1992 Lexus Ls 400

[travelgal100]

Hello....Can anyone help me, Please?....I bought a used 1992 LS400 - a real creampuff....I could not be happier....Have had about 3 months....Yesterday I tried using the CD player for the first time.....It appears that I have locked out the entire sound system - I had to drive today with no radio at all....It seems I had to have a security number....Short of paying the dealer a fortune for this, is there any solution ....Your help would be appreciated!!!...Thanks in advance

[VBdenny]

I wouldn't buy them from the dealer. Look on tirerack.com There are reviews from people who have bought various tires so you can make an educated decision. I would suggest you look at H or T rated tires instead of the V rated that were standard. Unless you plan to drive over 130mph, the H are fine, The T tires are rated to 119mph which is fast enough for most people. You will sacrifice some high performance handling but gain in ride comfort. I have T rated on my Lexus and they have been pretty good. They are Goodyear Aquatred III's which were a little noisy when new but are rather nice now. Lot's of choices on tirerack, very good prices, lightning fast delivery.

[Lexusfreak]

Hello....

I just purchased a beautiful 1992 Lexus LS400.... I am going to put on new tires....I am looking for a luxury ride vs a "handling" tire....

Each dealer I speak to just wants to sell his own brand...I would like to know from you - the actual long time Lexus owners - which tires will give me the softest, most luxury ride ( currently Michelins - I am not impressed - but maybe that is as good as it gets..)

Thanks in advance.....

←

Welcome to the club travelgal! B) Can you tell me if you currently have the original tire size on the car? That would be 205 65 15 size on the sidewall. If that's the case, you have a ton of choices to choose from. Having said that, based what you have stated in what your looking for in a tire, I would suggest the following:

- 2 brand new tires from Goodyear - Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread & the Good year Assurance Comfortread. They are both built of long mileage, very comfortable & quiet ride with excellent bad weather traction. Of the 2, I would suggest the Triple tread first, the Comfortread second as you will get longer mileage & better overall bad weather traction.. Both are the best available on the market today for what your looking for. check out the website at http://www.goodyearassurance.com/ OR click the 2 links from the tirerack website below:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

Pay close attention to the 'color charts' in each category......all green means it's a fantastic tire in their respected 'sub category' (dark green is better than the light green). B)

I agree with you that Michelin does not have very much to choose from except maybe the Michelin Hydroedge.......the Goodyear would be not only a better choice, but less expensive to boot.

- Only other tire I would have a look at is the Yokohama Avid Touring. Not as highly rated as the Goodyears, but a decent & quiet all round premium all season tire.

Any more questions or concerns, feel free to ask away! Good Luck.

[VBdenny]

Yeah I should have mentioned the Yokohama Avids. They had a great review on tirerack. Probably what I will buy next. 215/60-15

[Lexusfreak]

Yeah  I should have mentioned the Yokohama Avids.  They had a great review on tirerack.  Probably what I will buy next.  215/60-15

←

Avid Touring & H4S are very good choices VB, but the Goodyears (especially the Triple Treads) are just that much better with better technology in the tread pattern & longer treadlife (80,000 mile warranty!). B)

[VBdenny]

I have always found Good Year tires to be well good. They just wear out faster than some of the others. I have had Michelins last three times as long as Good Years and not square up on me.

[travelgal100]

Hello....

I just purchased a beautiful 1992 Lexus LS400.... I am going to put on new tires....I am looking for a luxury ride vs a "handling" tire....

Each dealer I speak to just wants to sell his own brand...I would like to know from you - the actual long time Lexus owners - which tires will give me the softest, most luxury ride ( currently Michelins - I am not impressed - but maybe that is as good as it gets..)

Thanks in advance.....

←

Welcome to the club travelgal! B) Can you tell me if you currently have the original tire size on the car? That would be 205 65 15 size on the sidewall. If that's the case, you have a ton of choices to choose from. Having said that, based what you have stated in what your looking for in a tire, I would suggest the following:

- 2 brand new tires from Goodyear - Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread & the Good year Assurance Comfortread. They are both built of long mileage, very comfortable & quiet ride with excellent bad weather traction. Of the 2, I would suggest the Triple tread first, the Comfortread second as you will get longer mileage & better overall bad weather traction.. Both are the best available on the market today for what your looking for. check out the website at http://www.goodyearassurance.com/ OR click the 2 links from the tirerack website below:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

Pay close attention to the 'color charts' in each category......all green means it's a fantastic tire in their respected 'sub category' (dark green is better than the light green). B)

I agree with you that Michelin does not have very much to choose from except maybe the Michelin Hydroedge.......the Goodyear would be not only a better choice, but less expensive to boot.

