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Sitting at my tire place waiting for 4 Toyo Versado Noir to be installed on the GS to replace the Michelin Primacy MXM4 that came OEM.
I really researched and belabored which tires to go with. Very happy with the Michelins, at 34,500 miles they have about 4/32nds of tread left and still have life, but were getting a little scary in the rain and a little louder on coarse pavement. Narrowed it down to another set of the same Michelins, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus, or these Toyos. The Toyos are new, not many reviews and not many in stock places.
Cost kept pulling me away from the Michelins. Its a lease with 10 months left. I might buy it, I might not it depends on the GS refresh. Didn't want to buy crap and ruin the ride, but didn't want to spend $1100 and give it back to them either.
I had pretty much decided on the Pirellis. Called today and they were out, but had the Toyos in. Kicker is $154 a tire installed, plus a 45 day ride guarantee. If I don't like them I'll just come back and get the Michelins or the Pirellis. For a $400 savings over the Michelins and a $250 savings over the Pirellis, its worth a shot. Plus, the guy here swears they're actualy better tires...I've known them a long time so we will see. All their marketing collateral features the 4GS too...for whatever thats worth.
i'm looking forward to your opinion. I had Toyo Versado's(not Noir) on my 07 ES and was going to put them on my 13 ES before trading for the 14 GS. They were excellent tires and super quiet even with higher miles on them.
It appears there are improvements with the Noir from the original Versados.
The Dunlops on my 14 GS stink. I'm trying to get to at least 10k on them before replacing them.
Okay, got them home and cleaned and dressed. Wheels survived install which is always a plus.
I need to play around with the pressures some. I ran my Michelins at 31PSI cold. When I got the GS back these were at 38, so I aired them down to 33 (door jamb pressure) for the ride home. Funny as I watched them from where I took that picture I posted above and they very carefully read the door frame and adjsusted the pressure on each wheel before they mounted them on the car...and they were still 5PSI high
As I drive on them more this week I'll fine tune the pressure to where I want them.
I'll go down bullet by bullet. Remember this is only about a 20 mile ride home but that included suburban/urban streets with potholes and highways up to 75-80, and most of the ride home is the way I come and go from work every day so its a good comparison to the Michelins. I drove there from home with the radio off, and back the same route with the radio off.
Ride
Overall very good. Might be a hair sharper on bumps than the Michelins at low speed, but that could be the 33PSI vs the 31 the Michelins were aired to. I will adjust down a little on the Toyos if I feel it persists. Its hard to describe, they feel like a softer riding tire, but that initial impact may be just a little sharper. They balanced up very well (this shop does not have a RoadForce balancer, but balance is perfect at least to 80MPH). Highway expansion joints are very muted, moreso than the Michelins I think. Glasslike Lexus ride is intact. Happy here.
Noise
So far, VERY good. Definitely quieter than the Michelins were over grooved rough pavement, but like I said the Michelins were in the last 1/4-1/8th of their life. On the highway I'd say they're about the same, to a slight advantage to the Toyos, but like I said the Toyos are new. On surface streets with potholes and rutted roads (roads are a mess here because of the recent 50's then 18s, today its 42...snow...etc) they are definitely quieter than the Michelins...but again the Michelins were old. Hard to remember if the car was this quiet new...I don't think so but it may be mental.
Handling
This is where the differences are more distinct. Steering feels much lighter with the Toyos, could be because they're new and have much deeper tread, but its notable at low speed and highway speed. The tires track great, no wandering or anything like that. I will have Lexus do an alignment, perhaps tomorrow depending on my schedule. When you settle into a corner, you can tell the sidewalls are a little softer. Theres a little quiver when pushing into a corner that wasn't there with the Michelins, could again be because of deeper tread. Time will tell. I don't find it objectionable, and I feel the tradeoff in ride/noise would be worth it if this was how they would always be...but I'm a ride biased buyer keep that in mind (I happily had two ESs and two LSs before, as an example). Did not try to see if Sport + had any impact. We will see if lowering the pressure makes this worse. If it does I will leave it up or even maybe try a lil higher than 33.
Looks
I think this is something that people overlook when buying tires. They do have an impact on how the car looks, sidewall design, etc. Some tires are blacker than others (Continentals don't stay real black, for instance). One thing I didn't love about the Pirellis was the way they looked.
