Is350 18" Wheel Tire Wear

[OneHump]

I have a brochure for the IS350 and it states:

"Tires with 18-in wheels are expected to experience greater tire wear than conventional tires. Tire life may be substantially less than 15,00 miles, depending on driving conditions".

Can this be accurate, or are they just playing CYA?

As absurd as this sounds, I'm going to be putting 30,000 miles per year on this car. I want performance, but I don't want new tires every 3 months.

Obviously tread wear heavily depends on how the vehicle is driven, but I'm curious to know how 18" tires compare to your standard 17" and lower 50,000 mile tires. I can't imagine not pulling at least 30,000 as long as I'm not laying a path of rubber down the road.

Your thoughts?

[SKperformance]

The bridgestone on the SC430 have a low life also.

It also depends on the driver and how they drive the car in corners and straight lines.

[bartkat]

It's mostly true. The bigger the wheel diameter, the lower the tire profile. The lower the profile, the faster the tire wear. I've been lucky to get 20,000 miles on the 17's of the IS300. Most IS 300 owners will report similar experience. Performance suspensions also tend to increase tire wear do to scuffing. Add in speed rated tires being mad lighter and thinner to reduce heat buildup and you end up with tires wearing faster than the more "conventional" tires on standard cars.

[lexus411]

The tires do wear early. The disclaimer is more Lexus protecting themselves then anything. The IS 350 is tough because the wheels are staggerred and uni directional. Which basically prevents rotation.

[05IS300]

The tires are also different sizes front to back.At least they were on the one Lexus brought by our Dealership last week.

[lexus411]

yes thats what i meant by staggered

[GalletGun]

Ya that sound about right. My lexus Is300 17' tires maximum life is 20,000 miles so anything less than that for 18' is correct. My brothers bmw has 18'wheels and there maximum life is around 15,000 miles too. So ya maybe you should think about getting another car or if they offer 16 inch rims or something ;p. Or you can get lexus quality and just get new tires every 4 or 5 months. ;)