MM Full-Review: 2019 Lexus ES350
10-25-18, 07:24 PM
#46
Lexus Champion
I had that sticker on both my IS and GS, despite them both coming with stock all season tires. That sticker doesn’t mean summer tires.
10-25-18, 07:37 PM
#47
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
OK, Thanks...that might explain it..........except that stock all-seasons don't usually wear out in 20K miles or less, unless one drives like an idiot. Usually only summer high-performance rubber wears that quickly, because of the high amount of friction needed for road-grip.
10-25-18, 07:44 PM
#48
Lexus Champion
OK, Thanks...that might explain it..........except that stock all-seasons don't usually wear out in 20K miles or less, unless one drives like an idiot. Usually only summer high-performance rubber wears that quickly, because of the high amount of friction needed for road-grip.
10-25-18, 08:24 PM
#49
Lexus Fanatic
Hmmm......I'm not going to disagree with you, but this is a very interesting question (and you just might have something).
I went back and carefully checked the web-site specs for the 2019 ES optional 18" wheel/tire package, and, as you correctly note, it does mention regular 45-series all-season tires.....not high-performance summer tires. Here's the web-site spec, copied directly:
WHEELS AND TIRES, AVAILABLE
18-in split-10-spoke alloy wheels with Dark Silver and machined finish and 235/45 R18 all-season tires*; 18-in split-five-spoke alloy noise-reduction wheels with high-gloss finish and 235/45 R18 all-season tires*
I went back and carefully checked the web-site specs for the 2019 ES optional 18" wheel/tire package, and, as you correctly note, it does mention regular 45-series all-season tires.....not high-performance summer tires. Here's the web-site spec, copied directly:WHEELS AND TIRES, AVAILABLE
18-in split-10-spoke alloy wheels with Dark Silver and machined finish and 235/45 R18 all-season tires*; 18-in split-five-spoke alloy noise-reduction wheels with high-gloss finish and 235/45 R18 all-season tires*
Originally Posted by mmarshall
there was a small white placard stuck on the right-rear window advising that the tires on this case were considered performance tires, and that the tread would typically wear out in 20,000 or less. It's possible (though not likely) that this car had been retro-fitted with non-factory rubber. It's uncommon, sitting brand-new on a lot, but it does occasionally happen.
10-25-18, 08:42 PM
#50
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
10-25-18, 08:58 PM
#51
Lexus Fanatic
And certainly I meant "car" not "cat" lol
10-25-18, 10:28 PM
#52
Lexus Test Driver
A couple of minor design details I like about the new ES:
Slim headlights look sleek and sporty.
Slim taillights with horizontal lines are classy and also sleek. I couldn't think of a more agreeable design.
The sideview mirrors are straight off a Ferrari. Very sporty and advanced for a luxury sedan. The IS and GS needs these.
Large, sporty tailpipe tips are a nice addition. Can have an elegant and modern body, but throw in some subliminal sporty details like these and you are good to go.
Very impressed with the new ES. It checks a lot of boxes and offends very little. It seems to have bumped itself up into some "mild sport." Curious to see what direction the IS goes based on the ES's new position.
Slim headlights look sleek and sporty.
Slim taillights with horizontal lines are classy and also sleek. I couldn't think of a more agreeable design.
The sideview mirrors are straight off a Ferrari. Very sporty and advanced for a luxury sedan. The IS and GS needs these.
Large, sporty tailpipe tips are a nice addition. Can have an elegant and modern body, but throw in some subliminal sporty details like these and you are good to go.
Very impressed with the new ES. It checks a lot of boxes and offends very little. It seems to have bumped itself up into some "mild sport." Curious to see what direction the IS goes based on the ES's new position.
10-27-18, 08:18 PM
#53
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
10-27-18, 09:07 PM
#54
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Mmarshall, thanks for your review. About the ride quality, do you check the tire pressures before driving the car? Often times they're way off (typically way above specs) leading to poorer ride quality and noise than might be the case when properly set.