- Only other tire I would have a look at is the Yokohama Avid Touring. Not as highly rated as the Goodyears, but a decent & quiet all round premium all season tire.

Any more questions or concerns, feel free to ask away! Good Luck.

←

[travelgal100]

Hello....

I just purchased a beautiful 1992 Lexus LS400.... I am going to put on new tires....I am looking for a luxury ride vs a "handling" tire....

Each dealer I speak to just wants to sell his own brand...I would like to know from you - the actual long time Lexus owners - which tires will give me the softest, most luxury ride ( currently Michelins - I am not impressed - but maybe that is as good as it gets..)

Thanks in advance.....

←

Welcome to the club travelgal! B) Can you tell me if you currently have the original tire size on the car? That would be 205 65 15 size on the sidewall. If that's the case, you have a ton of choices to choose from. Having said that, based what you have stated in what your looking for in a tire, I would suggest the following:

- 2 brand new tires from Goodyear - Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread & the Good year Assurance Comfortread. They are both built of long mileage, very comfortable & quiet ride with excellent bad weather traction. Of the 2, I would suggest the Triple tread first, the Comfortread second as you will get longer mileage & better overall bad weather traction.. Both are the best available on the market today for what your looking for. check out the website at http://www.goodyearassurance.com/ OR click the 2 links from the tirerack website below:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

Pay close attention to the 'color charts' in each category......all green means it's a fantastic tire in their respected 'sub category' (dark green is better than the light green). B)

I agree with you that Michelin does not have very much to choose from except maybe the Michelin Hydroedge.......the Goodyear would be not only a better choice, but less expensive to boot.

- Only other tire I would have a look at is the Yokohama Avid Touring. Not as highly rated as the Goodyears, but a decent & quiet all round premium all season tire.

Any more questions or concerns, feel free to ask away! Good Luck.

←

[Lexusfreak]

lol, travel....were you trying to respond? lol B)

[travelgal100]

lol, travel....were you trying to respond? lol  B)

   

←

I was trying to respond and say "Thank you" for your answer to my original question....It REALLY helped

[travelgal100]

I wouldn't buy them from the dealer.  Look on tirerack.com  There are reviews from people who have bought various tires so you can make an educated decision.  I would suggest you look at H or T rated tires instead of the V rated that were standard.  Unless you plan to drive over 130mph, the H are fine, The T tires are rated to 119mph which is fast enough for most people.  You will sacrifice some high performance handling but gain in ride comfort.  I have T rated on my Lexus and they have been pretty good.  They are Goodyear Aquatred III's which were a little noisy when new but are rather nice now.  Lot's of choices on tirerack, very good prices, lightning fast delivery.

←

Thank you for your response - It REALLY helped ....Much appreciated :D

[Lexusfreak]

lol, travel....were you trying to respond? lol   B)

   

←

I was trying to respond and say "Thank you" for your answer to my original question....It REALLY helped

←

Happy to help........keep us posted as to what tires you end up installing on your LS. Don't forget to get a 4 wheel alignment at the same time.....it will extended the life of your tires & ensure they wear properly & evenly. Keep your air pressure maintained as well. B)

[SW03ES]

One thing you have to be careful of with the Tire Rack reviews is the amount of mileage reported. They compare tires with 800,000 miles reported and 20 reviews up against tires with 20,000,000 miles and 300 reviews reported and compare them as even, and thats just totally unfair.

Anyone who knows anything about statistics knows about "regression to the mean" this basically means that the bigger the field of respondants in a survey like this the more "ordinary" the tires will seem.

Take the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

And the Dunlop Sp Sport 5000

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...000+Symmetrical

Now when you first look at the reviews you'll think "Wow, the Goodyears are better" but look more closely. The Goodyears have 250 surveys reported and 750,000 miles while the Dunlops have 350 surveys and nearly 5,000,000 miles reported. That means MORE surveys are availiable to rate the Dunlops AND the respondants have put more miles on the tires per survey than the Goodyears.

