Hershey1

We own and I S 300 and can't drive it in the snow and it's very frustrating! I have been doing a lot of research on here to figure out what type of tires the front are 225/40 R 18 and rear are 255/40 R 18.
We live in Michigan along the lake and deal with snow all the time and the car sets in the garage. Even though I love the car, my husband and I have talked about selling this summer because of this issue. After reading several posts, I'm unsure what to buy...

I was set on blizzak, but do they have snow tires that will perform well on 18" rims? I read about still having issues with the good tires with having the 18 inch rims. But since we may sell I hate to have to replace the rims too. if we stay with the 18" rims will new tires even make a difference?

Also, is there an alternative to the pricey Blizzaks?

Then I also saw different opinions and keeping the same size in the front and the back.

I'm more of the "car guy" in our family. My husband is wondering why haven't picked tires out yet but it's more complicated than what I thought. Please help. Thanks in advance!

Blizzak350

iTrader: (1)

Ok, so here is my input. I had a IS300 obviously it was RWD and with Continental DWS All season it did wonders in the MN snow. I had 17s on it however.

I bought a IS350 and had terrible luck with the best All Season I could buy (Michelin). So I ended up buying Blizzak's with the factory 18s and am now the biggest proponent of Blizzak's or any snow specific tire for that matter. The difference is amazing.

So do you have an IS350 or 300?? Because you mentioned you had 18s which is what is factory on the 2nd Gen and it would be factory staggered. But you mentioned IS300.

2GSKaizen

iTrader: (1)

I run a GS 430 RWD in Nebraska winters just fine on snow tires. My winter rims are actually 18 inch SC430 rims. I have had true Blizzaks and Michellin's version of snow tires, and both worked equally as well. Don't let the 10-20 days of the really bad snow a year make you get rid of a car that so much fun to drive the other 340 days a year. Just get snow tires.

Theo@TireRack.com

I agree. Even the best all-season tire can't compete with the least capable winter tire. Your best best for winter use is to use a square setup, with the same size tires front/rear. You may be able to get away with this without buying new wheels, but I would need more information on the wheel size and to confirm the Year/Make/Model of the car. There are many capable winter tires out there, and the Blizzak is just one of them. You may be limited on choices depending on the sizes we need, but I'm sure we could find a setup that makes you look forward to driving your car in the winter.