Hey folks (I posted this in the tire forum too, but it seems quiet in there).

I was at the lexus dealer today and was told I need to replace my front tires (18" Bridgestone turanzas) due to excessive wear. what I am not sure about is their recommendation to just replace the fronts and leave the rears? I have no problem with this (saves me money). When I called tire rack for their thoughts they were against that idea(logical explanation).


what do you guys think?

Then onto the bigger question....

what to go with, summer or all seasons? I have blizzaks already for our WI winters already. I dont want to replace them for at least 25K either.

Thanks,
Brandon

 

They want to replace the fronts only cause you have staggered wheels, which means they're wider in the rear than the fronts. The 2nd gen IS's typically have negative camber on the fronts, which makes the inside of your tires wear like crazy.

 

Best to get a set of summer tires.

Make sure you have your alignment checked because incorrect alignments can make your tires wear out quick like the excessive inner wear.

For my car, I never had inner wear and mainly getting outerwear (cupping), which the IS is suppose to wear with the suspension setup of this vehicle.

 

Thanks guys. i am aware they are staggered but I was more curious about having a different brand/model front tire versus the rears, is this OK?

I am leaning towards summer tires since I on occasion like to explore its handling and always hated the feel of driving with blizzaks which I know are far worse than all seasons but nevertheless

Any thoughts on which tire?

 

Check your rear tread. In my experience (07 IS250 RWD) I went two sets of fronts for every set of rears. If your wear pattern is similar, than OEM fronts one more time, then swap all 4 when they are all worn down.

 

Hankook Ventus V12 Evo is usually the recommended summer performance bang/buck tire... the Continental DW is also a good one.

If money is no object then you want the Michelin Pilot Super Sport.

Don't get all seasons, compared to dedicated seasonal tires they suck, in all seasons.



As to the front/rear thing- typically you always want your best tires on the rear... primary for, well, I'll let tire rack explain-


Now, since you have staggered- that means replace all 4. I'd do this anyway because those stock Turanzas are crappy tires anyway.

Then go find a really good alignment shop, show them pictures you took of the old front tires in detail, and tell them to fix the toe.

Also start running higher tire pressures than factory- like 38/40 F/R

 

i believe my situation mirrors yours as well. Did you match your fronts with the rears(brand/style)?

 

Kurtz,
Thanks for the suggestions, those Hankooks look nice thus far!

What are the major drawbacks of just buying the fronts and leaving the Turanzas out back for a while?

As for the alignment, I am not sure what to do. The lexus dealer seems to think this is normal wear(the tires have about 27k on them). I would hate to spend money on an alignment when its unnecessary. They said the IS's wear the fronts like this often?

 

Lexus is a dealership, they do not specialize in alignments.

That being said, the suspension with the fronts, the tires would wear but if your alignment is set correctly you can last pretty well. Some have gotten 30K+ on the forums on the fronts.

Even getting the car new from the dealership, the car can already be out of alignment, even thou the car appears to drive fine. The cargo holding the car which is being held down, could of gotten banged, therefore shifting the geometry of the vehicle out. The factory supposedly had a perfect alignment at first.. it's what happeneds next on its jouney to the dealership which can bring it out.

I had my car aligned from new because of my suspicions and I was right when the report came out and told the tech how the car felt. It drove fine but it felt like it was lacking grip overall. After it was aligned, the car just sticks on the ground.

 

MIchelins

smooth quiet great tires....

 

Biggest drawback is the car is more likely to oversteer/hydroplane, as explained in the tirerack stuff I quoted.... and in general your front tires will have significantly more traction than your rear ones (which are the ones where the car is actually applying power)


27k is actually a lot more than most people get. Mine the inner edge on the fronts was down to torn metal at 17k. So your alignment might not be as bad as many from the factory.

If you can find a good alignment shop (ie not the dealer- but someone who actually knows what alignment is and how it works) they'll probably check it for you and let you know if they can do anything for you for tire life (mostly a toe adjustment if needed)

Otherwise try the higher inflation #s I suggested.

 

As long as treadwear is close enough you should be ok running different tires but I recommend changing all 4 that way you don't get any surprises handling wise, specially during wet situations.
I would look at Continental Contiextremecontact DW, great tire for the money

 

I am getting a set of 4 Michelin Super Sports for my 2008 IS350 on Wednesday. Toyota dealers - at least around here - are having a deal. Buy 3, get the 4th for a buck. That math means I'll be under 800 bucks. Seems to be a good deal. I am in the Minneapolis area so I also run the Blizzaks for half the year. The odo shows 36k, and nearly half are on the Blizzaks (maybe more). The fronts are nicely bald on the outer edges, while the rears have a couple 32nds to go. I wasn't interested in mixing tires, so instead I am giving the rears heavy doses of acceleration every chance I get - breaks my heart to have them go away with remaining tread .

My biggest debate came down to the Bridgestone 970 AS vs. Super Sports. Big plus for the 970 AS was the idea that I'd have a car with a hope of coming home after the first snow in the fall while still giving a fantastic ride (well, as far as the reviews go). Decided on the Super Sports because of the dealership deal and because my neighbors don't seem to mind pushing me up the road

Here's hoping for a nice ride experience with the Super Sports