rscharf

I did a search on the SC430 forum for posts about uneven tire wear and couldn't find anything. I had the wheels off at a place that is going to repair 2 bent wheels and noticed that the inner 1 to 2 inches of tread was worn much more than the rest of the tire on both the front and rear driver's side tires that were taken off. (And yes, I religiously take the car in for service every 5K miles) Lexus gave me new Dunlop runflats at 10K when they said that the tires had uneven wear and the factory provided new settings for the wheels that was supposed to remedy that. I now have almost 22K on the replacement tires (which my dealership thinks is quite unheard of) and if it wasn't for the inside tread, these tires would still have some more wear.

So my question, the dealership says that this type of wear is common for low profile tires and that's why I was told not to expect more than 15K miles on a set of tires when I bought the car. I thought the disclaimer was specifically for run-flat tires when I bought the car. What is the general opinion out there? We should expect to ditch our tires at 15 - 20 K because of this type of inner tread wear?

Curious what the thought is on this.

Thanks.

Robert

tonydt1g3r

uneven wear is usually due to bad alignment. If your car is stock then you need an alignment, if your car is droped then its probally camber

rominl

iTrader: (4)

even for stock tires you can get uneven wear. all cars come with slightly negative cambers. but if you get very bad inside wear then that could be an alignment problem. in your cae though, you already has it for 22k miles, that's a lot for runflats. maybe it's time for new ones that's all.

bottom line, slight inside wear that might be normal. but in your acse, get new tires, and do alignment (i assume it's been over a yr?)

rscharf

Thanks for the replies.

So runflats are known to wear out faster? I'm going to conventional tires since I've heard on this site for years how the ride is better without runflats. I'm tired of the harsh ride and I can't help but think those stiff runflats contributed to two of my wheels being bent.

My car is stock and the runflat's are Dunlop. I've never taken the car anywhere other than Lexus. I assumed that they would check the alignment, but that's probably a bad assumption.

I just dropped off my car to have the wheels repaired and get new tires as well. I will take your advice and have the alignment checked once I get it back. The sad part is I am hoping that I am told the alignment is bad, then at least I can hope for better treadwear with the new set of tires.

I can't believe that a Lexus service writer wouldn't bring up checking the alignment, unless this is something he believes they take care of.

As a side note, this June I will have owned the car for 4 years and I'm approaching 32K.

I'll give you updates once I get it back and have the alignment checked.

Thanks again.

Robert

rominl

iTrader: (4)

robert,

i don't think they will check for alignment for you automatically. if they notice serious pull left or right they might let you know, but to know about alignment settings they need to put your car on the alignment jack and such, without you paying i don't think they will do that at all

lexus cars are pretty sensitive to alignment from what i see. doing alignment about once a yr is pretty reasonable imho, i try to stick to that rule myself.

good luck and hopefully with non-runflats (yes, i read that runflats wear pretty fast) and alignment your car will drive longer. of course, it depends on what kind of tires you get too

martini3

shedding some light for you.....I, too have uneven treadwear expecially in the fronts.
the back are very smooth now w/out any tread left in the middle of the tires.
I have the Dunop DSST 5000 w/ 29K. big mistake not changing them out earlier.
I had my windshield washer fluid bottle replaced at the dealership yesterday (under warranty) and the technician had to take out the front left tire. I looked at it and saw all the layers of the tire and there were tiny steel wires sticking out on the inner sidewall. Very dangerous.

I noticed and later found out from a tie specialist from Tirerack.com that the Dunlops were good for 20K. I ran those tires to the ground, literally. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S are good for 30K.
The Dunlops had more rubber so that's why I was able to run on those since '03 w/ 29K on them. Let's just say I was lucky I didn't wreck a 65K car and count my blessings.

i'm not going to make that same mistake. It's better to stay ahead of the maintenance on tires/wheels and other things because it will catch up to you in the long run. it's not worth waiting around that long to change things to better because you contemplate on the price.

I've learned my lesson.

So i'm getting Michelin Pilot Sport A/S non-run flats 245/40 18 all around w/ my existing 18X8.5 Chrome TRD's. This should a major improvement and the car will feel much better w/out steering vibration and uneven threadwear in the future.

tirerack = Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 245/40 18 = $241/each (no tax cause I'm in Cali)
being shipped from warehouse in Reno, NV.

shipping cost to Norcal = $40 (for all 4 tires)

total cost delivered to your door = $1004.00

I'm saving $150-$160 bucks from tirerack compared to a local tire dealer who wanted $266/each for the A/S's + tax which equals to $1158.00

I'm getting my tires mounted/balanced at a local custom shop = $25 buck a tire = $100 total install. Not bad, huh.

