four door Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 I will have a set of four 1994 OEM 16" alloy wheels by the end of the week and need new tires. The tires and wheels will be installed on a 1992 LS400. Called a tire shop that I have done buisness with before and they suggested Michilin MXV4 Plus, $716 total four four mounted/balanced/tax. I specified the H rated tires since I want them as quiet/smooth as possible. Any other suggestions for tires?
tansupplyman Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 First you should take a wheel off your car[ft] and mount each wheel recd to check for warp,etc. The price sounds high to me $179 ea.!! check the ads in the back of Road & Track,etc for the Tire Rack[maybe you can on line] or similiar tire dealers--you should be able to price the same tires from them and see what they would be to your door. Don't think you pay tax on these from a shipping dealer. Then you pay for mounting and balance. May save some--don't know. You originally asked about chrome wheels as I recall; I do have things you should look at and do if you got these. As info, they are chrome plated alum; and chrome tends to flake on the inside[of tire], also it is MANDATORY that you use stick-on wts[dynamic balanced] on these---not 'drive on' wts. This is from experience !!!
obergc Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 I just installed a set of the Michelin MXV Plus tires on my 93 LS. The price your dealer quoted you is not out of line, I paid $676 for the four including mounting, balancing and sales tax from the local Sams Club here in Florida. That was the best price I could find for them. I have no complaint about the ride or noise so far but to tell you the truth I haven't done a lot of interstate driving since I put them on, they are quite around town. Curt
SW03ES Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 The Michelins are good tires, but by far not the highest rated and WAY overpriced for what they are. Go to www.tirerack.com and search the tires availiable for the LS, you can get tires for it, great tires, for well less that $100 each. I reccomend the Dunlop SP Sport 5000, Continental ContiExtremeContact.
Regan Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 Check these out.... http://www.michelinman.com/catalog/tires/M...html?source=mid
tansupplyman Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 found this on the 'Tire Rack' website. Note this doesn't include shipping[uPS] ALSO you get a FREE DVD player ALSO you may NOT pay state tax[didn't go that far into it] if all this is true---you could be saving considerable funds !!! Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus (Grand Touring All-Season) Specs | Warranty | Reviews | Test Results | Survey Results Sidewall Style: Blackwall Size:225/60-16 OE HR Speed Rated Price: $128 Special Offer Estimated Availability: In Stock Qty: 12345678 SPECIAL OFFER: Free JVC DVD Player when you buy 4 new Michelin® brand tires.
spiller91ls Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 I paid $686 for my set of tires, they are 225/60ZR15 bfgoodrich comp t/a's. at the end of this year i'll be putting a set of dante design wheel and a set of 245/45YR17 bfgoodrich g-force KW and they run about $185 a piece. i get my tires from discount tire co.
SW03ES Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 Even at only $128 and with the DVD player the Michelins are overpriced. I always buy tires from TireRack though. I have them shipped to a little garage down the road that charges me about $8 a tire to mount and balance. GREAT deal.
SW03ES Posted August 27, 2003 Posted August 27, 2003 Check out this tire: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes The ContiExtremeContacts are $80 each for your LS. Read the reviews, they're rated considerably higher than the Michelin's in every aspect, and they're $80 less EACH! You could buy one hell of a DVD player for that.
VBdenny Posted August 28, 2003 Posted August 28, 2003 I love Michelin's, without a doubt one of the finest tires made. I do consider Continetal tires just about equivilent as another perfect tire. If I could get Conti's for 80 bucks less, I'd do it. You don't list where you are (which would be nice) but I'd check at Costco, they have great prices on tires. I paid $119 each for Michelin X-1Plus (T-rated) for one of my cars and they are perfect, even at 100mph.
W6RU Posted August 28, 2003 Posted August 28, 2003 Wanting to see if there might be a better riding tire than my Michelin's I looked at a lot of tires on Tire Rack website. The Kuhmo ECSTA HP4 716 has the highest rating for ride comfort, road noise and wear. At $ 53.00 each this sounded to good to be true. I spoke with one of the guys there and he said that Kuhmo was a Korean company trying to brake into new tire markets here in the US and thus the low prices. He did comment that the side wall may not be quite as stiff as some of the other tires which might be a little trade off in the handling department. He did state that they have had good feedback from users.
