are they worth owning?
#17
Lexus Fanatic
it will cost more to own a luxury car than a non-luxury car.
I'm not finding anything overly expensive for the cost of the majority of the maintenance parts for my LS460.
#20
Pole Position
Ive ran Pirelli tires, Michelin, bfgoodrich, Goodyear etc... and ive never noticed any difference between those brands and the cheap Chinese brands
So I buy Chinese tires and I really don't care what people think or say , I personally think the difference is so minor that no one would ever notice unless you are going to the race track and monitoring your times by the millisecond.
I paid $600 including tax for a brand new set of 4 x 22 inch Chinese specials including install , they have been great and still have a ton of life left, ill run them again next year.
I even used Chinese tires on my supercharged corvette, had no traction issues, ran smooth and never let me down in any way.
I would never buy name brand tires unless they are on special for a heavy discount, which sometimes they are .
So I buy Chinese tires and I really don't care what people think or say , I personally think the difference is so minor that no one would ever notice unless you are going to the race track and monitoring your times by the millisecond.
I paid $600 including tax for a brand new set of 4 x 22 inch Chinese specials including install , they have been great and still have a ton of life left, ill run them again next year.
I even used Chinese tires on my supercharged corvette, had no traction issues, ran smooth and never let me down in any way.
I would never buy name brand tires unless they are on special for a heavy discount, which sometimes they are .
#21
Lexus Fanatic
I’m surprised people say the LS460 eats tires. My LS460is easier on tires than any other Lexus I’ve ever had.
#22
Are LS 460s worth owninig? My 2007 is costing me an arm and a leg in service fees. I just paid $170 for a road force balance cos the car was rattling violently at 40 mph and 60 mph...It hasn't gone away completely but its bearable now. My extended warranty is about to expire this month. I have to get 4 new tires = $1200 and I also need to get new rotors and the tire pressure sensors need to be replaced WHEW!!!!.... After all the swag..i mean this car is not cheap...maybe i can get a GS 350 or something...this one here is beginning to reduce my quality of life...lol
#23
Lexus Test Driver
Doublebase, just keep in mind, that lack of cornering grip translates to lack of straight-line grip, so braking distance, when taxed, will be longer.
People think brakes are the determining factor when comparing vehicles, but all brake systems will lock all four wheels (without ABS switched 'on'). It comes down to tires. Wheels (tires) stop spinning under braking when you exceed the ability of the tire to grip pavement and the brake locks the wheel as there's more friction when the tire is rolling, not sliding.
Brake systems come into play when they get hot, like after repeated high speed stops or track days. That's different.
It may be minor, but I've had a few unpleasant experiences with Chinesium tires, so pass.
My five Continental DWS06s in a 255/45/19 will go on the car, Tuesday.
People think brakes are the determining factor when comparing vehicles, but all brake systems will lock all four wheels (without ABS switched 'on'). It comes down to tires. Wheels (tires) stop spinning under braking when you exceed the ability of the tire to grip pavement and the brake locks the wheel as there's more friction when the tire is rolling, not sliding.
Brake systems come into play when they get hot, like after repeated high speed stops or track days. That's different.
It may be minor, but I've had a few unpleasant experiences with Chinesium tires, so pass.
My five Continental DWS06s in a 255/45/19 will go on the car, Tuesday.
#24
Pole Position
Doublebase, just keep in mind, that lack of cornering grip translates to lack of straight-line grip, so braking distance, when taxed, will be longer.
People think brakes are the determining factor when comparing vehicles, but all brake systems will lock all four wheels (without ABS switched 'on'). It comes down to tires. Wheels (tires) stop spinning under braking when you exceed the ability of the tire to grip pavement and the brake locks the wheel as there's more friction when the tire is rolling, not sliding.
Brake systems come into play when they get hot, like after repeated high speed stops or track days. That's different.
It may be minor, but I've had a few unpleasant experiences with Chinesium tires, so pass.
My five Continental DWS06s in a 255/45/19 will go on the car, Tuesday.
People think brakes are the determining factor when comparing vehicles, but all brake systems will lock all four wheels (without ABS switched 'on'). It comes down to tires. Wheels (tires) stop spinning under braking when you exceed the ability of the tire to grip pavement and the brake locks the wheel as there's more friction when the tire is rolling, not sliding.
Brake systems come into play when they get hot, like after repeated high speed stops or track days. That's different.
It may be minor, but I've had a few unpleasant experiences with Chinesium tires, so pass.
My five Continental DWS06s in a 255/45/19 will go on the car, Tuesday.
The following users liked this post:
mckellyb (10-31-17)
#25
Lexus Test Driver
As the owner, previously, of an S-class Mercedes and an E-class Mercedes, it's usually not parts which kill you on cost of ownership...it's paying someone to repair things.
The only item I won't really dig into, even if, at almost 50 years old, I haven't previously, is automatic transmissions.
I know how they work, but there's so many places to go wrong.
I mentioned the above Mercedes machines because cars (adjusted for inflation to today's dollars) still require maintenance/repairs as if they are worth what they were, new. I mean, they cost that much for a reason, right? It's usually comfort, luxury, performance, build quality, quality engineering, etc.
