BlackUltra

Well y'all I just received my new copy of Consumer Reports and it contains a rather thorough test criteria for All-season & winter tires. Could this info ultimately answer the "what's the best tire for my LS430” question that keeps popping up on this forum?

First of all, for those that do not want to read the whole post, CR plainly states, "Michelin sweeps, but you can get good rubber for less money". I can tell some folks on this forum feel that money buys quality and prestigious tires but some other folks know there are some good value tires out there also. It depends what you are looking for in a tire. Some on this forum are into handling and performance and others like me are into ride comfort and noise levels. Since I have Kumho's I was happy they scored 9 in those two areas and therefore beat the Michelin Primacy but I may have to watch out for hydroplaning.

Without further pontification on my part here are the facts, nothing but the facts so help me God.

How CR tests tires. “To evaluate all aspects of a tire, we put it through a number of objective and subjective tests in the most comprehensive tire-test program of any American magazine or Web site.

We test braking and lateral grip on dry and wet surfaces, handling in our emergency-avoidance maneuver, and hydroplaning resistance, which measures how well a tire maintains contact with the road in standing water. We rent a local skating rink to test braking on ice. We have outside labs evaluate tread life and rolling resistance. To ensure consistency, we buy each tire model in the same size and mount them on the same test cars.”

CR uses a rating system of Excellent (5), Very Good (4), Good (3), Fair (2) and Poor (1). The criteria is Price (P), Overall Score (OS), Dry Braking (DB), Wet Braking (WB), Handling (HD), Hydroplaning (HY), Snow Traction (ST), Ice Braking (IB), Ride Comfort (RC), Noise (N), Rolling Resistance (RR), Tread Life (TL).

Tire (H speed rating) Price OS DB WB HD HY ST IB RC N RR TL
Michelin Primacy MXV4 122 84 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 5 4
Falken Ziex ZE912 79 80 5 5 4 4 2 2 3 4 2 1
Nokian WR G2 160 80 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 4 2
Yokohama Avid H4s 86 78 5 5 4 5 1 2 3 3 2 2
Kumho Solus KH16 75 76 4 4 3 3 3 3 5 4 3 3
Continental ContiProContact 80 76 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 4 3
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S 116 76 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 3
Falken ZE512 75 74 4 5 5 5 2 2 3 3 3 1
Cooper CS4 Touring 89 72 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 2
General Altimax HP 78 70 3 4 4 5 3 2 3 4 3 2
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max 129 70 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 5 2
Pirelli P6 Four Seasons 107 68 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 4 2 1
Hankook Optimo H418 78 68 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 2
Fuzion Hri 64 64 4 4 4 4 2 3 3 2 1 2





Tire (V speed rating) Price OS DB WB HD HY ST IB RC N RR TL
Michelin

LS430inDE.

Wow. Incredible info..thanks for sharing. Unless I'm mistaken, even more incredible that you took the time and typed all the ratings by hand?!

Thank you!!!

BlackUltra

Thanks, yeah, the spacing was a bear.

The ratings chart shows that different tires have very different characteristics. No one tire has it all so tire choice should depend on how the car is driven and in what types of weather conditions.

I hear "tire noise" being an issue quite a lot and the chart should identify tires to stay away from because of their noise ratings. I was quite surprised that Kumho had the highest "comfort rating". Of course "tire wear" is also another factor but if someone doesn't put many miles on their car then it wouldn't matter as CR says automakers suggest changing tires every 6 years regardless of wear.

Hopefully this chart will help some Members get the right tire for their driving needs.

BlackUltra

Oops, left the v rating off. Anyone interested in those?

AlexusAnja

Why wasn't the Bridgeston Blizzak on there? Maybe because it's not "all season" but really more for winter. I have my regular ContiPro on 17" for good weather and winter I have the Blizzak on 16" wheels. I found the Blizzak to be good last year, although we didn't get much snow and I wouldn't drive my LS in snow anyway.

LS430inDE.

If you have the time, I'd love to see the results for the V rated tires.

Wondering why the Dunlop SP Sport 5000M wasn't on there? I believe it's OEM for a lot of the 430's?..at least on the optional 18" rims they are. Maybe they'll be in your next post..as they are V rated...

Last but not least, could you post what size those ratings were for on the H and your next V rating-posting?

Thanks a lot! (would scanning and making it an attachment violate copyright terms?)

ejthomp

Tire test are always so subjective. To be really valuable, I'd need to see tire tests performed on 2002-2006 Lexus 430s

CG lover

well let me tell ya my tire test of the Michel Primacy MXV4 on my 05 Ultra is just going fine,, LOVE em Love em,,

Derry

BlackUltra

That would be the ultimate test for sure.

StanVanDam

I've created an Excel file for the H tire ratings. Thanks to blackultra's hard work, this was very simple. This file allows you to sort by the various criteria and is easier to read. Hope it helps!

BlackUltra

Now why didn't I think of that. Can I add the V stuff to your xls file? How did you attach? Like a photo?

BlackUltra

FYI, all tests were done in size (P)215/60R16 on two Chevy Malibu test cars.

BlackUltra

Here is XLS file with both h and V ratings. Anyone want Winter tire ratings?

Oh, can't seem to attach file.

BlackUltra

OK here are the H and V rated tires.

redkingjoe

hey guys,
i am new to the tires...can someone please kindly tell me the difference between H and V?

how to pick?

thanks