Tires For My 2001 Es300 .. Please Help.

[asinha]

I recently purchased a 2001 ES300 (my first Lexus) and the trip back from dealership to home on the freeway and other smaller in-town trips impressed me a lot by the butter-like smootheness and handling (used to drive a Landrover before, so you can imagine the difference). The car had Bridgestone Potenza RE92 205/60/R16 with 91H rating tires on all 4 wheels, but the 2 front tires were pretty shot. The back tires has plenty of tread remaining.

So I went ahead and bought 2 Yokohama Avid H4S, same sizes and speed ratings (91H) and put them in the front. They were balanced and mounted etc. But immediately after that, I started experiencing a bit of continuous vibration in the steering wheel and the whole car itself at speeds on or above 55-60 mph. So, I went to another service shop to recheck the tires, and they balanced them and mounted them again. A bit of a test drive showed the problem had gone away, but apparently not.

On a 900 mile trip last weekend, I had a terrible time with continuous vibrations of the steering wheel and car, even on the smoothest roads. Suffice to say this was not the Lexus driving experience I was looking forward to.

Any suggestions what I can do now ? Change the front tires back to OEMs, but I hear a lot of complaints about them here. Change the back tires also to Yokohama ?

Could the problem be caused by using a mix of diff. manufacturer tires even though size and ratings were the same ?

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.

[Lexusfreak]

I recently purchased a 2001 ES300 (my first Lexus) and the trip back from dealership to home on the freeway and other smaller in-town trips impressed me a lot by the butter-like smootheness and handling (used to drive a Landrover before, so you can imagine the difference). The car had Bridgestone Potenza RE92 205/60/R16 with 91H rating tires on all 4 wheels, but the 2 front tires were pretty shot. The back tires has plenty of tread remaining.

So I went ahead and bought 2 Yokohama Avid H4S, same sizes and speed ratings (91H) and put them in the front. They were balanced and mounted etc. But immediately after that, I started experiencing a bit of continuous vibration in the steering wheel and the whole car itself at speeds on or above 55-60 mph. So, I went to another service shop to recheck the tires, and they balanced them and mounted them again. A bit of a test drive showed the problem had gone away, but apparently not.

On a 900 mile trip last weekend, I had a terrible time with continuous vibrations of the steering wheel and car, even on the smoothest roads. Suffice to say this was not the Lexus driving experience I was looking forward to.

Any suggestions what I can do now ? Change the front tires back to OEMs, but I hear a lot of complaints about them here. Change the back tires also to Yokohama ?

Could the problem be caused by using a mix of diff. manufacturer tires even though size and ratings were the same ?

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.

←

You should always put the best & newest tires on the rear of the car, not the front......always for best traction & safety & handling, not to mention have 4 tires the exact same as opposed to 2 different on front & back. I would have personally gone with 4 Goodyear Triple Treads in the H speed rating personally.

http://www.goodyearassurance.com/ (for future reference)

In your case now, since you have put the Yoko H4S on......(a decent choice to be sure), I would get 2 more of the same & get yourself a 4 wheel alignment.....you will be all set. The Bridgestome Potenza RE 92 are total garbace & the sooner you get them off the car the better. Your problems should be solved! Good Luck! B)

[steviej]

Move the Yokos to the rear and put the rear Bridgies up front. If the vibration goes from steering wheel to a shimmy coming from the rear end then the problem lies in the new tires and balancing. If the vibration stays up front, then you have other issues that will be addressed if later if this is the case.

The Potenza RE92s are an incredibly quiet tire....that is the sole good point.

They have crappy tread life if you rack up the average number of miles per year. They leave alot to be desired in rain and snow, especially when the tread depth is low.

I suggest that you find a tire shop in your area that has the Hunter Road Force balancing machine and have the tires balanced once again. This machine uses applied pressure to the tire while it rotates to simulate actual road performance.

Lastly, it is always recomended to replace the tires as a set of four, even dedicated snow tires.

steviej

[asinha]

Today I took my car to the local Strauss auto shop to have it re-checked. The mechanic, at first glance remarked that the front Yoko Avid H4S tires are performance tires meant for sport cars, not for sedans like my car.

Is the mechanic bull-*BLEEP*ting ?

I had bought these tires from tirerack.com, where these are listed as suitable tires for my ES300.

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

[Lexusfreak]

Today I took my car to the local Strauss auto shop to have it re-checked. The mechanic, at first glance remarked that the front Yoko Avid H4S tires are performance tires meant for sport cars, not for sedans like my car.

Is the mechanic bull-*BLEEP*ting ?

I had bought these tires from tirerack.com, where these are listed as suitable tires for my ES300.

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

←

They are fine for your ES! So yes he is BS'ing you. They are high performance all seasons in an H speed rating......take your car to another shop. ;)

[asinha]

Thanks for all your answers.

After a 3rd re-checking and re-balancing, the steering wheel vibration is gone now.

Talking to all the mechanics/dealers/friends etc., one thing was clearly recommended: Get all 4 tires of same brand.

So, now I'm gonna get myself 2 more Yokos for my rear wheels.

[Lexusfreak]

Thanks for all your answers.

After a 3rd re-checking and re-balancing, the steering wheel vibration is gone now.

Talking to all the mechanics/dealers/friends etc., one thing was clearly recommended: Get all 4 tires of same brand.

So, now I'm gonna get myself 2 more Yokos for my rear wheels.

←

Exactly! B) It will feel like a totally new car then.

[cbroadus213]

How do your Yoko's perform now?

Road Noise?

Cornerning Stability?

Rain?

Etc?

I'm thinking about getting a set.

[dupid]

How do your Yoko's perform now? 

Road Noise?

Cornerning Stability?

Rain?

Etc?

I'm thinking about getting a set.

←

[Lexusfreak]

Goodyear Triple Treads in an H speed rating would be a better overall choice over the Yoko's.....but the Yoko's are still a very decent choice. B)