So while it originally looks like the Goodyears are much better, upon closer inspection the response on the Dunlops is more impressive.

So, don't take everything at face value. I wouldn't get so excited about the Goodyears until the reviews have a achance to regress to the mean.

*DISLCAIMER* I'm not using the Dunlops for any particular reason in this example, its just what popped into my head.

[travelgal100]

One thing you have to be careful of with the Tire Rack reviews is the amount of mileage reported. They compare tires with 800,000 miles reported and 20 reviews up against tires with 20,000,000 miles and 300 reviews reported and compare them as even, and thats just totally unfair.

Anyone who knows anything about statistics knows about "regression to the mean" this basically means that the bigger the field of respondants in a survey like this the more "ordinary" the tires will seem.

Take the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

And the Dunlop Sp Sport 5000

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...000+Symmetrical

Now when you first look at the reviews you'll think "Wow, the Goodyears are better" but look more closely. The Goodyears have 250 surveys reported and 750,000 miles while the Dunlops have 350 surveys and nearly 5,000,000 miles reported. That means MORE surveys are availiable to rate the Dunlops AND the respondants have put more miles on the tires per survey than the Goodyears.

So while it originally looks like the Goodyears are much better, upon closer inspection the response on the Dunlops is more impressive.

So, don't take everything at face value.

*DISLCAIMER* I'm not using the Dunlops for any particular reason in this example, its just what popped into my head.

←

UH-O .....I was looking at the Goodyear ComforTreads as a choice - but are so right about the pool of respondents for these tires....Now I am confused and back to square one on my choice!!!!.....Thank you so much for your response....I appreciate your taking your time to write to me......

[SW03ES]

No problem, that doesn't mean they are bad tires it just means that they're not neccisarily as astronomically good as the reviews make it look. Or they might be, but we need way more reviews before we can know that for sure.

The best example of this is the Continental ContiExtremeContact. I didn't buy them before because they didn't have a lot of reviews but now they have 11,000,000 reported and the reviews are almost as good as they were before.

I would call a good high quality tire shop that sells a nice spread of tires, Michelin, Goodyear, Toyo, Dunlop etc. Get a price of the tires on TireRack including shipping and see if they will match the price. They usually will. Now, Goodyear has a 30 day test ride program, so if you don't like the tires you can take the car back and try another set from a different brand. Thats what I did last time and it worked well, I was happy with the tires but had I not been I could have had Michelins etc mounted. TireRack's service is awesome but this new 30 day test ride all the companies are doing is going to put them out of business. Its just not feasable to ship tires back to them etc.

I have Toyo Proxes TPTs on my car and like them, but they're not stellar in the snow. If you don't have snow where you live then I would reccomend them.

[SRK]

I selected some Bridgestones for my LS - in a 215-60/15 size. They were very noisy, so Costco took them back at full value (they coundn't measure any wear after 8000 kilometres!) and I got a set of Michelin XGT H-4's in the 215-65/15 size. They are very quiet, steer much better, and ride great. The MXV-4 I have used on previous cars, and without doubt they are among the quietest tires on the planet, and ride very well, but they are quite mushy in the handling department in my mind.

Tires are a tough choice. However the Michelin AS Pilot Sports, 235-45/17 on my GS are simply the best tire I have ever driven on. The wet traction they provide is outstanding, and the handling the same. They are somewhat noisy though.

So it is Michelin for me.

[SW03ES]

Yeah I'll never buy another Bridgestone tire for 2 reasons.

1. Their involvement in the Explorer Firestone debacle. Who wants to do business with a company like that.

2. The horrible Bridgestone Potenza RE-92 tires that came on my car.

The XGT line looks interesting, and Michelin just redid the MXV4 line with their new MXV4 S8 tire that is supposed to have better handling characteristics. I'm happy with my Toyos but sure bummed about the snow traction.

