karmann.

Had an 05 with rft and loved the car but hated the ride and noise. Live in Oregon with very noisy roads. My friend's 05 Malibu was much quieter. Also didnt like the way the wheels followed the groves in the road requiring 2 handed steering. The rft transmitted provided a jarring ride at times. In my opinion the car just wasnt designed for rft. I bought 4 17 x 7 1/2 wheels from a GS 300 and installed Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 225/50/17 tires. It is a different car, now quieter than the Malibu, I feel like now I am driving a Lexus. I can drive it with one hand now and the ride is very smooth. Transferring the pressure monitors was very easy. Also the wheels look fabulous, I think they were made for this car. I know that nobody goes to smaller wheels and I was worried that they would look smaller. They dont noticeably and the look is better than I ever imagined. Well anyway now I love the car and the way it drives, rides and looks. One question about the the rear camber being too much of a negative camber for a cruiser. What is too much? My rear camber is .8 left and l.2 right. I had even wear in the back but the fronts wore quite a bit in the inside. I had the camber in the front changed from left .5 to .2 left and .6 to .3 to hopefully correct the inside tire wear. I think the narrower tires may help in the tire wear, time will tell. Am also looking forward to seeing how the new tires affect gas mileage, I am expecting a 10% improvement based on past experience with a Porsche 914. I was getting 28 mpg on the road at speeds over 70 and 30 on secondary roads around 55 mph. Years ago owned a SC 400 and except for the motor and the looks it wasnt a car for me so it took a lot of faith to get SC 430 but I am glad I did. I cant think of any other car like it. I dont want to keep it forever but unless there is something better I might be keeping it a while.

Any reply yet? I'm in the same boat with my 2005. Any reply yet? I'm in the same boat with my 2005. No. Not yet. Hi Guys! I've got my SC430 since March 2001, so I had time to test some tires, and here is my take on that subject. Run flat tires were total mismatch for that car, so I changed them as soon as I could. My first set after run flat tires were Kumo. They were actually not bad. Then, I switched to Yokohama AVS ES100. I think they are a very good match for this car, and, since I am a cheapscape, I am happy that they don't cost arm and a leg. You must keep in mind though that I live in Southern California, and winter conditions as you know them are not the factor. I think that Sumitomo HTR Z2 may also be a good choice, but I haven't tried them yet. They are so inexpensive that it scares me. Since you are thinking about changing tires, you may want to change the cumber of the rear wheels. The original setting is too much of a negative angle for a cruiser because that is what the SC430 really is. No, I am not complaining, I am just realistic. I actually love my car. I also bought a 12V portable compressor, a fix a flat kit, and a can of tire repair in case I get a flat. I have had this car for almost six years now and I didn't get even one flat tire yet. I guess I must be lucky. In addition, I bought an extra set of wheels on ebay, and I keep one of those wheels with a tire on it in my garage. Enjoy your car.