Sport 3 with stock 235/55/20, I went with 235/65/18 winter wheels (Lexus Star spoke). On a past car, I went from a staggered 225/35/19 and 255/30/19 staggered set up to a square 215/45/17 winter wheels I believe (it's was 2 cars back so I can't recall exactly).