Hey gang-

As you may have seen I have a flat in one of my tires. It's actually two nails in the tire, and that tire has a previous patch (these are tire off patches not plugs). Lexus wouldnt patch it because of it having multiple patches to the same tire.

My tires are about 2/3rds life probably (30k on the set, Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus). Having mismatched tires really bugs me, so I would likely replace the whole set vs 2. I do have the TireRack road hazard protection so I would get one tire comped.

What are everybody's thoughts on multiple patches? Not something I had considered a problem before, although I've never been in this situation. Googling seems to suggest this isn't really an issue. I'm going to call my mechanic and another tire shop I trust tomorrow to get their thoughts.

 

In Virginia, two plugs on the same tire (not sure about patches?) are grounds for failing an annual State Safety-Inspection). Maryland, of course, does not regularly safety-inspect cars....so that probably is not an issue with you, unless there is something else in Maryland law that deals with it....I wouldn't know.

I wouldn't worry too much about mixing two or more different brands of tires ("mis-matching", as you refer to it)...but I'd avoid mixing different types of tire on the car. For instance, if you have normal all-seasons, high-performance all-seasons, rain-tires, winter tires, etc...... keep the replacement tire (s) of the same general type, unless you change all of them. That's so you won't have significantly different grip/traction characteristics on one end of the car from the other (or from side to side) that could cause handling problems. But, if you just want to go to a different brand of tire, mixing that one with other brands of the same type, I doubt that will be a problem, because today's sophisticated ABS/traction-control/vehicle-stability system sensors and computers will easily detect minor differences in tire traction and compensate for it.

 

If it truly is a safety issue then that's the info I'm looking for. The fact that it would fail a VA inspection points me in that direction, although I would wonder how they would know lol.

I'd buy the same model tires that are on there. I just hate to have two new ones and two old ones, screws up rotating and you'll never replace a whole set at the same time again, so I would probably replace the whole set.

 

I'm also the guy who wants all four with the same tire wear. You said your tires are 2/3 d's life, this tire rack video may be of interest.

 

What a cool video. I always change my tires in 2's since the IS tends to eat the rears quicker. TireRack has a great report card system for their tire inventory too.

What rubber are you running on your LS SW15LS? Turanza EL400-02?

 

Generally a good video, but two things concern me. Obviously, more tread-wear means longer stopping distances in the wet (we all know that). But, not knowing otherwise, we have to assume that the tires in the video have worn evenly all the way across...which often doesn't happen in real life. Tires often wear more on one side, or feather in one direction on the edge of the tread-blocks, even with good wheel-alignment...how much that would differ from the official test-results here, one could only speculate uh:. And, of course, it is Tire Rack's job to sell new tires...so they will naturally tell you to dump your old set a little sooner.

 

I'd just replace the one tire with the exact same model Pirelli, hopefully its still in production. 2/3rds tread is pretty darn good for 30k miles, I assume your LS has low profile 18", 19" or 20" wheels, usually the tires in those sizes wear like crap. I'd say you might have another 15-25k on your current tires, I couldn't justify replacing all of them if they still have over 1/2 tread.

 

Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus, replaced the OEM EL-42 I think they were which were terrible. My LS has about 38,000 miles on it, so those Pirellis have about 30k.

Im definitely not replacing just one, I'd never be comfortable having one new tire and one tire with 30k miles on it on the same axle. Minimum I'd consider is replacing two, which I'd really prefer not to do as that will bug me...

They're still in production for sure though, I can get exactly the same tire. They may have 10-15k left in them, I replace tires at 4/32nds. They have like 5.5 now...

 

Are these all season tires you use in the snow??? As I could see replacing them a bit early if you don't run winter tires.

Also are these the original tires that came with the car???? And does your car have a full size spare with the exact same tire??? If you want to replace two tires, that could save you the expense, just put a really cheapo tire on the spare wheel.

 

I haven't had uneven tire wear in a long time unless I had a worn ball joint or such. Now back in the days of parallelogram steering systems. It was almost impossible not to have uneven tire wear. I really can't remember the last time I odd tire wear.

 

Yep, all seasons and I do use them in the snow. All You have to do is watch the video above to see why I replace them at 4/32nds

Not the OEM tires, I replaced the crappy OEM tires when the car had about 8,500 miles on it. So the spare doesn't match, it's still the OEM tire.

 

i believe your LS is a lease, and if so, that seems like a lot of miles, or maybe there's not much left on the lease? so my decision might partly be depedent on that. if your lease was 3 yr and 15k / yr for example, i ain't buying 4 new tires to last 7k! i'd get it patched or replace two. another thing you might consider is if the spare is full size, swap it out with that tire, and patch the used tire as the spare.

 

It's a 4 year lease, I'm about 26 months into the lease, so a little over miles but not a ton. I may very well buy the car and keep it also, who knows. In any event, the tires aren't going to last until the end of the lease, they'll need to be replaced at some point regardless.

 

Slightly off-topic, maybe, and I know the Continental, because of its transverse/FWD layout, is not high on your list of luxury cars, but I'd bet that if you leased one for a couple of years, you'd find that a number of your clients would like that interior. The Black Label versions are the most stunning inside, but, of course, also cost the most.

Rumors are that a convertible may (?) also be coming, but I haven't seen anything definite from Ford on it. The last 4-door Continental convertible, of course (or any 4-door convertible), was done back in the 1960s.

 

Yeah, I ain't getting a Continental lol. Lots of cars I'd choose first, including keeping the LS460.

Part of it is I haven't seen anything I really *want* aside from an S550 or a Range Rover, both of which are more than I want to spend, which leads me to buying the LS and keeping it.