In the 12 months I have owned my IS250, it has managed to have 4 different sets of tyres. I only paid for the last set though.

Set 1 - OEM Bridgestone RE050A - nothing special about these tyres, were too noisy.

Set 2 - Pirelli P7 - fitted by Lexus after road noise complaint - Awful tyres, rough ride and whine like a 4wd.

Set 3 - Falken ST115 - claimed to be a very quiet tyre which is why I got them. Unfortunately while they were noticeably quieter than the Pirelli tyres, they did whine as you slowed below 60kmph, almost right down to a full stop. Was really starting to get on my nerves. This whine was also evident on the Bridgestones but not the Pirellis. However, if you are looking for a performance tyre then this one is for you. Sticks like glue.

Once Lexus reimbursed me for the Falkens I gave them the Pirellis back. Was talking to the service guys yesterday and they said they put the Pirellis on the car of another IS250 customer who had complained about road noise. I asked if he was happy with the Pirellis, they said they thought not. No surprises there.

Set 4 - Did more research and found that the newly released Goodyear Excellence was making claims about road noise suppression. Had considered the Bridgestone ER50 but the Goodyear was a much newer tyre so thought it should have better technology. Also being a much newer tyre that was claimed to meet new EUC noise regulations so I thought I would bite the bullet and give it a go.

What a difference! If you want to reduce road noise then this is the tyre for you. Noticeably quieter on medium texture and smooth roads. Only noisy on coarse chip bitumen, but even then still quieter than the other 3 brands.

They have a firm ride, but no more so than the other 3 brands, and seem to absorb road imperfections better. To top it all off they were the least expensive.

 

great timing on this thread! I am just about to get new tyres for my IS as well. What size wheels are you on atm? I was contemplating the Bridgestone RE050A PP's and Goodyear GS-D3's. Ride comfort is high in the list of desired characteristics of tyres!

 

My IS has 205/55 R 16 tyres. The ride on the Goodyears is probably similar to the Bridgestones. It is some time since I had the Bridgestones but I certainly wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Dropping the tyre pressure a few psi will do wonders for the ride on any tyre although it may accelerate wear. 30psi seems to be the sweet spot on my car.

 

Interesting..... The oem tyres that came on mine were the Bridgestone RE030...they're 'ok' as far as road noise goes. But i just got new rims and wanted to get the quietest performance tyres (i know that might be a mutually exclusive deal )

In any case, I think I might get the RE050A Pole Position's as they seem to be very highly rated at tirerack. This particular model isnt available in oz as yet so i had to import them. Even with duty and shipping, i will be better off by nearly $1K AU on the full set!

Does anyone have any comments on their tires/tyres in relation to road noise vs. grip etc etc? Any feedback on this would be most appreciated!

Pics of new rims! Sizes are 19x8.5F and 19x9.5R. Thinking of 235/35 fronts and 275/30 rears.

 

If you plan to keep the wheels stock and not lower the car, you should be ok with the top 3 tires TireRack rates high (Bridgetone PP, Michellin PS2, Goodyear F1). I was told by Mackin Industries (wheel distributor) these tires have thicker sidewalls and when put on wider wheels, stretched, and with the car lowered, they will rub. Bridgetone PP was my first choice with the aftermarket wheels I ordered. So the Falken 452s, together with the offsets they reccommended, better not rub.

 

hmmm! Interesting info on the sidewall thickness. Thanks for heads up. I never considered it until you mentioned it. The car wont be lowered, so I hope it will be ok as well. What tyre characteristics are important to you?

p.s. I hope this doesnt constitute as a threadjack!!

 

Well, I'm not a wheel/tire expert. I only go by what the pros tell me. Mackin has outfitted many lowered 2ISs with aftermarket wheels and tires here in CA. That's why I trusted their reccommendation. What tire characteristics are important to me? That's a good question. As long as the reviews are good, then that's what I'll buy. I try to do as much research as possible first. Thread wear, quietness, and how they handle in the rain is what I look for. Since I live in CA, I just want a good all season tire. I don't have to have the stickiest tires since I don't race. I just want something that will last a while and have good handling in dry or wet weather.

 

I have 19's and am lowered with the eibach spring kit.

I am using Michellin PS2, and have verry little rubbing--only when making a big u turn, and thats when going fast + stoping + turning......

if you get a tire larger than the OEM overall diameter, then yes... you will rub.

 

the OEM bridgestones have been good so far for road noise. on the newer roads here in california with a higher recycled rubber content, it is very very quiet. for some road with recycled glass, it does get noisier. and the 405, well, i will post another thread on that....

don't know what kind of blacktop you use down under.

 

Australia seems to have a large percentage of coarse chip bitumen roads (cheap to build I think), so a tyre that can deal with the textured surface is a must. The Bridgestones just aren't good enough in this regard.

Have the top fo the range IS250 as a loan car at present and it has 17" Dunlop Sportmax tyres. Nice and quiet on smooth surfaces but much noisier than the Goodyears on textured surfaces. Although I am told it has the same suspension as mine, the low profile tyres just about shake the fillings out of your teeth. Let some air out of the tyres and it made a big difference. Wish mine had some of the toys of this model, surround sound, radar cruise, memory for seats and mirrors, reverse camera etc etc etc.

 

Have you ever looked under the carpet of an 2IS? You will be amazed at the minimal soundproofing, mostly lightweight stuff that will not isolate road noise well. I listened once by putting my head in the rear footwell when someone else was driving the IS. On coarse roads its quite noisy. Lifting the thick floormats made it worse. Looks to me like a good candidate for some Mass loaded vinyl type soundproofing. The car's silence in other areas tend to highlight this weakness significantly.

 

Yep, my plan is to eventually add more sound proofing. Have already added some to the driver's door and under the plastic cover in the wheelwell. Only a very small reduction.

 

I had 205/55 R 16 Bridgestone RE30 OEM tyre which were very noisy. I now have 235/40 R18 Kumho Ecsta SPT KU31 which I'm very happy. It rides much smoother and produces a lot less noise. How could this be possible with a much lower profile tyre. I therefore concluded that those Bridgestone are total crap. I have RE40 for my other car which are again very noisy on highway and doesn't look like they last either. Not impressed with Bridgestone at all.

 

Thanks for your comments Flipside.

Surveys on Tirerack on the RE030 and and RE040 are consistent with the views presented here. Those tyres are considred 'Ultra High Performance Summer' where they are ranked 38th and 45th respectively (out of 46 models!!). http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...y.jsp?type=UHP

In the max performance summer category, the RE050A PP is on the top of the list! Is anyone using these? The oem Dunlops SP sport maxx are rated 4th on the list.

tOe: How does the PS2's compare to the original tyres you had? Noiser? Harsher ride? Which ones were fitted to your original wheels?

vlkcheng: Whats your opinion on the wet weather performance of the kumho's you have?

 

Street performance tires make more noise that all-seasons. Who woulddda thunk??



I'm surprised that some of you guys went with the 18" summer wheel package instead of the all-season package. Or an ES350 for that matter. And I'm surprised at how big a deal people make about hearing noise from inside the cabin. Like the car needs to be some sort of sound- and feeling-proof cocoon. I don't get it. I'd sooner take the bus to work, than commute in something like that.

Just my opinion.