View Poll Results: Which MICHELIN tires do you like best for an IS350 FSport RWD?
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From: CA > FL | ON > AB
I'm a 3x MPSS owner who ran canyons my whole life in Malibu. So I'm a Michelin lover. But knowing the state, knowing the climate. Never ever EVER AS tires. Ever.
Also your IS will eat your $1,000 set of tires. No point. The only tire worth getting is Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s. Supreme performance and super cheap.
Also your IS will eat your $1,000 set of tires. No point. The only tire worth getting is Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s. Supreme performance and super cheap.
EDIT: OK did some research, agree the price point is attractive, and there's great reviews, however, some reviews said there's a"perception of over steer", and "balance & handling isn't confident or great in wet conditions".
Anyone else buy Firestone FIREHAWK INDY 500? Why do you imply better tread life than Michelin Pilot Sport A/S? Thanks!!
Last edited by LaZeR; Jan 3, 2019 at 08:30 PM.
Lexus Test Driver
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I've had nothing but good experience in heavy rain with the Firehawks (and also the MPSS for that matter)
The firehawks are completely confidence inspiring in the wet, and I'll add, heavy wet. We recently had heavy rain here in socal and i tore up the roads very nicely. They dig in and squat. Almost no different than dry. I remember a couple of times TRYING to break them loose, like pushing it. They refuse to break loose. Of course they'll break loose though if you drive like you have no regard to life. lol.
Have no idea what that reviewer who said that is talking about. Could be the car they were driving. And I never get any perception of oversteer, and even if I did, would that necessarily be a bad thing? Our cars understeer.
The only downside of this tire is they are a tad on the noisy side. Nothing unbearable or annoying. but you do notice at times. But that's the price you pay for performance.
also they look absolutely aggressive.
The firehawks are completely confidence inspiring in the wet, and I'll add, heavy wet. We recently had heavy rain here in socal and i tore up the roads very nicely. They dig in and squat. Almost no different than dry. I remember a couple of times TRYING to break them loose, like pushing it. They refuse to break loose. Of course they'll break loose though if you drive like you have no regard to life. lol.
Have no idea what that reviewer who said that is talking about. Could be the car they were driving. And I never get any perception of oversteer, and even if I did, would that necessarily be a bad thing? Our cars understeer.
The only downside of this tire is they are a tad on the noisy side. Nothing unbearable or annoying. but you do notice at times. But that's the price you pay for performance.
also they look absolutely aggressive.
Pole Position
Joined: Apr 2018
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From: GA
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is what I’m using right now. They are pretty good, but nothing will compare to the confidence of when I used the Michelin Pilot Super Sports on my G37S.. Those tires were godly. I can only imagine the PS4’s. The tread mileage is rough though. I’ll probably give the Firehawk Indy’s a try whenever I go back to summer tires.
Lexus Test Driver
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From the reviews I've seen the PS4 is pretty on par with the PSS. Just like a tad better response, tad better noise, stuff like that. Hard to improve upon the king.
But trust me I ran 3 sets of those as well. The Firehawks are nearly indistinguishable. They grip just as hard. probably not as refined noise wise. but for half the price i'm fine with that.
But trust me I ran 3 sets of those as well. The Firehawks are nearly indistinguishable. They grip just as hard. probably not as refined noise wise. but for half the price i'm fine with that.
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From: GA
From the reviews I've seen the PS4 is pretty on par with the PSS. Just like a tad better response, tad better noise, stuff like that. Hard to improve upon the king.
But trust me I ran 3 sets of those as well. The Firehawks are nearly indistinguishable. They grip just as hard. probably not as refined noise wise. but for half the price i'm fine with that.
But trust me I ran 3 sets of those as well. The Firehawks are nearly indistinguishable. They grip just as hard. probably not as refined noise wise. but for half the price i'm fine with that.
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From: CA > FL | ON > AB
From the reviews I've seen the PS4 is pretty on par with the PSS. Just like a tad better response, tad better noise, stuff like that. Hard to improve upon the king. But trust me I ran 3 sets of those as well. The Firehawks are nearly indistinguishable. They grip just as hard. probably not as refined noise wise. but for half the price i'm fine with that.
