Bocatrip

Yes there have been a zillion threads on tires for the LS430. I have owned my car for 8+ years and after 2 sets of Michelin Primacys (which are no longer in production). and with much research.... I have decided to purchase Pirelli Cinturato P7 All season Plus speed rating 97V. I got a great deal at Pep Boys (200-250 less than anywhere else). $675 out the door as promised. I'll let every one know once installed. For me.... tires and brakes are the most important part of car ownership and I'm not buying crap to save a few bucks.. to be continued.

2KHarrier

I've had Cinturato P7's installed on my 2001 for 3-4 months now and they have improved continually since the install. A quality tire to say the least. I'm getting good fuel economy on my commute and I have to say the cabin sounds quieter since I initially installed them.

When I bought them, Pirelli was running a rebate of $15 per tire and I finally received the Pre-paid Visa card in the mail with 60 bucks on it.

I'm happy...

Johnhav430

Just me, 96V is OE, so nothing wrong there....but I prefer higher capacities, and many of the replacements @ 245/45-18 are 100XL with varying speed ratings.....DWS06's are a safe bet. There's a new Bridgestone 980AS on the scene, wonder what's all about that...I had 960's on my Nissan, great tires but wore quickly...

Bob04

I've had both the Premier and the P7AS+. I think the Premier is a better tire, but still a very good tire and a better value. Don't like how my P7AS+ handle in the rain. Premiers much better. P7AS+ were initially more quiet than the Premiers, but about the same after 10K miles.

That being said, when I put tires on my recently purchased LS430, I still went with the P7AS+. Price difference was significant with the rebates from Discount Tire and Pirelli. If I remember correctly, the P7AS+s were about $400 cheaper.

2KHarrier

So how are your P7's?

jayclapp

My 04 UL had 95H rated tires as OEM tires when delivered from Lexus. The car is limited to 129 mph and that tire satisfies that requirement.

Johnhav430

I think the fastest I've driven may be around 90, and not sustained, so a S rated tire would suffice, but in a sense it's like RAM in a computer, the less you're using as a % of total capacity, the better. I was just issued a new laptop and suddenly the corp standard is SSD and 8 gb ram (which my home laptop has had since 2015). The amount of ram that windows uses at idle does not get halved when the ram is doubled. I get the feeling it is the same as far as heat goes with the tires, so if the price is the same, why not get a higher speed rating and capacity, keeping in mind UTQG is self reported as well. my .02

Johnhav430

I think this question is for Bob 04....I have Rydanz Roadster 02's on my car. These are less expensive tires sold by Mavis, put on by the selling dealership. Had them for a year and they're fine in dry and wet....

Legender

I've had the Michelins and the P7 on my LS400. My impression is the P7 has a harder time holding it's grip when the road is wet. Easily spin tires and slide with the P7. Issues I never had with the Michelins. I do not like how the P7s handle in the rain.

jayclapp

It is against the law to install tires that are rated below the top rated speed of the vehicle. Higher rated tires such as V for our cars generally are stiffer (giving a harsher ride) and wear out much quicker. I tried the V tire on Michelin (Michelins are my tire of choice) and got only 34,000 miles compared to 49,000 miles with the H rated Michelin. Went back to the H rated tire.

Bocatrip

From the comparison road test at tire rack, they too did not like the wet handling of the P7s. Here in Florida it is a significant concern, however I am quite a conservative driver and in rain will probably drive even slower than the normal driver. For what it's worth... My Primacys did quite a bit of slipping in wet weather especially acceleration from a dead stop. I'm still planning on getting my P7s before the end of the month and of course will report back. The difference in price between the P7s and the Premiers is HUGE. In addition, I can't get over the small depth of tread on the Premiers compared to most tires. Yes wet driving conditions suggests a good tire, but caution probably comes first and even with a superior tire, no one should be driving fast or recklessly. To be continued.

Bob04

Mine are so bad in the rain that I wouldn't put them on a car for my wife or kid.

2KHarrier

Wow.. Well, either I drive extremely slow, or my P7's are special. I honestly have not experienced any negative reactions from driving on these tires for the last 6300 miles. I'm happy with them, but as they say, YMMV...

In either case, the Michelins or the Pirellis would be good. Heck, even John's Rydanz seem to be holding up for him! I'm not sure he'd buy another set, but he hasn't complained about them and those are fairly cheap tires.
I think the bottom line for me was cost. I wanted to get the Michelins but could not justify the added expense. I'm into these for a little over 400 bucks (after rebate) and they are wearing quite well. We shall see how they last in the long run for Bocatrip (and me!)

Bocatrip

Thanks 2KHarrier!

LS430FL

I now have P7's and love them just as much as the sets of primacys I had. I drive up and down Turnpike in south Florida rains 4x a week and have no issues with rain handling. The P7's might even be a little smoother and quieter. However, it is often hard to tell how much better a new different set of tires are because you don't replace your tires until they are basically worn so anything is going to be an improvement over the worn set you had. The new ones are generally always going to feel quieter and smoother than the worn ones you have been driving around on. However, I truly believe that the P7's are a great time and comparable to the beloved and now discontinued MXV4.