mmccutchin

The tires on my 1993 LS400 are Bridgestone 225 Turanza 60-16.

I'm not impressed. . .very rough riding tires (about 4-5K to go based on tread wear).

I'm looking for that silky smooth ride. . .gliding on air. . .not the stiff, gripping race car type feel.

Could Forum members recommend specific tires (make/model/SIZE/DIMENSIONS/etc.) based on my riding style?

BTW, I've been very happy with Michelin over the years. . .had them on my ES300. . .but the local tire guy told me the Yokoham DBS2 was the way to go for the silky smooth ride.

Thank you in advance!

mmccutchin

For a silky smooth ride w/the LS400. . .what's the best tire size. . .16". . .18". . .19"?

MadMax96

Stick with a 16" wheel/tire if you want a smooth ride. The larger your wheel, the smaller the sidewall is. The smaller the sidewall, the stiffer the ride will be.

With larger wheels/tires the ride itself won't really be unsmooth, but you will feel more of the road imperfections. The benefit of going to a larger wheel and tire (assuming the overall diameter of the tire stays consistant) is improved handling - oh yeah, and they look pimp too.

Another thing to consider is that the sportier tires generally don't last very long and are more $$ when it comes time to replace them.

Look at the extremes - cars like Ferraris & Porsches have tiny sidewalls - they handle very well at the expense of a harsh ride. Regular sedans generally have fatter sidewalls which will yield a smooth comfortable ride - but don't expect to be able to take a corner at 40mph and not be in full control.

Of course there are other things that contribute to a smoother or harder ride - like suspension and stuff.

I'm not saying to put 16" wheels on your new LS that came with 17 or 18s from the factory... but if your car has 16s on it now, stick with that if you're after a smooth ride.

If you find a tire on Tirerack.com, you can read comments on the tires from people who have purchased them....don't take the word from your tire guy. They'll tell you anything to make the sale.

damon

Why did you leave out 17"s? I think this size would be a very nice compromise.

I now have 18's on my 94LS & would never go back. Love the Kumho Ecsta SPT tire. Very quiet & absorbs road variations well for a 235/45/18.

Had another friend put them on his GS430 in a 17" & he thinks it is noticibly smoother than his oem Dunlops.

MadMax96

Not saying 17s are horrible - just saying if he has stock 16" wheels, there is no reason to go to anything larger if smoothness is what you're after.

Going up one inch on the wheel probably wouldn't make a big difference... especially in this car (it's not like you'd be running a 35 series tire on that size wheel). I just figured it out that a 245/50-17 is about the same overall height as a 225/60-16 and it's about a 1/2" difference in sidewall height.

The car I just got rid of had 225/50-17and it was a pretty stiff ride. It was a 2002 Maxima SE and I'm sure the suspension was partially to blame. But I tell ya - when I went over the curb on my driveway or even rough railroad tracks - it felt like the rim was in direct contact. WHAM!

To clarify - a 17" wheel/tire will most likely be smooth also - but a 16" will be smoother. If you want a little better handling also, going with a 17" would be ideal IMHO.

damon

Do yourself a favor & try the Daizen swaybar bushings. At $30.00 bucks they are a ridiculous bargain & will improve the performance of whatever size tire you choose.

mtsao

There are a few different 'Turanza' models--which one are you unhappy with?

I run the Turanza LS-V, which is classified by Tirerack as 'Grand Touring All-Season' (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/bridgestone/bridston.jsp), and I'm very pleased with both the comfort of the ride and the noise level. Specifically, I have 205/65/15. Cost me just under $600, including installation/balancing/road hazard at Firestone. Tirerack currently lists them at $118 each.

Then again, the only aggressive driving I do is straight line and only once in a while, so I can't really comment on the performance aspects of this tire.

Hope this helps.
Mike

mmccutchin

Local tire guy felt pretty strongly about Yokohama DBS2s. . .said they were the smoothest tires for an LS400. . .comments? I'm not familiar with the Yokohama brand.

mmccutchin

Forgot to add this: local tire dealer said the Michelin Symmetry wouldn't be a good fit for the LS400. . .Lexus recommends "V" (or better) rating with the LS models. . .the Symmetry only has a rating of "S". The Michelins that were recommended are: MXV4+ . . .quoted at $158/each.

The Yokohamas are rated "Z". . .and cost $140/each.

What experience have Forum readers had with the Michelin MXV4+ and/or the Yokohamas?

Also. . .sorry to ask. . .is alignment really necessary. . .especially for an LS400. . .when you add 4 new tires?

Local tire dealer charges $90 for alignment (claims he has the state-of-the-art equipment). . .our local Costco sells hundreds of tires and doesn't offer alignments. . .and this has yet to prevent customers from buying tires there!

Thank you in advance!

Suneet

I second the Turanza LS-V's. Good all-season tire. Fairly quiet.

vicpai

.....everything these tire dealers tell you. Although the LS 400 originally came with V rated tires, you do not need them unless you will be driving over 130 mph all the time!! "H" rated tires will do perfectly fine. I run MICHELIN ENERGY MXV4 Plus 97H, and they ride nice and smooth (on most surfaces) .....I'm not sure, but I'm told "V" rated tires have SLIGHTLY stiffer sidewalls, so the ride will be a tad bit stiffer than "H" rated tires.

FYI, the MXV4 Energy Plus tires come in "H" (97H) and "V" (97V) ratings. The V rated tires are about $20 to $25 more per tire, and you can find the "H" rated Energys online for about $120/each and BTW, when I had my tires installed here about 6 months back, America's Tire Co here in the Los Angeles area agreed to match that price and give a good discount on installation (I would've had to pay shipping with the online company anyways)

S-Lex-95

I have YOKO YK420 225-60-16s 97H on my 1995 LS400. The ride is great. Little highway driving but very good when we do travel, even in the rain. However this is the second set, and both have needed to be replaced after 2 years ( or 22000 miles). This seems way too few miles on a 420 treadwear tire. So while they ride well I can not recommend them unless you like buying new tires every 2 years. What tires can anyone recommend that do not need to be replaced so often? The LS400 is a heavy car and my choice of tires has not worked out so far. With minimal high speed highway miles it does not seem like I need V rated. What has worked for you?

Thanks,

Steve R..
1995 Pearl While LS400
1998 Jade Green GS400