I think these tires have a really good looking sidewall. Its interesting, but not overdone, and the tires are a nice black even undressed.
Biggest difference and this may be a big one for some buyers...is the tires have no curb rash guard built into the sidewall. From a look perspective this means the tire sits 100% flush with the face of the wheel. I'm still on the fence which I prefer. At first I didn't care for the curb rash guard on the Michelins as I had come from cars with higher profile tires that didn't have them. But, I've become accustomed to it and seeing the car without them will take some adjusting to.
Here's a stock pic that shows the sidewall design well, note they're on a Nebula 4GS:
The key for me will be do they stay quiet and smooth throughout the life of the tire. I'm going to really take the next 45 days and put some miles on these and make sure I like them, so far I really do...especially at $400 less than the Michelins!
I think this is something that people overlook when buying tires. They do have an impact on how the car looks, sidewall design, etc. Some tires are blacker than others (Continentals don't stay real black, for instance). One thing I didn't love about the Pirellis was the way they looked.
Same here, Steve. I was turned off by Pirellis and some Michellins for the very same thing. That was part of the reason I picked Yoko. The dress my tires too often. So they have to look good for me to dress them. Hope they work out for you. PSI definitely makes some difference. I'm running 30-31 on my Yoko.
Okay, got them home and cleaned and dressed. Wheels survived install which is always a plus.
I need to play around with the pressures some. I ran my Michelins at 31PSI cold. When I got the GS back these were at 38, so I aired them down to 33 (door jamb pressure) for the ride home. Funny as I watched them from where I took that picture I posted above and they very carefully read the door frame and adjsusted the pressure on each wheel before they mounted them on the car...and they were still 5PSI high
As I drive on them more this week I'll fine tune the pressure to where I want them.
I'll go down bullet by bullet. Remember this is only about a 20 mile ride home but that included suburban/urban streets with potholes and highways up to 75-80, and most of the ride home is the way I come and go from work every day so its a good comparison to the Michelins. I drove there from home with the radio off, and back the same route with the radio off.
Ride
Overall very good. Might be a hair sharper on bumps than the Michelins at low speed, but that could be the 33PSI vs the 31 the Michelins were aired to. I will adjust down a little on the Toyos if I feel it persists. Its hard to describe, they feel like a softer riding tire, but that initial impact may be just a little sharper. They balanced up very well (this shop does not have a RoadForce balancer, but balance is perfect at least to 80MPH). Highway expansion joints are very muted, moreso than the Michelins I think. Glasslike Lexus ride is intact. Happy here.
Noise
So far, VERY good. Definitely quieter than the Michelins were over grooved rough pavement, but like I said the Michelins were in the last 1/4-1/8th of their life. On the highway I'd say they're about the same, to a slight advantage to the Toyos, but like I said the Toyos are new. On surface streets with potholes and rutted roads (roads are a mess here because of the recent 50's then 18s, today its 42...snow...etc) they are definitely quieter than the Michelins...but again the Michelins were old. Hard to remember if the car was this quiet new...I don't think so but it may be mental.
Handling
This is where the differences are more distinct. Steering feels much lighter with the Toyos, could be because they're new and have much deeper tread, but its notable at low speed and highway speed. The tires track great, no wandering or anything like that. I will have Lexus do an alignment, perhaps tomorrow depending on my schedule. When you settle into a corner, you can tell the sidewalls are a little softer. Theres a little quiver when pushing into a corner that wasn't there with the Michelins, could again be because of deeper tread. Time will tell. I don't find it objectionable, and I feel the tradeoff in ride/noise would be worth it if this was how they would always be...but I'm a ride biased buyer keep that in mind (I happily had two ESs and two LSs before, as an example). Did not try to see if Sport + had any impact. We will see if lowering the pressure makes this worse. If it does I will leave it up or even maybe try a lil higher than 33.
Looks
I think this is something that people overlook when buying tires. They do have an impact on how the car looks, sidewall design, etc. Some tires are blacker than others (Continentals don't stay real black, for instance). One thing I didn't love about the Pirellis was the way they looked.
I think these tires have a really good looking sidewall. Its interesting, but not overdone, and the tires are a nice black even undressed.