[monarch]

UH-O .....I was looking at the Goodyear ComforTreads as a choice

←

The Comfortreds are almost JUNK in my opinion. I know because I got a set of them about 1 months ago for my '91 LS400. Compared to the factory original Goodyear Eagle GA's, the Comfortreds are a tad quieter and absorb sharp bumps in the road better, but every tiny small bump and road imperfection is now felt which is annoying on long drives. Long drives are also more tiresome because the directional stability of the Comfortreds is inferior and they transmit more road vibration. Finally, the Comfortreds have high rolling resistance so you lose 2 MPG in fuel economy. The Comfortreds will ride more smoothly if aired down to 25 PSI, but then you lose even more MPG because of the even greater rolling resistance.

Hey you want a deal? I'll sell you my Comfortreds for only $25 each. They have only a few hundreds miles on them because I put my old Eagle GA's back on the car to restore my car's ride and directional stability.

[Lexusfreak]

I agree sw.....that the Goodyears have not been on the market that long & that reflects on the amout of mileage that has been reported thus far. Having said that, there are still 235 overall reviews from folks that have given an honest opinion on the tires & the vast majority have been excellent.

The better of the 2 Goodyears are the Triple Treads by far (although monarch I have to respectfully disagree with you on your evaluation on the comfortreads). My Dad had them on his 1990 Park Avenue & he was very happy with the ride comfort & wet weather performance (didn't have the tires long enough to test snow traction, but that does not look like it would apply in travels situation as she is from Florida).

Having said that, my Dad also has put the Goodyear Triple Treads on his new 2002 Buick Century & has had them on now since the end of December & wow what a tire! :D We both have had the oppertunity to drive the car in everything from 8" of snow (and freezing rain after that) to a heavy rain fall (as the temp here went up to about 64 degrees a couple weeks ago if u can beleive that!). They are a higher model of the Assurance line of premium all season tires that Goodyear offers. They trump Michelins best (The Hydroedge) in overall performance & have a low rolling resistance to boot. The tire comes with an 80,000 mile warranty & is less expensive than many in the segment that don't even lower treadwear ratings. Hence the reason why I suggested then ahead of the Comfortreads! ;)

Travel, before making your final decision on what tires to put on your LS, make several calls to several different tire dealers that carry a vast selection & many different tire brands.......ask them for suggestions & recommendations. If it's a reputable tire shop......they should be one of the models of tires they would suggest for your car & should be on your 'short list' for what you described earlier in this thread of what you are looking for in a tire.

I have provided you with the reviews of this tire from other Lexus owners that have put them on their cars......you will notice that no LS vehicles have a review as of yet.....but I'd be willing to bet money that, that will change in the near future. B) I hope this helps. ;) Enjoy as they are from all different locations around the U.S. ;) The good reviews out number the bad reviews......as you can't please everyone all the time......nor has the 'perfect' tire been invented yet. :whistles:

Current Tire

Tire: Goodyear Assurance TripleTred

Performance Category: All-Season

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7 Tire Reviews match your filtering criteria:

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Results 1 - 7 of 7 that fit your search criteria

2002 Lexus ES300

Miles driven on tires:

5,700 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

7.667

Location: Helena, MT

Driving Condition:

Mostly Highway

Driving Style: Average

These tires are hazardous when driving on rutted ice. Worse than bias ply tires in the 50s. After 5000 miles they show 20% wear. Terrible for an expensive, 80k rated tire. -- Review Submitted 2005-01-04

1997 Lexus ES300

Miles driven on tires:

2,500 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

10.000

Location: Hagaman, NY

Driving Condition:

Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Average

Without a doubt, this is the BEST tire I have owned! I have driven in deep water, snow and even on ice without once feeling out of control. I am an average driver living in hilly upstate New York. I do 70-73 on the highway and 60-62 otherwise (except in the city). Of course snow will slow me down for conditions. But they are quiet, hold beyond belief and I certainly will buy only these all-season tires from now on. -- Review Submitted 2004-12-20

1994 Lexus ES300

Miles driven on tires:

500 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

7.143

Location: Grandville, MI

Driving Condition:

Mostly Highway

Driving Style: Average

Installed the Tripletreds on my wifes Lexus. Living in Michigan, we need a good all-season tire. Im not sure how they will do in the snow (In fact Im curious how so many reviewers rate them a "10" in the snow when they havent seen a winter yet.) I can say that I was very disappointed in the handling. Going straight on a dry highway, they are all over the place. Very squirely. Unless we get some snow soon and they are they are so good that they cause me to change my mind, they are going back to the dealer - thanks to the 30 day no-risk trial. -- Review Submitted 2004-11-18

