I took advantage of this yesterday and picked up a set for $703 out the door here in Wisconsin. Costco gave me an extended warranty with these tires that's good for 60 months or when the tire reaches 2/32" tread depth for no additional charge. I could have picked up the V rated tires (assuming they had then in stock) for an additional $30 but I'd bet that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two in a true blind test scenario.

As far as road hazard warranties, I'll take them if they are offered for free with the tires but I won't pay for them. Knock on wood but the only thing that I have ever had to deal with is the occasional flat tire. If you live in areas where the roads suck then it becomes a different matter and it's probably worth the purchase...

 

I find the roads getting more strewn with garbage as car volume goes up even here in Wisco.. Last 4 sets of tires I ruined a Primacy and Pilot or road debris do 2 out of 4 no road hazard. This last set one came with em on tirerack.

 

Oh boy......here we go again.....all the same players too. Yikes. Well its never too late for a fresh look at the best tires for our car. Maybe this new thread will introduce some different tires we have never thought of before. For those who dont know, I started the notorious thread regarding P7s for my 04 LS430.......That thread went on forever......there were some heated moments between the Michelin crew and the Pirelli crew. At times the reason for the thread was even lost.......looking to find the best tire for our cars. In the end.....and no hard feelings but Bob04 is a Michelin lover that seems to love bashing Pirelli even after finally giving in and installing them on his car. I would love to know what kind of driving maneuvers are needed to make the P7s scary in the rain. It is true that the test cars for Tire Rack doing evasive maneuvers scored the P7s lower then the Michelin. But what is also very true is that if you use the same website...Tire Rack.....read every review on any car u can find regarding the P7+ ( make sure its the plus u read about ) and u will have a very hard time finding a negative review about the tire. Now do the same search on Michelin....any Michelin just to be fair.......pick any 100 reviews and tell me how many not so favorable experiences you read about the Michelins.
To be clear.....I have always favored Michelins and would still be proud to have them on any car I buy. They are clearly the cream of the crop........It just so happens that Pirelli scored with the P7+ ....the tire is great on our car....Now if for some reason you drive your 13yr old tank like a drifter in the rain then buy the Michelins. But most people I know drive a bit more cautious in the rain and save the drifting for the track.

 

I could not have said it better myself. Spoken like a true poet!!!!

 

To be honest, this is the first set of Michelins I've bought, EVER. lol. I did buy P7's for my sons Mustang and they ride well.

 

Ha.....well I dont want to start anything here....just couldnt let those comments go without some clarification.

Michelins great tire..........Pirelli P7+ great tire.........buy which ever tire floats your 430.

 

Trado....I would say $1300 well spent. Hard to go wrong with a fresh set of Michelins. Ya they got u for a few extra bucks....but sometimes u just gotta get it done. As far as the Mustang....Just tell the boy to use common sense in wet weather. Any light powerful rear wheel drive car can get squirly......usually on purpose with Mustangs As long as he has the info in the back of his head that should make him think before getting too nutty.

 

The Mustang is a 5 speed V6 so not too squirly.

 

Ok then no worries there.....the P7s should be a nice fit for that car. I guess for the Stang u may have gone with the V rated for better handling. As I recall the V rated was the tire with the very high ratings via Consumer Reports. I bought the H rated for my LS....I just wanted comfort...smooth....and quiet. Its been a couple of years now and my P7s have been great. I dont drive my LS very often, its mostly a weekend car. Thats another great feature of the P7s.....no flat spotting even after sitting for a couple of weeks.

 

Just got off the phone with Costco. The price for the V rated 225/55/17 Michelin Premier's out the door is $715. They don't have them in stock so I need to come in and pay for them in full. Now the decision...P7+ for $675 at Pep Boys or the Premier's at Costco for $715. Free rotation and balance on the Premier's...Need to decide before the end of the day. Hmmmm.

 

Ouch!!! They made it tough on you. See if there are any reviews on Tire Rack for our car specifically on the Premiers. You have to go in and check the right boxes for them to scan for Lexus LS430 ....Michelin Premiers...blah blah blah........Maybe u can get some last second real world feedback there. Honestly....you cant go wrong either way.....but u will always wonder in the back of your head about the tire u didnt pick.
Wont hurt my feelings if u go Michelin....... .

 

Read this link
https://www.tirerack.com/survey/Surv...=Premier+A%2FS

Now it is important to me that I dont come off as favoring one tire or the other.....but I realize I sound like a Pirelli spokesmen. Ultimately I am just trying to help u find the tire that best suits your needs.
If you read that thread of reviews in just a very small sample size of Lexus customers on the Michelins the reviews are all over the place. There is one review from an LS430 owner that is worth reading as it is our exact car. Some say the tire is the best thing since sliced bread.....others not so much. My conclusion after my long tire thread was that the older version the MXV4 was the best thing since sliced bread.......
Good luck....report back either way.....

 

A good reason to have 17" instead of 18". That price is almost 1/2 of what I paid.

 

Again, probably the Premiers are the best tire, and they are very appropriate given the qualities of the LS430.

Me, I wouldn't even consider the three stooges (they are all over this area I think we are the headquarters, always telling me they won't accept my used motor oil and when they failed to install my wife's vent tube for her battery, the guy says you don't need it, besides, we haven't got that part). Costco, on the other hand, no complaints and you're going to have a lot of road hazard worry gone if you choose them. I hate to say it but online has a hard time competing, plus Navy is doing 3% cash rebate on Costco right now (unfortunately no 5% like last year when my wife got the Premiers). Just my .02. My mom had to order her Bridgestones as well, came the next day. My wife's Premiers were drop shipped from Michelin in IL as they were 19's, they actually got lost 2X, so they FedEx'd the 3rd time (very odd)....

$40 more at Costco FTW

 

JPV, I've already done exactly what you mentioned. I compared all the LS430 owners on tire rack for each tire. There were not many LS430 owners but enough to make somewhat of a comparison. For the Premier, a 2002 LS owner loved the tire except for one thing. He hated how much noise there was on certain services. Also, (this was my concern) it didn't start with very much tread depth and at 15,000 miles he was between 4-6 32nds which turned him off. For the P7+ there were mixed reviews. Every owner raved about how quiet they are which is my main concern. Also most mentioned they handled quite well. I'd say 50% thought it was great on wet surfaces while the other half didn't like the wet handling. Here is Florida there is a ton of rain, but when I get caught in a down pour I slow down to a snail's pace and never accelerate hard. Yes, there is always the concern of the emergency stopping in rain. Right now I'm still leaning towards the P7+ for the super quiet ride which is why I purchased my LS to begin with. I'll post back when the Jury is in.