I have about 3000 miles on my 2003 SC now and have noticed that the ride seems to have gotten much smoother over the last few hundred miles. I have the Bridgestone runflats. I thought maybe the tires were losing air but I have chcked them and they still hold the recommended 32-33 psi. Of course, maybe I've just gotten so used to the ride that it just seems better but I've had several one-time passengers remark on the "smooth ride." Anyone else notice this?

 

nope... i noticed it got worse instead of better... but I'm on conventional tires now... go figure

 

Yes they do, that is once you had enough and removed them for a set of Michelin Pilot Sports!

Me thinks you're getting used to them. Once you change to the Michelin PS, you'll wwonder why you waited so long! Much better handling and quite ride. No bone-jarring ride over a manhole cover!

Regards,
Deanski

 

thats because most tires have worst ride and performance when they are band new than when they got some miles on.

I have Bridgestone RFT, the ride will get worst after you have more than 10000 miles...

 

My year long research and wait is over. Yesterday the dealership called to let me know all the parts for my conversion to conventional tires were in. I raced in and got it done by 6pm. I now have Michelin Pilot A/S as well as a donut spare. Tire for the spare took the most time to arrive. They mounted the spare for me, but I will be doing all the trim work (I did not buy the Lexus tire cover, mats, etc. I will modify the original pieces).

I noticed the difference even before i had made it off the dealer's property. These wheels feel round while the run flats always felt square. Up on the highway, it was even more pronounced. The pavement joints, potholes, and irregularities almost dissapeared. It was like having a new car.

As to the run flats getting better with time - In my own case as I contemplated the potential cost of $2,000 to make the change, my mind started thinking that perhaps the run flats would be okay for another 10,000 miles (I had 9,000 on them). I tired to coinvince myself that they really were not that bad.

I now concur with the previous posts on this subject - once you change over to conventional tires you will wonder why you waited so long. The difference is MASSIVE!!. It is not just a little tweak, it is like a whole new car. Also, as reported in previous posts, my annoying little vibrations, squeeks, rattles, etc from various areas inside the car are gone. I now have the car I wanted.

As we left the dealership my wife asked what was going to happen to the old run flats. I don't care.

 

Thanks, Beachdrive. My sentiments exactly. The Michelin Pilot Sports make me feel like I'm driving a Lexus. The runflats made me feel like I was driving a Flintstones car. I kept looking for the foot holes in the floorboard!

 

js45,

I agree with you. I have 18k miles on my original Bridgestone RFs, and after a few K miles, I thought the ride improved some. Maybe I just got used to the ride (and I did hear from passengers about how smooth it was), but I believed it.

However, I've found that now they're noisier.
And I'm sure I'll be the next parrot to say I should have changed them several K ago.
I'm not looking forward to that -- I'd like to think I suffered for a good reason.

I do want better handling -- the steering is too sloppy for me.
I'm also thinking about new sway bar bushings, too.
Cheaper than new bars -- who knows, it may be enough & save me $500 + installation.

 

Antigeek, let me know if you find a solution to the soft steering. The non-runflats do improve the handling because the car isn't as apt to follow road imperfections, but the steering could still use some tightening up.

 

Will do.

When I had my '93 SC400, the previous owner had Dunlop Sport 8000s on it. When they wore out, I thought I'd see what the Eagle GS-Ds would be like.

Ick -- they took all the crispness out of the steering. With the Sport 8000s, I could turn the wheel just a little and get a definitive reaction from the car. That's what I'd like to have again.

I'm guessing that new tires (I'm leaning toward the Potenza S-03 PPs right now) will help, but stiffer sway bar bushings (at only $29.99) may take some of the roll out of the body and indirectly improve steering.
(Obviously, I'm not a mod nut -- just looking for a new level of satisfaction.)