Lexs400

I know this should probably be in the tire section but given this is specific to the gs400 and i wanted to buy the tires right away i am posting this here.
the car has the original 235-17-45 on them right now. would it be OK if i changed the tire size to 235-17-50 ? i'm not looking so much into performance, rather a bit towards comfort so i'm guessing changing from the 45 to 50 would improve the harshness a bit over bumpy roads.
has anyone tried this yet ? if so what were the results ?
thanks.

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

What tires are you thinking of putting on the GS400? My Michelin Pilot Sports A/S (235/45R17) are relatively comfortable, quiet, and handle very well--but a bit on the pricey end.

Lexs400

i plan on putting H rated or at most V rated that can handle the snow as well. obviously not the "snow tires" but i would want them to be all weather with good snow handling just like regular passenger cars. i'm looking at the kumho's since they've got good reviews and the price is pretty good as well.

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Why don't you take a look at this thread on tire selection:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=113019

Look at the All-season section for what you're after. There are many W and Y rated tires that have an all-season or mud&snow rating that you could buy as well.

As for the Kumhos, I would reconsider before buying them--noisy, develops flatspots, and has horrible wet traction:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=115708

Why not get some Continental ContiExtreme Contact tires--if you want more snow traction than the other A/S tires? There are some good BFGoodrich KDWS on www.costco.com for around $125/tire as well.

Buy quality now, you won't regret it later.

PHML

iTrader: (33)

I'd suggest stick with the same size as the stocks, but buy a really good tire. With 45 series....comfort is pretty much the same. I'd consider the Falken Azenis ST115...manufactured for a silent ride...good treawear rating too. I got low profile Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires...I love these. You should consider them in your size too.

Pete

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Another thing, if you're trying to reduce harshness and maximize comofort for the life of the tire, again, stick w/ the more premium brands and generally, you'll get a better ride out of them. Yes, you'll pay a bit more, but as you wont' be replacing for another 3 to 4 years, spending an extra $160-240 will pay for itself over time. Anyways, when you think about it, even if you paid an extra $240 for tires, divide that by 3 or 4 years, and that's only $60-80 extra per year to drive on good tires. Is saving $60-80 per year that big of a deal?

Think about it--it's only 2-3 tankfuls of gas--and the whole car soley depends on the tires for contact w/ the road. If you slide out on cheap tires and get into a wreck, I think you'll be kicking yourself for not spending that extra money on better equipment.

Brandon@TR

You should stay with 235/45 17, in that size in an "H" rated the Potenza RE950 rates very highly.

flowed

You and I have had the same problem. I've gone through two sets of tires (Bridgestone Potenza) on my GS430. On both sets, everything was okay for a while and as the tires got more wear, that started getting louder and louder. Well before they're worn out, I replaced the tires because of excess noise. At the end of their life, my GS sounded like a 4X4 with mud tires.

Here's what I've done and it seems to be working well. I've gone away from the Z rated performance tires and gone to Contenintal, CH95, all season touring tires in size 245/45X17. The ride is smooth, quiet and the tires have a 60K mike warranty.

Hope this helps.