VMF Posted August 30, 2003 Posted August 30, 2003 i had H rated tired before, it was like riding on the baloons as some1 in the forum said b4, switched to T and its much better, no noise increase and car handles much better!!!!! btw i got cheap cooper tires and they work great. you dont have to spend that much $$ just for name even for lexus:)
SW03ES Posted August 30, 2003 Posted August 30, 2003 T rated tires are a lower speed rating than H... You'd think the "baloon" =ness would be worse. And yeah, Michelins are a great tire, one of the best out there. I'm just saying you can get an equivilent tire for about half...
four door Posted August 30, 2003 Author Posted August 30, 2003 Thanks for all the advice re tires for the LS. My brother has Perelli P6000 (H rated) on his '93 LS400 and is quite satisfied and he's fussier then I am. I was going to get the same tires from the local dealer (Boston, Mass.) he purchased them from but they no longer carry them. It still a tough choice even after checking out all the recommended tires listed on the Tire Rack. I'm willing to spend extra money to get a very good tire for the LS. Since I plan to drive it only in good weather (spring/summer/fall), no snow/no salt/, I might check out the summer touring tires. I plan on useing my Toyota Camray to battle the winter snow, salt, slush etc. Four Door.
pgross Posted September 1, 2003 Posted September 1, 2003 Thanks for the info everyone. Looks like the Continetals are at least a good bet, and maybe the best choice. I had Dunlop Sport A2's (or something like that ) put on and have had terrible trouble with noise and odd wear. It wears like it has bad allignment, but I had 3 or 4 done to no avail. I must also admit to runnig over a hunk of wood early in the life of the tires, had a tie rod end bent back into shape and both ball joints replaced and thought I was good. Just recently, I was told I had upper control arm replaced. Several (what seemed to be) competant people looked at the suspension including two different dealers and everyone said it was good, but the tires kept wearing oddly. I have choppy edges and one or two of the tires have gone odd around. The last person I talked too, a dealer in Chicago that I trust, told me the H rating of the tires is the culprit. Can't handle the car was his opinion. It needs the V rating of the original tires. I'm still thinking it was something in the suspension, and that perhaps the latest control arm replacement will settle this down. Does anyone have experience with this? or an opinion? or something you think I could try? I will need new tires next spring (asssuming I don't go crazy with the rumble of the existing Dunlops) and would like to feel I will not have any wear issues with the new tires.
SW03ES Posted September 1, 2003 Posted September 1, 2003 I've heard some bad wear issues with the A2s, and I myself had wear issues with a set of Dunlop tires once. I doubt that the H rating has anything to do with it, plenty of cars heavier than the LS come with H rated or less from the factory.
pgross Posted September 2, 2003 Posted September 2, 2003 I think he was of the opinion that the rubber would be of a slightly different make-up for the two tires, and that the H rated may not hold up while the V would. I'm not sure this is true, just as you are, but I don't know it is not. Another thread (irregular tire wear), however suggests that lots of suspension parts could be at fault, and this does seem to make more sense. Besides, I'm reading way too many testimonies of those that use H rated tires and had no problems. Is there a way of telling who knows suspensions well enough to diagnose if the problem is shocks, torsion bars or struts, tie rod ends, etc., etc., etc? I would be grateful for any help. Phil
four door Posted September 3, 2003 Author Posted September 3, 2003 Case closed! My excellent used "94 LS400 16" alloy wheels arrived via UPS today. Also reviewed the Sunday paper ads/supplements and found that my local Sears Auto Center had Michilin MXV4+HR 225/60/16 tires listed for $128 each plus install/tax ($20). Called and found out they were not in stock but they had MXV4+VR tires (listed at $148 each) and Sears would sell them for the same price ($128) as the H rated tires. Total price for four Michilin MXV4+VR tires $594 and change(mounted/balanced/tax). Drove out of the Sears Auto Center and what a night and day difference from the four Michilin 15" Artic snow tires. The smooth ride, excellent handling and almost no noise was just what I expected from good quality tires. My '92 LS400 drives like new again. Four Door.
