I know tires have been discussed before so sorry for recycling the same ol same ol.

But I need some info. My LS460 now has 7000 miles on it and the Bridgestone tires are half way burnt up. I live in Pittsburgh with LOTS of hills and stop start all day. And I only use the car for "around town" driving. "Touring" is what I'd like to do in Europe one day, but is not what I need for tires. I can see that these will be bald by 12,000 miles.

Questions:

1. Will Lexus give me any allowance (or new tires)? NO tire on a 70K car should go bald (even wear, all 4 tires...no alignment problem) in 12K miles. What do I have to do to get it? I talked to the dealer recently and he (service mgr) washed his hands of it and had no interest in going to bat for me.

2. What tire should I put on for good all-weather (we get NASTY winters) driving that will LAST? Does Goodyear Fortera make a tire for my car (18 inch)? What about Michelins? Other suggestions?

 

Wow! That's absolutely rediculous. Lexus should compensate you for this. Has it been a common problem with factory installed Bridgestones? I was using Bridgestone Blizzack snow tires during the winter but I switched to all season Bridgestones (Turanza I think) about a month ago. These came with the car.

 

Daryll,

I suggest that you go to tirerack.com. If you have the Turanza EL42's on your car, their treadware rating is 260. Look for a tire with a treadware rating higher than this. Keep in mind that a tire with a higher rating may not give you the same ride the softer Bridgestones gives you.

Hope this helps.

KB

 

I'll do the TIRERACK thing but thought maybe someone here had some experience.

I am not that particular about the ride...I live in Pittsburgh. The roads are terrible and difficult even when in good repair. I just want a tire that will LAST.

 

get a 100k s class and it's the same thing, so don't say $$k car shouldn't be like that. that's what you get for high performance tires, just live with it. or you get all season tires after these are worn out.

i believe most lexus have the 15k tire wear warning stickers on the windows. it was explained clearly to me when i bought my car(s).

i have 9k miles on my gs350 and tires are about 40% worn, same with most other owners. on a side note i find this interesting coz' in previous lexus models, they had all season tires that were more durable, and we had people complaining left and right about the horrible traction and handling

 

My SWB came with Dunlop Sport Maxx A1 A/S tires, which carry a treadwear rating of 340 and a traction rating of "A". Obviously, they're all-season tires, but that's what I wanted for my kind of driving anyway.

The rule of thumb is that a tire rated 340 should get somewhere in the neighborhood of 34,000 miles of wear (although that's not a hard and fast rule by any means). I have less than 5,000 on mine, so I'm in no position to predict their ultimate wear, but I'm happy with them for now.

I honestly don't know if my car came with any sticker saying anything about tire wear, since all that would have been removed in PDI, but I've heard about that. Does anyone know if it came on all LS's? If so, what's the reason? Don't tell me it's the car's weight, since many cars weigh more than this.

With a 340 rating, I'm fully expecting to get at least 30,000 miles out of the OEM tires. But if I don't it's okay, since the car is leased and I'll have to get tires before it goes back anyway.

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I have 35,000 (33K miles) kms on my Turanzas and they show negligible if not normal wear. Mind you, we have a wetter and cooler climate in the Northwest, so that may be a contributing factor. I expect to easily get double that before I consider replacing them. Having said that, I am presently considering buying Michelin (or other) Summer radials with a set of mounted Winter radials. I had Michelin Pilots on my previous cars, and they became just as noisy as the Bridgestones. The Turanzas are hopeless in the snow, I have found. I am thinking of upgrading this car, so that may ultimately influence my early replacement decision. I am somewhat satisfied but by no means impressed with these Bridgestones.

 

I had an SC 400 that wore the tires out at 12,000 miles. Lexus paid half of the tire bill to replace the Goodyear GSD tires. It doesn't hurt to ask them for goodwill. BTW, I have Dunlop tires on my car and it had no tire warning sticker on it from the factory. I saw it before the PDI...

Craig

 

My LS460L had that sticker and so does the IS350 that I picked up last week. BTW past January I had to change the high performance Michelins on my MB s class at 14,000 miles. And last month I had to change the Pilots on my daughter's compressor, she made it past 18,000 miles. I guess it has a lot to do with the low profiles.

 

Did your dealer go to bat for you or did you have to go to Lexus directly, and if so, how does one do that??

 

What tire did you end up putting on the SClass and how are they holding up? I would guess that whatever you put on also has a size to fit the LS460.

 

IS350, huh? I hope your spine is stronger than mine, or that you have an open acccount with your chiropractor. LOL.

My IS350 lasted all of 90 days before I sold it to help pay for the chipped teeth caused by its buckboard suspension.

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Daryll, I had the dealer contact Lexus. They went to bat for me... I would ask your dealer to get involved if they will. If not, If I were you, I would contact Lexus and tell them you aren't happy with the way the tires have worn. It's worth a try...

Craig

 

Thanks for the info. I'll get go another few months then start shaking the tree and see if some tire money falls off. I'd STILL like to know what to put on it.

 

I stayed with the OEM Michelins and they are holding on very well. Also, the OEM Dunlops on LS460L seem to be also holding on well at approximately 9,000 miles.

At the moment I am just playing with it while waiting for our daughter to come home. At the end of the summer she will leave her Compressor and take back the IS350. I agree that the IS350 rides very stiff "as designed" but it is a lot more comfortable then a Porsche, which played havoc on my back.