Tom - how much difference in noise/comfort between your 17's and 18's w/ Premiers?

I have Premier's on 17's and size/tire works very well. Quiet and smooth on freeways (and that's with Sports Suspension). A little louder on concrete and rough roads but any tire will make more noise. They feel "soft" if I drive more aggressively.

Agree on the MXV4's but thought those weren't available any more. Looks like you like the 430's based on number owned....

 

I find the Premiers on 17"s are a softer & smoother ride than Premiers on 18"s. Noise is no different. With the higher sidewall, the 17's are much softer with roll into corners, off/on ramps. The 18"s are definitely a sportier tire with associated ride characteristics. That is the trade-off with 17"s vs.18"s.

Correct, the MXV4s are no longer available. I found a set of 4 (18"s) new, a year ago, and still driving on them on my '06 CL.

18" Goodyear Eagle F1's came with my '05 CL (53K miles) that I picked up in the spring. Those tires are awful - loud, stiff and a somewhat harsh ride. I'm testing the Premiers (both 17"s and 18"s) to see whether I'll replace the Goodyear Eagles with Premiers or leave the Michelin brand for something else.

 

Thank for the feedback. I'm keeping the Premiers on the 17's. Plan to explore options with the 18's.

Pirelli is a possible. We had them on our ES300 and were quite pleased. Smaller car of course. Nice combo of quiet (comparable to Michelins) and tighter feel. Car needed very little steering corrects to stay straight on the freeway.

Interesting to hear about your Goodyears. They have a 30 day exchange policy on new tires. Don't like their tire for any reason? Noise? Handling? Put on another Goodyear product. Mixed reviews on this brand. Not much feedback in here.

 

The Goodyears were not my choice ... came with the '05 CL which was .

 

Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone. I can't fault the tire shop as I specifically asked for 235/50/18 thinking it brought the sidewall within 1/4-inch of a 17-inch sidewall without having to deal with changing rims. I knew it was the LTX model but it didn't bother me initially because the Premier LTX is still a lot better than the previous Michelin Pilot 3+. It has also been two months, so too late for me to swap to non-LTX model.

Although it will be an expensive lesson learned, I will begin looking for OEM 17s and maybe try Pirelli P7 Plus.

 

The taller sidewall was a thoughtful tire modification, but it's the LTX tire itself that is very likely causing the rougher ride.

 

The tires are definetly the issue,

I have the factory 18" wheels on my 2005 with Michelin Premier A/S tires and the ride is silent and smooth no matter what the conditions. I've had them through winter snow, pouring rain and dry summer weather and am a happy camper for the price tag they cost originally.

The 16-17' wheels on these cars just look way too small for this big-body sedan and show its age. The factory 18's look perfect.

 

Completely agree with your remark about rims/tires giving away the car's age, bmore430! I really liked the look of the 18s with the previous Pilots at 245/45. Although the Premier LTX at 235/50 closes up the wheel gap, the thicker sidewall does make the car look older...but I may not have that problem anymore...

...even though I am beyond the 30-day return period, America's Tire has offered to credit me the full value of the Premier LTX. I had to pay the difference in tire cost and will have a new set of Premier A/S installed Thursday during lunch. The Premier A/S is only available in 245/45 so it will be interesting to see if the softer sidewall will be negated by the lower sidewall. I will report back after breaking the tires in. Coincidentally, I had 3,000 miles on the current Premier LTX and tread is already down to 8 from 8.5/32nd when new. At this rate the Premier LTX will barely last half of its 60K-mile rated life. Michelins used to always meet or exceed tread wear rating in the past. However, within the past 5 years I have noticed none of our Michelins reach their rated tread life. I realize driving style has a lot to do with it but we don't drive any differently and, in my wife's case, we've had an ES330 for 11 years which rules out driving style and vehicle differences.

I have to give America's Tire credit for their commitment to customer service/satisfaction during today's visit and past visits. Have not been particularly happy with Costco's service nor tire repair policies on my wife's Lexus and will be taking her car to America's Tire for her next set of tires.

 

America's Tire is the west coast operation of Discount Tire. I have always been treated very well at Discount Tire and highly recommend them. I am not surprised that they credited you.

 

something is wrong with your suspension, it may be something very minor , Even an ls with 22 inch rims rides like your driving over glass, smooth as butter.

 

My 2004 has the 18in wheels but mine has the "Sport suspension" with 245/45/18 tire setup. The ride is a little on the firm side as well over different road types. I have a few annoying rattles because of it. I will probably switch to a 50 series tire soon. Hopefully on 50 series it doesn't rub anything because I noticed they are very close to the suspension components in the front.

 

I have an 04 w/ SS. If you want softer, throw on some 17's w/ good tires. Virtually the same comfort as regular suspension on the freeway but corners better. Can't beat the 18's tho if you want the car to handle.

 

I like the 18 in wheels an will take better handling over a really soft ride. I drive pretty agressive for a LS430 owner. Haha

 

Thanks for sharing, Mark. Hopefully I don't have a suspension issue like lextout suggests. The 235/50 Premier LTX didn't appear to exhibit any rubbing. I'll be going back to 245/45 though. Ordered the Premier A/S but just called the tire store to see if I can try Pirelli P7 Plus instead, in 245/45. I have been real curious about the Pirellis and don't know why I didn't think of the option earlier in the day.

 

Let us know how the Pirelli P7 ride. I was thinking about getting a set soon to replace my old tires. As for the suspension noise mine makes a noise if I push up and down on the front end or when I get in and out of the car. It seems to be coming from the front struts. Seems more noticeable when its hot after a drive. I don't really hear anything when driving over bumps though.