Bought my 2001 LS 430 last November. Need to replace the Michelin X-Ice tires with some summer/all-season/touring tires. I've been looking and reading as much as I can get my hands on for the past couple of weeks. I've been to dozens of websites (tire rack, etc.), and a half dozen tire shops.

The most knowledgeable tire guy was at Costco!

One tire guy's recommendation was Nokian Tyres - made in Finland, and "The Best Tires on the Planet" according to this tire guy. (of course, they have "exclusive" rights to this tire.)

So, what I'm looking for is opinions on your tires, or tires you would or would not use again.

My top 3 priorities are 1) Handling/Braking, 2) Noise and 3) Wear.

I'm not a "tear-it-up" driver, esp. with 3 and 7 year old's in the back seat! I just like taking my time getting from A to B, enjoying the comfort of this fabulous car.

I'm not really a fan of Goodyear tires, but am interested in the Asssurance TripleTread.

I think some Michelins are overpriced. The Costco guy recommends Michelin XDT, which is a club exclusive tire, and has a high wear rating, etc.

The Falken tires keep catching my eye, but not sure about the tread life.

I thought the BFG Traction T/A's might be interesting, and were recommended by a couple of tire guys. The Costco tire guy says they are not a good tire for this car, as they don't have the rounded shoulders of a Michelin, and I wouldn't be happy with these tires on an LS.

So, any opinions are greatly appreciated. I searched through the opinions on Tire Rack and some other sites, mainly looking for LS or GS models because they are rear-drive. I don't think you get a fair comparison with front-drive cars, so I value your opinions.

Also, I thought there was an LS thread about tires a couple of months back, but I can't seem to find it now.

Thanks!

 

I have Falkens on my 430. They seem to be wearing faster than expected and are getting noisier. If Costco is like Sam's they do have a good installation/warranty package on theit tires. have you checked the new Toyo Versado tires?

 

Ultra63 - Thanks for the reply. I haven't looked at Toyo tires. There are so many tires to choose from! Is that what you are thinking your next tires would be?

 

In my 35 years of tire buying experience I've found the Michelins are almost always the choice that I'll be happiest with. I might be okay with others or I might not, but I've NEVER had a bad set of Michelins (and I've had a BUNCH of sets, and I'm VERY picky about tires). My advice is don't worry so much about trying to save $100-200 if you're going to have to put up with more noise, poorer ride, or other downside on a car like the LS. It's not worth it if you get a tire that you aren't happy with for the MANY hours you'll spend in the car before you wear them out.

That being said, the 17" Bridgestone ER33s that were on my '03 when I bought it were amazingly smooth and QUIET. They were nearly new, so I don't know what they would have done with some miles on them (I changed them for some 19s) as some tires don't age well -- they are nice when new, but 5-10K miles later they're howling.

Good luck.

 

what brand are you guys running with the 18" sport rims,,

 

Falken Azenis ST115 on my Euro but will replace them this year.

 

Ican't find any reviews on the Toyo Versado but would consider if they got good reviews.

 

I've always been a huge fan of Bridgestone Turanzas. They just came out with a new Serenity series which you might want to try.

 

I have a set of Nokian WR's as winter tires on my 03. They have been great tires. They have much better traction on snow than the Lexus OEM all seasons, along with better tread wear.

 

this is cool as i am also searching for new tires for my LS. All I have to say is DO NOT get Pirelli (i forgot what model). I just bought them last year... three months into them, they were very loud and now they are completely bald. I looked on tirerack and found out that this was characteristic of these tires....

might i ask... why you are not a fan of the dunlops. I might try goodyears or bridgestones this time around.. michelins dont wear well on Guam as all the mich'es i have had warped and were loud ... guess it is the weather.

 

In response to CG Lover - I have the 18" rims and have the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Got them in November and they are great. Way better than the Dunlop SP5000's in the wet and dry, especially dry traction. Ride quality about the same. Bridgestone makes a tire similar - RE960 or something like that. They were on a two month backorder so I went with the Pilots.

 

I just put new wheels and tires on my 2005 LS430. Originally had the OEM 18" wheels with Dunlop SP5000 tires, but the harsh ride always bothered me from Day 1, since some of the roads I drive on are very bumpy. The impact harshness would noticeably shake our infant baby's head in her car seat, so I decided to switch to 17" wheels. I chose Continental ContiPremierContact, 225/55R17, on 17 x 8" O.Z. Ultraleggera wheels. Very nice looking combination, although the reduction in ride harshness is not as great as I had hoped for. Plus, on certain asphalt surfaces, these Continentals are definitely noisier than the stock Dunlops (noticed that in the 1st block of driving!). Maybe the Dunlops weren't that bad after all. Just needed them in a 17" version. I was pleasantly surprised that these Conti tires extend well beyond the wheel, so there is good curb protection. Tires also have a raised rim protector. I say surprised because these tires are a little narrow for an 8" wide wheel. Another big plus: my new wheel/tire combination weighs a whopping 12.25 lbs. less at each corner than the OEM 18" wheel/tire combo (yep, I weighed all 8 of them). Those OEM 18-inchers are HEAVY. The reduced unsprung weight really helps wheel control on bumpy surfaces.

And I second all those that found Pirellis to wear rapidly. I had P6000's on my Mercedes S420, and the Pirellis where worn out in ~17,000 miles of sedate driving, with carefull rotation and tire pressure checks. The Pirelli P-Zero Rosso's on my Volvo V70 R will probably be worn out even sooner.

 

I just put new MICH MXV4+ on my 01 ul. Believe me they are very good tires and worth the money. Very quiet and smooth.

TIM

 

For the summer, I just put on the top rated grand touring tire at Tirerack.com - the Bridgestone Turanza LS-V. Great tire. And in the winter, I'm running the top rated winter tire from Tirerack.com - the Dunlop Sport M3. Another great tire - super quiet for a winter tire. I couldn't believe the number of tires out there - and an equal number of opinions. In the end, I went with the Tirerack.com recommendations, and they've been great for me.

 

If you got the 225/55R17 Truranza LS-V, keep a close watch on air pressure and alignment because they discontinued that size. Their a great tire so I don't know why they stopped making that size. (Maybe not selling enough?) I had a toe-in problem and had a heck of a time finding a couple of tires that were still out there to replace them. Found three in Boise Idaho and had them shipped to me.