ES350 tire recommendations
 

No doubt this subject has been discussed elsewhere in the forum, however, my limited search capabilities only find a tire recommendation discussion for the ES300h … not specific to the ES350. Perhaps the ES300h tire discussion applies equally to the ES350, but here goes.

I recently bought a 2024 ES350 UL. ‘Love the car, but unfortunately it came stock with Bridgestone Turanza EL440 tires. (245/45 18’s) - which are okay but in addition to generally not being a fan of Bridgestones, I think they’re a bit noisier than other brands. Moreover, ES owner reviews on Tire Rack pretty much trash the tire for wet road traction, noise and ride.

My driving style is generally relaxed and the tire characteristics I’m after are “smooth, quiet AND comfortable”. Most of my driving is suburban with only a couple road trips per year. And, lucky me, I spend winters in Florida so no notable snow driving for me.

I’ve been doing some research on Tire Rack. The 4 tires that are coming up on the short list are Michelin Primacy Tour AS, Michelin Energy Saver, Pirelli P7 AS 3 and Goodyear ComfortDrive.
Thanks in advance.

I’ve got 13k miles on my 2023 ES350, and look forward to replacing my Bridgestones. I’ve already been researching and am quite sure I’ll go with the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S (standard load, not XL).

Goodyear Maxlife Assurance. Smooth, quiet and we have them on my ES as well as my wife's RX. Hers have clocked close to 50K miles and still have lots of tread left.

How do the tires that came with the ES 350 (2021 Base w Premium package) measure up to others that have been tried? I’m satisfied with the stock tires but I’m always willing to consider an alternative that’s even better for smooth and quiet ride in a non-winter climate.

The criticisms of the OEM tires are mostly about traction and foul-weather performance, not quiet ride on dry roads. If you find them satisfactory for your conditions, I'd save the money and keep them.

I will keep the stock tires until they need replaced, as I'm satisfied with their smooth ride and minimal road noise. I seldom drive in precipitation and never in wintery weather, as we do Florida for the entire winter. So if these tires are as good as it gets for quiet and smooth ride, I'll not take the risk of a disappointment and just replace them with the same ones when the time comes.
On our Audi, we have Continental Pro Contact. They are excellent for ride and quiet. Same consideration for those---traction and weather are not relevant. Wonder if anyone has tried those on the Lexus and, if so, how they compare to the stock tires.

I am a Michelin guy so when my OEM's wear out.. Thats the only tire I go with.

My local Lexus dealership in Tampa says Michelin Energy Saver AS is a best seller. They market this one as a very common replacement tire for the ES.
Does anyone have experience with this tire?

Not surprising, as this is one of the two tires that comes on the ES from the factory.

As pointed out above, that's an OEM tire for this car. I did have experience with it—about 200 miles of it, before I tore it off the car. But I'm in the Snow Belt, so one of the reasons for my distaste doesn't apply to you. One reason that DOES apply to you is its inferiority in standing-start traction, where the ES needs all the help it can get. I believe this tire was engineered for a smooth and quiet ride on the test drive, maximum mileage on the EPA cycle, and very little else. All engineering is a compromise, and whether you'd want this or one of Michelin's more versatile offerings depends on what performance characteristics you value.

Those are the tires that came with my 2021 ES 350. I only have 12,000 miles on them but I’m quite satisfied. I do no foul weather driving so I can’t address traction, snow, ice, etc. I can only say that the ride is smooth and road noise minimal. To be safe, I’ll probably replace them with the same tire but I’m open to suggestion for a tire that’s even quieter and smoother, if such a thing exists!

I don't know if they're available in your tire size, but we have had the Michelin CrossClimate2 on our FSport and really like the tires. They grip really well and are great in the rain and on dry pavement. We haven't had any snow or ice yet - bought the car in April and have put 3,500 miles on the new tires. They're also quieter than the Michelin MXM4 tires that were on it when we bought it. The only time they are a little noisy is on old concrete freeway surfaces.

I greatly admire those tires, but I can't honestly say they're the best choice for OP's stated criteria. Every tester has remarked they're not as quiet as the quietest tires because of their aggressive foul-weather tread pattern, and their bad-weather capability is wasted on his undemanding use case. The somewhat similar Primacy might be a better fit for his needs.

Agreed. Many people will buy new tires and comment how they’re quieter than the tires they replaced. Of course they are. Tires get noisier as the tread wears. Brand new, freshly balanced tires are almost always going to be quieter than the tires they replace. A fair comparison is your previous tires when brand new vs. your new tires. Not really practical when there’s likely years between them. The Michelin CC2 seems like an all around great tire, but doesn’t get the highest marks for quietness.

Had Energy Savers on mine but just replaced them with Michelin Primacy Tour A/S. Very happy so far.