Two Questions -- Tires And Windshield

[Bordeaux]

My new LS400 (1994) has a chip in the windshield -- how much should I expect to pay for a complete replacement, and, can I use one of those quality auto glass companies or do I need to go spend $800 for OEM at the dealer?

Also -- does anyone have a suggestion for great tires for this car?

Thanks,

JH

[akewlguy]

Windshield. If you have a friend who owns a shop they can usually get discount.

Tires I have the Tauranza LSV and they are great!! I only have 200 miles on them, but they rated 1st on Tirerack.. I hear the pilot Michelin are awesome and they last till 70k.. Either one is about 175 a piece..

Cheers to LEXUS

[the-hedge]

JH, I don't know about MO, but in SC insurance pays 100% & zero deductable for windshield repair. I just had mine fixed. Call you agent.

If you go with a reputable glass company, their glass is just as good as OEM, but be careful.

You MUST ask for the correct TINT (all glass has some tint to it). Hold a piece of white paper inside and look through the windshield, You should be able to tell the color.

As for the tires, i personally am a Michelin kind of guy. For a more objective opinion, try...

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/home.do

the_hedge

[SW03ES]

I've resisted Michelins prices for years but I just had a set of Michelin MXV4+ tires put on my ES and the difference in ride from the tires I've had before (Bridgestone and Toyo) on the car is VERY substantial. It drives like a new car. I won't mess with any other tires in the future. Well worth the money.

[ED.]

What part of St. Louis are you fom? For tires I woudl check out tirerack.com. Thats where I found my Yokohama's fo rmy BMW. 80 bucks is what I paid. That was a great price and those tires go tthe best rating in every category.

thanks

[JasonInDallas]

ties:

I'll never again get the Michelin Energy MXV4+ or whatever they are called. They came on most of my new cars (Jag, BMW, Acura, wife's Volvo) and while they ride nicely they have a horrible whine on whatever kind of pavement they use on most Texas interstates. For an all season tire I like Conti CH95 and for a low profile 18" summer hi performance tire I like Falken Azenis which are also awesome in the rain.

windshield:

Not sure about the LS400, but the LS430 comes with special rain-repellent glass. It's great and no way I'd want to do without it just to save a few hundred bucks.

[SW03ES]

Jason- Thats odd, mine are totally silent on all but the coarsest of roads. I'm thinking there may be a difference between OEM quality and what you buy aftermarket.

As for TireRack, I'd take their reviews with a grain of salt honestly. At least look at the amount of miles reported on the surveys before you trust them.

[monarch]

Hyundai Sonata's and Elantra's come standard with Michelin Energy MXV4+ tires. I rented these cars last fall in Texas and drove them widely around the State. They delivered a smooth and quiet ride for me on Texas roads. I think the root cause of owner complaints about tire noise is owner failure to get them rotated every 5000 miles.

A poor man'a MXV4+ is the Goodyear Viva 2 available from Walmart. It's half the price of the MXV4+ and matches it in quietness and low rolliing resistance. The ride isn't quiet as glassy smooth, however, as the MXV4+.

[VBdenny]

The MXV4+ are lousy tires. When I bought the Corolla for my daughter I was happy that it had them on it. That has changed because they handle terrible in anything but dry roads. I am almost ready to put the snow tires back on.

I also have Michelins on my Caprice, X-Plus 1 tires and they are fantastic, probably the best tires I have ever owned and this is the second set on this car. They are cooked now with almost 70,000 miles on them and I think they will still pass inspection without any problem. SInce that expired at the end of June while I was in NC, I will report back.

So here is what I think and my brother said he has heard. OEM tires are contract tires and usually poor whatever brand they happen to say.

[JasonInDallas]

MXV4+ tires suck. It is not failure to do rotation or anything like that. I've had them on new cars and used cars, and I hated them each and every time. I've had 4 sets over the last 5-odd years. In fact I have a stack of them in the garage from one car or another I removed them so I could install better tires.

They're smooth and quiet, sure, but not as much as other tires such as Continental CH95 or Falken Azenis or Pirelli P6000.

My theory why so many cars have them is the fleet MPG tax asessed on manufacturers. They'll do anything to get better MPG average over their fleet, so they go with the Michelins.

[SW03ES]

Again, I just put the MXV4s on my ES and the car is much smoother and quieter than it has EVER been on Bridgestone or Toyo tires, has better traction and smoother more predictable handling. The MXV4s are probably the best tires I've ever had, certainly light years better than anything thats been on this car before. So, they must not suck across the board.

When you read the reviews on this tire its almost always the people that have gotten them OEM that hate them, and people that have purchased them seem pleased (with all but the price). Like Denny said, OEM tires are contract tires and that may be the difference.

[blake918]

Michelin MXV4+ Energy tires are the only tires for this car! They are excellent and wet and dry weather, and I've yet to have a balance, alignment, and/or uneven wear problem. I have 45k+ miles on these tires, and they look like new. I'm definantly buying them again when it's time.

[SW03ES]

I found it funny that they had to put NO wheel weights on the inside of my wheels for the Michelins vs at least one each for the Toyos. Quality made tire, no doubt.

[sapper_daddy]

damn liberals

[SW03ES]

damn liberals

Huh?

[morg96ls400]

Just bought a set of mxv4+, so far they are great, dry or wet. Nice quiet smooth ride, too.

