Rhambler

My car came with those dreaded Michelin Pilot MXM4 Grand Touring Tires. The same OEM tires fitted to my Acura RL.

I honestly hated those tires on my Acura, although the jury is still out on my Lexus as I frankly have only owned it a few days. They didn't last very long, got extremely noisy after some wear and wet traction, at least in my opinion, was abysmal, even though they are "all season" and my Acura was AWD.

I ended up putting Pirelli P7 Plus All Season's just before I traded in my car (kind of wish I left my old tires on) and they were way, way, way better than any of the Michelin's I've owned (had Michilin Pilot Sport+ after I junked those MXM4s).

What was curious to me, though, was that I was just browsing local inventory and I came across this LS and noticed the tires were Bridgestone Turanzas!

http://www.lexusofroseville.com/Vehi...-CA/2666083343

Just seems strange that there are two different brands of tires on brand new cars? What is the "official" Lexus LS 460 OEM tire? Michelins or Bridgestones? I would have personally preferred the Bridgestones.

Anyone know why there are two different OEM tires on seemingly the same car?

sdwtchlvr

iTrader: (1)

its not that uncommon. I know when I bought my RX350 it had the Dunlops but other RX350s on the lot had the Michelins. I preferred Michelins so I had them swap the Dunlops out. If you go to tirerack and search by vehicle, you can view all of the OE tires.

caha14

Manufacturers do not typically like to be tied to a single vendor for commodities such as tires. This gives them bargaining power and also mitigates risk from disruption in their supply line. Thus, most Lexus models are bound to show up with a couple different tire brands/models (e.g., my first Lexus, a 2004 GX470 could come with Michelin Cross Terrains, Bridgestone Duelers or Dunlop Grandtreks).

Now, to your point, not all tires are created equal. In my GX example, the Michelins were excellent, and the other two were garbage. In your case, as bad as those specific Michelins might be, I assure you that the Bridgestone Turanzas would not be your preference for long were you to try them. IMHO, on the LS in particular, Michelin (albeit a different model tire) is at the top of the list.

Rhambler

Thanks, didn't know that. I always presumed they just did one tire. That's good to know.

I have nothing against Michelins, just that those grand touring MXM4 are really crappy IMO.

The Pirelli P7+ are awesome. I got a full set about a year before I traded it in. Super, super quiet, and great traction. It really was like night and day versus the pilot sports I had on previously and loads better than those grand tourers.

I plan on getting those once I wear these out.

greg3852

Most LS's came with the Bridgestones which are a really crappy tire. My spare tire however is a Dunlop that has never been used so there is that.

I and several others have put the Pirelli's on and love them.

SW17LS

They come with a couple of different tires. The Bridgestones are TERRIBLE, I just replaced them with Pirelli P7 Plus and the difference is huge.

Does it come with the PILOT MXM4 or the PRIMACY MXM4? The Primacy is a pretty good tire.

Rhambler

Yeah, unfortunately it's the Pilot HX MXM4.

Yeah those P7 all season plus are awesome! Well awesome if you like dead quiet tires, which I do. They made my somewhat quiet Acura into a library. I loved them. Very smooth.

SW17LS

Honestly? I'd bite the bullet and put them on your 460 too. It made a huge difference in mine.

Rhambler

Yeah, that's probably too much for my wallet's common sense to junk four/five brand new tires. My wallet would never forgive me lol. As crappy as these tires are, I can probably live with them for the time being, with my eyes set squarely on those Pirellis!

Soon!

SW17LS

You might be able to find somebody to take them on trade...

I held out for 8,500 miles, but I should have just done stat the get go.

sdwtchlvr

iTrader: (1)

I thought the Michelin Primacy MXM4 were the pinnacle of comfort and quiet for this car. What Pirelli P7 are you guys referring to? I don't see it on discount tire.com but I see several other Pirelli tires.

SW17LS

Thats the Primacy, the Pilot HX MXM4 is a different tire.

Even that Primacy, while okay, isn't the pinnacle. The Pirelli P7 Cinturato All Season Plus. Discount Tire never has them, but check tire rack, etc. Multiple threads on here too.

caha14

Cinturato P7 All-Season Plus, which I am admittedly becoming increasingly intrigued by despite my pathological obsession with single-digit road force numbers that I've become spoiled by with most Michelin tires.

You are right about the Michelin Primacy MXM4 - phenomenal tires. I just got back from a 50-mile drive on my set . But, when it's time to replace my lousy Falken summer set (which I did NOT pick), the opportunity set shall expand.

SW17LS

I had the Primacy MXM4 OEM on my GS, and replaced them with Toyo Versado Noir and preferred the Toyos.

The Primacy MXM4 is a very competent tire, but I wouldn't call them "phenomenal" by any means. The Toyos rode better and were quieter.

The Pirellis I didn't have on the GS so a comparison wouldn't really be fair, but I would say based on surveys and first hand accounts I've read, as well as the advice of TireRack and TreadDepot, I would venture to say the Pirellis ride better and are quieter. They are also significantly cheaper.

I did a LOT of research, and I'm pretty confident that these Pirellis are the smoothest, quietest tire available in the LS' sizes

caha14

I call them "phenomenal" strictly on a relative basis in comparison to other tires I had on the LS460L and other cars. Obviously, I haven't yet tried the Pirellis, though I like what I read.

On the Toyos, I can't comment but wonder how long you had them. Basically, I have found the ride with certain tires to deteriorate faster than others (in terms of noise, etc.) when they hit 10k miles and above (e.g., in a different setting, the OE Dunlops on the LX). I am not suggesting the Toyos did (or would) go to crap but don't know, and this is one area where Michelins have served me very well historically.

Lastly, on the research point, I must admit I have - over time - become increasingly skeptical of ratings and reviews on places like Tirerack. Beyond the huge degree of apples-to-oranges comparisons going on, which we can - to an extent - account for, in many cases over a decade, my experience with certain tires has been quite at odds with the reviews. So, at this point, while I do still look on TR, I much prefer to read directly about experiences that folks have on here. I do want to check out TreadDepot as I have never looked there.

Bottom line, I hope you are right about the Pirellis and am curious to hear more about your and others' experience with it as more miles are logged on them.