Tire Size Options For 2011 Es350

[rob_es350]

I posted this question on the tire forum, but did not get an answer, so I will give it a try here.

Bought a 2011 ES350 recently and am not satisfied with the handling.

Plan on switching to a different tire from the stock 215/55-17.

If I go up one size, my choices (keeping virtually the same diameter) would be:

225/50-17

225/45-18

225/40-19

Does anyone know if going from the stock 215, to the 225 will fit properly?

What tire width will fit?

235 woukld be even better but going up 2 sizes makes me even more nervous that they will not fit properly.

I cannot find any information on what tire sizes will fit, but you folks here must have the answer.

Thanks in advance.

[SW03ES]

I might have looked at a GS if handling were important to me.

I don't think going to a wider tire on the stock 17s is going to improve handling, I think you would need to go up a size to a larger diameter wheel. Of course though you'll sacrifice ride quality...

The 225s will fit, but I don't think they'll help.

[jim pittsburgh]

look down the top list a bit...."235/50/17 Tires Awesome"

Have had no clearance problems at all.... and if you read a bit you'll find a fitment calculator (or search fro Miata tire calculator) That will answer a lot of your questions.

[rob_es350]

look down the top list a bit...."235/50/17 Tires Awesome"

Have had no clearance problems at all.... and if you read a bit you'll find a fitment calculator (or search fro Miata tire calculator) That will answer a lot of your questions.

Thanks for the quick replies.

I did look at and drive a GS. It was a huge difference in handlling, but decided not to go for the extra 10k or so. Might have made a a mistake, but I was hoping to get a big improvement with tires and/or wheels.

Sounds like to get make a big enough difference, I would have to go with the 235/50-17, as recommended here, or the 225/45-18. Think I would be more comfortable with the 225's on the 18'' wheel just to be sure there would not be any rubbing issues.

So you have had no clearance problems with the 235's even with the wheel turned all the way, and then hitting bumps? Just want to verify.

Thanks again.

[SW03ES]

I did look at and drive a GS. It was a huge difference in handlling, but decided not to go for the extra 10k or so. Might have made a a mistake, but I was hoping to get a big improvement with tires and/or wheels.

Did you look at an Acura TL or an Infiniti G37?

The ES is just not a sporty car...it doesn't have a sporty bone in its body...kinda like putting slightly larger wheels on a Lincoln Town Car...

[rob_es350]

lol, I hear ya...looked at the acura, didnt like it, looked at the g37, loved it, AMAZING performace, but a bit too small for my taste..my last 4 cars have been maximas, so had the size and the handling

wanted to upgrade to a lexus....seems clear I should have spent the extra money and gone for the GS..perhaps that will be my next car

as far as performance on the es350, 0-60 in 7.0 secs in not too shabby..g37 did it in under 6 of course

***something es owners might be interested in is how big a difference tire pressure makes for handling

car came with 30psi..LOTS of lean in turns..I put 35psi in each, and WOW huge improvementin handling for zero cost

I strongly recommend that es owners looking for better handling start by checking your tire pressure, and increase to at least 35

max tire pressure on my stock tires is 44psi, so 35 is not an issue, better gas mileage too

[SW03ES]

35PSI is fine safetywise...but it makes the car ride like !Removed!.

The car has a lot of power and accelerates well, its just a boulevard cruiser. Believe ir or not, the 350 is a good bit sportier than the previous generations of the ES. Unless you lower it, put in stiffer struts and bigger diameter wheels its not going to handle like your Maxima...and if you did all that you could have bought a GS for the cost...

[jim pittsburgh]

no upgrading the tires to a high performance 3 season tire made a huge, if not remarkable difference in handling. It was my only complaint with the ES350... I relish the quiet and the comfortable ride. Surprisingly , neither the ride nor the noise suffered all that much, but they are a little lounder and a little stiffer..., ... I'm very happy with my decision and look forward to spring when I can get the winter tires off... I bought an extra set of stock rims on ebay so the swap out only takes a few minutes.... Merry Christmas

[rob_es350]

With the tire at 35psi, I think the ride is significantly improved.

Feel a few more bumps, which I prefer, and handles WAY better. The lean in turns is dramatically reduced. That is just my preference. I think a lot of 350 owners are going to feel the same way.

Agree that if you are looking for the smoothest ride possible, the recommended 30psi is the way to go.

Also agree that the 350 is a big improvement performance wise, as compared to the previous generation es's.

Before buying the 350, I drove the lexus gs, infiniti g37, nissan maxima, 3 series bmw, acura tl, and audi a4. I found the es to be so much more comfortable then the others that it was worth sacrificing a bit of performance.

Like we have discussed, the gs is probably the best mix of luxury and performance for the money. A comparable 5 series bmw would be an additional 10k over the gs, so you get a lot of car for your money with the gs.

