Gs400 Tires

[wagsy22]

Ok - I h have to get tires on my GS400 - I have almost worn out my Michelin XGTs but got 60K miles on them by diligently rotating them every oil change. As those tires aged, they became louder and louder which I hate. I want same performance as those but quieter and at a cheaper price. I have narrowed it down to the Toyo Proxes 4 or the Yokohama Avid H4S or V4S. Would anyone recommend anything else other than these two for my above requirements?

Thks,

Wagsy22

[Lexusfreak]

wagsy, I assume you are using the original factory size for your GS? If that's the case, please tell me if they are the 16's (225 55 16) or the 17's (235 45 17)? The choices you have mentioned are all excellent (the V4S has a more reinforced sidewall for better handling & naturally a higher speed rating so I would stroke the H4S off that list because of that reason & keep the V4S on the list). Give me the size you need & I will let you know if there are any other tires you might want to consider. B) I take it you want to stay with all season? Welcome to the club btw. :D

[wagsy22]

wagsy,  I assume you are using the original factory size for your GS?  If that's the case, please tell me if they are the 16's (225 55 16) or the 17's (235 45 17)?    The choices you have mentioned are all excellent (the V4S has a more reinforced sidewall for better handling & naturally a higher speed rating so I would stroke the H4S off that list because of that reason & keep the V4S on the list).  Give me the size you need & I will let you know if there are any other tires you might want to consider.  B)  I take it you want to stay with all season?    Welcome to the club btw.  :D

 

←

Thanks freak - I actually have 245/45/17s on it and they look great - if I go back to 235s, will they be that much skinnier?? Will I be able to tell? I think they are a little cheaper too. Which ones would you choose out of the ones I mentioned or is there something better than those ( remember, I want same performance only quieter tires)

Wagsy

[Lexusfreak]

Wagsy,

The difference between the 235 & 245 size is only 10 millimeters (or 1 centimeter) which is not much to worry about overall. The 235 size will naturally be slightly less expensive over the 245's (I'm guessing $10 - $15 a tire approx). Your previous XGT's.....are they the XGTH4 or XGTV4's? The difference is the speed rating of the tire......"V" is a higher speed rating & you will have a slightly more reinforced sidewall at the cost of a slightly stiffer ride than the "H" rated tires. Not major mind you, but only slight. I personally have a "V" rated tire (Toyo Proxes TPT) on my ES as that's what Lexus call for when replacing them & the damn thing rides better than a limo so....what can I tell ya? B) The 2 best choices for you would be either the Toyo Proxes 4 or the Yokohama Avid H4S (the V4S does not come in your size). They are both rated as an excellent tire, however you will probobly get better overall perforance with the Toyo's, but you will probobly get a longer lasting tire in the Yokohama simply because it has a longer tread life rating (500 treadwear, AA Traction & A for Temperature for the H4S) & the Toyo's are rated at 300 Treadwear, AA Traction & A for Temperature. So I will leave the choice up to you.......I will say however.....the overall 'value' edge IMO goes to the Yokohama becasue of the longer treadlife & a slightly more comfortable & quieter tire (which is what your looking for), PLUS, they will be about $15 or so cheaper roughly than the Toyo's per tire. I hope I didn't confuse you at all with this lol. Keep us posted what your decision is & Good Luck!! B) Have anymore questions.....ask away. :)

[SCdriver]

Check out tirerack.com and go through their decision guide. Goodyear is giving a $75 rebate on sets of 4 tires. I have an SC400 and got the Goodyear Eagle F1 GD-D3 tires and they are fantastic but not for all season. They are super in the wet and dry and very quiet. I'm not sure they come in your size but it is worth checking to see if they do. If you have any significant snow you are probably better off with getting dedicated snow tires for the winter.

