mark Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hi With the current credit crunch lowering the price of big barges to the same height as a snakes belly I thought it was time to change to a bigger car. So out went the old 98 Ls400 and in came the 04 Ls430. When I went to view the car I noticed the rear tyres were in need of replacement and the previous owner very nicely dropped the price just a little. Anyway here is the question. The current tyres are Bridgestone Potenza RE050A run flats and they are dreadful, the ride is harsh and noisy and the back slides about in the wet. This may be due to the low tread but the ride quality is bad enough that I have to change them. Can anyone recommend a good tyre for the LS430? I'm not interested in outright performance; my main drive to work is through town and about 30 miles of motorway. I’m looking for a nice comfortable and quite tyre. Visits to various tyre sites all say that there tyre is the best for the car, well they would wouldn’t they. In no particular order I have this as a starting list. Bridgestone ER33, these are fitted on the front. A lot quieter than the rears but do slide a little bit on roundabouts. Dunlop SP 9000, fitted to a friends mercy. They seem ok but a bit noisy. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx Michelin Primacy HP, good reviews on test sites but pricy. Falken FK452, budget tyre but get very good reviews. Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Continental Sport Contact 3 Yokohama V103 ADVAN SPORT Any advice or personal experiance welcomed thanks mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hello Mark I'm with you on the runflats, i despise them but you may have a problem.... Fundamentally the runflat has an armoured sidewall (no flex) so the suspension is downgraded to compensate. If you change to a standared tyre the car could drive like a boat. In addition there's a very small difference in the tyres bead line, meaning a non runflate bead won't fit the rim correctly. Saying all that i've had a few BMW owners who insisted on normal tyres so i contacted BMW who confessed (off the record) they have fitted them without complaint, born from this i agreed to fit them and the owners said the cars drive fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hi Tony Thanks for the reply. Looking back on my post i left somthing out. The car was originaly fitted with standard 245/45/18 96W Bridgestone ER33 tyres not the newer runflat version of the same tyre. the runflats on the rear were fitted later. The previous owner did say that he had complained to the garage that fitted them but had been told the runflats were safer and that normal tyres were being phased out. mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIH Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Do they really downgrade the suspension to compensate ? I'm pretty cynical about how much development they put into tweaking the cars for RFTs nowadays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hi Tony Thanks for the reply. Looking back on my post i left somthing out. The car was originaly fitted with standard 245/45/18 96W Bridgestone ER33 tyres not the newer runflat version of the same tyre. the runflats on the rear were fitted later. The previous owner did say that he had complained to the garage that fitted them but had been told the runflats were safer and that normal tyres were being phased out. mark NEVER should they fit RFT's on cars not tuned for them ..... By 2015 new cars in the UK will have to use RFT's, not now. In that case then i would suggest the 452's, their a good all rounder and the right price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Do they really downgrade the suspension to compensate ? I'm pretty cynical about how much development they put into tweaking the cars for RFTs nowadays. As far as i know yes.... look at the complaint above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted March 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Hi Tony Thanks for the reply. Looking back on my post i left somthing out. The car was originaly fitted with standard 245/45/18 96W Bridgestone ER33 tyres not the newer runflat version of the same tyre. the runflats on the rear were fitted later. The previous owner did say that he had complained to the garage that fitted them but had been told the runflats were safer and that normal tyres were being phased out. mark NEVER should they fit RFT's on cars not tuned for them ..... By 2015 new cars in the UK will have to use RFT's, not now. In that case then i would suggest the 452's, their a good all rounder and the right price Hi Tony I have had a look at the Falken 452's they get good write ups on the tyre review sites and come at a good price as well. the only concern i have is the load index. the recommended tyres for the car are 245/45/18 96W but the falkens are 245/45/18 100Y. i'm fine with the speed rating but will the higher load index and the fact that they are classed as extra load or reinforced affect the car in any way? thanks Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 No not at all, should there be a problem it's easy to downgrade the XL than it is to up-grade the normal tyre... XL is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djwozza Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 I'm loving the Falken FK-452's you fitted to the front of my Lexus Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.