Biggest difference and this may be a big one for some buyers...is the tires have no curb rash guard built into the sidewall. From a look perspective this means the tire sits 100% flush with the face of the wheel. I'm still on the fence which I prefer. At first I didn't care for the curb rash guard on the Michelins as I had come from cars with higher profile tires that didn't have them. But, I've become accustomed to it and seeing the car without them will take some adjusting to.
Here's a stock pic that shows the sidewall design well, note they're on a Nebula 4GS:
The key for me will be do they stay quiet and smooth throughout the life of the tire. I'm going to really take the next 45 days and put some miles on these and make sure I like them, so far I really do...especially at $400 less than the Michelins!
So far so good, drove around on them today, very smooth and quiet. The reduction in PSI solved that sharpness over bumps.
They do seem to flat spot a little, but that was gone within a mile or so this morning.
My only concern so far is the car doesn't seem quite as connected to the road on the highway as it did. There's a little floaty disconnectedness to it. A little more time will tell me if it's something I'm concerned about.
I never had Toyos nor do i know anything about them so i cannot comment on the tires, but i would just like to say if you are choosing your tires over other tires just because they "look better" on the side wall is not too wise. I cant remember ever in my life looking at sometimes wheel and tires and thinking "man those tires are ugly". No one is going to see how your tires look unless you are about to run them over. But the main thing is I hope your are happy with your selection and that they turn out to be great tires. Let us know how they are after about 500 miles or so.
1. What tire brand/model did you get? ......... Pirelli P7 All Seson Plus
2. Tire size? ....... 235/45/18
3. Price paid and place of purchase? ....... $550, TireRack
4. What tire did they replace and mileage?........ Dunlops, 2k miles
5. Other tires considered (if applicable)? ...... Continental, Michelin, Bridgestone
6. What do you like most/least about your new tires?............ Comfort and quietness and grips the pavement for better turns and handling
7. Updates? ........... These are the tires for me, i wont be swapping them, given that i dont get a nail.
1. What tire brand/model did you get? ......... Yokohama YK580
2. Tire size? ....... 235/45/18
3. Price paid and place of purchase? ....... $178/tire. Discount Tires
4. What tire did they replace and mileage?........ Dunlops, 32k miles
5. Other tires considered (if applicable)? ...... Michelin, Pirelli
6. What do you like most/least about your new tires?............ Comfort, quietness and look
My Dunlops were still doing their job fine but I figured why not replace now and enjoy the last lease year instead of having to get a new set for them at the end of the lease. Comfort, quietness and look are what I looked for when I was looking for replacement for the tires. Read some reviews and they were rated about the same. Local stores didn't have Michelins in stock. I was kind of turned off by how Pirellis look and I would have to wait a few days. I had some free time that day so I picked Yokohama. I thought it was a bit bumpy but after couple hundreds of miles they got better, esp. now I'm running at 30-31 psi. I did notice ride quality was different one morning when it was colder than usual (low 30s ) For those interested in mpg, it has been 19-20 for mixed driving. I drive normal and S+ about 50/50. Overall I think they are good tires.
I never had Toyos nor do i know anything about them so i cannot comment on the tires, but i would just like to say if you are choosing your tires over other tires just because they "look better" on the side wall is not too wise. I cant remember ever in my life looking at sometimes wheel and tires and thinking "man those tires are ugly". No one is going to see how your tires look unless you are about to run them over. But the main thing is I hope your are happy with your selection and that they turn out to be great tires. Let us know how they are after about 500 miles or so.
It certainly is not the only criteria, or even the most important criteria, but it is a criteria. Any of these tires are going to be dependable and safe, so its not like one is choosing an unsafe tire over a safe tire because they like the looks of the unsafe tire more. If they hadn't been out of stock I would have gotten the Pirellis, but since they were out of stock I figured I'd try these and if I didn't like them, return them for the Pirellis.
The main reason I had ranked the Pirellis over these in my list was that the Pirellis have so many positive reviews and the Toyos, while what reviews there are are 5 star, are new and aren't as widely available as the Pirellis...so much fewer reviews.
I wish you lived here, I'd love to drive yours on the Pirellis to compare.
01-15-15, 11:10 AM
4GS Tire Thread
Hope they work out for you. PSI definitely makes some difference. I'm running 30-31 on my Yoko.
But it's on the inner lip where they stick that tool to separate the tire and wheel.
) For those interested in mpg, it has been 19-20 for mixed driving. I drive normal and S+ about 50/50. Overall I think they are good tires.