LS430 Winter Tires

Anyone here use winter tires on their LS? I am thinking about buying a set of Blizzaks for my '03 LS430. Any comments good, bad, or otherwise...as well as alternative tires...would be appreciated.

Reply to
B. Newman
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I would suggest Nokian WR's as winter tires. Nokian makes the best tires around. I use a set of Hakka 1's on my Camry and they are great.

Reply to
Car Guy

Get Michelin - the best.

Reply to
MCBRUE

I've tried to find the Nokian tires, but can't find a dealer in the New England area.

Any>I would suggest Nokian WR's as winter tires. Nokian makes the best tires

Reply to
Helmar Herman

Hakk 1's or WR's are great tires, we've put them on many cars. Blizzaks are ok, but they they wear out on dry pavement a lot quicker than the Nokians.

Reply to
MudPuppy1976

try looking on

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you can order the tires to be drop shipped to various dealers that may be in your area. i'm not sure if tire rack lists dealers in your area

Reply to
MudPuppy1976

Reply to
Car Guy

Thanks for the replies. I'll call the two dealers in my area tomorrow. Meantime, can you give me an idea of what 4 Nokian tires would cost for my

17 inch Lexus LS? (OK, the CAR isn't 17 inches...just the wheels).

otherwise...as

Reply to
B. Newman

As it happens, I just got my Consumer Reports that covers tires. They summarize their results former results for winter tires by recommending the Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 ($120) (H-rated) and the Kumho I'zen Stud KW-11 (I DID NOT make that up) for $55 (Q-rated).

In the original full test (November '02), the Blizzaks did well, but were not among the best. Michelin Arctic Alpins were better, for example. The best tire for snow/ice traction was the$55 Dunlop Graspic DS-1 (Q-rated).

If you ask, I'll e-mail you the article.

You may not really need winter tires. We live in mid-Michigan (lots of snow some winters) and my wife has done very well in her LS fitted with good all-seasons.

By the way, the same new issue compares luxury sport sedans (LS430, S430 Merc, Jag XJ8, Audi A8 L, Bimmer 745Li) and the LS430 wins and is the only recommended model. Everybody else has quality problems. They panned the LS430 for being (surprise, surprise) "unexciting". You chose well.

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Reply to
GRL

Thanks a lot for that info. I'd love to see that article. You can send it to me at: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net

Reply to
B. Newman

That article rated the Hakka Q as being a good tire and the NRW as being mid range. I was recommending the Nokian WR which is a different tire.

I would suggest you research in the winter tires since Nokian are known to be the best, and safest tires on the market. I am not a dealer so regardless of what you buy, I don't make a cent. I am just putting my 2 cents worth by telling you what I ended up getting after spending months of research. Nokian tires last much longer then Bridgestone, Dunlop and other tires. As for performance winters, I don't plan on buying those since their emphasis is on handling and not winter grip. Most BMW, and Porsche drivers will opt for performance winters to highlight their vehicles. I have a friend who bought the Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUV which is definitely a performance vehicle, and she put a set of Nokian WR SUV's on her vehicle and she loves it. I also have friends who take their performance cars (AMG Benz, M Series BMW, Porsche, et. al) to Mont Tremblant, Quebec and they have been using the WR's and found them to be quite satisfactory. I went with the Hakka 1's since they have even better snow and ice traction.

Last year, I came to a snow covered road, and this guy behind me was not able to stop and was sliding right into me. I generally stop a good 20 feet away from the car in front of me so that I have a place to escape if I need to. I just accelerated around the front car and stopped next to him and the guy behind me slid a good 25 feet and rear ended the car that I was in front of.

My view on winter tires is that I want to maximize winter grip (ice and snow traction), and not very concerned about world class handling since I tend to drive at the speed limit or lower in Winter.

recommending

Reply to
Car Guy

OK, I read the Consumer Reports article and am now MORE confused than before. My situation is that I live in PITTSBURGH. My MAIN concern is traction up snowy hills...braking is secondary but obviously important. C.U. So which Nokian....or other brand...should I go with?

Reply to
B. Newman

More on this. How about someone telling me about the tires that are on the vehicle right now? They are Dunlop SP SPORT 5000M tires, size P225/55R17 95H M+S. Are they "all season"? Just "sport" (summer)? Are the GOOD? I've never had Dunlop and, frankly, would have felt better with Michelin. Anyway, whatever you can tell me will be helpful.

Reply to
B. Newman

Reply to
Frank Fitzgerald

Frank, yeah, the more research I do, the better the Nokian's look. Where did you get such a good price? At that price, I'd buy 'em, have 'em shipped to me and pay to have them installed here.

Reply to
B. Newman

By the way, where do you live (not being nosey, just wondering what type of winters you have)?

Reply to
B. Newman

The Dunlop tire information can be found here:

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They should be decent for the summer, but I would avoid them in winter since their tight tread design will not clear up slush and snow quickly.

Also, for my Camry, I paid $649 CAN ($440 US) for 4 Nokia Hakka 1's, 4 steel rims, 4 OEM Toyota Wheel covers, installation, balancing, the works. My tire size is P205/65R15. I just add tax to that amount.

What I did is I found out who supplied the Toyota/Lexus dealers in my area the tires and bought them from their supplier and saved 40% of the cost.

mid-Michigan

Reply to
Car Guy

My 2001 LS came with the Dunlops and they've performed extremely well in our icy Kansas winters. Our storms usually put an inch or three of snow over heavy ice. The LS on the Dunlops is more sure-footed on icy stuff than anything else I've ever driven except maybe a '67 VW Beetle.

-- Pete

B. Newman wrote:

Reply to
Pete

Interesting! Everyone else, mostly folks who don't have an LS with Dunlops but "read" about the tire, says they're not great in winter. I suspect my best bet is to keep the Dunlops thru this first winter, then NEXT winter buy something else if I need to. Thanks for telling me of your good experience.

Reply to
B. Newman

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