dcjaybird

I'm desperate for good advice.... My 2002 SC430...only 5 years old...only 35000 miles...has a tire that leaks air ONLY at 55mph or over. I can drive for months and months at city street speed, no problem But, as soon as I hit the freeway, after about 10 miles at 55mph, the tire pressure indicator comes on. And, if I kept going, it would go flat. This is a BRAND NEW tire that I bought to replace the one that had only 10000 miles and was doing the same thing. The rim has also been esamined and cleaned. Yes, we've checked for air leaks, and they just don't show up. The air stops leaking once the tire cools down...and it can't be forced to leak in a tire shop. It's been to NTB and Merchant's Tire both, in DC. It's been to the dealer Maryland, who's brilliant suggest was nitrogen. Because I've just moved from DC to South Florida, I've also taken it to another dealer in Florida, found nothing. LEXUS' solution is to take it back to Maryland for further diagnosis. I got an e-mail response the quality of which i would expect from Kia or Yugo or Ford, not Lexus. They're useless, just as they were useless a few years back when I had to replace my runflats. The tires now are good Michelin tires. Any thoughts? Is there a cheap place to buy a decent wheel? Is it possible that the air pressure sensor is leaking? None of this makes sense...and LEXUS is just making me want to trade the car in on an Infiniti or Mercedes. I absolutely hate it when loyalty is rewarded with a spit in the eye.

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Get rid of the run-flats because you will be sorry you have them, and LEXUS will not care one bit. Your ride will improve dramatically with regular tires. If you have a flat in run-flats, yes, they will run flat, but it will be very difficult to find a replacement. I wound up spending 1100 bucks on new tires. Love them, love the ride is great, the ride is smooth and easier to control. BUT, Lexus wasn't the least bit concerned about my problems, difficulty or expense .

Just got rid of my 17000 Potenza runflats, and I'm again in love with the SC430...although I'm still hating Lexus for putting us through this :chairshot: Thankfully, a huge nail in one of my runflats (okay, so it was briefly nice that I could drive it afterwards) made me look at alternatives...especially after the dealer...and five other tire stores... said they weren't equipped to deal with the runflat repair or replacement! So I got four Michelin Pilots and $1200 later I've got a quiet ride, a smooth ride, no jerking from side to side as I stop on an uneven road surface AND I have a tire rated All Season as opposed to those only-Summer rated tires that had me stranded on a perfectly level road in a half inch of snow. GET RID OF YOUR POTENZAS....!Removed! to Lexus and enjoy life and driving again

Funny you should ask....just had my 4 tires (17000 miles) replaced yesterday with non-run flat Michelin Pilots because I had a major nail in one and the dealer wasn't equipped to deal with either repair or replacement (the run-flats can't be repaired). Now, it was a godsend that I could drive on the flat, but it took forever for NTB to get me the right tires and get them installed. The ride is extremely quiet and smooth today. Do I worry about not having a spare? Yes...but since I've only had 4 flats in 35 years of driving, I guess I'll be okay. The winter driving issue is real. With the run-flats, it wouldn't budge...I got stuck on a perfectly flat road in an inch of snow. Luckily, I kept my Blazer for winter driving. But how many people can do that...or can put themself in a position that they need to? So I'm hoping this new tires, rated as All-Season, will work. BTW, total cost of replacing 4 tires......$1100! BUT, I still love my SC430 and wouldn't give it up for the world.

It's that time of year...the top is always wet in the morning, which makes me hesitate about putting the top down. And, in DC summer heat, morning is the best time to have the top down. A full cover is impractical for me. Has anyone discovered a "half top", something to just cover the roof and stick magnetically...something easily folded up and stored in trunk?

New to the forum...just discovered you all. So, my SC430 is now 2 1/2 years old. After the first winter, I discovered that it simply does not work in snow, even a light dusting. That's with the Potenza run-flats. Did anyone have this problem and SOLVE this problem. It's ridiculous that I had to keep my old car just to get around.