ArmyofOne

the 50 series sidewall is the sidewall measurement...for instance, mine are 195/60/VR15 195 is the tire width in MM, the 60 is the sidewall height in MM, the "V" is the speed rating and the R15 is the Wheel sixe it fits on, in my case a 15" wheel.

court date is jan 12th or eariler. ALOT of my insurance rates being high has to do with the state im in. NY has the highest rates in the country, its automaticall almost a 30% increase (so i was told). and yes its weird that the escort costs the same as it would for me to ensure an SRT4 or a Camaro SS. but that is the way USAA does it. Most insurance compaines do ti that way. if it has 2 doors it is considered a sports car, unless its a hatchback/pickup/SUV. its unfortunate, but its true. this sucks, my career depends on my driving record (didnt know that 3 months ago either). Well, i went to court...the angle didnt work :( Speeding fine, 71mph in a 55mph zone: $90. NY State surcharge: $55. Total Fine Due: $145.00 Due Date: Feb 20, 2006. YIKES.

Ah see the state troopers in texas use that technique alot. Maybe the trooper just hadnt turned his radar on blake? He saw the black LS400 and said... "Its an old man, he aint speedin' " He dont know you very well...do he? :P

Cool, I never knew that! That's a good question, and I don't know the answer! The X50 can detect laser. I've gotten shot twice (with laser), and the sound this thing makes will send you through the sunroof when you aren't expecting it to happen! Oh yeah, I forgot to add that on my way back the Trooper was still in the same spot shooting. I came up on him head on, and I still got nothing. <_< Could it have been not rada, but VASCAR? Im not sure what VASCAR is, but im not sure its radar.

Due to a nail, we are assessing whether new tires all around are in order. At 253,000 miles (on the car, not the tires!), I am not looking for investment tires and these Falkens are easily affordable. Sears even matches the Discount Tire price, which makes them marginally cheaper at Sears, go figure. The Goodyear Aquatreads we now have are a bad ride and I won't be sorry to replace them. Trouble from the word "GO." So, are the V series worth the additional cost or do the H series do just as well? opinions? Thanks in advance. rosie I can concur with LexusFreak...Falkens are a good bet, and an easily affordable alternative thats 99% as good as the other tires. I dont know how they compare to a tire like the Michelin MXV4, but considering the MXV's are over $150 a tire, i really dont care. I have had 2 sets of Falkens now...and i will never own another tire on a passenger car/sport compact ever again. my .02 worth. So, I have been looking at opinions posted around the web and find many comments about these wearing out fast. Like 8 months! And noisy. Can this be true? This is exactly what I don't want in a tire. And, the H vs the V rating? Worth the extra .02? thanks, rosie Ill put it this way, my escort is quiet as the dead. My Lexus was too. I have 0...thats **ZERO** Issues with this tire. I have had my set on for 8 months, they are fantastic. Still look brand new. In the low profile versions, they last only 30K miles, if you have the 50 series sidewall and up, they last 60K. If you wanna know any more about them PM me, otherwise, i feel i should take my leave from this thread, as when it comes to the topic of tires, i tend not to tread lightly...

Due to a nail, we are assessing whether new tires all around are in order. At 253,000 miles (on the car, not the tires!), I am not looking for investment tires and these Falkens are easily affordable. Sears even matches the Discount Tire price, which makes them marginally cheaper at Sears, go figure. The Goodyear Aquatreads we now have are a bad ride and I won't be sorry to replace them. Trouble from the word "GO." So, are the V series worth the additional cost or do the H series do just as well? opinions? Thanks in advance. rosie I can concur with LexusFreak...Falkens are a good bet, and an easily affordable alternative thats 99% as good as the other tires. I dont know how they compare to a tire like the Michelin MXV4, but considering the MXV's are over $150 a tire, i really dont care. I have had 2 sets of Falkens now...and i will never own another tire on a passenger car/sport compact ever again. my .02 worth.

LOL thanx Toys. I'll just take some of my Ritalin and hash it out in the garage. I appreciate the quick tutorial! nah you will be fine. It really isnt difficult...Especially with the FSM's that SantaRme posted ;) . If my cousin can pull em off on her V6 camry, (she couldnt even change her own oil)...then dude, you can do it...no problem.