[jc19907]

I just put a set of Yokohama Avid H4's on my 99LS (purchased from Tire Rack). I compared them against the Mich. Pilot A/S - which I had on the car for the last 25K. The Pilot's were an incredible tire. Got me through an emergency snow storm and wore extremly well for mostly highway driving in a year's time. Not to mention they look awesome on the stock rim. However, I don't plan on driving any emergency snow storms in the future. I'd did a bit of research and read lots of awesome reviews on the Yokohama's. So, far they are an awesome tire, especially for traction in both wet and dry conditions (highway and city). Very quiet for a best of both worlds tire too.

Tire Rack told me these would last as long or longer than the Pilot and they are about 73$ per tire. So far I've put about 1500 miles on the tires, so still a young experience. But, I'm already sold for a next set.

If money weren't an object I'd go with Pilot Sport A/S @ 170$ per tire. Energy for more southern driving and Pilot for more northerly driving where you get a few snows or more per year. Yokohama Avid H4's will give the best of both for less... If the Yokohama's ever fail me, I'll go back to the Pilot Sport A/S and never look back... 2cts

[92ls forhundo]

im telling ya guys goodyear assurance comforttread. 80,000 mile warranty. great in weather-especially you east coast/mid west types. high rolling resistance however smooth ride AND some sort of uv fliters inside the rubber these tires always look new!

DAMN CONSERVATIVES.

[SW03ES]

I've heard some stuff about noise, and high rolling resistance almost always equals higher noise.

Anyways, I think something with an 80k treadlife warranty is always going to be louder than an UHP tire. Anyways they don't come in a V or H speed rating, so they're not suited to a Lexus.

[akewlguy]

Taurenza's are real quiet. Right now I have about 7k on them and they look great. I do have to rotate them this weekend.

Well I hope you found your solution. Christopher

[KY350]

Which model Turanza?

Here in Aus I'm considering the ER50 and ER592.

[92ls forhundo]

may be right about the noise sw, but with all windows closed on the highway at decent clip, say 80 mph, its pretty quiet, although i dont have any other reference, i dont like going too fast in this car but i think thats more due to really worn shocks/suspension items,not sure what the speed rating is come to think of it, hmm good point,but in all other regards this rubber is doing very well,in fact after about 10,000 miles or so i am seeing the mileage rise a tad. From what ive read goodyear really put a tremendous effort into these tires. Not trying to shill fo goodyear just very pleased with them, thats all.

[lkn]

I have had to replace two windshields on my '95 LS400 due to rocks from the Interstate. In both cases I used the glass company the insurance company suggested (Surelite). You have to make sure the tint is the correct one, seems they don't pay much attention. No problems with either one.

With regard to tires.... Well I have had many different brands over the years with my cars. I like performance and durability (although these attributes tend to fight each other generally). My cars have been performance and luxury. The brands include Toyo, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Dunlop, Michelin, Goodyear. I have come to several conclusions that I think are worth sharing.

First, tires vary in performance and durability within the brand. The compounding of the rubber and tread design can make one "model" really good on dry roads, yet dangerous on wet roads. While another "model" in the same brand may be excellent on wet and dry roads. So the point here is; you need to consider what kind of conditions you plan to operate in and pick a tire that gives you the best of those. Frankly, All the tires I have named above make good products, however, tires within those brands perform quite different depending on the use.

Secondly, I have learned that some brands/models don't seem to wear well with a particular car. I.E. they seem noisy, get lousy wear mileage, or seem to be mushy with regard to steering. I'm sure there are many more examples, but you get the idea. I tend to stay away from certain tires on certain models only because through expereince I have learned which tires I like on those models. For example I have run Michelin MXV4 tires on my 95 LS400 and they were great in many respects. When I put new ones on I put the MXV4+ tires on and it was noisy. The last set I ran was Michelin Pilot and was pleased.

I should point out picking the "best" tire is highly subjective and everyone will have their own favorite. I think that is fine, in fact those individuals have probably figured this out through trial and error. I wish there was a better way, but....

For what it's worth; I found Michelin Pilots were a good all round set for my 95 LS400. Low noise, responsive handling and good wet weather traction. When the car was totaled, had 45k and looked like I could have safely gone another 20+k Cost about $125 each.

Hopefully this helps someone.

[jc19907]

Yep,

I looked at puting on some Mich. aquatread type tires (forgot exact name). But the treadwear looked great on them and all reviews were great too. However, they aren't rated for the LS. Good thing.

It isn't just speed that tires are rated for; load also accounts for this. Outside of putting yourself at risk, any shop that puts tires on your car that are rated less than your factory speed rating are puting themselves at risk. Your insurance company will also go to great lengths to review this stuff in the event of a bad accident.

It could be very, very costly - not to mention you put yourself at risk above all things. When cornering, in an emergency situation, an underrated tire may not handle the weight of a big car.

While an accident or failure might be at long odds, I don't think it's worth the compromise. Try out the Yoko's, AVID H4's for a best of both worlds tire (73$ per tire). So far they're great on my 99LS.

[pachocco1]

Rotating?

I always thought if you gave steering and handling significance then you did NOT rotate your tires. (Esp given the longer last characteristics of modern tires)

If you wanted to emphasize tire longevity, then you rotate at recommended intervals.

This relies on the assumption that the car has no alignment or suspension issues of course.