A Tale Of Winter Tyres

[Lydiamight]

Currently own a 2008 RX400H as well as a BMW 335D Automatic Coupe. The BMW is absolutely useless in the snow. Fitted with ultra low profile 19 inch run flats and lots of electronics to stop the wheels spinning it's a car to leave parked up until the weather gets better.

Decided about a month ago to investigate winter tyres for the Lexus instead. The stock tyres are Bridgestone Potenza summer tyres, great in the good weather, but they didn't look as if they would be that good in the snow. As I started to investigate I realised that there is a very, very limited choice of winter tyres available in the OEM size of 235 55 18. Also saw that in the USA some RX400h's come with 17 inch rims as standard so I started looking for a secondhand set of 17 rims.

These are fitted to the RX 3XX series in the UK and as these cars have been around for a lot longer than the RX400h there is a much better chance of picking up a set of secondhand rims from a breakers. After a few weeks of looking managed to find a set of Lexus 17 alloy rims, complete with centre caps for £150 from a breakers yard in Milton Keynes. One wheel had some scuff marks on the rim---but what the hell, they were only going to be on the car in the bad weather.

Then discovered this really useful wheel and tyre size comparator here http://www.rimsntires.com/rt_specs.jsp

Comparisons were:

OEM 235 55 18, Rim width 7 inches, offset 35mm

Proposed new size was going to be

225 65 17, Rim width 6.5 inches, offset 30mm

The comparator told me that there would be plenty of clearence and that the difference in diameter would alter the speedometer reading by 1.3% and that at 60mph my speedometer would be reading 60.8mph. I think that I can live with that.

Next thing was to source the tyres. Costco had a special offer on---buy four tyres and get another 20% off what are already very competitive prices, although you are restricted to buying Michelin tyres. After a bit more research I settled on the Michelin Latitude Alpin. They had to be ordered in, but arrived within four days. With the discount the tyres worked out to around £146.00 each. Had them fitted to the bare rims and waited for the weather to get worse.

Looking at the forecast I decided to fit them on Wednesday of last week----what a transformation. I have been out and about in around 18 inches of snow and the car really drives as if it is on normal roads. Even up steep hills the rear wheel drive rarely kicks in and the really impressive thing is the ability to brake on ice or snow. Unless you are looking at a panic stop the ABS doesn't even need to operate, the car just comes to a fuss free stop.

When I told my friends that I was going to invest in winter tyres I received lots of comments about "waste of money" "we never have weather bad enough to justify them". Those same friends are now ringing me up to see if I can give them a lift or get some shopping in for them.

Until you have driven in the snow and ice with a decent set of winter tyres you can have no idea of just how good they are.

I cannot reccomend them highly enough.

[steve haley]

Used them for years and could'nt agree more

You appear to have been lucky as the 17" from the old RX mk1 certainly don't fit the mk2 non-hybrid (dont fit over the brake calipers) and not many mk2 went out with 17". I went looking for 17" rims and never found any and ended up making do with 18". A nuseince as you need thin chains to make the clearance on these for those extremely rare days in the alps and the 18" winter tyres are rarer than the 17" and more expensive although I only bothered with 4 and got a very good deal (110 fitted by my local garage).

I use Vredestein as these were the best I could find in the UK retail chain last year but it gets better each year.

The only all weather worth thinking about are the Nokian WR but they are not as good as dedicated winter tyres.

[grumpy old man]

Hi

Have owned RX 300 for about 3 years and in October tried to find 18" winter tyres , due to lack of stock in UK purchased Yokahama W drive from pneus-online ( excellent service and fast delivery ) have been running these for about 500 miles with good results so far in light snow conditions

[tonyricha]

Have you heard the story re insurance cover and winter tyres ? some insurance companies consider them a modification and either want extra premium or even refute claims, don't wish to alarm you but you know how insurance companies always win.I know it sounds crackers but best be sure!