-F&R valve covers; $300 with labor (do em yourself its an afternoon of work, use the FSM's provided) -Front tranny pump seal and pan gasket...no idea, sounds expensive. -Power steering rack leaking...labor alone on this will run between $600 and $800, the part...well get ready for a kick in the pants, the one for my ES250 was $975... -Tie Rod Ends, do em in an afternoon...$35 a piece...$200 for your mechanic to do em prolly. and a Rear main seal...well...the good news is...the part is like $5....the bad news is...the labor to get to the part and put it back together is nearly $800. sorry for the bad news slim...anything i can do let me know as i still have a few contacts in TX.

One of the things i have always complained about with lexus (though they have gotten better in recent years) is there wood trim, or rather...the LACK thereof. granted they are doing better now than they were int he mid 90's. I personally love wood trim. You have to be careful though, as it can be overdone. and the oval dash DOES NOT flow well at all. i dont want to look at humpty dumpty every time i change a CD or look at the temperature in the car!

I wholeheartedly agree. :)

Oh LOL!!!

Well, with 22s and a 2.5 inch drop it will feel amd drive more like a International 18 wheeler than an LS lol I've tried enough similar types of tires on the LS to know that directional tires with high treadwear warranties are too hard and loud for the LS. You'd be surprised. the bodykit and 22's was a joke, i would never cannibalize an LS like that. Ok. You have tried similar types if tires. I will try this one and report my findings to you. Your right, i have been in the past. ;) oh and uh, pearl white: I dont recieve any money, i just like the tires. nothing wrong with that. you dont liek them, nothing wrong with that either. I would still buy them off of you if i had an application for them. For my purposes, they will suit me fine. :)

wellll...you know that i have always found beauty in odd places :P

Oh and uh...i just saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to geico :P I think stubborn is a good word for both of us LOL Well apparently you don't like it, because as you said you don't care as much about a smooth and quiet ride, which is basically all the LS is good at. Its not appreciably fast, flashy, its not that spacious, but it rides smoother and quieter than any other car on the road. To spoil that with 19s and Falkens is a waste of money IMHO. You'd be better off buying a GS. You need to quit getting all butt hurt about these things (thats my new term for the day I think, butt hurt), they're just opinions. I do love it, i love the way it looks. I love the way it feels. I love the way it drives. I love everything about the car...ESPECIALLY the reliability. I didnt say i was putting 19's on either. I was thinking 22" HRE's with a VIP bodykit from D2-Autosport and a 2.5 inch drop. Limo tint all around, and lovin every minture of it. Opinions are liek *BLEEP*s we all have one. SW i hold no personal grudges agains anyone, least of all you. your a man whos opinion i can respect 99.9% of the time. BUT I STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN EXCLUDE SOMETHING YOU HAVE NEVER TRIED?! I will at least try something once before i critisize it. I WILL try the falkens on an LS. Nobody else here has. I will report my findings. Im interested in only facts, as you are. if they are bad, i will say so. I dont mind wasting $250-$300 if in the interest of a debate. cause i know I can deal with the noise for the diration of the tire life. Im jumping from an Escort to an LS for crists sake. BF Goodrich all terrains will be quieter on an LS than this thing was when i got it. the falkens made it quiter...if thay make the LS louder, i will try something else, and i will publicly admit i was wrong, as i always do.

Why should i buy an LS? I will buy an LS because I like it. Because i want to. If i did everything because someone else wanted me to, i would never get anywhere in life. THE SAME REASON i will put whatever tires i so desire on it. End of discussion. I will not make any mention of Falkens again. You seem to think they are not tires suited to a Lexus, as such they need not be mentioned here anymore. Give it a rest. I have said what I have to say, you have too. Let the public make their own judgement. No reason to continuously walk all over my opinion.

