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Tyre Advice Needed


cactusmaac
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Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

Car: IS 200, manufactured Sep 2004, bought used in May 07 from previous owner's estate. Tyres are OEM 215/45/R/17 Bridgestone Potenza RE040's. Owner was a lady who died in 2006 after which the car had remained in her garage. Had 13,000 miles on it when bought, now up to 15,000. Travel has mostly been short and city-based with the occasional trip to Manchester, Sheffield, York from Bradford.

I'm going to be needing new tyres for this shortly. I've been through all the old posts here and Club Lexus looking for reviews on suitable tyres. Had decided on the Goodyear Excellence as they're the successor to the Goodyear F1 Eagle's that have been the most lauded ones I've seen. Also the Bridgestones seemed a bit uneasy in the wet and I wanted my next set to offer better grip there.

Still not sure whether to go for these though. Winter's just around a corner and I live in a somewhat hilly area. I need a tyre that offers good performance in all weather conditions. Something that offers excellent summer driving isn't much use if I need to leave early in the morning and the roads are still icy. Hesistant to go for specific winter tyres since the weather is so variable i.e. it's near the end of October and we had blazing sunshine on Sunday.

Other tyres I have considered are the Lexus-specific Dunlops, Michelin Exalta Pilots, Toyo T1-Rs. But again they seem more like racing, summer tyres. Considered the Falken 514s? but don't really want to go for a budget tyre as I've been told what you save on price you lose on road noise, tyre life and performance.

Finally, a probably daft question: Do the tyres at the front experience more wear or the ones at the back? At the first MOT three weeks ago, I was told my nearside rear tyre looked worn and needed replacing. Typically I thought front tyres wear out at about twice the rate of rear ones, so I was surprised that was the first one to go.

Also I know the car geometry needs rebalancing at WIM. Is there a place in the North I can get this done or do I need to make a trip to Hemel Hempstead? And do I need to do this before or after I get the new tyres fitted?

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there's a place on Drury Lane that does it to the Dr's settings, PM WIM and ask for the contact details!

For tyres I eventually went for some Michelin's but the type escapes me at the minute ill get you the details though. They sould have been £146.50 each but got them for £100ea. fitted.

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Finally, a probably daft question: Do the tyres at the front experience more wear or the ones at the back? At the first MOT three weeks ago, I was told my nearside rear tyre looked worn and needed replacing. Typically I thought front tyres wear out at about twice the rate of rear ones, so I was surprised that was the first one to go.

Generally the driven wheels will were out first....

Lexus IS200 is rear wheel drive so the back ones will wear faster....

If it was the case that the front looked more worn then it's quite possible that the tyres were rotated to even out wear... ;)

btw welcome to the club & posting :)

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Well i had to pay out for 60k service, tax, tyres and geometry this month so i had a good look for a tyre that wouldn't cost me the earth. I bought 4 Falken FK452 tyres for £240 and they are amazing. They stick even when frosty in the morning or in the wet. I have noticed a very slight increase in noise when on the motorway, but only slightly.

For a decent tyre that wont cost the earth, id recommend the FK452, i will be buying again.

As for getting the geometry done, there are a few places in the north that do it, best bet is to search this site. I live in Manchester but decided i was going to drive down to WIM. The doctor has so many recommendations and satisfied customers. You cant buy piece of mind, you can only drive to it!

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All tyre manufacturers say their tyres are the best.... An impartial guide from the users is best in my opinion.

I use this site for guidance> http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

I used this.

http://www.1010tires.com/tires.asp

Better off to use a local site as tyres for sale in America/Canada are not really relevant over here.... same goes for Asian

all tyres for sale in Europe need to have an "E" mark on them complying with EU regulations , it's mainly climate/ construction related.... UK mot fail if they don't

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