Tire Noise

[Bonehead]

My IS350 has 4000 miles. The tires are getting louder and making more road noise.

Anyone else notice this happening?

[bartkat]

They will get louder as they wear, but that sounds like pretty low mileage for that.

[edwardm7777]

My IS350 has 4000 miles. The tires are getting louder and making more road noise.

Anyone else notice this happening?

I have 9500 miles on my IS 250 18 inch tires and it purs. I have Dunlop summer tires. They still look pretty good.

Does anyone know how long the tires are supposed to last? Anyone have a good suggestion and cost for replacements?

Ed

[Sleepyk]

I have 9500 miles on my IS 250 18 inch tires and it purs. I have Dunlop summer tires. They still look pretty good.

Does anyone know how long the tires are supposed to last? Anyone have a good suggestion and cost for replacements?

Ed

The footnotes on the Lexus website point to around 15,000 miles or "substantially less" for tire wear with the 18 inch summer tires.

On the 350Z boards, there is some very good buzz about these English tires called Avon. Specifically the M500 for summer tire replacement (over here on the left side, we don't have a lot of use for winter tires). The buzz is that they are unbeatable for the price. I've not tried them, so I have no real empirical knowledge; I'm just passing this along.

Here's a link that my 350Z-owning friend sent me that describes the tires (with a big 'ol ton of customer reviews, which I like).

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?ma...model=Tech+M500

A 225/40WR18 runs about $117 (uninstalled), and the 255/40WR18 runs about $165 (uninstalled). Note that these are 'W' rated tires, as opposed to the 'Y' rated that come with the car. This means that they aren't rated for as high a speed. Fortunately, the 'W' rating is still 168 MPH, which is faster than the IS350 can go (unless you get rid of the speed limiter, and "do a few things"). The 'Y' rated tires that come with the car are good up to 186 mph, which is just wishful thinking...

For fun, I threw two of each (thats the sizes I have on mine) into the shopping cart, and calculated shipping to Central California. Shipping was only $35 bucks from Tirerack.com. So that's about $600 +tax and installation, which looks to me to be a darn good deal. By comparison, the OEM Dunlop tires run $178 and $229 respectively (also from tirerack.com)

Avon also makes an all season tire - the M550 A/S that is also hugely popular. Reviews for them at Tirerack.com rank them number 1 in AS tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...Tech+M550+A%2FS

I looked up pricing for them too (yeah, it's a slow morning at work so far). They're even cheaper at $115 and $134 respectively.

[Benzoserviceguy]

I have 9500 miles on my IS 250 18 inch tires and it purs. I have Dunlop summer tires. They still look pretty good.

Does anyone know how long the tires are supposed to last? Anyone have a good suggestion and cost for replacements?

Ed

The footnotes on the Lexus website point to around 15,000 miles or "substantially less" for tire wear with the 18 inch summer tires.

On the 350Z boards, there is some very good buzz about these English tires called Avon. Specifically the M500 for summer tire replacement (over here on the left side, we don't have a lot of use for winter tires). The buzz is that they are unbeatable for the price. I've not tried them, so I have no real empirical knowledge; I'm just passing this along.

Here's a link that my 350Z-owning friend sent me that describes the tires (with a big 'ol ton of customer reviews, which I like).

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?ma...model=Tech+M500

A 225/40WR18 runs about $117 (uninstalled), and the 255/40WR18 runs about $165 (uninstalled). Note that these are 'W' rated tires, as opposed to the 'Y' rated that come with the car. This means that they aren't rated for as high a speed. Fortunately, the 'W' rating is still 168 MPH, which is faster than the IS350 can go (unless you get rid of the speed limiter, and "do a few things"). The 'Y' rated tires that come with the car are good up to 186 mph, which is just wishful thinking...

For fun, I threw two of each (thats the sizes I have on mine) into the shopping cart, and calculated shipping to Central California. Shipping was only $35 bucks from Tirerack.com. So that's about $600 +tax and installation, which looks to me to be a darn good deal. By comparison, the OEM Dunlop tires run $178 and $229 respectively (also from tirerack.com)

Avon also makes an all season tire - the M550 A/S that is also hugely popular. Reviews for them at Tirerack.com rank them number 1 in AS tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...Tech+M550+A%2FS

I looked up pricing for them too (yeah, it's a slow morning at work so far). They're even cheaper at $115 and $134 respectively.

