Grigsbyt1

Hey guys I have just the stock tires on my 22 IS500 f sport performance. I’ve noticed the outer edge on just the front two wheels is wearing down rather fast compared to the center tread. Is this a manufacturers issue, or is it due to the sports suspension? I know this car has a little more muscle than what I’ve had in the past with the IS350, so maybe it’s just not something I’m use to. I just figured I would get a little more than 9k miles before this kind of wear down. At this rate I’ll probably have to replace them by 10-12k miles I do drive it fun but not crazy hard, and it’s never been on a track.

wthrman2

^^ There has been many threads about the front tire inner wear - It is associated with soft LCA bushings and why many (myself included) install stiffer bushings (RC F, FIGS, RR Racing) - I suggest you do a quick glance on the various threads with this situation. Not just the 500, the 350 has that issue too.

Now yours is a bit different because it's the outerwear so that is not usually related to the LCA so I am curious if this is an alignment issue. I had my 500 delivered with a poor alignment and that can be the result of things getting out of whack as it is being shipped.

Grigsbyt1

I took it into the shop for a door ding I wanted to get repaired anyways, and asked them about it. Their reasoning was that’s just how the IS500 suspension is built. Outer edge wear is going to be more common so it can grip better on those hard turns at higher speeds. In theory makes sense but once again I should be getting more than 9k miles in my opinion before it gets to this level of wear down.

macmaster

Mine has outer wear too, but whoever told you it’s to grip corners better is completely wrong. Negative camber, which puts wear on the inner tire, is how grip is achieved in fast corners.

my guess is the tires are under inflated. You’re probably at some weaksauce pressure like 32-35 PSI. Pump those suckers up a bit to 38-40 and you’ll get more road contact with the center tread. Youll also get better mpg.

wthrman2

^^ No offense but they are feeding you baloney - No car is designed to prematurely wear tires (inner or outer) - The inner tire wear is a weakness in the design by using LCA bushings that are too soft - Tome, if you have premature outerwear, that is likely a bad alignment. Like I said, mine was off right out of the gate and I have several Lexus products and all of them needed an alignment from the start. I won't even leave the dealer now without having them do an alignment check because I know it is always off. Even the wife's Corolla was off when we bought it - I guess the way they tie the vehicle down when they ship/transport them is really bad on an alignment.

macmaster

Yeah it’s probably the toe

Grigsbyt1

ya I figured they were feeding me BS. I do have them at 36PSI which is what is required per the manufacturer. I suppose I can go up 2 more PSI lol

Grigsbyt1

Ya I knew it was BS. I’m gonna wait until I get the call saying my car is ready and I was gonna challenge them more to do a realignment.

wthrman2

^^ the problem with tires is that once the wear has started and is somewhat advanced, doing an alignment won't fix the tires - so depending on how bad they are, you may have to accept that you will just need to replace them a bit sooner and then make sure you get an alignment done.

Grigsbyt1

makes compete sense. Thanks for that advice.

macmaster

You don’t need to replace them until your center tread wears down, assuming toe is aligned and you have a slight negative camber.

Outer wear is really the best kind of wear you can have.

AmbyBomb

Camber alone rarely explains tire wear. Toe is the real tire killer.

LA20671

Alignment should be covered under your warranty. At my dealer, wheel alignment and balancing are covered for 12 months or 20,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

wthrman2

^^ exactly, that is what they did for me

Grigsbyt1

unfortunately I’ve had it for 16 months lol