MrVancey

I recently had the tires on my 2003 SC430 rotated, after which the steering was hard to control and the car wandered all over the road (any road). I took it back to my mechanic to check it out.

Three of the 4 Dunlap SP Sport 5000 DSST runflat tires are practically brand new (10 or 11/32s each). But the tire that was on the front right is almost worn down to the wear indicators. I had the tires rotated back to the way they were to see if there was an improvement. Immediate improvement: no wandering, no hard steering.

It’s obvious that one tire needs to be replaced so I’m asking for suggestions on what others think the best course of action might be.

Do I spend $400 for ONE Dunlap to match the other 3? Do I spend half that for a Pirelli P6 or P7run-flat to replace the Dunlap (or do I need to have both tires on the same axle being the same make & model)?

I’ve read other postings by members saying get rid of the run-flats, but I have concerns on that. I keep my golf clubs in the trunk, so no spare. I’ve read that sealant in products like Fix-a-Flat or Slime could damage the TPM Sensor (which I’ve read are expensive to replace). So if I go with all 4 new non-runflats should I have the sensors in the wheels removed and ahve the TPMS system permanently disabled?

Thanks for your advice.

Jabberwock

You first need to diagnose and fix whatever is causing your one tire to wear so much more than the others. Otherwise this will keep happening. 1 out of 4 tires does not randomly wear out unless something is wrong with suspension or alignment.

MrVancey

Good point, but my mechanic checked the entire front end before rotating the tires back again and found nothing amiss. Nor did the Lexus dealer who performed an FTA this past October.

This was a used car before I bought it and it's been difficult to determine the car maintenance "history" since the last entry in the Lexus Owner’s web site. One of which was that 1 tire was replaced at 46K miles in 2008. When I bought the car this past June the mileage was 72K, now it’s 74K.

Everything I’ve read says these Dunlaps don't have a long tread life, 20-25K at most. As such I'm thinking the tire almost worn out is the one that was replaced @ 46K miles and the other 3 tires were replaced at a different time within the past 2 years. I guess I will have my mechanic put it up on the rack and we’ll take a look at the mfg date of the tires which will either confirm or deny that assumption.

OBP

I was in a similar situation recently. I had one of my P Zero Nero RFT's get punctured ( rear left) and because I figured my two rear tires had perhaps only another 3000-5000 before I would have replaced them anyway, I have half abandoned RFTs by changing out both rear tires to non-RFT Conti DWS. I've still got two of the P Zero Nero RFTs on the front and I will wait another 3000 or so before I swap them out for non-RFTs.

And I bought the Lexus tire patch kit available from Sewell Lexus. Must have been like $75 or so, shipped with our CL discount.

Not a perfect solution at all but good enough for the next 3000 miles for me.

If you do need to stay with RFT's P Zero Neros are probably one of the less expensive RFT's out there.

KBALL

I'm one of those that changed out the runflats to non run flats. Probably coulda gotten another 5-7k miles on the tires. But haven't looked backed at all.
Ended up going w michelin pilot sport A/S plus for about $1200.00 for the set.
Already racked up 25k on them in a year. Tread now at 8mm all around. New is 10. Figure i'm good for another 20k or so.
No spare. Got AAA and cross fingers. I check pressure about every 2 weeks.

If you plan on putting a lot of miles on your car most will tell you ditching the runflats makes the car much more enjoyable. (...until you get a flat i suppose)

If you plan on driving only a little i'd probably just replace the bad tire

MrVancey

Thanks much. KBALL. I’ve put just 2K miles on the car since the end of June and over the winter will not be driving it if any snow is on the roads. Annually I might be looking at 5K to 6K miles. So changing just the one tire makes sense, especially to the wallet.

I too have a road service program, and I carry a 12-volt mini air compressor in the trunk (which won't help much if i get a hole in the sidewall). I also check tire pressure, albeit monthly...but when I eventually change tires to non run flats, I like your idea of checking it every 2 weeks. I’m also going to look into the Lexus tire patch kit that OBP mentioned.

MrVancey

Thanks for the info. Since the tire on the other side of the rear axle is almost brand new I might opt for replacing just the bad one at this time. But, I will chack out that Lexus item you mentioned.

OBP

The Lexus tire patch kit is meant for the ISF but it should work for us too. A regular dealer may want $125 for it but if you go to the Sewell Lexus website and register as a Club Lexus member, you can get it for about $75 including shipping. Lots of instructions around here on how to do it so just do a search.

Good luck and enjoy your new toy.

Rwwlaw24

I have two with 4000 miles on them. Make an offer!

MrVancey

What make, model, size?

tentoys

Buy a full sw of conti's for $8-900.00 which is only twice the price of 1 rf. you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

MrVancey

Thanks. After taking the longest trip I've had in my SC yesterday, I am thinking more and more about getting rid of the RFTs. My butt is still feeling some of those roads. Who knows, maybe I can find a buyer for the 3 almost new RFTs i have on my car now.

KBALL

I've been reading this forum a year and a half now, and i'm not sure if i can remember even one post of someone who wasn't happy after ditching their run flats.

There's obviously a cost up front but the value and driving improvement (assuming the right replacement) FAR exceeds the cost.

Rwwlaw24

The $400 dealer Dunlops.

barncat

Tried to PM you but you block PM's.