2001 Lexus ES300

Miles driven on tires:

150 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

9.375

Location: Lake Mary, FL

Driving Condition:

Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Spirited

First, about the OEM tires I had on the car, Michelin had no wet traction. I had problems on wet roads even in neighborhoods with 25 MPH zones. They wear out very fast. In less than 20K miles I needed new tires. And the price? At 150% of other good tires, it was time for me to say good bye to the overhyped MIchellins!(The french governments debacle over Iraq did not help either!!) After carefully shopping in person and at tirerack and researching all aspects(price, safety, treadwear, warranty, comfort, handling etc.) I decided on the Assurance Tripletread. My first impressions are very favorable. The tires hugs the road well and are not noisy. The treadwear rating of 740 and warranty for 80K miles with roadside assistance and all for a price that is a lot less than Michelins, how can anyone go wrong? The only comparable negative is the Temprature rating of B versus A for other tires. But I guess you cant have everything! I will update this review after I put some more miles on the tire, but so far I am a happy camper. -- Review Submitted 2004-10-19

1997 Lexus ES300

Miles driven on tires:

550 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

10.000

Location: Hagaman, NY

Driving Condition:

Mostly Highway

Driving Style: Average

Goodyear engineers created a super tire. I find it so very quiet, corners like never before, improved gas milage, deep water is a joke and I am looking forward to snow here in upstate New York. Very seriously, this is a most remarkable tireand I plan to purchase a set for my wifes car next. To the Goodyear engineers, "Great job" -- Review Submitted 2004-10-18

2001 Lexus GS300

Miles driven on tires:

2,000 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

10.000

Location: turnersville, nj

Driving Condition:

Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Average

Tires are incredible definetly improved the ride of my gs.......way better than the invinticas the car came with luxury for luxury. -- Review Submitted 2004-09-30

1999 Lexus ES300

Miles driven on tires:

50 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

8.375

Location: las vegas, nv

Driving Condition:

Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Average

A Sexy, Fun Tire!! Did I say that!? Never thought I could be excited about tires. Its just that it was time to go around again. The OEM was the Yoko put on by Lexus. Never believed it could make such a difference! I feel like I now have a new car! I do like my creature comforts (a la the Lexus), and esthetics appeal to me,too. These tires make the car look and feel more sporty. I opened the windows to test for noise-what noise! Finally, I really tested them in some tight turns, and must say they took corners as smooth and tight as a Las Vegas pole dancer. As for the wet and icey handling , I could only go thru some puddles, but swerved over and over on purpose , and -no problem.. I will have to drive up to the mountains to let you know how it does in snow later this year. But, so far, I think this fairly new product will be a winner once the word gets around. Happy Trails!! -- Review Submitted 2004-07-17

[SW03ES]

Having said that, there are still 235 overall reviews from folks that have given an honest opinion on the tires & the vast majority have been excellent.

With an average mileage per tire of 3,298 miles driven per review for the Goodyears vs 13,158 miles per review on the Dunlops, I would be more confident in the Dunlops than the Goodyears, thats all I'm saying. Its unfair the way TireRack ranks tires. Sure someone may be super satisfied with their tires at 3000 miles, as I was with the Toyos, but somewhat less so at 13,000 miles, as I am with the Toyos. They're great tires in everything but snow but because of that I wont buy another set.

You also have to be careful when shopping tires for a car like this based on treadwear. Treadwear is often a tradeoff for performance.

[monarch]

I agree with all these unsatisfied Comfortred Owners:

2004 Lexus LS430 OWNER:

"Only one of the 7 tires I tried was round."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2001 Chrysler 300M OWNER:

"I switched from Michelin MXV4+ to the ComforTreds. The tires created

a vaugue steering response which I got used to. I could not get used

to the vibration, not harsh just annoying."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2001 Nissan Maxima GXE OWNER:

"I bought these after seeing good reviews on the internet and buying

into goodyears marketing. my main complaint is the steering. It felt

too loose, like I would lose control too easily. It would constantly

drift left and right and I would have to keep compensating at the

wheel, and bumps seemed to get too easily translated to the

steering wheel like a yank."

