I've decided to that I must have all-season tires for my 19s. The alternative was dedicated winter wheels. I loath having to switch out for winter and I also hate the low tread wear we get from summer spec tires.

The only solution I have found is the GoodYear F1 All Seasons in a different size than OEM. Here it is:

OEM 19" wheels
Front: 245-40-19
Rear: 255-35-19

Has anyone else been successful with this configuration?

What kind of tread wear mileage do you get?

How is snow traction on a G with these?

Peace.

 

These numbers are compare stock to the new size in inches.

Tire Size Tire Height (in.) Tire Width (in.)
Stock Front 225 45% 19 3.99 8.86
Stock Rear 245 40% 19 3.86 9.65

Exp Front 245 40% 19 3.86 9.65
Exp Rear 255 35% 19 3.51 10.04

 

what is the reason you dont want to stick with the stock sizes??

 

Have you tried buying all-season tires for the 19" wheels that come on the G37?

They do not exist and the stock tires only get about 15k miles.

It is a predicament shared by most G37 owners that live in areas that get snow.

 

^ How much snow does your area receive? If you do any driving on snow/ice covered roads, play it safe and get dedicated winter tires.

I would recommend separate sets for seasons because of safety. All-seasons is a misnomer ... no such thing as 'good for all seasons' but more like 'mediocre for 3 seasons and crappy for winter'. And you will also compromise the handling of the car with 'all-seasons'. Think of it this way -- I'm sure if you kept a good space between cars and drove very conservatively, you would be fine with all-seasons in the winter. But it's well known that winters have better grip and significantly shorten stopping distances. Who knows when you're gonna need that shorter distance on the road? Winter tires are like insurance -- you don't necessarily need it, but it's a good thing to have (ie peace of mind).

I share your frustration with the tread life of summer tires -- hate changing them on my current car so often -- but when you alternate between extreme seasons, the 'price' isn't so bad. Plus you also maximize the benefit of the different tire compound tread in different seasons (good grip in summer, better grip in winter). I would be hesitant to try out a G37 on a real Midwest winter day. You might as well call in sick that day than try to get your car to work (safely) and not wreck your car.

Lastly ... you're driving a $40k car, is an extra $800 every year really gonna make you foreclose your house / not keep a car? At least with 2 sets of tires, you'll probably get 2 (maybe 3) seasons from your winter tires and 2 seasons with the summer tires. Maybe you should look into a lower maintenance car? Don't want to disrespect but that should have been a consideration (along with insurance costs, etc) when you decide upon any car.

PS 255/35/19 -- it's >3% smaller than OEM circumference ... that's usually not a recommended threshold to exceed (ie want to keep tire sizes within 3% of OEM spec for safety).

 

I have come to the same conclusion. The G37 replaced an AWD Subaru WRX STI with all-season tires that were very successful (even fun) during the mid-western winter. I now believe that all-seasons on a powerful rear-driver such as the G will be semi-functional at best. Maybe the 5 month reprieve will allow me to get two seasons out of the summer tires.

TireRack will be getting my order for a winter wheel package before next winter.

The extra $800 will not cause any hardship (I don't remember making any such claims...), but I can afford a $40k car specifically because I look for ways to save. In fact, the G37 itself was a compromise in cost vs desire. I wanted a BMW, but the G gives me the same amount of car and features for $10k less.

Who doesn't want a good value?

It is too bad we can't safely run tires that will give 40k miles. That would be a good value.