No, the Camry is a much more robust vehicle than an Escort. Come on though, I don't think anyone has ever accused the Escort of having even average fit and finish. Its just not something Ford focused on when they built the car. Corollas, Civics, etc all have VASTLY superior material quality and fit and finish. You can loose change down some of the seams in the dash of an Escort. As for leather dash and door panels, they're vinyl ;) Steering wheel might be leather, but I doubt it. Gotta be real. no im positive the steering wheel is leather, the panles and dash may indeed be vinyl now that you mention it. no you cant lose change in the seasm in my dash, caue there are no seams. only at the airbag cover...and that fits snug as a bug in a rug. Im not saying my car is the best thing since sliced bread, but i do think its built better than the average american car. I need to get a pic of the steering wheel, that was a $495 option. i disagree with you on the civics, i hate their interiors...quality my !Removed!, look at something wrong and it falls off. i still dont have any rattles in my car. and i POUND the stereo. JIBBY, my way of thinking is building then blowing, because i want to get the maximum effective use out of the part. I dont see a sense in tearing apart a tranny to rebuild it until it blows. an engine however is a different matter. Drastic jumps in HP may require what i call a "prebuild" (a pre-failure rebuild), such as on the charger where the HP went from 425 (advertised) to 4 digits. I saw no reason to tear the trans apart to rebuild it, i knew it was gonna blow, it was only a matter of time. I wish the entire world would get off this whole "domestics suck" bit. I like it, and even when i do get another lexus, this car is not going anywhere. SW i will find some pix of my interior. EDIT: Note the stitching on the wheel...and the padded dash. I press my fingers into the dash, and i can depress the padding a half an inch. good stuff. its not the hard stuff that dodge uses int he MORE EXPENSIVE neon. or stratus for that matter.

Yeah, but ford taruses and mecury sables come wih automatics. and you are right, the only automatic ford makes that was worth a crap is the one in the F150. You have to remember, this car works for me, because i like it. its fun sporty and fast, and it was cheap. it would be reliable too, if i didnt overpower it. One thing you guys dont understand about me, if i blow it up because there is too much power, i dont get upset about it, i build it back better and stronger and go again. the WORST car ever made was the chevy cavalier...period. the escort is a great car, my old boss has one with 200K on it, and he JUST did the clutch. In my experiences, they cant be killed. I had a ford contour, which many said were junk, and i put 385K on it. it died via the rear end of a dodge pickup...a trailer hitch in the teeth. never had a problem with that tranny. now my moms concorde, it was 4 trannies in 70K (needing its 5th when we traded it in). the fit and finish on my car is rigth on par, padded leather dash, padded leather door panels, good quality fabrics, Few cheap plastics, A LEATHER STEERING WHEEL! , easy controls, easy to read gauges. its no 30K camry or 40K ES, but its not supposed to be. it was $15K BRAND NEW. Honda Manual trannies have issues with over powering them as well. all cheap cars will. if you think a toyota wont,, you got another thing comin. I have seen corolla and camry trannies toasted quicker than it takes a toaster to toast toast. Go here : http://www.toyotanation.com and read about all the tranny failures in the camry and corolla section if you dont believe me.

Say what you want SW. Your not going to convince me of anything. It is my choice. I CAN afford to put those michelins on an LS, i just REFUSE to afford it. If i have to sacrifice some road noise on a tire thats tested tried and true through me time and time again...then so be it. I WILL NOT PAY the premiums of other tire companies. Cause the bottom line is, road noise in a Lexus is virtually nonexistant anyways. ESPECIALLY an LS. Im not saying i woudl never put the michelins on...but someone would have to buy them for me, or i would have to find a good set on ebay. Besides, if i cared about comfort, i wouldnt put aftermarket wheels on anything. I care about grip overall, the falkens havent beaten any other tire out for grip in any category, and you know i have had alot of tires because my previous professions required ALOT of driving. These tire debates are getting old...much like the oil or coolant debates. Im out.