Think I will stick with the stock wheels and tires and just maintain the tire pressure at 35psi. When the tires need to be replaced, I will go with at least a tire size increase and possibly a bigger wheel.

great forum here..pleasure talking with all of you

[rob_es350]

no upgrading the tires to a high performance 3 season tire made a huge, if not remarkable difference in handling. It was my only complaint with the ES350... I relish the quiet and the comfortable ride. Surprisingly , neither the ride nor the noise suffered all that much, but they are a little lounder and a little stiffer..., ... I'm very happy with my decision and look forward to spring when I can get the winter tires off... I bought an extra set of stock rims on ebay so the swap out only takes a few minutes.... Merry Christmas

what size did you upgrade to??

[SW03ES]

I think his are 235s...

The issue may be more the much more performance oriented tires he went with though.

Does your ES have the Bridgestone or the Michelin tires?

[rob_es350]

235's on a 17 or 18 inch wheel?

would be 235/50-17 or 235/45-18 to keep the same diameter

[pj8708]

I think his are 235s...

The issue may be more the much more performance oriented tires he went with though.

Does your ES have the Bridgestone or the Michelin tires?

I'm on my 2nd ES and I can tell you that I've never met an owner that talked about lean in corners. They will always talk about a quiet ride, a smooth ride, tire wear. Never diameter, BUT, they will beat you !Removed! over tire brand a model type! LOL

The ES crowd are there for the ride and comfort. Zero to 60 in 5 seconds doesn't mean much. Nice, but not important.

Paul

[rob_es350]

I think his are 235s...

The issue may be more the much more performance oriented tires he went with though.

Does your ES have the Bridgestone or the Michelin tires?

I'm on my 2nd ES and I can tell you that I've never met an owner that talked about lean in corners. They will always talk about a quiet ride, a smooth ride, tire wear. Never diameter, BUT, they will beat you !Removed! over tire brand a model type! LOL

The ES crowd are there for the ride and comfort. Zero to 60 in 5 seconds doesn't mean much. Nice, but not important.

Paul

no shortage of es owners on this forum who are very interested in improving performance....I mean handling, not 0-60 which is fine at 7 secs flat

[SW03ES]

No shortage of owners...where? I've been a member here for 8 years...obviously you've found some pocket of owners here in 4 days that I've missed ;)

Theres a very small aftermarket demand for this car, just look around...no tuners really provide support for the ES because there isn't any demand. The average age of an ES owner is like 55...

I believe Jim's tires are just on the stock wheels.

[rob_es350]

No shortage of owners...where? I've been a member here for 8 years...obviously you've found some pocket of owners here in 4 days that I've missed ;)

Theres a very small aftermarket demand for this car, just look around...no tuners really provide support for the ES because there isn't any demand. The average age of an ES owner is like 55...

I believe Jim's tires are just on the stock wheels.

how bout the guy raving about his 235's right here, and also the one other complaining about roll in turns

true that es owners do not have performance as their first priority, but I think the car offers a pretty good mix of luxury and performance and there is no doubt many who would like the performance at least slightly better and have compromised like me for the comfort, well thought out interior, etc.

55, lol, that is exactly the crowd that all drove cameros, mustangs, even gto's and cutlass's when they were younger

baby boomers who still want some performance but are not satisifed with seating in a real low side bolstered seat, etc are the ones turning to lexus

and those that dont want to spend up for the gs, are landing in an es looking for tires, lol....

[SW03ES]

That's two people.. The sort of people you find on forums don't really tell you much about the actual owner population either.

Trust me, I've owned these cars for 8 years. When you see one at a stoplight look at the driver. I VERY rarely see one driven by someone younger than 60. It's a boulevard cruiser.

Most people who want the GS but can't afford one land in an IS, not an ES. In general Lexus isn't a performance car company. They are trying to change that, but BMW, Audi, Infiniti get the performance buyers far more than Lexus.

[pj8708]

I think his are 235s...

The issue may be more the much more performance oriented tires he went with though.

Does your ES have the Bridgestone or the Michelin tires?

I'm on my 2nd ES and I can tell you that I've never met an owner that talked about lean in corners. They will always talk about a quiet ride, a smooth ride, tire wear. Never diameter, BUT, they will beat you !Removed! over tire brand a model type! LOL

The ES crowd are there for the ride and comfort. Zero to 60 in 5 seconds doesn't mean much. Nice, but not important.

Paul

no shortage of es owners on this forum who are very interested in improving performance....I mean handling, not 0-60 which is fine at 7 secs flat

This is why God made focus groups. You can accuse Toyota of a lot of things, but marketing stupidity isn't one of them. If their research found that ES drivers were consumed with formula one type handling, do you you think they would have kept making the same style ES over and over again, year after year?.

Paul

[rob_es350]

That's two people.. The sort of people you find on forums don't really tell you much about the actual owner population either.

