Tires And Wheel Alignment

[palermo22]

I know tires has been discussed in many posts but opinions change over time and I need tires now (2007 IS250 with 22,000 miles) - I have narrowed my choice to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus and Continental Extreme Contact DWS. From my research it appears you can't go wrong with either but I am more interested in a better ride - less noise and longer tread life. Opinions are welcomed.

On the Continental tire - it appears that the DWS and DW are almost the same tire but the DWS is rated for snow. I live on the California Central Coast - where we typically have cool temperatures the whole year: summer 70 and winter high 50s. So I really don't need the DWS for snow but they seem to be rated better (and with a better warranty) than the DW: can anyone comment on this?

Lastly, I read some horror stories about the 2007 IS250 constantly needing wheel alignment. I have never had one in the 4+ years of owning the car - but I was just told I need one. Is this a trouble-spot for this car or an anomaly?

Thanks

[smooth1]

I've owned both sets and I can tell you that you would be very happy with either. The Conti's have a longer tread life though, and cost less too, so that's why I am buying another set of those.

I have almost 50k miles on my 08 IS350, I changed out the stock suspension for an adjustable one. I generally keep the car about 1.5 inches lower than stock, and I have pretty aggressive offset's on my rims. The stock camber isn't adjustable, so I expected a little more inside tire wear, but over the years, I've really had no issues at all with alignments or excessive wear.

[palermo22]

I did wind up getting the Continental DWS - great price ($770) - and driving home from the tire place was a world of difference. I did need an alignment but it was actually the first I had in over four years.