Sun12345

THis is a great active forum - thank you all for your info and opinions. I totally agree that the panoramic sunroof looks really great - one other question though, seems like all of the inventory listed at dealer here that has the panoramic sunroof also has the 18" tires - do all of you have those? I had also read that the ride is not nearly as smooth with the 18" tires, so with that and our rough roads and tough winters, I was not planning on getting the 18"

larrytstar

Ride quality is affected much more by the tires than by the size of the wheels. There have been long threads here parsing the difference between Michelin and Bridgestone tires. Most agree that the Michelins ride quieter and smoother. I have a UL with 18" Michelins. I'm very pleased with the ride and interior sound level.

LisaES350

My 18" were an $880 add on not included with the UL package. I love the look but it is definitely a better ride without them.

Sun12345

for some reason up here - in MA all of the UL ESs also have the 18" wheels - yes they are separate and do list for $880 - but I feel like I'd be better off without them.

larrytstar

I realize I'm repeating myself . . . but tell the dealer you want Michelin Primacys on those 18" wheels on your UL. The 18" wheels will look great and those tires will give you the smooth, quiet ride you obviously want if you're buying an ES.

Mike728

I tried that. Out of the 20+ ES's with 18" wheels on the lot, all were Bridgestone. The dealer came to the conclusion that all 18's in my area came that way. I've only heard of one person on this forum that claims his 18's came with Michelins, so it must be very rare.

lesz

Even though the 18" wheels are not included in the Ultra Luxury package, I suspect that, to get an UL without the 18" wheels, you are likely to have to do a special order. This may vary from one market to the next, but, in my area, every UL ES that I've seen from the inventories any of the dealers within 150 miles of me came with 18" wheels.


I've seen a number of people claim that the Michelins give a smoother and quieter ride quality, and that may well be the case. It may also be the case, though, that the smoother and quieter ride quality comes as the result of the fact that the Michelins start out with a tread depth of only 9/32 of an inch. The similar tires from some of the competitors start with a tread depth of 12/32, and the Michelins also use a softer rubber compound. Considering that the tires need to be replaced at 3/32, the difference in initial tread depth and the softer compound translate into the Michelins needing to be replaced with considerably fewer miles on them than tires from other manufacturers. On my previous ES, which came with the Michelins, those tires had to be replaced at around 45,000 miles. I replaced them with tires from the similar Goodyear Assurance line. When I traded in that vehicle, those replacement tires, which started with a 12/32 tread depth had over 50,000 miles on them, and they still had 6/32 of tread left on them. For what it is worth, I saw no difference in ride quality between the Michelins and the Goodyears. Perhaps, others might see a difference in ride quality, but, if there is a difference, it comes with a price of, not only higher initial cost, but, also, many fewer miles of usage before the need for replacement. When the Michelins on my current 2013 ES need replacement, I'll be replacing them with the Goodyear Assurance tires.

Sun12345

Awesome detailed tire info! I can't wait to test drive the UL w 18" vs the L without them (per previous reply - they do not have any with Michelin tires).

LisaES350

My UL came withe the Mchelins. Guess I got lucky!

txes

All manufacturers should be horse whipped for putting Bridgestone tires
on any automobile.

The difference compared to Michelin's is night and day?

John