10-27-18, 09:30 PM
#55
Lexus Fanatic
10-28-18, 03:23 AM
#56
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Yes, I'm well aware that new vehicles typically come off the transporter-truck with 40 PSI or more (I've seen it as high as 50 PSI on some occasions, despite maximum-PSI warnings warnings printed on the side of the tire). That's done either at the factory or by the transport companies (I'm to sure which), to prevent soft tires, especially with low profiles, from bottoming out on the wheel-rims when the stiffly-sprung trucks and trains rock over bumps and impacts, and rims from being damaged. The PDI (Pre-Delivery-Inspection) people at the dealership are supposed to bleed the tires back down the recommended PSI-range, which, for most everyday vehicles, is in the 32-36 PSI range (cold)....the correct figure is usually on a drivers' door-jamb or glove-compartment sticker. Sometimes they do.....often, they don't (Hey, what do you expect from people for minimum wage?)
With conventional tires, I can (sometimes) tell if the PSI is too high simply by pressing on the side of the tire and sense-feeing how stiff it is...that doesn't always work with run-flats, which have a different type of sidewall. All new vehicles, by law, have to have PSI-monitors, but some manufacturers use El-Cheapo monitors that simply use a sensor to compare three or more of the wheel-rotation speeds and trigger a warning light if one or more of them is too high too low....low tires will generally roll at different speeds than with the correct PSI. That, of course, doesn't work when all four tires are down (or up) by the same amount. So, more and more automakers, these days, do it the right way, by installing individual PSI sensors on each wheel, which transmit a numerical PSI reading for each tire on the dash. It sometimes takes a mile or so, on the road, for the readouts to stabilize after a cold start, depending on a number of factors. And, to specifically answer your question, yes, I carry both a good pencil-type gauge and a dial-type gauge, in my brief-bag, to use if (or when) I feel I need to check the PSI manually myself....and I use them if there is any doubt.
It's amazing how many salespeople and managers at dealerships are unaware of this simple fact....and these are people who sell new vehicles every day for a living. Some of them simply don't believe that vehicles can routinely come off the truck 10 PSI or more over specs....until I prove it to them wth the gauge or PSI readout. One time, a General Manager came out see for himself, and, when I showed him my gauge, he turned red-faced and offered me a job there at the dealership, right on the spot. No, Thanks.....I'm retired, and am going to stay that way LOL.
Last edited by mmarshall; 10-28-18 at 03:35 AM.
10-28-18, 03:56 AM
#57
The pdi inspection included dropping the air pressure as previously mentioned. I was actually a salaried pdi mechanic for a year. Most cars came in at 45 lb. All I did was check the cars as they came off the transport trucks for damage then do the pdi on about 150 Volvo and Mazda’s a month. I was a newer tech previously but at the bottom of the food chain. Therefore to pay my rent I accepted the pdi position since it paid $1600 a month with full benefits. This was way more than I was making before flat rating as a tech. This was In 1979. Here’s what happens all the time. Salesmen want to deliver a car that has not had the pdi yet so they can get paid on the sale. They get the car and take off the plastic on the seats or whatever and run the car through the car wash and just deliver it. 45 lbs in the tires etc. Happens all the time. Or the pdi tech or mechanic just forgets or doesn’t care. Fast forward 40 years later when I drove my new Jeep home after delivery it rode terrible and dangerous. It had 45 lb. in the tires. Some things don’t change.
Last edited by Kennyr44; 10-28-18 at 04:36 AM.
10-28-18, 05:49 PM
#58
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
The pdi inspection included dropping the air pressure as previously mentioned. I was actually a salaried pdi mechanic for a year. Most cars came in at 45 lb. All I did was check the cars as they came off the transport trucks for damage then do the pdi on about 150 Volvo and Mazda’s a month. I was a newer tech previously but at the bottom of the food chain. Therefore to pay my rent I accepted the pdi position since it paid $1600 a month with full benefits. This was way more than I was making before flat rating as a tech. This was In 1979. Here’s what happens all the time. Salesmen want to deliver a car that has not had the pdi yet so they can get paid on the sale. They get the car and take off the plastic on the seats or whatever and run the car through the car wash and just deliver it. 45 lbs in the tires etc. Happens all the time. Or the pdi tech or mechanic just forgets or doesn’t care. Fast forward 40 years later when I drove my new Jeep home after delivery it rode terrible and dangerous. It had 45 lb. in the tires. Some things don’t change.
Thanks for your input.
$1600 a month for a high-school-education-level wasn't bad money back in 1979.....but the industry is not the same today, and blue-collar jobs, in particular, just don't pay what they once did.
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