2001 Volkswagen Passat Sedan 2001 GLS V6 OWNER:

"I'm kind of dissapointed in the tire. They seem to transmit all of the

imperfections of the road to the driver. They are not any quieter than

the OEM Continentals I had on the car"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2003 HOND ACCORD SEDAN EX V6 OWNER:

"I replaced my OE tires to try to find some that were more comfortable

and quieter. These are no quieter and they vibrate at speed of over

50 mph. "

1999 BMW 323i OWNER:

"Minor road tears can be felt too strongly for a high-rated tire like this"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2003 Chevrolet Impala OWNER:

Tires are great but lost 2-3 MPG over the OEMs that came on the car

(Goodyear Eagle GA's)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1992 Cadillac El Dorado OWNER:

"very quiet and( but) gas is dropping 3-4 mpg when i see my computer....

absorb moderate holes but not small imperfections on the road."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Lexusfreak]

Having said that, there are still 235 overall reviews from folks that have given an honest opinion on the tires & the vast majority have been excellent.

With an average mileage per tire of 3,298 miles driven per review for the Goodyears vs 13,158 miles per review on the Dunlops, I would be more confident in the Dunlops than the Goodyears, thats all I'm saying. Its unfair the way TireRack ranks tires. Sure someone may be super satisfied with their tires at 3000 miles, as I was with the Toyos, but somewhat less so at 13,000 miles, as I am with the Toyos. They're great tires in everything but snow but because of that I wont buy another set.

You also have to be careful when shopping tires for a car like this based on treadwear. Treadwear is often a tradeoff for performance.

←

I understand what your saying sw.......however, our Toyo's only have a 400 treadwear (60,000 mile) rating. I don't base recommendations solely on treadwear ratings.....far from it. Having said that, it's also unfair to 'knock' a tire with a long treadlife to say it's a tradeoff for performance (it's possible that is the case......but that dosen't apply to all tires with a long treadlife & I know you stated that by using the term 'often').

I do know that Goodyear was near the bottom of the list for many years with having generally 'lousy' all season tires & all season premium tires. That being said, I can say that I did much research on these tires before I suggested my Dad get them on his Century. Goodyear has spent millions if not ten's of millions of dollars on R & D for this new line of premium all season tires (the basicaly replace the Aquatread 3's & related models) & it would appear they have certainly done their homework.......they hit a 'home run' with the Triple Treads that I will say! :D Here is just one of many recent write up's about the Triple Treads: I'm not sure if the picture will be on here, so I will also post the link: Keep in mind that this is a premium all season tire & not a winter tire at all.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/041201.htm

December 1, 2004

Goodyear Assurance TripleTred Tires

by Jim Kerr

If you haven't seen snow yet, it will soon be here. Roads are cold and slick. Traction is poor and many accidents occur. Perhaps the biggest factor in keeping your car on the road, besides slowing down, is having good tires on your car.

Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread. Click image to enlarge

The minimum safe tread depth for any tire is 2/32 of an inch. At this point, raised rubber "wear bands" will start to appear across the face of the tread indicating the tire needs to be replaced. Continue to drive with less tread and the tire will skid on moisture on the road surface. Even though 2/32 is the minimum tread depth, drivers who travel during heavy rains or in snow will want more than the minimum. Deeper grooves in the tread channel water away from the tread blocks so there is traction on the road. Snow is captured in deeper grooves for additional gripping power. Maybe you are ready for new tires before winter roads make driving hazardous.

The new generation of winter "ice tires" is optimum for winter traction. Soft rubber compounds and special tread designs grip remarkably well, but if you don't want to change from summer to winter tires every year, or you don't often drive on slippery roads, or you need a tire that can also handle higher temperatures for those trips down south, you now have another choice.

Goodyear has developed their Assurance line of tires to accommodate drivers who need a tire that can handle a combination of icy roads, heavy rain and warm weather highway driving. This is a new generation of all-season tire with new technology to build them.

The Assurance tires are available in two models; ComforTred and TripleTred. Both are premium passenger car tires but the ComforTred model has additional layers of cushioning material that provide a smooth ride for today's luxury cars. The TripleTred is a tire that provides traction year around.

