YOX

I have 13000 miles on my 2007 LS 460. The original Dunlop tires are making a thump thump thump noise. I can especially hear this at lower speeds. When I increase the speed, it still thumps, but since it's faster, it's not as noticable. I asked the dealer about this and he told me that the car is heavy, and as the tires wear it is normal to hear this noise. He also said that since the car is so quiet, I will hear more outside noise. I find this hard to believe. The tires seem barely worn. I checked the tire depth and there are many miles left on them. I bought this car to be a quiet car, and it's not. Any help would be appreciated.

Johnny

What a pile of horse manure. Some of these dealers should really get their heads examined. That guy is either ignorant or just plain stupid. Sounds like you have a flat spot on you tire/s. Ask them to get Lexus involved. You can probably get a new set of tires as some here have in the past.

Mike_TX

No, if your car is like mine, the Dunlops are wearing on the edges in a "feathering' pattern. This creates little stairsteps on the outer (and sometimes inner) treadblocks that make that thumping noise. Get one of your front tires turned and in the sunlight at an angle, and you can see the shadows of the stairsteps. In addition, if you run your hand along the tread near the edges, you can feel the uneven wear.

It is an issue with the Dunlop Sport Maxx tire, and it's a known problem. I don't know if you can swing it like I did, but I got Lexus to replace my Dunlops at 15,000 miles with a brand spanking new set of Michelins ... gratis.

Good luck.

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Craig B

Yeah, my dealer told me when they start wearing funny to let them know and Lexus would replace mine also. I complained about the ride. I would let Lexus get involved and they will replace the tires. Ask For Michelin's...

Craig

OligarhNah

I have 21'' Michelin PilotSport 2 - sound is SOOO loud!

zeebra

Exactly! I think if you can get the car into the dealer before 15000 miles, they will replace the Dunlops with Michelins. My dealer service guy told me they have been having 'problems' with the premature wear and resulting road noise and vibration on the Dunlops. So my dealer swapped them for a set of Michelins for free and apologized profusely for the inconvenience! Now thats why I bought this car - the stories about Lexus wanting to keep their customers happy are true, at least in my city...
It never hurts to ask for a different brand of tire if you dont want Michelins, but the default swap is to a nice set of Z rated Michelins (the Dunlops are P rated, and thats one of the reasons they govern the top speed to 120MPH)
Yes, I asked if they would remove the top speed governer after the tire swap since I now have Z rated tires....they said "no". Oh well...

Z