mikevanle

iTrader: (1)

My current tires are getting pretty bald in the back so I'm in search of new tires.

Let me start off by saying I live in the Northeast, so we do get snow. Granted it hasn't snowed that much the past few years, but it does have to be taken into consideration.

I've been reading tirerack's review and the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus seems to be a rave. Supposedly they have a tread rating of about 40k miles. They also have good wet traction and mediocre snow traction.

They are about $229/ea.

bigcory

Seems to be that tire, and the Primacy MVX's are the two of choice on the forum.

Pilot = shorter tire life and slightly higher road noise, but better handling.

Primacy = longer life and quieter, but reduced handling


If you drive harder then the typical driver go with the Pilots, if you drive like a grandma, take the Primacy (not sure about snow ratings on either tire).


I went with the Primacy's. Great tire but I noticed a big change in handling compared to the stock Dunlops. I don't feel very confident going into corners as I drive a little harder then the average driver.

AudioBuff

I just bought my 04 and the dealer (non-Lexus) placed brand new BF Goodrich G-Force Sport. They do have road noise, but the handling is fantastic!

JimsGX

Mike,

Did you end up buying the Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires? If so, what do you think of them?

mikevanle

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I ended up purchasing these tires. I used to have the PS2 on my other car, but chose the A/S because the LS will be driven in the snow.

I don't notice much noise with these. Handles well in the dry and wet. I think it makes a bit of a squeeky noise if you turn too fast. It might be the tires rubbing on something.

It has barely any traction in the snow/ice though. I keeps on spinning and spinning. The Northeast was hit pretty hard this year though. Put the "Snow" mode for the car really helps. It spins the wheel, cuts off power, and applied it again.

I mainly settled for the Pilot Sport A/S because of the wear ratings and the A/S. I think it suppose to get 30k miles on it.

JimsGX

Thanks for the reply... I put the 18" Primacy's on my LS430 less than two weeks ago and I've had a howling noise from them since then between 25 and 45mph... Michelin has agreed to replace them with any other tire or brand that they sell which includes Uniroyal, BF Goodrich or Michelin. There aren't any Uniroyal's in the 245/45/18 size, if there were, I probably wouldn't want them anyway. For BF Goodrich, there's a Super Sport A/S. These just came off the car after about 5k miles because of excessive road noise. For Michelin, its really either another set of the Primacy MXV4 or switch to the Pilot Sport A/S Plus. I have the Primacy's on another LS400 I own and I think they're a great tire, which is why I thought I'd put them on the LS430. I'm hesitant to put another set of Primacy's on since if Michelin had a bad run of Primacy's that had an issue, I'm afraid I'll end up with some from the same lot.

If there's anyone out there who has run both the Primacy MXV4 and Pilot Sport A/S Plus, I'd be interested in hearing their comparison of the two tires. I'm interested in noise, ride comfort and performance ratings. Also, if the sidewall is stiffer on the Pilot Sport, would going with the 235/50/18 size help soften the blow a little bit?

Thanks

caddyowner

Just an observation, but it seems that getting the "right" tires for the 18" wheels is a bit more difficult than the default Michelin MXV4s for the 17" wheels.

Jabberwock

The Mich Primacy MXV 17s I put on 2 weeks ago have broken in nicely and are riding very quiet and smooth now. They started out pretty harsh. Handling is a step up for me from how the OEM Dunlops felt. I agree 18s may be a little tougher to get right as the sidewall is smaller and can feel significantly harsher.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

I consider myself a picky SOB when it comes to tires. All things considered, I love the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus on my LS. I've had Bridgestone (near-new set came on my '03) and Khumo (near-new set came on my '05) in factory-size 17" on the LS, and the 19" PS A/S Plus are essentially as comfortable and as quiet as the tall-side-wall comfort-hog 17's, which is saying a tremendous amount about a plus 2 fitment like the 19" A/S Plus (not to mention that the Michelins are 245 and 275 section width, compared to the skinny 17" stockers). For reference, I also had a set of 19" Dunlops (SP01A) on my '03 LS and I HATED them for the exact same qualities -- they were way too loud and also harsher riding than the 17s.