spiller91ls Posted September 3, 2003 Posted September 3, 2003 hey pgross, that choppy wear on the edge of your tires is called "cupping" and the #1 cause is worn out shocks. as far as the tire issuse, stop trying to put the cheapest tire on a $45000 car, you get what you pay for. nothing quite like having a rear tire blowout at 110 mph and $2000-3000 repair bill to fix the mess from a $120 tire T rated tire. it's never happed to me on my '91 ls but it did on my '73 Torino and since them (1993) all my vehicles have had nothing but bfgoodrich rubber on them.
oversteer Posted September 3, 2003 Posted September 3, 2003 I agree with SW03ES. I put the Dunlop SP Sport 500 tires on my 90 LS400 about a years ago and have loved them. Excellent wet weather traction. Very reasonable wear and they have been not gone out of balance easily like some of the other tires I have had. I will definitely buy again. I got them from Tire Rack based on all the excellent reviews they had. I paid around $85 a tire delievered for 15". Paid another 12/tire for mounting and balancing. As a note: Shops usually don't mind if you bring them tired for mounting and balancing because margins are so low on the tires, they make most their money on the mount/balance anyway. Discount Tire also has local stores that will match the discounttiredirect.com pricing locally so you can just walk in and get an internet price with no shipping. Chet
SW03ES Posted September 4, 2003 Posted September 4, 2003 The LS is more expensive then $45000 ;) My ES was $40,000. as for "putting the cheapest tires on" we're not talking about bleepty Sears brand tires here LOL. We're talking about great mainstream tire brands with incredible reviews at a fair price. The most expensive thing isn't always the best. I personally think that four door wasted his hard earned money big time on overhyped tires that aren't worth $80 extra a peice. However, its his money to waste and when he made that decision, I dropped it. I mean, come on. You're not going to have some furious blowout because you put $80 Continental or Dunlop tires over $150 Michelins. Dunlop and Continental both have great track records for quality and safety. If you look at the reviews the Dunlops and Contis are rated MUCH higher than the Michelins. So you're saying you should by the Michelins just because they cost more and are befitting of a Lexus? Pffft thats rediculous. Whats REALLY funny is that you're driving a Lexus and saying this, if the "more expensive thing is always better" why aren't you in a Mercedes or BMW? They're more expensive and have more prestige than a Lexus. The Lexus is just as good, or better in all categories, and much cheaper. You bought it because you're a smart consumer, thats why I bought mine. Now you're poo pooing Dunlop and Continental because they cost less, and are just as good or better in all respects than the Michelins? Makes no sense. I find the "luxury car mentality" that only rediculously overpriced goods and service are "good enough" for the car. Thats why Lexus charges a $120 an hour labor rate and people pay it when the tech down the road at Toyota has the same training and certification for $70 an hour. Makes me wonder how some people ever became successful enough to buy these cars, you dont get rich by wasting money. Also, bear in mind that I'm not so much commenting on anyone's comments in particular, just a general rant ;)
W6RU Posted September 6, 2003 Posted September 6, 2003 Hey Four Door ...... I have the same VR rated Michelins on my car. Do you notice after the car has sat all night that for the first 5 minutes or so of driving they have a very slight shimmy or out of balance feel ? Mine take about 5 to 10 minutes to become the perfect ride, then they are great for the rest of the day. Terry
SW03ES Posted September 6, 2003 Posted September 6, 2003 Thats common with a lot of tires. The Michelins on my ES are the same way. The tires get a flat spot as they sit and then the rubber warms back up and smooths back out.
ToddLS400 Posted September 7, 2003 Posted September 7, 2003 I paid about $130/piece for my 18" ZR Kumho tires w/a 50K factory warranty. Very good 16" tires should be no more than $80-90 I would think? Go to Discount Tires for the best deals.
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