[Lexusfreak]

Keep in mind however that a 'summer tire' will not get the mileage that an all season tire does.....you will have to replace them much sooner because of this. B) The Goodyear Eagle F1's that SCdriver suggests are indeed an excellent summer high performance tire......but you will probobly only get between 30,000 - 35,000 miles even with proper rotations, not to mention a fairly harsh ride because of the type of performance tire it is.

[wagsy22]

Wagsy,

The difference between the 235 & 245 size is only 10 millimeters (or 1 centimeter) which is not much to worry about overall.  The 235 size will naturally be slightly less expensive over the 245's (I'm guessing $10 - $15 a tire approx).  Your previous XGT's.....are they the XGTH4 or XGTV4's?    The difference is the speed rating of the tire......"V" is a higher speed rating & you will have a slightly more reinforced sidewall at the cost of a slightly stiffer ride than the "H" rated tires.  Not major mind you, but only slight.  I personally have a "V" rated tire (Toyo Proxes TPT) on my ES as that's what Lexus call for when replacing them & the damn thing rides better than a limo so....what can I tell ya?  B)  The 2 best choices for you would be either the Toyo Proxes 4 or the Yokohama Avid H4S (the V4S does not come in your size).  They are both rated as an excellent tire, however you will probobly get better overall perforance with the Toyo's, but you will probobly get a longer lasting tire in the Yokohama simply because it has a longer tread life rating (500 treadwear, AA Traction & A for Temperature for the H4S) & the Toyo's are rated at 300 Treadwear, AA Traction & A for Temperature.  So I will leave the choice up to you.......I will say however.....the overall 'value' edge IMO goes to the Yokohama becasue of the longer treadlife & a slightly more comfortable & quieter tire (which is what your looking for), PLUS, they will be about $15 or so cheaper roughly than the Toyo's per tire.  I hope I didn't confuse you at all with this lol.  Keep us posted what your decision is & Good Luck!!  B)  Have anymore questions.....ask away.  :)

   

←

Well - I ordered the Yokohama H4S. I hope the minor reduction in speed rating will translate to a softer ride. I was really dead set on the Toyos but opted for the Yokohamas just based on the treadwear. I had the XGT Z4 Michelins which were great but expensive. They did grow harsher as they aged......I hope I dont regret my decision. I paid $128 per tire at Discount Tires in Austin, Texas for the H4S. Could have got them cheaper at Tirerack but did want the hassle....

[Lexusfreak]

It's a good choice wagsy!! B) I had them on my short list (the V4S) but they only came in the "H" rated & Lexus suggests "V" rated so I got the Toyo's & they have been awesome.......I really liked the Yoko's because of the higher tread rating & the AA traction rating (as opposed to the single A). Let us know how you like them as I'm sure you will be very happy with their performance! ;)

[wagsy22]

It's a good choice wagsy!!  B)  I had them on my short list (the V4S) but they only came in the "H" rated & Lexus suggests "V" rated so I got the Toyo's & they have been awesome.......I really liked the Yoko's because of the higher tread rating & the AA traction rating (as opposed to the single A).  Let us know how you like them as I'm sure you will be very happy with their performance!  ;)

 

←

Tested my new tires on a run to OKlahoma over the holidays. Tires are great. They are really quiet and stick like glue even in extremely wet conditions. I couldnt be happier. However, I do have a slight vibration which is most pronounced at 68mph that I am trying to isolate. I know I have warped rotors cause my brakes vibrate (mostly on downhill braking) but dont know if I should replace the rotors, get a wheel alignment, and re-balance the tires?? I dont have a bunch a money to throw at it right now................

Wagsy22

[Lexusfreak]

If you can live with it for the time being untill you have the funds go for it. As a rule of thumb, I always get a 4 wheel alignment when I get a new set of tires. It is possible that they could need a re-balancing (I had to go back to my tire guy when I put my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tire on.....they put the weights that sit on the lip of the rims instead of the adheisive weights that 'hide' behind the rim spokes which look 100% better). Keep us posted & don't forget to check to make sure all 4 tires are the correct air pressure. B)