JimsGX, I haven't owned the Primacys on my car, but I've test-driven one with the 245/45/18 Primacys at a local dealership. It was about 4 weeks before I got my 19" A/S Plus on my '05 LS (I was driving my '03 on 17" Bridgestone ER33s at the time that I test-drove the Primacys), but my best comparison by recollection was that the factory size 18" Primacys weren't any smoother or quieter than my 245/40/19 and 275/35/19 A/S Plus. Probably not much help, but that's the nearest thing I have to direct experience...

JimsGX

Thanks I6Turbo...

Do you think going with the 235/50/18 size over the 245/45/18 would help soften the ride a bit, or is the additional / nominal height in profile on the 235 size not going to make a difference in ride quality?

My tire shop will be ordering my replacement Pilot's tomorrow unless I tell them otherwise. I wish the Primacy's would quiet down a bit between the 25~45mph range. I would prefer to keep them since other than that speed range where I'm getting a howling sound, the tires are very quiet.

Has anyone experienced any noise out of their Primacy's when they were brand new that went away after putting some miles on them?

Thanks

Jabberwock

The new Primacy MXVs I put on were noisy at various speeds in the first 200 miles but ride very quiet now at all speeds.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

JimsGX, I used to think that the little bit taller sidewall (like the size examples you cited) made a big difference (improved noise and ride quality), but in the past year or so, partly as a result of my experience with the A/S Plus and partly from talking to other people on the exact subject, I'm now thinking that the basic tire itself is by far the most important factor. My specific experience was going from 245/45 and 275/40/19 Dunlops to 245/40 and 275/35 Michelins, yet the Michelins in the shorter sidewall are waaaaaaay quieter and provide a significantly more compliant ride. Given all that, my guess is that you would not notice much of a difference dropping to a 235/50 since the 245/45 already has a decent sidewall height.

My other comment is that I'm very surprised to hear that your first set of Michelins howled in the 25-45 speed range. That is just very strange to me, and I can't help but think that is not normal for that tire. However, I'd be almost as surprised to learn that the car doesn't do the same thing with a replacement set. Michelin has outstanding QC, IME.

Sorry I can't offer anything more than opinion based upon anecdotes...

mikevanle

iTrader: (1)

I6turbo, any pics of the LS with the LE37's? I used to have bronze TE37's but I didn't think the Volks match very well with the LS. Curious as to see what yours looks like.

JimsGX

Hi again...,

I was surprised as well to have the Primacy's make the howling noise. It was very unexpected given the great reviews everyone has given them as well as my personal experience with them on my old LS400 in a 17" size...

I'll give a brief recap as to the sequence of events on the tire swap I did...

Bought the car a few weeks back with BF Goodrich Super Sport V rated 245/45/18V rated tires. Hated the stiffness of the tire and excessive noise. Ordered and installed the Primacy's about a week later. Right out the door, had a howling between 25~45mph. Sounded like a bad wheel bearing... Went back to the tire shop the next day. The mechanic drove the car with me and verified the noise. He thought it was coming from the right front. Ordered a replacement tire and it was put on a few days later. The noise was still there. I then made an appointment with the Lexus dealer where I bought the vehicle to have them check out the wheel bearings. The Lexus mechanic test drove the car with me and thought that the LEFT front wheel bearing might be having a problem. I left the car for the day. I got a call from the dealership late in the afternoon. They told me that the wheel bearings were fine and that the problem was with "all" of the tires. They had another LS430 in that day for repairs that had 18" Dunlop Sport 5000 tires on it. The owner of that car was kind enough to allow them to take his rims/tires off his vehicle and put them on mine to see if the howling noise went away. The howling noise was gone! The dealer left the other vehicles tires on my car until I could get there and go for a test drive with the mechanic. I drove the car for at least 15 miles and there was no howling noise coming from the car anymore.

All this leads me to where I am with it today, which is taking up Michelin on their offer to give me four new tires. I'm hesitant to go with another set of the Primacy's at this point. The Pilot AS Plus is really the best option I have.

Thanks,

Jim

caddyowner

Jim, I'm impressed with your dealer's thoroughness.