The dealership wanted $358/each for the run-flat Dunlops and $400 mounted/balanced = $1832.00.

cellrbr8

I have a similar problem. I have runflats that have 33k miles with plenty of tread but the front diver's tire is showing this type of wear on the inside treads.

TripleL

teeman3,

Good lesson, Thanks!

I'm looking to replace my Bridgestone RE92's with the 17" version of the Michelin's your getting.

Would enjoy hearing your thoughts on them once you get them.

Either way, good luck and enjoy your new tires!

TripleL

martini3

Well, my tires issues got resolved today at my custom auto shop.

Replaced the dreaded run-falt Dunlop DSST 5000 (Dealership issued) w/ brand spankin new non-run flat Mich. Pilot Sport A/S from Tirerack. The delivery took one day from Reno, NV to Norcal. I highly recommend Tirerack.com. Very responsive customer service and they returned my call with ETA info.

My friend gave me a ride to the shop in his Beemer 540i ('96) running on Michelin Pilot Sport A/S w/ 17's all around (which I found out later). I kept commenting on the nice soft smooth ride of this car. After I stepped out and looke at this tires, guess what. Michelins Pilot Sport A/S's.

I'm now running the Mich. Pilot Sport A/S = 245/40 18 all around on chrome TRD rims 18x8.5 all around.

WOW! What a big difference! It's like night and day.

Today, it was showers and wet roads here in NorCal. I picked up the car in the afternoon and took it for a spin on the wet surfaced road and freeway. They gripped like magnets. I wasn't afraid to push the tires a little and see if they lived up to their high ratings.

The noise level in my cabin was still the same, quiet and nice. The little bumps in the road were less noticable and the comfort in ride was like brand new when I bought the car right off the showroom floor.

On the freeway, I started slow and kept it under 65. stuck like glue.
hit the gas and was up to 80. it still kept in a straight line on the slick freeway. noise level was very very low. Cornering felt more comfortable than ever.

Steering vibration at any speed has ceased completely.

It feels like I'm riding on cloud 9 now w/ these Michelins.
Oh, I also dropped the car 1" w/ new Eibach Pro Kit springs. It made the ride even smoother, just like butter.

cellrbr8, Get those run-flats changed out asap. Don't wait till the last minute or you'll be sorry you did if one of those tires blow, catch a nail or slide right out from under you. It's not worth waiting around and putting your high-caliber car and yourself in danger.

Trust me, you will feel like a burden has been lifted off your shoulders. Knock on wood, I didn't get a blown tire or anything if I would have ran some more miles on those nasty run-flats.

clubaddict

i thought the trd chrome rims where 18x8 same as the sc430 wheels?

martini3

yes. i think so. 18x8. the michelin non-run flat are compatible w/ the TPS. mine is at 38psi.
after the change out from the run-flats to the non-run flats, there were no light warnings or anything. So I guess everything is ok. Make sure the shop is knowledgable w/ the sc430 TPS system. Otherwise, there may be issues in the future.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

tee, so is it 8 or 8.5?! that makes a difference in the spacers calculation...

and you don't ahve TPS anymore but you don't have the warning light?! exact pulled the plug for you right?

rscharf

I took the Technical Service Information Bulletin (TSIB) PG013-01 'Dismounting Tires with Pressure Sensors' (which can be found on this site) to the place that made repairs to my wheels and mounted new non-runflats on my car. I just bought the ~$10 per wheel 'pressure sensor fit kit' at the dealership before dropping off the car for the wheel fixes and new tire mount. The parts guy said you can have problems if you don't use a new fit kit on each tire when you are removing and reinstalling the pressure sensors. The switch from runflats to non-runflats was seamless. The sensors are mounted and operating (I assume) with not so much as one electronic beep. Love the new ride so far on the cheap Nankang tires I had them put on, I'm just not driving it much until I get the alignment checked.

As an aside, those hex nuts on the OEM wheel covers are a B*TCH to remove when they haven't been taken off in awhile!

Robert

martini3

I just got off the phone w/ a parts specialist at the Lexus Dealership.
He verified that the chrome TRD rims are exactly 18 x 8 size.

My custom shop told me that my new tires (Michelins non-run flat) is working w/ the wheel sensor system. Nothing was disabled or taken out from the stock wheel sensor system.
TPS and warning light system intact and working fine so far.

No cables or plugs were pulled from the TPS warning light system.

The new tires and the new springs are still breaking in for the past 3 days now and I noticed that everything is getting better w/ the car in terms of comfort in ride, quiet noise level, smoother acceleration, grip of tire to road contact, smoothness of minor cracks and bumps in the road.

It seems that these two factors are settling in quite nicely w/ the car.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

oh yeah, sorry i forgot you got new tires, for sure the TPS wil work still. tires has nothing to do with TPS.

anyway, so the width is 8, what is the offset again? 35? let me know, i can do the math for you again tee on spacers