I just replaced my tires from the original Sumitomo that were on my LS430 moving to the Yokohama AVID TRD, and that was about 2-weeks ago. The tires were purchased from "Discount Tire" in Illinois...However I'll tell you, for $400 it wasnt a bad choice. Road noise is normal with any tire when you live in Chicago. Still in all, the performance of the tire after driving 1000miles already a good tire. There rated to hold-up for 60k. Plus they recieved good ratings on tirerack.com.

 

The crab is either a King Crab or a Snow Crab, there is no such critter as a king snow crab. Thought you'd wanna know. Cheers...

 

I also just had Michelin Primacy 225/55-17 tires installed on my 2003 LS430.
The tires replaced Dunlop SP Sport 270. I have the same problem. The Michelins ride smooth and quiet but are jittery and seem stiff when going over ridges or road imperfections. I previously had the Primacys on a 1999 LS400 and they did not have this problem. The size was different though, 225/60-16. Its either the shorter sidewall or different suspensions. The LS400 had 138000 miles on it and the LS40 has only 18000. Maybe I just have to get used to the new car as I have only been driving it for about a week.

 

Good I'm glad someone else besides my wife has confirmed my observation ; ) on the new Primacy tires.
I bought Primacy tires based on very good reviews on Tire Rack and consumer reports. Maybe it has to do with the weight of the LS (being a boat) compared to other cars that also can use these tires.

I can go back and tell Cosco I don't like them but I am not sure what I would exchange them for? Also I am willing to accept a little bit of a harsher ride if the Primacy's will handle, brake, and wear significantly better. Unfortunately its not apparent that do for sure since I have only driven less than 100 miles on them at this point. I'm not like I'm going to take the LS to the track to test it.

I stand corrected on the Crab variety. I should be a crab expert since I have wasted untold hours watching crab traps endlessly being baited and emptied on the high seas on MDC : )

 

I could also remove the Primacys but don't know what else to put on the car. Does anyone know what tire will give a soft, quiet Buick ride to the LS430?

 

I think tires/wheel size plays a part as well guys/gals. I have factory recommended Pri,acy Michelins and there quiet all around. The other factor we ALL overlook about our cars is any sound will be heard when it comes to tires we just install as well as subtle noises being the LS cabin is coffin quiet. We shouldnt expect to not hear new tires especilly as well because they are being broke in.

When I first got my Primacy's they had some noise coming from them as well. I took a while for them to break in. I had just stopped using Goodyear and Dunlops previous to going with Michelins Primacy due to great reviews a reputation. Im very please but, that said many factors play a part in why cars tires make noises and while others dont even when the brand has a great reputation as Michelins Primacy's do.

One things for sure they are quality and for me the only tires i'll buy from this point forward as long as my money is able to pay for them if not, I'll buy what I can afford. For now, Im fortunate to be able to afford Michelins for now. Best tires Iv'e ever owned!!! L.G.N.M

 

Hey guys/gals I have the 16's on my car, not the 17's. I forgot to mention tire/wheel size!!! Again the bigger the wheel tire the different the ride and noise levels as well as the break in of new tread to the streets. Just give them time to wear a bit and you'll soon get used to the ride quality. The Primacy's score high for a reason. This is my 5th Lexus and all before had Dunlops and Goodyears and when I put the Michelin Primacy's on it was like uping my luxury of my car. That said, I have 16's on my LS and thats a factor as tire sizes get bigger road noise plays a part. L.G.N.M

 

I just put some General Altimax HP's on my LS400 and I'm extremely happy so far. I can't compare them to the Primacy's, since they replaced Goodyear Assurance Tripletreds on my car. They are MUCH quieter and ride better as well. They have a softer sidewall than the Goodyear's, so they don't handle quite as well. But I'm not going to be doing much canyon-carving in my land yacht, either.

And best of all, these tires are relatively inexpensive. Here's some info on tirerack:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiresB...del=Altimax+HP

 

I am very happy with the Primacy's on my 04 with 17 inch wheels. Excellent on all counts.

 

225/55/17 primacies I have had no problems or afterthoughts about. Might check out Bridgestone Serenity's next

 

Drove about 150 miles today all of on Interstate doing 75-80 mph. I did notice that the Primacys felt significantly better in terms of high speed handling. The LS now takes a set and holds it rock solid on the high speed sweepers - lots of high curving bridges on thge inetrstates in and around DFW area. The OEM Dunlops felt more cushy but were significantly more squirrelly at speed. So there you have it, I'm pretty sure the Primacys are keepers at this point.

 

This may be just what the Dr. ordered...Toyo Versado LX...they have great reviews and very reasonable price (~$170) for 18's... http://toyotires.com/tire/pattern/versado-lx

Check out the first car in the video also. I will most likely get those Toyo's or the Dunlop SP Sport Signature (~$145)...

 

I had a bad experience with the Versado LX's on my LS400... They couldn't get them to balance after four attempts to road force balance them on a Hunter GSP9700... They had vibration issues on the highway and were noisy. I swapped them out for the Primacy's and have been very happy with them (17")...

I just had four 18" Primacy's installed on my LS430 and I'm getting a howling noise out of them between 25~40mph. Hopefully this will go away after a few miles. The car had BFGoodrich Super Sport's on it and they were awful. Very stiff ride and very noisy tires. I'd guess they only had about 5k miles on them. Steer clear of the BFGoodrich Super Sports for sure...

Jim

 

Airtime's mechanic (who did the inspection on my LS430) said that he's had very good luck with Kumho tires. He found that they need less balancing and run with less vibration than other brands, especially Michelin.

 

I have a 01 ultra model with 120 K. My last set of tires were the Primacy and they are much better than the Dunlops. Much quieter, better snow and rain traction and I would buy them again. Current set has 35K on them they are wearing well.