Ok, my quote from Lexus for a brand new radiator is $438 my price, normally $600. However someone recommended "Performance" radiators? Performance Radiator This price came out to only $145. Is this the route I should take? Are these good or can anybody recommend a good aftermarket? Thx again, Snes See if Fluidyne has a good aftermarket solution, will be abou the same price as the one above and you can add a mod to your list :)

No, why would they give you a refund because you voided the warranty? Next to insurance companies, warranty companies are probably the most evil companies on the planet. And all those vehicles were significantly more expensive than an $18,000 Ford Escort weren't they? Not to mention better engineered, an Escort is a step away from a golf cart in terms of engineering basically. Can't even be compared. How about a manual transmission in the most basic Toyota Corolla, how long do you think it would live with 50hp more being pushed through it and being abused at a dragstrip? or even a camry, allthough i have to say, moms camry is pretty spiffy. LOL. SW, i gotya on the warranty. thanks for your input, very much appreciated. Jibby..something else you have to remember, those are all RWD/4WD platforms. im on a FWD platform...a RWD transmission has about 5,000 moving parts in a manual, about 14,000 in an automatic. in a space the size of a microwave, or bigger. a FWD transaxle has 20,000 moving parts, all of which have to work in syncrhonization, in a space no bigger than a small toaster. and thats just a manual. as far as an automatic verson of this car, i wouldnt trust the ford CD4E Auto Transaxle as far as you could throw it, if it makes you feel any better.

im not going here. thanks for your thoughts. Pm me if you wanna know a few ford trannies that can do what you described above (tremec T5). Bottom line is, this transaxle wasnt designed to take the abuse i put to it. i mean come on, brass synchros?! i knew this geting into the game, i knew the tranny was the weakest link. no biggie, she will come back, better than new. i put over 50HP more than what it was rated at, which was already 30HP more than the stock output of the engine, so ford played the safe side. i stand by the fact thatg on more than one occaision i have seen these trans's run over 300K and near 4K with no problem. and even if they do have a problem, all 4 synchros and forks are accessible from the access cover, so there is no need to remove the trans to do internal work unless the gears, shafts and or bearings are bad...You cant tell moe ford isnt innovative, pop off the intake and boom cover is right there. I have seen over 1,000 HP on a stock mustang trans, cant beat it.

thast just it though, they arent a hard tire, they are made from a soft silica compound, to maximize grip and road comfort thats direct from thier website. but ok, if you say so. I say that nearly $200 for a single tire is rediculous. Period. I refuse to pay that much.

So, they're definately not required to cover the repair since it was admittedly caused by modification of the vehicle, use of the vehicle not reccomended by the manufacturer, and caused by a non-covered component. I'd take the money while the money's good. When the warranty gets the report from the shop, if theres any mention of mods I guarantee they will deny the claim. Im takin it, i know the service tech, got all my angles covered. hopefully i wont have to use it again. I understand the concern. if they do decide not to cover it, I will pay it, but if i can get away with it, then i will, its not like I didnt pay for it. question though, if its voided, can i get a refund on it? i paid $1143. the synchro kit thats going in, is an upgrade according to a ford TSB, the new ones are steel, old ones were brass. so they should handle the power. and really, all my engine mods, are internal. there is no visible external modification. the dealer doesnt knwo about them, only the service tech (a personal friend). but the dealer likely knows about the mods going in...

You don't think if you overpowered and hotrodded a Toyota transmission the same thing wouldn't have happened? Has nothing to do with the brand of the car, it has to do with how it was treated. Army obviously knows this and its a good opportunity to have warrantied repairs done and do upgrades he wanted to do anyways so no big deal. I'm actually surprised the warranty company didn't deny the claim because of the mods. there were no mods to the trans the stock transmission is going in, the Clutch, flywheel, pressure plates and bearings are specifically excluded from the warranty coverage so i can do what i want there, since the trans is out anywyas.

Actually, i did expect it, because i knew i was over powering the tranny. not because its a ford. that has nothing to do with it. if i put that kind of power through an I4 camry, the same thing would have happened. as for the quarter, between 14.2 and 14.6 depending on launch and in winter. i have yet to test during summer on a decent track. the one on post here is just a road blocked off on weekends. it has salt and the usuall crud on it, and an unofficial timer. but is usually pretty smooth. races are held only when the pavement is dry, but at colder temps, its hard to get a good grip sometimes. and yes they are sanctioned events by MWR and the Military Police. cant wait to try with the new mods :D