STILL undecided however but will be calling dealer for complimentary service soon plus new tires.
Last edited by LaZeR; Mar 1, 2019 at 09:16 AM.
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From: GA
Hey @LaZeR did you decide whether you wanted all-seasons or summer tires? If all-seasons: You might consider the BFGoodrich Comp-2 A/S if you want something a little sportier but not a summer. They are very grippy with firm sidewalls, but should last longer than some of those other options. Only downside is they seem to have a hum at highway speeds, but I think the noise has gotten quieter in the past 2000 miles or so. I've been running those and they are great on dry pavement and even somewhat decent in snow. If it matters, BFGoodrich is owned by Michelin anyway. 
However, if you have summers in the rear, just stick with summers. And I think you can do with those just fine in your climate. Summers will do great in the rain - in general, all-seasons and summers should be equally fine in rain. I think it's a common misconception that summers are worse in rain - when really, it's super-wide tires that are more prone to hydroplaning.
However, if you have summers in the rear, just stick with summers. And I think you can do with those just fine in your climate. Summers will do great in the rain - in general, all-seasons and summers should be equally fine in rain. I think it's a common misconception that summers are worse in rain - when really, it's super-wide tires that are more prone to hydroplaning.
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From: CA > FL | ON > AB
Hey @LaZeR did you decide whether you wanted all-seasons or summer tires? If all-seasons: You might consider the BFGoodrich Comp-2 A/S if you want something a little sportier but not a summer. They are very grippy with firm sidewalls, but should last longer than some of those other options. Only downside is they seem to have a hum at highway speeds, but I think the noise has gotten quieter in the past 2000 miles or so. I've been running those and they are great on dry pavement and even somewhat decent in snow. If it matters, BFGoodrich is owned by Michelin anyway.
However, if you have summers in the rear, just stick with summers. And I think you can do with those just fine in your climate. Summers will do great in the rain - in general, all-seasons and summers should be equally fine in rain. I think it's a common misconception that summers are worse in rain - when really, it's super-wide tires that are more prone to hydroplaning.
However, if you have summers in the rear, just stick with summers. And I think you can do with those just fine in your climate. Summers will do great in the rain - in general, all-seasons and summers should be equally fine in rain. I think it's a common misconception that summers are worse in rain - when really, it's super-wide tires that are more prone to hydroplaning.
RWD is safer with A/S just in case you need to ship to different states.
Didn't know Michelin owns BF Goodrich - good to know!!
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From: CA > FL | ON > AB
Final Verdict
UPDATE: Thanks to all who voted and commented on this thread. In the end I went with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+, but I should have specified W speed rating coz I THINK W offers better tread life than Y but not 100% sure.
I didn't know that every Lexus dealer NOW has a full time "Tire Specialist" on staff. I went to Santa Monica Lexus for service, they checked out the stock tires, and then called Westminster (selling dealer), because the front tires were literally shredding!! Because the car is CPO, Westminster said they'd Goodwill (i.e. comp) the front tires coz this should not happen after less than 1500 miles on a CPO Lexus, but I'd have to go there. So the next day I had to drive to Westminster on shredded tires, get service, and the new tires, but had to pay for alignment. Man o man I was there for over 3 hours. I don't think it's fair however that I had to pay for alignment coz a CPO car should have that checked out in advance, and alignment should last around 15000 miles.
Anyway, these new tires feel great, really smooth, and there's a huge noticeable difference when driving over bumps & potholes, which I now barely even notice!
KNOCK ON WOOD *knock* *knock* *knock*
BTW, if you have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ what tire pressure do you use? They said according to California Law the IS350 FSport has to be inflated to 36 psi, but driving home the indicator immediately read 37, and then going north on the 405, they went up to 39, 40 psi. After they cooled down they're still 37 psi. THANKS AGAIN!!
