I'm pretty sure these are 18" wheels

 

Here is a pic of my ES 350 UL with the 18 inch tires...

They are lower profile and they do generate a little more noise and feel on rougher highway roads. Could be wrong, but feel that's a result of the individual tires. I have the Bridgestone tires and they suck. Michelin's are the only thing you should ever ride on.

As far as low profile, you can get a more standard tire in an 18" size. I will probably put Michelin Primacy's on it next and they will run for 60k miles - in 17 or 18 inch.

 

I'm extremely jealous. That's a beautiful car.

 

First one I've seen with side moldings and they don't look bad at all.

 

Here's a side shot of my 2013 ES350 with the 18" wheels. The tires are Michelin 225/45-18 Primacy MXM4. My former 2007 ES350 had a size larger tire, with a bit softer ride. When the current tires need replacement, I plan to install 225/50-18 and hope for a slight improvement. Otherwise, this is a sweet car. I even enjoy the "mouse like" selector device for the navigation screen.

 

d r o o l , d r o o l , d r o o l .

 

Thanks. I had the body side moldings added to protect the doors, but really like them and have had quite a few compliments from ES owners saying they give the side of the car a better look. Even my service advisor really liked them when she saw my new car in the service bay.

 

I have the Bridgestone EL400's on my 18 inches and they are horrible. Noisy and not smooth. I'm working with the dealer to swap out to the Michelin's.. I'm hoping they will be better. Michelin's are a little thicker and softer even at the same specs.

 

215/55R17's will feel rather hard riding, with abrupt and snappy ride motions on anything but smooth or nearly smooth pavement. The 225/45R18's will feel even harder and will be more fatiguing on long trips.

Many of us older generation folks have no interest in driving a sporty handling car and so we are dissappointed Lexus no longer builds any models that can deliver a riding on a cloud-like smooth and isolated ride like the ES300 / ES250 models the company made 20 years ago. There's more hard plastic and thinner carpeting in the newer model year ES's as well which detracts from the plush and isolated driving experience we expect from a Lexus.

 

I don't think you'll find the Michelins horrible ... but they won't be perfect either. I find that the absorb road imperfections very well at at low speeds on city streets. On the highway, they're a little noisy ... but certainly not horrible. Any way, we just came back yesterday from a 6-hour drive, and I can assure you that the trip was very enjoyable ... and no fatigue!

 

I had posted on another topic that I felt that my 2010 Buick LaCrosse rode a little quieter than the ES 350. I had the low profile tires on that car too, and the ride at highway speeds was still deathly quiet and very smooth.

I did have several problems with the car though, and I have no doubt that the Lexus has a better build quality.

 

My 2010 ES rides great on the 215/55R17 on all types of pavement. This is my second ES, the first one was a 2003 on 16s and I still drive that car from time to time as its in the family, and my 2010 rides just as good, just a little crisper and not as wallowy (although the 03 has 165k miles on it, so the wallowyness is likely due to age). I've driven every generation ES from one time to another, I've also had a lot of experience with the LS since my father had two. I think the smoothness of the ride, quietness of the interior, and solidity of the drive quality (which has always been a big difference between the ES and LS, but that has narrowed over time) has improved with every ES generation.

The 2013s I've driven with the 17s ride just as good as my 2010

I haven't driven one on the 18s, but if I were to get a UL 2013, I'd trade down to the 17s.

This I do agree with unfortunately, there is a lot more hard plastic with each passing generation. Carpet thickness on the 2013 is about the same as on my 2010, but it was a downgrade from the carpeting quality in my 2003. Its the #1 thing keeping me out of a 2013 right now. Visually the interior has improved each generation, from the dowdy plain interiors of the Gen 1, 2 & 3...except perhaps from 2006-2007...but the physical quality of the materials has diminished I agree.

 

@SW10ES (Steve) you were right. it was the 18" wheels - I'm assuming. Today I went and drove two ES350's with 17" wheels. One had Bridgestone's and one had Michelin's. Result - both cars with the 17's rode better then my new 2013 with the 18" wheels. The Michelin's in the end rode significantly better. My sales person could even tell the difference. I'm literally shocked that the 18 could be THAT different. I'm wondering if they also did something different suspension wise to the Ultra Luxury version, but my sales lady swears that have not. She says the only difference is the goodies you get on the UL. If that's the case, then yes, the difference between 17 and 18" wheels is significant. Working with Lexus now to figure out what to do. Think they may swap tires to see if I like the ride better and am satisfied with the different ride and better handling. otherwise, we may be looking at going down to 17's. that would suck a little as the 18's look a lot better, and I've already paid for them. I'm really hoping Lexus customer service comes through for me here.

 

I don't think it's the suspension, I think it has to do with the tire geometry. I also tried both and although I agree that the 18s are bit noisier and the ride a little stiffer, I like the look much better with the 18s. I did a 500 kilometre trip last week-end...it was like floating on air, I don't regret a bit having the 18s.

 

What kind fo tires are you running on your 18's UncleBen?