FatherTo1

Will do, markwhit. It will take 2 days for the Pirelli P7 Plus to arrive to the store. Hopefully I will have them installed by Friday or Saturday and will report back. The Pirellis are rated just as well as the Premier A/S on TireRack but the Pirellis are $50 less PER tire! After 20 years, it is hard for me to leave Michelin and try something else but I also don't want to follow Michelin blindly, especially since personal experience has shown that Michelin tires are not lasting us as long as they used to.

tallcaguy

Totally agree. The 17's are soft but the SS means handling is better. I plan to do the 18's when I can find the right tire. Something that gives me mostly freeway quiet but still stiff enough to handle well. The 6 year old unevenly worn Michelins are a must replace. Maybe the Premiers (still soft) or possible P7's. Also the 18's just look cooler

tallcaguy

My 04 (sports suspension) came w/ 18's and very worn MXV4s. Usually a superb tire but 6 years old and very uneven wear. Ride was jarring. Road noise comparable to my Honda Pilot w/ full mud & snows. However handling was impressive. Tight and responsive. I had an extra set of 17's w/ recent Premiers so installed as a test. Quiet, smooth and.....soft. Still have somewhat better handling but nothing close to the 18's. Game plan is to find a tire for the 18's that's a good blend of quiet and sporty.

Use the 18's w Premiers? Freeway quiet but don't feel so soft on the bigger wheels? Somewhat harsher ride but still have most of the Lexus comfort? Sure, hit a bump and it will be more noticeable. I've always used Michelins but want to research this. Goodyear Eagle is a high performance tire so noise and harsh ride aren't surprising. Local Goodyear dealer is suggesting "Assurance Comfort Tread Touring" which sounds too cushy. I'll wait to hear feedback on the Pirelli P7's.

FatherTo1

Thanks for sharing, tallcaguy. Any thoughts on road force balancing? Wondering if I should pay extra to have the P7 Plus road force balanced when they're installed.

I know you can't fight physics but I hate settling and compromising on things -- 17s ride better but you trade handling and looks, 18s look nice but ride stiffer, LS430 is arguably more reliable but not as modern as LS460, the LS460L is bigger outside but smaller inside (when sitting 3-across in the backseat), and LS460L has acres of legroom at the expense of a tiny trunk. Hope the next LS combines the comfort of the 400, reliability of 430, and amenities of 460.

Tom57

Always driven Michelins on my LS 400's and 430's too, but I'm now open to changing since I'm not "sold" on the Premiers. I may try the Pirelli Cinturato the next time an LS needs new shoes.

FatherTo1

Interesting that the P7 Plus doesn't seem to fare quite as well in the latest TireRack review (Aug 2016 vs June 2014). However, both reviews consistently praise its smooth and quiet ride. Will reserve judgement until I can experience the P7 Plus myself.

June 2014 (Premier A/S vs P7 Cinturato Plus):
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=188

Aug 2016:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=220

Bocatrip

Agreed. Also not familiar with those tires either which make a big difference with ride and road noise.

S1w99

For what it's worth, I felt my '02 was just a little too rough on small bumps, expansion lines etc. I was told to put on new Lower Control Arm bushings as they were likely worn out. Bought the parts and had them installed. Could not believe the difference. It gave me the big luxury sedan ride I was missing.

good luck!

FatherTo1

That is very interesting, S1w99. Hopefully I don't have any control arms or bushings needing replacement yet.

So I just got back from having the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus tires installed AND road force balanced. Not sure if it was worth the road force balancing since it appears the tires/wheels had a runout of .007, .007, .008, and .018 across all four tires, meaning they really didn't need to do anything (max allowed is .024). At least I have peace of mind that the tires were balanced and ride-matched. The installer did point out one of my rims has a slight dent/bent and "hopped" a little while spinning on the machine. Will need to keep an eye on this.

