Paulf1

Maybe you should read the post. The stock tires are junk especially in the wet!

ExSrAaron

I had ER33's on my IS350, probably not the same as most of you with AWD...

The stock tires are not junk though. They're engineered for a certain purpose whether it's fuel economy, minimal road noise, wear, comfort, or all-season performance. It's literally impossible for them to check all the boxes that customers expect when designing a particular product. To say they're ****ty tires makes me think you're all morons. They're not designed to have tons of grip in the first place.

Go buy some MPSS, Hankook V12s, RE71R, or blizzaks then come back here and complain when they ride hard, suck in the cold weather, or make tons of noise. Can't have it all without sacrificing something.

I understand your concerns though, I'm an automotive engineer so I'm slightly biased I suppose

EZZ

You can get near perfection with those PSS though Such an awesome tire.

Paulf1

The EL 400's are clearly rated well below just about every tire in it's category and most are less expensive. Have you researched or read any reviews on the EL 400's?
It's not just wet or dry traction it's all (the boxes) that this tire underperforms compaired to others.

Noeh

iTrader: (3)

That's complete BS. Go to tirerack and checkout the survey results. The are plenty of tires in the same performance category that perform better than oem in terms of fuel economy, road noise, wear, comfort, and all-season performance.

ExSrAaron

Consumer surveys? From ppl like you right?......

Again you're comparing tires meant for different purposes..you're not getting tires that are better in every single category. There are compromises with all those tires whether you accept that reality or not. Customer surveys are subjective and should be taken with a grain of salt anyway. Something might work great for one person and not for another. But no one is stopping you from trying something else; you want extra grip around freeway ramps get some R7's and have at it!

Suspenders

Thanks for the info. Makes me feel better about the stock Turanza's I have.

Cheers!

Peddle

See you are in OH. I am in Toronto, next few months will feature ice patches, slush etc. I am undecided between options, 17" wheels & winters, or 18" wheels & winters. Reading other threads, the 18" combo sounds vulnerable to pothole damage to rims. The 17" combo won't look pretty on my '16 IS350 though..
Given those concerns, what would you suggest for wheels, tires? What do you put on?

ExSrAaron

That's a hard one to answer but luckily you can't really go wrong with either option IMO. If price is a major concern then the 17" setup makes more sense to me, cheaper rims and tires. There might be a small benefit to running a narrower (but taller sidewall) tire in the winter conditions as well. But like you said 17" wheels don't look good on our cars! I'd imagine you Northerners have to keep the winter setup on a few months extra too? You'll probably get tired of looking at those smaller wheels after a while

Winter tires are amazing and make driving in the snow/ice less of an issue. I'd say go with whatever you're gut is telling you and don't look back.

Noeh

iTrader: (3)

Again that's complete BS. There are several summer tires that perform better, ride better, wear better, and offer better value than the ER33. No one is comparing the ER33 to All Season or Winter tires. The reality is that the ER33 are junk, and its purpose is to be the lowest bidder for Toyota and the rip off clueless consumers who default to OEM tires.

Paulf1

Can't be BS he's an automotive engineer. lol

ExSrAaron

OK you're both right, I'm obviously wrong. Happy?

Paulf1

I would be happy if you could contribute anything with a little research to back your claims. Calling people Morons isn't very constructive.

ExSrAaron

Neither of you contributed much to the conversation other than saying they're "junk, ****y, crap tires."

Again, I'm not saying people should replace worn-out OE tires with new OE tires when that time comes; the price premium over other tires is not worth it. But you also don't need to go out and replace full-tread tires on your brand new IS because people on the internet say they're junk. I'd rather use up the tires first then spend $600+ on new tires later. The conversation changes slightly if you frequently drive in the mountains, twisty roads, or on track.

Jeremy1976

I actually have no issues with the stock Bridgestones. I have almost 25,000 miles on them and they are wearing good. The other day it was raining and about 50 degrees and I punched it from a stop light in normal mode with no wheel spin or traction light flashing at me. This is on a 2014 350 awd f sport.