Be careful when "changing" the load rating of a tire. The load rating is the "w" or "y" or "z" or "h" letter (ie:245/45/zr17 91Y)

These LOAD ratings affect the way the car will handle and perform.

Manufacturers spend lots & lots of money on R&D and tire design. Think that those Dunlops or Bridgestones ended up on your IS by accident?

NO WAY .. it was carfully planned and executed by engineers.

The tires might look like the same, smell the same and feel the same but in NO WAY will they perform the same IF you change the load rating. So if you want to change brands, be very very sure to get the exact same tire .. always compare apples to apples. Otherwise if everything is the same EXCEPT for the load rating then you are comparing apples to pineapples.

[Scott M]

Be careful when "changing" the load rating of a tire. The load rating is the "w" or "y" or "z" or "h" letter (ie:245/45/zr17 91Y)

These LOAD ratings affect the way the car will handle and perform.

Manufacturers spend lots & lots of money on R&D and tire design. Think that those Dunlops or Bridgestones ended up on your IS by accident?

NO WAY .. it was carfully planned and executed by engineers.

The tires might look like the same, smell the same and feel the same but in NO WAY will they perform the same IF you change the load rating. So if you want to change brands, be very very sure to get the exact same tire .. always compare apples to apples. Otherwise if everything is the same EXCEPT for the load rating then you are comparing apples to pineapples.

Great, now I'm craving Pineapple

[bartkat]

I have 9500 miles on my IS 250 18 inch tires and it purs. I have Dunlop summer tires. They still look pretty good.

Does anyone know how long the tires are supposed to last? Anyone have a good suggestion and cost for replacements?

Ed

The footnotes on the Lexus website point to around 15,000 miles or "substantially less" for tire wear with the 18 inch summer tires.

On the 350Z boards, there is some very good buzz about these English tires called Avon. Specifically the M500 for summer tire replacement (over here on the left side, we don't have a lot of use for winter tires). The buzz is that they are unbeatable for the price. I've not tried them, so I have no real empirical knowledge; I'm just passing this along.

Here's a link that my 350Z-owning friend sent me that describes the tires (with a big 'ol ton of customer reviews, which I like).

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?ma...model=Tech+M500

A 225/40WR18 runs about $117 (uninstalled), and the 255/40WR18 runs about $165 (uninstalled). Note that these are 'W' rated tires, as opposed to the 'Y' rated that come with the car. This means that they aren't rated for as high a speed. Fortunately, the 'W' rating is still 168 MPH, which is faster than the IS350 can go (unless you get rid of the speed limiter, and "do a few things"). The 'Y' rated tires that come with the car are good up to 186 mph, which is just wishful thinking...

For fun, I threw two of each (thats the sizes I have on mine) into the shopping cart, and calculated shipping to Central California. Shipping was only $35 bucks from Tirerack.com. So that's about $600 +tax and installation, which looks to me to be a darn good deal. By comparison, the OEM Dunlop tires run $178 and $229 respectively (also from tirerack.com)

Avon also makes an all season tire - the M550 A/S that is also hugely popular. Reviews for them at Tirerack.com rank them number 1 in AS tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...Tech+M550+A%2FS

I looked up pricing for them too (yeah, it's a slow morning at work so far). They're even cheaper at $115 and $134 respectively.

Be careful when "changing" the load rating of a tire. The load rating is the "w" or "y" or "z" or "h" letter (ie:245/45/zr17 91Y)

These LOAD ratings affect the way the car will handle and perform.

Manufacturers spend lots & lots of money on R&D and tire design. Think that those Dunlops or Bridgestones ended up on your IS by accident?

NO WAY .. it was carfully planned and executed by engineers.

The tires might look like the same, smell the same and feel the same but in NO WAY will they perform the same IF you change the load rating. So if you want to change brands, be very very sure to get the exact same tire .. always compare apples to apples. Otherwise if everything is the same EXCEPT for the load rating then you are comparing apples to pineapples.

The number, not the letter is the load index. The letter is the speed rating.

Load Index

P195/60R15 87S - The load index (87) is the tire size's assigned numerical value used to compare relative load carrying capabilities. In the case of our example the 87 identifies the tires ability to carry approximately 1,201 pounds.

