Prost

The SP 5000 is so QUIET and SMOOTH. Handling is very good in my standard. There is only one bad thing--the tire seem to "track" the groove on the freeway more then the RE030. However, the other disadvantage is that since the tire is so quiet and smooth, I am driving something like 10 -15 mph higher and didn't notice the increase of speed until I read the speedo! Any other remarks?

Prost

The SP 5000 is so QUIET and SMOOTH. Handling is very good in my standard. There is only one bad thing--the tire seem to "track" the groove on the freeway more then the RE030. However, the other disadvantage is that since the tire is so quiet and smooth, I am driving something like 10 -15 mph higher and didn't notice the increase of speed until I read the speedo! Any other remarks?

Prost

Sorry about the double post!

0110101

nanotech: XGT Z4's are ALOT better than the stock. I bought mine for too much but don't regret the purchase. I was impressed with the difference. You can typically get them for $190 per tire on sale. I know Sears is having a Michelin sale right now. I still don't get that quietness like the LS though.

KenJack

Thanks again all for the feedback!

Does anybody know if there are some chart available (website or otherwise) that have the ratings for all of these tires? I mean, lets face it, we all may want different types of qualities in a tire depending on our desired usage. I mean a canyon demon is going to want a gripping tire while someone who has to put 150 miles a day on the freeway would probably prefer the quietest... It would be nice if something summarized the decibel (noise), wear, traction (dry and wet), etc. People in L.A. don't need to know much about snow tire - they want dry traction if you know what I mean.

analogue

I'll keep this short & sweet:

1. Dunlop SP 9000s are whisper *quiet*. Get some!
2. Lexus sucks for putting those crap stock 17"s on there purportedly to save a few bucks.
3. Lexus sucks for cutting corners on such a tangible/audible aspect of the whole "luxury" car experience.
4. As a member of Lexus' targeted high earner demographic, I feel I've paid for shortcuts not to be taken. Regardless, this will definitely rear its ugly head the next time I make a car buying decision.

nanotech

iTrader: (2)

I don't really care about price, and I don't even mind waiting even longer than I already have. I am just looking for the best.

I mean I know that the quietest are the best handling-wise. So, what are the best handlers and which one is the quietest/smoothest?

This is the list I have so far:
1. Bridgestone S-03 Pole Position (seems to be able to handle good from what I have heard about the previous model, S-02)

2. Yokohama AVS dB (guess this one is quiet, it even has decible in its name!)

3. Dunlop SP9000 (you guys recommend it alot)

4. Toyo T1-S (you guys recommend this one a lot too)

I was going to get the Pilot XGT Z4's until I found out about the other tires listed above, they all seem to be better than the Pilots from the info I have gathered so far.

KenJack

I called Yokohama and they gave me the comparative ratings on their "db" line of tires - The test results that they gave me showed that the Yokos were rated at 76db while the Bridgestone and Pilots were both rated at 77db. Thats like saying someone will charge you 76 cents for something instead of 77 cents - WHO CARES? I thought the difference would be 10 to 15 decibels or something since they are making such a big emphasis by putting a "db" name on the tire....

What gives ????

jberger

Double Post Deleted

jberger

About the 77 vs 76 rating, sound is measured exponentially, so there is a difference worth noting.

Frequency is just as important, I'd rather hear 76db of music than 76db of White Noise. Depending on the frequency, it can make all the difference between bearable and unbearable. So all this makes a difference in what you hear inside the car and your overall perception of NHV.

New tire comparisons are almost worthless, it's what happens to the tire over time that matters. All new tires will seem great if the old ones were shot, it's the difference in how they handle over time that you should be comparing.

Most manufactures use a progressive tire design to achieve long mileage. Soft at first, then progressively harder compounds as the tire wears, this to increase mileage, but at the cost of handling. Customers complain if the tires wear too fast, but also want good handling. So after 8K miles the soft compound is gone and the handling/stopping is greatly diminished, but the tire will go 35K mi.

If you want Quiet, go to a smaller rim, and larger profile quality tire, it will make a huge difference. You will lose some handling performance, but unless you drive 9/10th of the car's potential on a daily basis you will not lose much.

If you had an infinite budget then you could try and find that magic formula of tire for Performance/Noise.
If you want to fix the problem and still have most of the performance, move back 1" in rim size and be amazed at the difference.

I was shocked at the difference in back to back tests of GS400 with 16 vs. 17" rims. The 17" rims were just plain loud, and it really irritated me. I was also compairing the GS to the LS and that just heightend the difference.

I'd really like to drive an L-tuned LS400, I like big powerful cars, but the LS was too much like a boat so I moved back to the GS.

RealMarty

Really? I'd actually heard it was pretty much the opposite. That the better handling tires were actually noisier and vice versa...the trade off was noise vs handling. And that the trick was to get as much handling into the tire without excessive noise.

Can you point me to a source where I can learn more about this?

nanotech

iTrader: (2)

There is no way I am going to move down a size in rims, I like my stock 17" chromes !

And if the Yoko's really aren't that different than the Bridgestone or Dunlops or Toyos, then I don't really see a reason for the Yokos.

What about Bridgestone, Dunlops, or Toyos? Quietness? Ride Quality/Smoothness? Performance(Handling, wet&dry)?

KenJack

:eek: My eyes are crossing and I'm starting to drool...

First, Thanks everyone for all the info, I really appreciate it. The only trouble I'm having is that most of the times I think I see a possible solution and start getting all jazzed, it ends with an unacceptable compromise, e.g. switching from 17 inch rims to 16 inch, or switching from GS to LS - Not acceptable options. I'm looking for a solution in the narrow world of a GS430 with the stock 17 inch chromes, and I don't care AT ALL if they have good tire life or ALL SEASON ratings - I live in L.A. - if it snows this decade, I'll stay home that day or for the 5 minutes until it melts. Don't get me wrong, there have been a lot of good suggestions that meet my requirements, and I'm definately taking them all into consideration. I'm just hoping for more feedback from people who have cleared this hurdle and have solid 1st person experience feedback.

To restate a question that nobody responded to:
Does anybody know if there are some charts available (website or otherwise) that have the ratings for all of these tires? I mean, lets face it, we all may want different types of qualities in a tire depending on our desired usage. I mean a canyon demon is going to want a gripping tire while someone who has to put 150 miles a day on the freeway would probably prefer the quietest... It would be nice if something summarized the decibel (noise), wear, traction (dry and wet), etc. People in L.A. don't need to know much about snow tire - they want dry traction if you know what I mean. I know my parameters are narrow, but that's what I have to deal with.

Thanks everyone !!

KenJack

What kind of luck did you have with the 9000's you mentioned above??? You never got back to us. Hope it's good news.

Thanks

analogue

Well, I did post something about five messages back. I'll give you a little more info since I've put over 1000 miles on them. I am extremely happy with the quietness. World of difference from the stock 17's. However, I have noticed that there is a little more feedback in the way of vibration that I feel through the floor board when on textured surfaces (my feet pick up on it mostly). I'm not sure if is the tires, or if somthing is amiss (I went through an out of round tire when I had 16's on there and it feels somewhat similar but not as bad), but I'm getting it looked into next time I'm in for an oil change. So to give you a quick rundown..

noise....check
grip.....check
comfort..jury is still out until I get it looked at.

Hope that helps!