Why do Lexus still have Bridgestone Potenza's on their IS models ?
#16
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#20
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I went to one dealership to look at the 2011 is350, it had dunlop tires on it. I ended up at a different dealer to buy my car. It came with Bridgestone tires. I'll just wait till they run down a bit, then will put on the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric's. Perfect tire. I have a spare, so I don't need run flats. Plus I work for Goodyear, so price is good.
#21
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Every tire company out there makes different ranges of tires. There are high-performance Bridgestones (Potenza RE11, S-04, etc.) and lower-performance Bridgestones (Insignia, Potenza RE960A/S). Same goes for every other company. I've seen people have a bad set of Dunlops and swear off the company forever, not realizing they also make one of the best-performing performance summer tires as well (Direzza Z1 Star Spec).
My 2009 Corolla XRS came with Bridgestone Turanza EL400's, they were not that great. I mean they handled okay in the dry, but in snow were useless, and had quite a bit of road noise. My 2011 IS250 came with Bridgestone Potenza RE92's, and I've actually been pleasantly surprised with them. I mean they're no summer tire (I am thinking about replacing them with Potenza S-04's, Michelin PS2's, or Dunlop Z1's for the summer), but they have quite a bit more grip than I expected of an all season. They're a bit noisier, but that's the tradeoff.
There's no perfect tire for everyone. Everyone out there has different expectations of their tire. Some want long lasting, some want quiet, some want wet performance, some want dry performance. Some need tires that will work all year, some want summer-only performance.
I don't mind the car coming the Potenza RE92's at all. The road noise is low enough that it's more than bearable. The tires handle okay in the dry, and can handle snow pretty well too (unexpected snowfall is a regular occurance here, haha). I still think I want a performance summer tire, but I also think these tires may be exactly what someone else is looking for. Clearly Lexus thought they would be.
TL;DR Can't please everyone.
Jeff
My 2009 Corolla XRS came with Bridgestone Turanza EL400's, they were not that great. I mean they handled okay in the dry, but in snow were useless, and had quite a bit of road noise. My 2011 IS250 came with Bridgestone Potenza RE92's, and I've actually been pleasantly surprised with them. I mean they're no summer tire (I am thinking about replacing them with Potenza S-04's, Michelin PS2's, or Dunlop Z1's for the summer), but they have quite a bit more grip than I expected of an all season. They're a bit noisier, but that's the tradeoff.
There's no perfect tire for everyone. Everyone out there has different expectations of their tire. Some want long lasting, some want quiet, some want wet performance, some want dry performance. Some need tires that will work all year, some want summer-only performance.
I don't mind the car coming the Potenza RE92's at all. The road noise is low enough that it's more than bearable. The tires handle okay in the dry, and can handle snow pretty well too (unexpected snowfall is a regular occurance here, haha). I still think I want a performance summer tire, but I also think these tires may be exactly what someone else is looking for. Clearly Lexus thought they would be.
TL;DR Can't please everyone.
Jeff
#22
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My Scion tC came with RE92s. They were the worst OEM tires I've ever driven in the rain. OK in the dry, but scary in the wet.
Potenza describes a pretty broad range of Bridgestone tires and some are better than others. I've had Dunlops on a few cars and the models I've had all wore out very quickly compared to the competition. Their price made them attractive, so the short life wasn't all bad, but I've not had any Dunlop car tires last very long at all.
Potenza describes a pretty broad range of Bridgestone tires and some are better than others. I've had Dunlops on a few cars and the models I've had all wore out very quickly compared to the competition. Their price made them attractive, so the short life wasn't all bad, but I've not had any Dunlop car tires last very long at all.
#23
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I haven't had a chance to use them in the rain yet much, I don't expect a lot.
I'm going to seriously look into the new Potenza S-04's. I loved my S-03's on the Supra, they were fantastic in the wet. Unfortunately with them being so new there's not a lot of reviews/feedback on them yet, so I'll make do with the RE92's until I can get some end-user feedback on the S-04's.
Jeff
I'm going to seriously look into the new Potenza S-04's. I loved my S-03's on the Supra, they were fantastic in the wet. Unfortunately with them being so new there's not a lot of reviews/feedback on them yet, so I'll make do with the RE92's until I can get some end-user feedback on the S-04's.
Jeff
#24
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Isn't anyone surprised by the fact that, no matter what the tires , it should still be quiet inside the IS.
The Lexus LS has the same Bridgestone Potenza's, but you can never hear them while driving above 100 Kmph.
Is it because Lexus did some cost cutting on the IS, that we hear such noises inside the IS ?? The dealer tells me that the sound insulation materials used in the IS models are much less compared to their other stable mates. Why so ? We are still paying a premium for their brand name right ?
The Lexus LS has the same Bridgestone Potenza's, but you can never hear them while driving above 100 Kmph.
Is it because Lexus did some cost cutting on the IS, that we hear such noises inside the IS ?? The dealer tells me that the sound insulation materials used in the IS models are much less compared to their other stable mates. Why so ? We are still paying a premium for their brand name right ?
#25
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It varies from regions to regions depending on the climate. Maybe in your region , Potenza's would make more sense. you should really try talking to other owners about what tires they are using on their IS.
#27
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I guess they should at least give the fsport intake box as standard so some engine noise is heard
#29
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Just to keep you guys updated. The Bridgestone Potenza's RE 050 I have are not making much noises now. Sorry for complaining first guys. When I test drove the car initially there were noises but I think maybe that was because the car was in the showroom for a long time unmoved and maybe a different set of Potenza's.