I have 19" tires on my 2011 LS460. Will reducing my tire pressure from 35# to 33# increase ride quality? Also, a Tire Rack customer service rep told me about 25% of his calls with complaints of ride come from people with optional tire size vs standard tire size. In my case standard was 18 inch and the original buyer opted for the 19's as an option.

 

What kind of tires do you have on right now, wcl77? Our LS rides on 19s and the ride is superb. However, I will also say that we previously had an 06 LS 430 that I felt rode uncharacteristically harsh on the optional Michelin Sport AS3+ 18-inch tires. I was very close to swapping with another forum member to get their 17-inch wheels and tires. I even tried experimenting with a size of 18s that had 1/4" more sidewall height. Ultimately, it came down to the tires. I followed the recommendations on this forum and LS 430 rode perfectly after switching to a set of Pirelli P7+ tires. It really taught me the difference that Grand Touring tires can make versus Ultra-High Performance tires, in terms of ride quality. I ended up keeping the 18s on the LS 430 and also put Pirelli P7+ tires on our 2013 LS with 19-inch wheels. The stock wheel size may give a slightly better ride but type/quality of tires makes a bigger difference, plus the optional size does look better. Hope that helps.

Oh, to your original question, I did notice our LS rides best at approximately 32 PSI (cold). Others feel more comfortable at 31. However, I think your choice of tires will have a much greater impact on ride quality than PSI. Go too low on your PSI and you introduce the risk of handling and/or tire wear problems.

 

There should be a placard on the driver's doorjamb that gives the recommended tire inflation pressure. If there were OEM options then that should be on the placard too.

 

I highly doubt that you will feel much difference in 2 psi of tire pressure. Tires are the likely culprit here as FatherTo1 suggested.

 

I've played with pressures between 32 and 40, effectively no difference, and this is on 19" wheels (OEM) with both OEM Pirellis and Continentals. The Contis ride better (do everything better) than the Pirellis, but pressure doesn't make any difference in ride.

Before anyone thinks I just can't feel it, on a motorcycle, it's amazing how much a 3 PSI difference makes in both ride and handling.

 

mckellyb, which OEM Pirellis? And which Contis? I am curious for a comparison the next time I'm in need for new tires. Am definitely intrigued if you find the Contis better in every way than the Pirelli P7+.

 

 

When we purchased our 2013 LS it came with Goodyear RSA2. I thought they were quite good (and actually are OEM tires for the Tesla Model S). They don't really list a treadlife warranty but they cost half as much as Michelins or Pirellis and I was estimating our set of RSA2 would probably last half as long as Michelin/Pirelli (~25k-30k miles), so longterm cost may be a wash.

 

I just purchased a set of 4

 

Also check the age of the tires as the rubber get stiffer as they age and most automobile manufacturers warn drivers to replace vehicle tires after six years.

The date of manufacture is the last four digits of the DOT code. The first two digits are the week of manufacture, and the last two digits are the year. For example, if the last four digits of the DOT code are 2213, that means that the tire was manufactured during the 22 week of the year 2013.

 

Are those Pirelli P7+ all season tires still one of the best options in non-snow locales?

 

I just put a set on my LS430 just a couple days ago that replaced some Michelin Premiers. So far they are running great and I'll know more in the next day or two since we are forecasted to have a bunch of rain over the next couple of days. I got what I felt was a great deal especially when you factor in the $70 rebate they have going on right now....of course it will be a couple months before I see that.

 

I am very curious to hear your thoughts comparing the Premier AS and P7+ after you have more time to break in the tires.