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I just bought my car earlier this month, a 2018 LS500. The previous owner swapped the Runflats for regular tires. Michelin somethings. I'm happy with them, they ride nice.
I just bought my car earlier this month, a 2018 LS500. The previous owner swapped the Runflats for regular tires. Michelin somethings. I'm happy with them, they ride nice.
FAIF asks: "Which model of Michelin? What size?"
My guess would be Michelin Pilot Sport, if that tire comes in a size for the LS. It's what all the SC430 owners used when they (we) dumped the runflats.
FAIF asks: "Which model of Michelin? What size?"
My guess would be Michelin Pilot Sport, if that tire comes in a size for the LS. It's what all the SC430 owners used when they (we) dumped the runflats.
For 30 yrs in this Country, the most likely place to get Michelin tires was at Sears. They were mid-level crap for a long time. So I guess I'm not convinced. The ones I had were cheaper than the Continentals (which tells you something), they felt heavier and had more road noise.
Last edited by Hemmarket; Mar 23, 2020 at 09:06 AM.
I put Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus 2 tires from Tirerack on my LS500. They are quiet and more soft riding. With the air suspension adjustment I can tune the ride as needed. They have not lost grip on wet roads, but some reviews say wet road grip is not the best. Not sure yet how they wear, but overall, I like them.
Purchased a 12V air compressor and a tire plug kit. Plan to also buy a jack. I have Lexus Roadside assistance, if needed.
Here's the lug wrench I bought. I had a camper and two cars. It fit all three. CARTMAN TL120404 4 sockets Telescoping Lug, Wheel Wrench, $12 from Amazon. The extra torque from the extendable handle made it easy to change camper wheels that had never been removed in ten years. First thing I did when I bought the camper!
Here's the lug wrench I bought. I had a camper and two cars. It fit all three. CARTMAN TL120404 4 sockets Telescoping Lug, Wheel Wrench, $12 from Amazon. The extra torque from the extendable handle made it easy to change camper wheels that had never been removed in ten years. First thing I did when I bought the camper!
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Any thoughts on a jack, maybe scissors type?
A scissor jack has a larger foot print/base. It's my preference. It'll be more stable in a variety of ground situations. Bottle jacks not so much and floor jacks are just too bulky.
For something to carry in the car, use a scissor jack. Bottle jacks are too hard to use in the field, and often too tall to get under the right spot of the car (especially where one tire is flat). Floor jacks are great and easy to use at home, but pretty big and heavy to cart around in the car all the time. For the scissor jack, and for the lug tool, make sure you have something to give you enough leverage. I use what plumbers call "a cheater." This is a hollow pipe, usually cast iron, about 18" long, that slips over the end of the tool you are using to make the handle longer. Most lug wrenches supplied with a new car are too short to give you the necessary leverage. When I get a new car, I take my new lug wrench into a Home Depot to be sure the pipe I buy fits over it. Inexpensive, takes up no room, and works really well. (I notice that many comments on Amazon about the $12.00 lug wrench mentioned above (CARTMAN TL120404) say that it's cheap, light, not metal, and often breaks under pressure. Get a "cheater" instead. -- PS: there is no charge for this valuable tip.)
TFischer, I looked at the reviews and you're right about the complaints. Good catch. They must have gotten a bad batch from China, because mine is all metal. The cheater is a perfectly good idea and is a time honored work-around and it's good for wrenches too! But there are other brands of the telescoping wrench to choose from, that look nice and work well.
For those having trouble following along, here is a picture of the way too small Lexus supplied lug nut wrench, with the end of it inserted into the "cheater" in order to get enough leverage to get that lug nut turning. This pipe is 24 inches long, and I can't recall what it cost from the Home Depot, but it wasn't much, and surely less than the cost of a replacement wrench, (telescoping or otherwise) which would take up a lot of room and wouldn't be as long anyway. It turns the wrench Lexus gives you into a telescoping wrench.
I had to use it years ago (different car), and I was mighty glad I had it in the trunk.
Highly recommended.
Last edited by tfischer; May 1, 2020 at 10:40 AM.
Reason: Deleted sarcastic reference to Covid 19.
A few weeks ago I purchased a 2018 LS500h that had the Bridgestone runflats. The tires were brand new due to a tire recall from Lexus on the LS500 runflats. I couldn't take the horrible ride quality any longer and today I had them replaced by the Michelin Primacy MXM Touring A/S. The Lexus rides like a totally different car and I couldn't be happier! I also purchased the flat tire repair kit from Griot's Garage to keep in the trunk just in case it's needed at some point.