The higher the tire's load index number, the greater its load carrying capacity.

89 = 1,279 pounds

88 = 1,235 pounds

87 = 1,201 pounds

86 = 1,168 pounds

85 = 1,135 pounds

A tire with a higher load index than that of the Original Equipment tire indicates an increase in load capacity. A tire with a load index equal to that of the Original Equipment tire indicates an equivalent load capacity. A tire with a lower load index than the Original Equipment tire indicates the tire does not equal the load capacity of the original.

Typically, the load indexes of the tires used on passenger cars and light trucks range from 70 to 110.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tec...e.jsp?techid=35

[Sleepyk]

Be careful when "changing" the load rating of a tire. The load rating is the "w" or "y" or "z" or "h" letter (ie:245/45/zr17 91Y)

These LOAD ratings affect the way the car will handle and perform.

Manufacturers spend lots & lots of money on R&D and tire design. Think that those Dunlops or Bridgestones ended up on your IS by accident?

NO WAY .. it was carfully planned and executed by engineers.

The tires might look like the same, smell the same and feel the same but in NO WAY will they perform the same IF you change the load rating. So if you want to change brands, be very very sure to get the exact same tire .. always compare apples to apples. Otherwise if everything is the same EXCEPT for the load rating then you are comparing apples to pineapples.

Yes, you are right, there are differences in performance in any tire. The same is true if you were to compare just the Dunlops and the Bridgestones that came on the IS depending on when it was made. It would be unreasonable to expect that that you could install significanly more cost-effective tires and get the exact same response on the track. But to say that you have to stick with the tires that the engineers chose for your car is a bit overboard. This is why they have such wonderful things at the Uniform Tire Quality Grade and service descriptions.

However, I respectfully beg to differ on your description of the load rating. The load rating/index is the two or three digit number that preceeds the Letter, which is the speed rating. Together these two ratings are known as the "service description." I've never heard anyone refer to the load index as a proxy for performance.

[bartkat]

Load rating is just what it says. It's the load carrying capacity of the tire at its maximum rated inflation pressure. The actual pounds load rating is also embossed on the tire sidewall along with all the other info.

Back in the day threre were load ranges A,B,C, and D. The higher rated tires had more plies of rubber and fabric. The newer ratings have merely subdivided load capacities into more (narrower) weight categories.

[Benzoserviceguy]

Be careful when "changing" the load rating of a tire. The load rating is the "w" or "y" or "z" or "h" letter (ie:245/45/zr17 91Y)

These LOAD ratings affect the way the car will handle and perform.

Manufacturers spend lots & lots of money on R&D and tire design. Think that those Dunlops or Bridgestones ended up on your IS by accident?

NO WAY .. it was carfully planned and executed by engineers.

The tires might look like the same, smell the same and feel the same but in NO WAY will they perform the same IF you change the load rating. So if you want to change brands, be very very sure to get the exact same tire .. always compare apples to apples. Otherwise if everything is the same EXCEPT for the load rating then you are comparing apples to pineapples.

Yes, you are right, there are differences in performance in any tire. The same is true if you were to compare just the Dunlops and the Bridgestones that came on the IS depending on when it was made. It would be unreasonable to expect that that you could install significanly more cost-effective tires and get the exact same response on the track. But to say that you have to stick with the tires that the engineers chose for your car is a bit overboard. This is why they have such wonderful things at the Uniform Tire Quality Grade and service descriptions.

However, I respectfully beg to differ on your description of the load rating. The load rating/index is the two or three digit number that preceeds the Letter, which is the speed rating. Together these two ratings are known as the "service description." I've never heard anyone refer to the load index as a proxy for performance.

You can beg to differ , because now reading thru my previous post and the respone of our moderator (Bartkat), I was typing too fast and meant to say that the last series of numbers & digits on a tire are the speed AND Load capacities. These TWO elements make up the "performance" aspect of the tire.

Now some people might say I not going to drive "X" mph so, I'll take this less expensive tire because it's speed rating is "Y" (and I won't drive that fast either).

Now, will that tire work? YES.. Will it fit? YES ..Will it give the same performance? MAYBE.. Will most people notice the difference? Probably NOT.

I tend to come from the school that if the manufacturer "spec'd" it on my car and unless i'm upgrading, I'll stick with what it came with.

But that's just me!