[steve haley]

Have you heard the story re insurance cover and winter tyres ? some insurance companies consider them a modification and either want extra premium or even refute claims, don't wish to alarm you but you know how insurance companies always win.I know it sounds crackers but best be sure!

Would love to hear from someone who has had this as it sounds like a myth given that the reverse is true on the continent and they are allowed for in the manual. I dont think that they would be able to enforce it anymore than they could enforce you fitting Dunlops instead of Bridgestone. Providing the size agrees with the options in the manual it can be construed as standard fit...

[Steve ( West Mids )]

There is a piece about it in AutoExpress this week, it is true.

[Mark A]

Almost all of the winter tyres I have seen are H rated. Can I use these on my Rx-350? The handbook specifies V rated.

Spoke to my insurance company re winter/snow tyres and they said that they would only change the premium if I changed wheel size also. Forgot to ask about H rated - dohh!

H is good for 130mph, which is higher than the car can go anyway.

Cheers,

Mark A

[steve haley]

Almost all of the winter tyres I have seen are H rated. Can I use these on my Rx-350? The handbook specifies V rated.

Spoke to my insurance company re winter/snow tyres and they said that they would only change the premium if I changed wheel size also. Forgot to ask about H rated - dohh!

H is good for 130mph, which is higher than the car can go anyway.

Cheers,

Mark A

Simple answer is yes - almost all snow tyres are H or lower.

Would buy Continental/Dunlop/Vreds in that order - I ended up with the Vreds as I couldnt source the others last year - very impressed by the improvement over a set 10 years older.

Which Insurance company?

[Mark A]

Admiral. Only tyres I can get my hands on is Falken - have to be better than the Bridgestones that a on.

[Lydiamight]

Just phoned my insurer (Direct Line)to tell them that I had fitted a set of Lexus wheels and winter tyres. They asked me if they were genuine Lexus wheels and were not worried thaat they were 17 inch rims rather than the 18 inch OEM wheels. Didn't ask what speed rating the tyres were. Impl;ication was that it you fitted an "aftermarket" set of non Lexus wheels then there might have been a change in premium

No change in policy for me and "thank you very much for letting us know"

[Mark A]

Admiral didn't care if non Lexus wheels, as long as they were the same size.

[PCthug]

Might order these...

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=52300823.110.8765&typ=R-188907&ranzahl=4&Breite=235&Quer=55&Felge=18&Speed=H&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=20&Transport=P&dsco=110&sowigan=Wi

[Lydiamight]

The Marangoni seem to make reasonable tyres----see here for a review http://www.canadiandriver.com/2007/03/29/winter-tire-test-part-seven-marangoni-meteo-hp-and-meteo-grip-e.htm

Lydiamight

[Oldskier]

Things are improving. Pirelli now make a "Scorpion Snow and Ice" tyre for the RX400 and 450H models and there's no need to go hunting for 17" wheels. The Pirelli's cost around 140 - you have to shop around. With these on you can forget about chains and wheel-arch clearances. If you need chains as well, then you might as well not bother as the roads will be all be blocked by less capable cars.

03 Jan 14

Basck from spending Christmas skiing in the Massisf des Bauges, where the driving condtions were highly demanding, with re-frozen thawed slush and ice under 4" of snow. The car (RX400H) was sensational on the Pirellis. We never looked like coming to a halt, or having trouble moving off on a hill when behind some less well equipped. I took advantage of an empty resort car park early one morning to hurl the Lexus around a bit and it behaved faultlessly. On the Pirellis it is unquestionably the best on-snow car I have ever driven. The electric drive is so gentle and the low speed torque so sensational, that it was far better than the Range Rover, and the Pirellis are very quiet, unlike Land- and Range- Rover knobblies. The Scorpions are not speed limited in any meaningful sense; at least I'm not willing to risk the sort of fine the Gendarmes will hit you with at anything over 100mph.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Oldskier