ptmIS350

Hey Guys,

I posted awhile back about my IS350 having dramatic veering and pulling issues exaggerated by poor road cresting conditions. After reading on here I noticed a lot of you that had the problem had the dunlops removed and the veering condition going away.

I went to my dealer and explained the issue and we got Lexus corp involved. A Lexus tech came down and we took the car out and they noticed the condition as well. He saw the issue while testing the car and agreed it was not normal besides being was very nice and accomodating. He understood my issue regarding safety of the vehicle and they decided to replace the dunlops and put Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's (I requested the A/S version) on the vehicle. The deal would be, I would buy the fronts and Lexus would buy the rears. My dealer would do the mount, balance, alignment, and install for free.

While I felt the whole deal should of been taken care of I did have over 15,000 on the tires (they weren't that worn though cause I baby the car) so I couldn't really b1tch about it. And the fact that everyone was really trying to help out also meant a lot to me.

Well we changed the tires and the veering is gone so I'm really happy. Now when riding on any crested roads the car does not pull over the crest into opposite lanes like it once did. For a test I took it on a heavily crested road and not only did it not veer, it actually rode the imperfection without veering the car. This is what it should of done in the first place. The car rides perfect now, any case of pulling is gone and I no longer have to wrestle the wheel.

The only thing I could think of is maybe the Dunlops sidewall is stiffer and it translates more into the steering. While the car handles the same and is just as quiet, the Michelins wound up being a more superior tire as far as handling, predictability and hydro as well.

I'm a Dunlop fan, but the SportMaxx's didn't work on my car. It seems to be a random kind of issue because I know some of you have Dunlop's and have no veering problems at all.

Well anyways I just want to say kudos to Lexus for taking the issue seriously and going out of their way and sending a tech to get it fixed. I never received this treatment with any other lux vehicle I owned.

I'm sending a report via request of Lexus corp about the change in vehicle handling and hopefully they can implement teh Michelin tires in future vehicles.

Cleric

I'm glad you are satisfied with your new tires. The issue with veering using the OEM Dunlop SportMaxx tires is a known issue for Toyota. There have been numerous complaints reported and it is an issue with the tire. The new OEM tire is the Bridgestone RE050. I am glad you were able to get the tire of your choice (Michelin Pilot A/S).

Bichon

To use the correct terminology, a tire that causes the car to veer off course due to road imperfections is said to exhibit "tramlining".

With 15,000 miles on a set of performance tires, I think what Lexus did for you was more than fair.

I'm not certain exactly how many miles I have on my OEM SportMaxx tires, since I run snows in the winter, but thus far they haven't shown any sign of excessive tramlining.

tazdevl

Swapped my SportMaxx's for the same Michelins day 1, very happy that I did and sounds like you've had good experience too.

Dabigman

WHat about tire noise? The Dunlops get noiser and noiser since they past 5k miles. Are the Michelins quieter?

tazdevl

Yup, much quieter... the Pirelli P Zero Neros are quieter than the Michelins (and a bit cheaper). Though every tire gets noisier as it gets worn.

ptmIS350

Tramlining is definitely the correct term for veering from road imperfections, but for search purposes using a descriptive term like "veering" helps others in their search efforts. Not many people know what tramlining is, just like the mechanic at my dealer.

Like I said my dunlops after 15,000 were like new, the dealer could not believe it, but I don't beat my car up. And I'll say it again, some people don't have issues with the Dunlops, but from what Lexus has claimed there were bad batches of Dunlop Sport Maxx's causing the issues.

I thought the Dunlop's were pretty quiet but it depended on road conditions. When it was smooth I can hardly hear any tire roar with the Dunlop's or the Michelin. But on a more coarse road I think the Michelins are a tad quieter.

And yeah Lexus was very fair in helping me out, it's ashame the scattered problems with the Dunlop's hurt some of us (and Lexus) in an otherwise amazing car.

Cleric

I'd be happy to drive 15,000 miles and then get new tires at such a great discount. I don't expect to get more that 20k from the Dunlops anyway, so on the bright side it is not such a bad deal afterall. Getting the dealer to install the wheels for free and pay for 2 tires is a good deal!

2SwiFt29

iTrader: (6)

lexus would switch out the dunlop to bridgestone tires for free right because of the known issue? i'm thinking about telling them on my next service due up soon...

Bichon

Are you having severe tramlining issues? The original poster had to demonstrate the problem not just to the dealer but to the regional rep from Lexus.

Ramon

Yeah, I doubt they're going to change your tires because someone ELSE had the issue.