Therefore, even though my '95 E320 was about $80K, new, in today's dollars, if something happened, because I'm a rather adventurous DIY-guy, it was never a problem to find quality, non-dealer parts, and fix it myself.
Same goes for the '89 420SEL. That's a $138K car, today, and honestly, yeah...it's worth that were it new with minor updates.
I'm likely one of the youngest people to ever buy a 40' diesel motorcoach, I was 33, or so. The coach was a '99, it was '01, and new it was $165K in '99 money. I paid $73K in 2001, and I've never had anyone work on it, save for Freightliner, to fix a problem with the rear axle welds from the factory. If you have a portable, diesel-powered apartment, you get very good at understanding how every single thing works, both chassis and the "house", because you're likely in a new place and not able to leave it for a week to be fixed. A fix which may take an hour, if you knew about it and were willing to do it without prompting.
Those who own a motorcoach either have a lot of money and have it fixed, or is regular ol' middle class and a gearhead.
Back to tires...anyone here think LS460 tires are expensive? Ha! Six tires for my wife and I's coach is going to run me close to $3K.
I'm likely one of the very few motorcoach owners who travels with a full compliment of tools, a garage creeper, and a floor jack & stands for the towed car, just in case.
And, yes, I've been on the side of the road, on the creeper, fixing stuff just enough so we can get to a stopping point and I can do it correctly.
Doublebase, I'm fortunate in that my commute is only 60 miles/RT, so about 15K miles per year, because it's the roadtrip car, too, if we don't take the coach. I'll get about 2 1/2 years out of the Contis...I hope.
The only item I won't really dig into, even if, at almost 50 years old, I haven't previously, is automatic transmissions.
I know how they work, but there's so many places to go wrong.
I mentioned the above Mercedes machines because cars (adjusted for inflation to today's dollars) still require maintenance/repairs as if they are worth what they were, new. I mean, they cost that much for a reason, right? It's usually comfort, luxury, performance, build quality, quality engineering, etc.
Therefore, even though my '95 E320 was about $80K, new, in today's dollars, if something happened, because I'm a rather adventurous DIY-guy, it was never a problem to find quality, non-dealer parts, and fix it myself.
Same goes for the '89 420SEL. That's a $138K car, today, and honestly, yeah...it's worth that were it new with minor updates.
I'm likely one of the youngest people to ever buy a 40' diesel motorcoach, I was 33, or so. The coach was a '99, it was '01, and new it was $165K in '99 money. I paid $73K in 2001, and I've never had anyone work on it, save for Freightliner, to fix a problem with the rear axle welds from the factory. If you have a portable, diesel-powered apartment, you get very good at understanding how every single thing works, both chassis and the "house", because you're likely in a new place and not able to leave it for a week to be fixed. A fix which may take an hour, if you knew about it and were willing to do it without prompting.
Those who own a motorcoach either have a lot of money and have it fixed, or is regular ol' middle class and a gearhead.
Back to tires...anyone here think LS460 tires are expensive? Ha! Six tires for my wife and I's coach is going to run me close to $3K.
I'm likely one of the very few motorcoach owners who travels with a full compliment of tools, a garage creeper, and a floor jack & stands for the towed car, just in case.
And, yes, I've been on the side of the road, on the creeper, fixing stuff just enough so we can get to a stopping point and I can do it correctly.
Doublebase, I'm fortunate in that my commute is only 60 miles/RT, so about 15K miles per year, because it's the roadtrip car, too, if we don't take the coach. I'll get about 2 1/2 years out of the Contis...I hope.
#27
Racer
I absolutely think the LS is worth owning. Very few cars come close to the ride quality and level of comfort of this car. It is not the fastest or most agile, but those areas are not its strengths, and it still does fine in the power/performance category. As reliable as the LS is, I went in expecting moderately higher maintenance costs, such as V8 needing more sparkplugs and more quarts of oil, more engine filters, more cabin filters, bigger wheels needing bigger and more expensive tires (although my current set of 245/45/R19 Pirelli P7+ "only" cost $900 after a Memorial Day sale) -- you can go with Goodyear RS-A 2 for half the price (they're actually OEM tires on the Tesla Model S) and the Goodyears were surprisingly good overall. There is more gadgetry, sensors, and electronics in a car of this caliber and so more things can potentially go wrong. Overall though, the LS is as reliable as you're gonna get in the big sedan category. I imagine going to a GS isn't going to save you much, if anything, on tires if you want to maintain the performance of that car.
A coworker was able to replace all four of his tires on his Camry for less than the cost of one Pirelli P7+ on the LS. That is pretty awesome but I'd still prefer the LS over the Camry so long as I can comfortably afford normal wear and tear items.
A coworker was able to replace all four of his tires on his Camry for less than the cost of one Pirelli P7+ on the LS. That is pretty awesome but I'd still prefer the LS over the Camry so long as I can comfortably afford normal wear and tear items.
The following 2 users liked this post by FatherTo1:
dlbuckls10 (10-31-17),
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