Anyways, on to the important details. Only drove about 6 miles home on the Pirellis and so far I do find them quieter than the Premier LTX on familiar roads. It is not a huge difference in noise but I do find the P7s dampen impacts over manhole covers better and any noise they make seems to blend into the background better and that may be why they appear quieter. Noise wasn't really a complaint with the Premier LTX, ride quality was the issue. The Premier LTX definitely rides better than the Michelin Pilot A/S 3+ and the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus provides additional cushioning and dampening over the Premier LTX. I finally understand when car magazines state "bumps are heard but not felt" in the LS. The P7+ gently absorbs bumps and I prefer the muted/muffled sound it produces. The P7 tire compound seems to do a better job of smothering road imperfections and expansion joints. There is a stretch of fairly new road near our home that the Premier LTX rides well on but you still feel tiny road undulations. On the same stretch of road the P7 makes the LS literally glide. It is a strange sensation at first, as if the LS left the runway and was no longer connected to the Earth. Those are just initial impressions and I look forward to putting more miles on the Pirelli P7+ this weekend. So far, initial impressions are that the P7+ provides a quieter and smoother ride than the Premier LTX -- all the more remarkable considering that the P7+ is 245/45/18 while the previous set of Premier LTX were 235/50/18 with supposedly "more sidewall".

Although I don't have any experience with the Premier A/S, I would find it hard to believe the Premier A/S can top the P7 Plus. Even if it could, the Premier A/S starts with less tread, is rated at 10,000 miles less tread life, and is still $50 per tire more expensive than the P7 Plus. I have been loyal to Michelin for two decades. Hopefully, Michelin acknowledges their competition and produces a more compelling product (performance- and price-wise). Until then, well-done Pirelli!

toyo

I was noticing that the ride on my 06 was not what it should be. It has the 18's on it with Toyo Versado tires. I have to say these tires have impressed me. I replaced the front struts about a month ago and all I can say is wow. Totally new ride now. I have the rear struts purchased but just have to find the time to get it down. It's more time consuming than the fronts...

warminwisc

Let me know what ya think of the wet traction on the P7' pluss. I drove em once in like a 3 day roll of storms, I was pretty much hydroplaning the whole way to work in a downpour and had a real splashy guttery sound as water spun up to hit the felt liners. I mean the road was slick though, the two worn tire grooves in the orad where filled. I would like to see a storm pattern like this again and take out my Highlander with new the Pirelli Scorpion A/S plus and see how those tires compare(totally different tread pattern).They are I think 245, 17's so close. Maybe I am biased though as I see the reports on poor wet traction. Otherwise these bad boys steer and handle close to my Pilots which I agree wore like poop and Michelin may be getting competition as manufacturing techniques make tries across the board better.

FatherTo1

Good point,warminwisc. I am curious about the wet traction too. We should be getting our first rain in a few weeks by early October. I'll report back how the P7+ handles in the wet.

FatherTo1

toyo, I don't know much about suspensions. What are tell-tale signs that struts, control arms, or bushings are bad? When do such parts usually wear out? Our LS has 56k miles.

Our family has had a dozen Toyota/Lexus vehicles over the years and I have never replaced suspension pieces. My Dad has replaced steering boots on a few Hondas but I don't think we've ever changed out springs, shocks, or struts (other than to lower an Integra when I was young and in high school). I don't really know how to recognize or diagnosis a suspension problem unless it was simple alignment issues.

Maybe our previous Sienna needed struts replaced but I wouldn't know it based on the ride. Heck, Toyota even replaced a leaky rear strut on the minivan under warranty but if they hadn't mentioned it I wouldn't have noticed any issues. For the record I did feel the Sienna rode very stiff on the OEM 17s. Tried a variety of tires and it did ride better with Michelin Defenders and later Primacy. It just never seemed to ride as well as the Siennas used as shuttle service at the dealership. The noise and lack of ride quality was a huge reason why we started looking into an LS. That and the fact the 2007 2nd-gen Sienna cannot get 8-seats with leather. The 7-seat arrangement meant my Mom was banished to the 3rd row on outings and she couldn't interact with her granddaughter. Although I miss some of the cargo space of the Sienna, in reality the LS serves our family of three better and is more comfortable during trips with five people. In the four years we had the Sienna we only used it once to carry 7 people.