Johnhav430

I have used them for maybe 2 decades, not quite. In this day and age, it pays to compare. Costco was less expensive on Premier LTXs, mounted and balanced on my wife's car. TR had to up their game and provide 2 yr. I believe road hazard. The BMW and Lexus have tires from TR. Just saying to shop around, it's your $$$ at stake.

mrhenry123

my mich primacys are about toast. maybe i get a thousand or so miles out of them.

hard thing when you buy a used car is that you really dont know what it is suppose to ride like new.

tires can really make a huge diff in your driving experience (as ^&** as that sounds)

if i could get 40k out of any set of tires i am happy. so i might try they yoko s drives but the guys a Tirerack sent me an email was some recommended tires. all were all season performance.

Johnhav430

from reading the comments, it would seem the Premiers are a good choice. My "theoretical" choice of pilot sport a/s 3+'s sounds good, but one knows going into it they will not last as long. I took a onramp/curve very spirited on Wed. as once again a Subaru was on my a$$, and I have to admit the LS is not cut out to handle. So why put ultra high performance tires on, besides the fact that it came with them. I would like to in theory.....but one has to decide, is the lower tread life worth it.....it's a personal decision

IowaVol

I put a set of P7s on my 04 LS. They were great for about half life and then became extremely noisy. I cannot /will not recccomend these tires to anyone. I just replaced them with Continental True Contacts. After about 2,000 miles I am very happy with them. We will see how they do,in an Iowa winter.

mannye

I have the 18 inch rims. Use to be that the star was the Primacy MXV4. I had those on my '05 and they were allright.

Let's be clear. I do not care about "performance" I want quiet. I live in Miami Beach so there will never be any snow. (we might all need boats soon, but no snow performance) So keeping in mind that "cornering" or any kind of performance beyond not going straight and not falling off the rim when I execute an "old man turn" isn't an issue, who is the new quiet "king of the hill?" Still the Michelin? Is there a better (hopefully also cheaper) tire in the 18 inch size?

I'll pay for the Michelin because noisy tires kill me slowly. I have a racing license and when I want to go fast and make noise and be uncomfortable I go to Sebring and pay for hot laps in a formula V car. Do yourself a favor and save your pennies for the three day racing course at Skip Barber. You're never going to get another speeding ticket after that because unless you're on a track, you just won't care.

jrmckinley

I live in Orlando, have '04 LS and drive all over the state and I also primarily want a quiet tire (with other requirement being to handle the summer rain with confidence). Have put 170k miles on 4 sets of Michelins. Started with the Primacy and moved to the Premier A/S 245/45/R18 about 90k miles back (currently on my 2nd set, have about 15k miles left on these). Have been very pleased with all Michelin products. I don't recall a big difference either way between the Primacy and the Premier A/S. Happy with the noise level, ride quality, feeling safe in the downpours on the highway, and tread life.

mannye

Thanks!

These are the ones?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=445VR8PREASXL

jrmckinley

yep, that's them. i think i paid about $300/tire installed so that's a pretty fair price.

tallcaguy

Have either of you driven an LS on 17's? Currently, I have Michelin Premiers on 17's. Comfortable and quiet. Also have a set of 18 wheels that look better (and maybe handle a little better). I'd use Michelin Premiers on these. Is there likely to be much difference in comfort and quiet? I'm guessing probably not but just wanted to check before I spend 1k on tires.

There have been several conversations in here about the best wheel size for comfort. Theory is that 16 is the limo ride, 17 is a nice compromise between comfort and handling and 18's handle better but are slightly stiffer.

LOL about the racing license. Just drove a 2015 Mustang GT (50 year anniversary). 420 HP, 6 speed. Nice growl in the exhaust at idle. Very much a drivers car. Came home and drove my LS for comparison. Kept checking the tach to see if the engine was running.

tallcaguy

I did Michelin Premiers on 17's for my 01 Base. Got the "Lexus Ride". Quiet and comfortable. Sold the car w/ other tires/wheels. Kept this set for my 04 Sports. Still quiet but very soft if I corner more aggressively. I'm going to install Premiers on 18s and hopefully get quiet and a little stiffer tire because of narrower sidewalls.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

I have 300 miles on the Conti DWS '06's now. They feel squishy-soft and I feel the sidewall flex on turn-in, a nice feeling tire overall for A/S. As A/S for they are super quiet. On our 400, there is a night day difference in interior cabin tire noise. The priority for my tire characteristics has been handling, noise and longevity. With summer tires the thought of them breaking traction or not stopping in the wet doesn't cross my mind. I know these A/S are pretty good though not in the same handling, traction level I'm accustomed to. One of the other characteristics was tire weight. The Conti DW was the lightest tire I could find within the $ and performance characteristic set. I did like the Yoko S-Drive.

If the alignment spec is good, getting good wear characteristics is not out of reach. The summer tires we've had are expected to last less then 20K and 10-15K miles is typical for most drivers. Ours turns in ~40K miles so YMMV.

tallcaguy

Since I have a Sports, may try the Pilot Sports. Michelin gives a 30 day free exchange. If the Pilots are loud or harsh, can change to Premiers. An LS isn't a sports car and I don't to lose the quiet/comfort. By the way, I've heard that adding a rear sway bar helps reduce the body roll on non air suspensions. No idea if it helps with a UL.

asujithdr

@tallguy .... Fully agree with the ride quality and wheel size. Mine was 18 with 245/45. I changed it to 225/55/17 for a smoother ride after I got a set of LS430 17" on a very good deal, which as you said is a good compromise for comfort and handling. I actually went to put 225/60R17 tyre that will give even more sidewall height (equivalent to 16 inch tyre, "limo" comfort) but this will increase the total wheel diameter by 24mm and would make the car unroadworthy in Australia Tyre chose was Michelin Primacy 3 ST (silent touring), a tyre made for quietness, not so discussed though.

Johnhav430

The more you guys rave about the Premiers, the more confident I feel about my wife's Premier LTX on her SUV that we recently bought...I believe the treads are identical, LTX being for light trucks etc...

jrmckinley

When I bought my 2004 in 2008 it had the 17's on it (can't remember tire brand- pretty sure Michelin). I knew from day one that I was putting the 18's on because I prefer the stance of the car with the 18's as opposed to the 17's. So I drove the original tires until it was time to replace them and then put the 18's on with the new tires at 245/45/18. I would have been willing to sacrifice slightly on noise and ride quality for the upgraded look, but luckily I don't recall there being any noticeable difference. Granted it was 7 1/2 years ago and about 160k miles back, but I honestly don't recall noticing a difference at all in the ride. I think as long as you go with a good quality tire on the 18's you'll be fine.