Just as its name implies, the TripleTred tire has three distinct types of tread on each tire. To build the tread, different types of rubber are cooked for each of the three tread types. The three rubber types are then extruded through a common die to form one broad band of rubber that will be wrapped around the casing and cured in a tire oven to form a three-part tread.

Three Zones. Click image to enlarge

The centre section of the Assurance TripleTred tire is designed for traction on ice. Volcanic sand is ground into pumice and added to the rubber compound to provide grip on the ice. As the particles wear, they leave microscopic cavities with edges that help grip the slippery road. Tiny glass fibres are also added to the rubber compound to create a pitted surface for additional grip and to keep it flexible in cold weather. Finally, the tread design uses an interlocking pattern with many fine sipes for extra traction.

On either side of the centre tread, a water zone is created by moulding the tire with long curved Aquachutes that propel the water away from the tread face. This area of the tire is more open and enables the tire to maintain traction on rain-soaked roads. A new silica based rubber compound provides maximum traction on wet roads while maximising tread wear.

Finally, the outside shoulders of the tire form the dry zone. Large, stable tread blocks use a high performance rubber compound to keep the tire stable during cornering and sudden manoeuvres around potholes or other obstacles.

Three tread types, three rubber compounds, all in one tire. Add in a Permablack compound to keep the tire looking new during its 130,000 km tread life warranty and you have a tire suitable for a wide variety of driving conditions.

Winter tires - all season tires - summer tires. There are many choices out there. The TripleTred technology combines the best of all three, allowing safer driving wherever you travel.

Jim Kerr is a master automotive mechanic and teaches automotive technology. He has been writing automotive articles for fifteen years for newspapers and magazines in Canada and the United States, and is a member of the Automotive Journalist's Association of Canada (AJAC).

[Lexusfreak]

I agree with all these unsatisfied Comfortred Owners:

2004 Lexus LS430  OWNER:

"Only one of the 7 tires I tried was round."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2001 Chrysler 300M  OWNER:

"I switched from Michelin MXV4+ to the ComforTreds. The tires created

a vaugue steering response which I got used to. I could not get used

to the vibration, not harsh just annoying."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2001 Nissan Maxima GXE OWNER:

"I bought these after seeing good reviews on the internet and buying

into goodyears marketing. my main complaint is the steering. It felt

too loose, like I would lose control too easily. It would constantly

drift left and right and I would have to keep compensating at the

wheel, and bumps seemed to get too easily translated to the

steering wheel like a yank."

2001 Volkswagen Passat Sedan 2001 GLS V6 OWNER:

"I'm kind of dissapointed in the tire. They seem to transmit all of the

imperfections of the road to the driver. They are not any quieter than

the OEM Continentals I had on the car"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2003 HOND ACCORD SEDAN EX V6 OWNER:

"I replaced my OE tires to try to find some that were more comfortable

and quieter. These are no quieter and they vibrate at speed of over

50 mph. "

1999 BMW 323i OWNER:

"Minor road tears can be felt too strongly for a high-rated tire like this"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2003 Chevrolet Impala  OWNER:

Tires are great but lost 2-3 MPG over the OEMs that came on the car

(Goodyear Eagle GA's)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1992 Cadillac El Dorado OWNER:

"very quiet and( but) gas is dropping 3-4 mpg when i see my computer....

absorb moderate holes but not small imperfections on the road."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

←

monarch, these are the reviews for the Comfortreads, not the Triple Treads & in fact in the end, may confuse travel & do a diservice in helping her with selections as you have been using the negative reviews as opposed to (let's be fair & unbiased now shall we? ) all reviews under the Lexus umbrella let's say? As surely there are some positive reviews for the Comfortreads in there as well. ......I have suggested the Triple Treads over the Comfortreads for many reasons as out of the 2, the Triple Treads are the better tire. Here are all the reviews from Lexus drivers for the Comfortreads......they are not all as negative as you suggest monarch. :whistles: I did the same with the Triple Treads as well......posted ALL reviews available from Lexus drivers....you should have done the same to be fair & un-biased!

travel.....please take a few moments & read the write up I have provided you earlier in this thread to get a better idea of what the Triple Treads are all about. ;)

Current Tire

Tire: Goodyear Assurance ComforTred

Performance Category: All-Season

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(Numbers in parentheses represent the total number of reviews available for that filtering selection.)

