e-man

Okay guys. I need some advice here. I own a 99 GS400 with 73,000 miles. I've owned the car for the last 5 months/8,000 miles. It's riding on stock 17s with Toyo Proxes4 ( p235/45/zr17's) that have about 15,000 miles on them. Over the course of the last two months, the ride comfort has deteriorated significantly. I've been told that the Toyos are known for being very hard/harsh, and I'd have to agree, especially now that they've got a few miles on them.

The Toyos still have about 15-20k left in them, but rather than use them up, I think I'll take them off, put on some more comfy tires, and hang on to the Toyos as a spare set. There's one other variable in the equation -- I've got a set of stock 16" rims with Eagle GT+4s (p225/55/16) that have about 5,000 left on them. I know that 16s are generally more comfortable than 17s, but I really love the look of the 17s. The 16s, in my opinion, are a little plain (no offense to anyone who's running them).

Here are my questions:

(1) Has anyone had the same experience/problems with the Toyos?
(2) If you only had the cash to get one new set of tires, would you get a new set for the stock 17s or the stock 16, bearing in mind that the ultimate goal is ride comfort?
(3) Regardless of whether you feel I should get a new set of 16s or 17s, what would you get? I've heard great things from a few of you regarding the Pirelli Pzero Neros and the ContiExtremeContacts in terms of performance and handling, but really don't have an idea as to how they feel in terms of ride comfort.

What do you guys (or girls) think?

e

FunGuy

(1) I personally had the Toyos on my GS and the ride and comfort was amazingly quiet and soft. Check the PSI it should be at 33psi.

(2) Stock 16 give the best ride comfort but cannot handle jack $#!+!!!!!

(3) From My experience Pirelli Pzeros are cheap and fell like Driving around on alloy to asphault. IN other words harsh. The ContiExtreme Contacts are loud once Theyve reached 10,000 miles. WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO...... is exactly what you'll hear. Go with NITTO for the money and Michellin if ya donyt carr about money!!.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Also check to see if there are any issues with your shocks. Otherwise, if comfort is the ultimate goal, then ride the 16s with 215/60 tires.

e-man

Hmm . . . shocks. Maybe. 3 questions: (1) is there a way to check if they've gone bad; (2) how long do they normally last for; and (3) about how much do they cost to replace (assuming I stick with stock).

Neo

iTrader: (3)

1. Go the corner of the car, press up and down and get the car to bounce. Do this a few three times, and as soon as you stop the vehicle should stop moving. When you stop pressing and the car continues to move, it tells you that corner is bad. You need to do that on each of the four corners of the vehicle to check each shock.

2. Not sure but after 73k miles, it is worth a check.

3. I have not done a stock replacement so I'll let the vendors or someone else chime in.

chuckb

if you pop the hood first. you can push down on the frame instead of having to push on a body panel. also, check for oil dripping out of the shocks.

good luck e, maybe this is your calling to get tein cs before they are no longer available

braheem

iTrader: (4)

Toyo's suck a BIG one, I upgraded my 16" Toyos to 20" Pzero (not nero) and it actually quitened the road noise in the car AND reduced vibrations.

I ride on 1" of rubber and have a smoother ride on the highway then the 16" rims and Toyo tires.

FunGuy

Are your For reals?

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

the Toyos i thought are a soft tire? I'm running toyo proxes and the ride is great.... Maybe its time for a S/S upgrade... If you still have the stock ones there probably worn out..... Good Luck

Tony

chuckb

alright e-time to put the 16s on and see if it still rides weird.

e-man

Yep. That's the next step, Chuck. I'll keep everyone posted.

e-man

I took my car to Lexus this afternoon to have them look at the suspension. They checked out all of the suspension components and everything looked good. They said the ball joints were nice and tight and there were no leaks in the shocks. They then told me that the rough ride could be attributable to the "new" tires I just put on the car. When I told them that the tires were over a year old and had about 15,000 miles on them, their jaws dropped -- they were literally in shock. For what it's worth, the tech said that the Toyos are known for being very hard, and that's the primary reason they last so long and still look like new. Unfortunately, they also tend to ride a little rough, particularly after they've got some miles on them.

Anyway, the 16s are going on for the winter in the next week or two, so I'll see if that makes a noticeable difference. If it does, I'll probably "upgrade" the 17s in the spring to Pirelli Pzero Neros or Michelins.

Does anyone else have any thoughts?

e