Nikkels

Hey everybody,

I'm sure most people on here know already, but for those who don't I wanted to give y'all a quick tip.

I have the 18" Tourmaline wheels on my '07 GS 350. It came with run-flats.
For the longest time I was kinda disapointed with the "non-lexus" feel of the suspension. Luckily one of my front tires got a big bubble in it and I had to replace it, so I figured Id get rid of all 4 tires for some non run flats.

I wound up buying 245/40ZR-18 Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position
tires from Tirerack and it's as if I got a brand new car. I honestly cannot believe the difference. My body used to tremble every time I hit a bump, and now it's all good...every aspect of driving is 100 times better.

I actually had the tires shipped to the dealership to save me a step.

I also heard the 17" run-flats are terrible as well.

Point of the story? If you are disapointed with the way your car drives, get rid of your run-flats because they are auful.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, runflats are enemies imho.

most of the sc430 owners change out their runflats to actually get a lexus ride. when i took off my 20s on the sc430 and put back the runflats, gosh i couldn't believe how much worse the ride got

bozer

I am buying a set of 18" gs430 rims soon to replace my stock 17". I was wondering, how much will it cost for new tires? I don't need anything to fancy, but would like something that's not crap of course. How much will it run me you think? Once I have the rims, I will need to get someone to put the tires on and the whole sha-bang. Would it make sense to have the tires shipped to my Lexus dealer, or some local Tire place? Trying to save as much money as possible.

Nikkels

i paid $202 each for my tires + $40 for shipping. Lexus wanted to charge me $300 each for Michelin Pilots (another great tire). those same Pilots are $250 on tirerack.

the reason I went with the Bridgestones was because they had the highest User rating on tirerack and i thought $202 was reasonable for low-profile tires.

ahearn

Before buying my '08 GS, I had the dealer replace the Dunlop run-flats with Michelin Pilot Sports A/S's -- and a doughnut. I'm very happy with the decision. Based on a lot of research, I knew I couldn't live with run-flats. It seems to me that run-flats are not yet ready for prime-time -- rough ride, short lifetime, more frequently flats, high cost of replacement/repair, difficulty finding repair shop, etc. Personally, I get more peace of mind having a spare in the trunk.

spwolf

On my AWD, I got 17" Dunlop Runflats and replaced them with 17" Bridgetstone LM-25 winter tires.

After reading forums, I thought difference will be huge - it is not really. It seems Runflats are fine, at least 17".

twister

@Nikkels: how much did your dealership charge you for mounting and balancing? Mine was asking $40 per tire, but I think that was for fun-flats. Plus, strangely they do not allow anything to be shipped to them directly in case if it gets lost. I got over 16k on mine stock Michelin run-flats and just waiting to get over the winter so in the spring will be changing those. Not happy about the ride either, so these will go in exchange for a regular A/S tires. Wanted to step up to 18" from stock 17", but decided to keep it because my Jersey commute is filled with potholes, RR track crossings, and up/down hill areas where I want to keep a higher profile tires and decrease my chance of bending/cracking the rim. Of course, as soon as Tanabe going to announce springs for AWD, I might have to reconsider everything LOL!!!

Nikkels

Hey Twister...they charged $20 per wheel plus $60 for allignment..also an extra $40 for parts. They guy at the service center actually recomended I ship the wheels to him to save me a step. This is my second Lexus and I gotta say they know how to treat their customers. I even got a loaner.