rob_es350

what size did you upgrade to??

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

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

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.

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.

After speaking with some tire retailers..it sounds like you can safely go up one size from 215 to 225 (only a 10mm increase in width) so to replace the stock 215/55-17 the 3 choices would be: 225/50-17 225/45-18 (need to upgrade the wheels) 225/40-19 (need to upgrade the wheels) all 3 options have virtually the same diameter as the original, so the speedometer will be almost perfect, but performance would be improved with the any of the 3, with the larger wheels providing the biggest performance benefit Please let me know if anyone has upgraded the tires on their es350..curious as to the handling improvement with the various upgrades thanks

Just posted this the other day, and now I can't find it, so sorry for the repeat if it is posted elsewhere. I have a 2011 ES350 with 215/55 17 tires. Those are the only size tires the car can come with. I would like to go with a bigger tire to improve handling. To get the same diameter, I would need a 235/50 17, or a 235/45 18. Please let me know if going from the 215 stock tire to the 235 will fit properly on the ES350. I wouldn't think it would be a problem, but I am not sure sonce the factory does not offer a tire size option. Thanks all.