gmanusmc

True - but most ES owners report better performance with the H version - some say the V rated Michelins are almost as bad as the Bridgestones.

lesz

I will have owned my ES350 for exactly one year in a few days. During that year, my actual calculated gas mileage has been 31.6 mpg with the V-rated Michelins. Until the cold weather started late last fall, it was at 32.6. It dropped a bit in the cold weather and is now recovering as the weather has warmed. I can't image that I'd do any better with the H-rated tires even with my somewhat conservative driving style and very little driving in stop-and-go conditions.

gmanusmc

Sorry lesz - wasn't referring to gas mileage performance - just ride quality and tread wear - many folks on the tire/wheel thread said they really like the H version. I must say though that your mileage is impressive - don't think my wife gets close to that - just short trip driving though. I think she gets somewhere around 24 - we're ok with that. Sorry for the confusion.

lesz

Actually, you gave me no reason whatever to be confused. As I re-read your earlier post, I see nothing that should have led me to believe that you were talking about gas mileage. I think that I'm the one who was guilty of creating confusion. In any case, I'm not sure what more I could ask for in terms of comfort with the Michelin V-rated tires. I think that, for those who have issues with ES ride quality, the biggest factor is likely the difference between vehicles with 18 inch wheels and those with 17 inch wheels.

With regard to gas mileage, I have no question that the two biggest factors that make the difference between good mpg and bad mpg are driving style and where one drives. For me, I certainly drive more conservatively than I did even 10 years ago, and, with living out in the country, I do very little urban driving. Even with that, I think I could do even better with my mpg if I lived in an area with flatter terrain. The very hilly terrain where I live, I'd guess, is taking away at least 2 or 3 mpg.

gmanusmc

Yeah - I forgot about the 17 vs 18 factor - we've got 17s - makes a big difference.

Max707

Based on tirerack ratings and customer comments the V rated has better tire wear and performance. Looks like they put the H tires on the 300h vehicles. Doubt any member could compare them since they have either V's or H rated tires.

lesz

I find it curious how things have changed over time. In the mid to late 1980s, H-rated tires were considered to be "high performance" tires, and most sports cars came out of the factory with them. At that time, only a handful of the more exotic sports cars came with V-rated tires. Now, even a car like the ES350, which is far from being a car designed with performance and handling in mind, comes out of the factory with V-rated tires. I seriously doubt whether the vast majority of ES350 or ES300h owners would notice one bit of difference in terms of performance or handling if you switched their V-rated Michelins for H-rated Michelins or the other way around.

sderman

My 15 years experience with both Lexus service and independents is that they both are unwilling to putting H rated tires on a car if they know it came equipped with V's. I am sure this is a purely legal issue but be warned.

gmanusmc

I'm not sure but I think Michelin is phasing out the H rated primacy and replacing them with the premier H rated which I don't think has much of a record on Tire Rack yet. I get my tires from America's Tire and the Primacy H rated has a 9.0 rating versus 8.6 for the V rated. Personally, I don't think you could go wrong with either Michelin but I've had at least 6 sets of the H rated with exceptional performance and tread wear - that's probably why I've stuck with them. Also, when shopping for the ES, I was kind of swayed by the tire/wheel thread on this forum - like I stated before, lots of rave comments for the H rated over there - so replaced the bridgestones with the michelins the day after we took delivery - the ride quality is like night and day. You are right though - I can't personally make a comparison cuz I've never had the V's - my comments are only based on what others have said.

gmanusmc

There's a lot of ES's with the H rated michelins on them - H is rated to 130mph and the V is rated to 149 - I'm not sure if the ES is capable of 130. Are you aware of a specific legal issue? Don't know if major tire retailers would install them if they would be subject to legal issues.

gmanusmc

Sorry - we seem to have hijacked your thread a little - here's a thread from the previous generation ES that talks tires - I remember now that I had to research that forum because there was not much available on the 2013s at the time.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...for-es350.html

Hope this helps

Bill G

Max707

Best I can tell the "V"rated on my ES350 if they are "V" rated? No where on the tire does it show a speed rating. Only difference is a 500 wear rating and the low roll rated ones have a 440 rating. I assume the ones on the 300h are the low rolling resistance ones. On tirerack the top rated are the 500 wear rated tires. Both tires have the MXV4 on the side wall, only difference I could find is the 500 versus 440 wear rating? So my question is the 440 wear rated tire an H rated tire? If not maybe tire rack does not carry the H rated tire. Kind of confusing?? I'm just glad my ES350 came with the Michelins.

lesz

The speed rating should appear on the sidewall of all tires. For example, on the MXV4 V-rated tires, you should see 93V. The 93 is the load rating, and V is the speed rating.

According to Michelin's own website, the MXV4 V-rated tires and the MXV4 H-rated tires (as well as the MXV4 T-rated tires) all have the same 60,000 mile limited warranty, but the V-rated versions have a wear rating of 500 and the H-rated versions have a wear rating of 620. The difference in wear rating doesn't surprise me because, typically, higher performance tires use a compound that wears faster, and they also often start out with shallower tread depth. The MXV4 V-rated tires, for example, only start out with 9/32 of an inch of tread, but the MXV4 H-rated tires start out with 11/32 of an inch of tread. That extra 2/32 of an inch of tread, by itself, would translate into about 33% more miles for the H-rated version than for the V-rated version.

Mike_1GO

iTrader: (2)

the new continental pure contact with eco plus would be a great replacement for your hybrid ES. according to tirerack, theyre one of the best performing tires with great snow traction. plus, theyre low rolling resistance will make them great on gas mileage.

Max707

Good info mine indicates 93V. Tirerack shows the speed rating in the size like 225/40/18ZR weird that they don't spell it out better??