I didn't know that every Lexus dealer NOW has a full time "Tire Specialist" on staff. I went to Santa Monica Lexus for service, they checked out the stock tires, and then called Westminster (selling dealer), because the front tires were literally shredding!! Because the car is CPO, Westminster said they'd Goodwill (i.e. comp) the front tires coz this should not happen after less than 1500 miles on a CPO Lexus, but I'd have to go there. So the next day I had to drive to Westminster on shredded tires, get service, and the new tires, but had to pay for alignment. Man o man I was there for over 3 hours. I don't think it's fair however that I had to pay for alignment coz a CPO car should have that checked out in advance, and alignment should last around 15000 miles.
Anyway, these new tires feel great, really smooth, and there's a huge noticeable difference when driving over bumps & potholes, which I now barely even notice!
KNOCK ON WOOD *knock* *knock* *knock*BTW, if you have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ what tire pressure do you use? They said according to California Law the IS350 FSport has to be inflated to 36 psi, but driving home the indicator immediately read 37, and then going north on the 405, they went up to 39, 40 psi. After they cooled down they're still 37 psi. THANKS AGAIN!!
Last edited by LaZeR; Mar 10, 2019 at 11:36 AM.
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From: GA
UPDATE: Thanks to all who voted and commented on this thread. In the end I went with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+, but I should have specified W speed rating coz I THINK W offers better tread life than Y but not 100% sure.
I didn't know that every Lexus dealer NOW has a full time "Tire Specialist" on staff. I went to Santa Monica Lexus for service, they checked out the stock tires, and then called Westminster (selling dealer), because the front tires were literally shredding!! Because the car is CPO, Westminster said they'd Goodwill (i.e. comp) the front tires coz this should not happen after less than 1500 miles on a CPO Lexus, but I'd have to go there. So the next day I had to drive to Westminster on shredded tires, get service, and the new tires, but had to pay for alignment. Man o man I was there for over 3 hours. I don't think it's fair however that I had to pay for alignment coz a CPO car should have that checked out in advance, and alignment should last around 15000 miles.
Anyway, these new tires feel great, really smooth, and there's a huge noticeable difference when driving over bumps & potholes, which I now barely even notice! KNOCK ON WOOD *knock* *knock* *knock*
BTW, if you have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ what tire pressure do you use? They said according to California Law the IS350 FSport has to be inflated to 36 psi, but driving home the indicator immediately read 37, and then going north on the 405, they went up to 39, 40 psi. After they cooled down they're still 37 psi. THANKS AGAIN!!
I didn't know that every Lexus dealer NOW has a full time "Tire Specialist" on staff. I went to Santa Monica Lexus for service, they checked out the stock tires, and then called Westminster (selling dealer), because the front tires were literally shredding!! Because the car is CPO, Westminster said they'd Goodwill (i.e. comp) the front tires coz this should not happen after less than 1500 miles on a CPO Lexus, but I'd have to go there. So the next day I had to drive to Westminster on shredded tires, get service, and the new tires, but had to pay for alignment. Man o man I was there for over 3 hours. I don't think it's fair however that I had to pay for alignment coz a CPO car should have that checked out in advance, and alignment should last around 15000 miles.
Anyway, these new tires feel great, really smooth, and there's a huge noticeable difference when driving over bumps & potholes, which I now barely even notice!
KNOCK ON WOOD *knock* *knock* *knock*BTW, if you have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ what tire pressure do you use? They said according to California Law the IS350 FSport has to be inflated to 36 psi, but driving home the indicator immediately read 37, and then going north on the 405, they went up to 39, 40 psi. After they cooled down they're still 37 psi. THANKS AGAIN!!
Driver
Joined: Nov 2017
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From: Vancouver, BC
Cold PSI is supposed to be 36 (according to manufacturer specs which can be found on sticker on the door frame on the driver's side), but you can inflate to whatever you want. Do you have that loud whistling sound from the A/S 3+ at about 60-70 MPH? A lot of people complain about it and then I got the A/S 3+ and they do in fact have a high pitched noise, but it doesn't bother me.
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From: GA
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Joined: Jun 2017
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From: CA > FL | ON > AB
Did you guys get W Speed Rated or Y ? (As you can probably tell I'm not a tire aficionado or expert).
Is there any impact on tread life - W vs Y? Thanks!!
Is there any impact on tread life - W vs Y? Thanks!!
Last edited by LaZeR; Mar 1, 2019 at 09:19 AM.