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5 Tire Reviews match your filtering criteria:

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Results 1 - 5 of 5 that fit your search criteria

1991 Lexus LS400

Miles driven on tires:

100 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

7.750

Location: El Dorado, CA

Driving Condition:

Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Easy Going

These tires are a paradox. On the one hand they absorb moderate to large bumps in the road very well so the ride is remarkably smooth on normally rough surfaces like secondary roads and concrete freeways. On the other hand, as other owners have noted, the Comfortred transmit minor road perfections to the passenger compartment in the form of a very light quivering / vibration type sensation to the ride. This is a minor, but noticable annoyance for an owner used to the glassy smooth ride (on smooth asphalt only) of tires like the Michelin MXV4-Plus. So the Comfortreds deliver a ride that is a little "busier" than most other luxury car tires on really smooth asphalt roads and freeways, but is also, paradoxically, much smoother on rough concrete roads and freeways. One rather big negative of the Comfortreds, as others have noted, is relatively high rolling resistance which hurts fuel economy. Example: With the Comfortreds my car would reach a coasting speed of 65 MPH down a 6% mountain grade, but with the factory original Goodyear Eagle GAs the car would reach a coasting speed of 71 MPH down the same grade. A 5% penalty in fuel consumption would add up to some rather big bucks after 50,000 miles. In summary, the Comfortreds are king of the road for the owner looking for luxury car ride comfort and quietness on most roads, but the owner who cant stand the slight quivering sensation these tires give to the ride on smooth roads, Id suggest buying the Michelin MXV4-Plus which rides glassy smooth on smooth roads and offers better directional stability than the Comfortreds while sacrificing some ride comfort and quietness on the rougher roads. -- Review Submitted 2004-11-07

1994 Lexus SC300

Miles driven on tires:

2,500 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

8.857

Location: Palm Coast, FL

Driving Condition:

Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Average

When I bought this car there were a set of Bridgestone Eagers installed. These Bridgestones were horrible! Extemely noise and rough riding. The ComforTreds are incredibly quiet and smooth. The car finally rides like a Lexus! I liked them so much I just had a set installed on my wifes 2002 Nissan Altima. I immediately noticed the improved ride and lack of noise on this car as well (previously had Continentals on that car). A great tire and highly recommended. -- Review Submitted 2004-09-30

2002 Lexus IS300 Sport Cross

Miles driven on tires:

500 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

9.000

Location: Sterling Hts, MI

Driving Condition:

Mostly City

Driving Style: Easy Going

These tires are very quiet and ride great. The jury is still out on the steering. Steering is very light, like the old time power steering. Nice for parking though. -- Review Submitted 2004-08-28

2002 Lexus GS430

Miles driven on tires:

500 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

8.667

Location: Sterling Hts, Mi

Driving Condition:

Mostly City

Driving Style: Easy Going

The comfort and noise level on these tires is excellent. The jury is still out on the light steering feel. Its great when turning the wheels when standing still or slow driving. Steering is very light while driving. Ill try to re-evaluate when I get more miles on them. -- Review Submitted 2004-08-25

2004 Lexus LS430

Miles driven on tires:

2,000 Reviewer's Overall Ratings:

6.000

Location: HENDERSONVILLE, NC

Driving Condition:

Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Easy Going

Only one of the 7 tires I tried was round. All were very noisy. -- Review Submitted 2004-07-23

[VGR]

I did the same with the Triple Treads as well......posted ALL reviews available from Lexus drivers....you should have done the same to be fair & un-biased! 

←

But as SWO3ES pointed out, the Tirerack reviews are inherently biased in favor of brand new tire designs like the Comfortred / Tripletred to begin with . So tire shoppers need to focus their attention on the negative comments of new tire designs. Otherwise they could end up finding out the hard way that while the Comfortred may smooth and quiet the ride of an econobox car like a Cavalier or Saturn, they may deliver a irritable, constantly busy ride in a LS400 or other luxury car and also degrade the superb, relaxing directional stability of a LS400.

[Wilfred]

We get Falken in Australia and they aren't bad for the money. Having said that we don't get snow and conditions here will be way different. Has anyone tried Falken over there?