Trust me, I've owned these cars for 8 years. When you see one at a stoplight look at the driver. I VERY rarely see one driven by someone younger than 60. It's a boulevard cruiser.

Most people who want the GS but can't afford one land in an IS, not an ES. In general Lexus isn't a performance car company. They are trying to change that, but BMW, Audi, Infiniti get the performance buyers far more than Lexus.

bmw, infiniti, and audi all have better performing cars at about the same price point, but all are smaller cars (3 series, g37, and a4 respectively)

I do agree with you though that if you are looking for performance, you will sacrifice a bit on size and comfort for the speed and handling

I decided to go the other direction, and dont have regrets about not buying one of those others, but I do think I should have given more thought to paying more for the GS, where you dont have to sacrifice size and comfort to get the performance...

the perfect combination, for me anyway, would be a 5 series bmw..particularly the one with the more powerful engine (535), but that is another 10k above the GS, so took it for a drive (amazing!!), but could never consider it

[SW03ES]

The ES is kindnof a weird car sisewise...you're right the other cars in its class are a lot smaller. The 5 series is so damned expensive!

[LEXIRX330]

The ES is kindnof a weird car sisewise...you're right the other cars in its class are a lot smaller. The 5 series is so damned expensive!

BMW just about ruined me a few months back. They put me in a 535 as a loaner had some warranty work done on the x5...well that 535 huh what can I say. I ran the *BLEEP* out of it. And the harder I pushed it the better it handled. It was on rails...absolutely amazing. When they called me to pick up the x5 I wanted to tell them to keep it. But my wife loves the x5 and with two little ones the space helps. I love the look of the ES, and GS but I have to say after having SUV's I enjoy the space and the ride but I see a Sunday driver (sports car) one day in the future no time soon hell I don't even ride my Harley much.

[rob_es350]

The ES is kindnof a weird car sisewise...you're right the other cars in its class are a lot smaller. The 5 series is so damned expensive!

BMW just about ruined me a few months back. They put me in a 535 as a loaner had some warranty work done on the x5...well that 535 huh what can I say. I ran the *BLEEP* out of it. And the harder I pushed it the better it handled. It was on rails...absolutely amazing. When they called me to pick up the x5 I wanted to tell them to keep it. But my wife loves the x5 and with two little ones the space helps. I love the look of the ES, and GS but I have to say after having SUV's I enjoy the space and the ride but I see a Sunday driver (sports car) one day in the future no time soon hell I don't even ride my Harley much.

I would order the cars we have discussed this way:

For performance sacrificing the at bit of room and comfort at 40k price point:

1) Infiniti G37x - absolutely the best in it's class...better performance and WAY better reliability than its competitors

2) 335 BMW - the only person who would buy this car after driving the G37, is someone who just has to have the BMW logo on their car..complete waste..if you do buy it, make sure you get rid of it before it has problems

3)Audi A4 - even worse than the BMW - same reliability issues, and not as good as a performer - pushing the limits of the 4 cylinder engine

For a good mix of performance and luxury at the same price point, I only see one option, the ES350

At the 50k price point, again, only one option, the GS for a great mix of luxury and performance

and if you have 60k to spend on a car..dont even shop around, just get the BMW535xi..keep it for 3 years and unload it though..reliability is not good

good forum by the way!

[SW03ES]

I dunno, something about the solidity of a 3 series BMW that just isn't quite there in anything else.

Compared to the GS, did you drive the Infiniti M? Much more car than the GS IMHO...

[rob_es350]

I dunno, something about the solidity of a 3 series BMW that just isn't quite there in anything else.

Compared to the GS, did you drive the Infiniti M? Much more car than the GS IMHO...

You are not alone liking the beemer, but have you driven the G37? Better performance, IMO, and less money..I dont think the BMW crowd is likely to switch, but my guess is that Infiniti will continue to take market share with those who haven't owned either

Hear ya regarding the M, but you have to get t he M45 to match the GS performance, and then you are at least 5k up in price

[SW03ES]

Oh yeah, the G37 is a great car...I've driven them but its still not *quite* like a 3 series in the solidity department. The 3 series drives like its a solid peice of metal, the Japanese cars just aren't quite the same...a BMW really isn't about all out performance or numbers on paper, its a driving experience and IMHO nothing else is really quite to that point yet.

As for the M, you're thinking of the old M. No more M45, its the M37 and the M56. The M37 has a 330HP V6 with a 7 speed auto, the GS350 only has 303HP and a 6 speed. The M56 has a 420hp V8 while the GS460 is only 342.

So the M37 absolutely will blow the doors off a GS350 and even probably be close to a GS460...and Lexus just doesn't have anything to compete with the M56. Plus the car is more modern and its cheaper. I drove both back to back when I was looking...and I wouldn't even consider a GS over an M.