Tyres For Is200

[asharb123]

Hi,

I need to change the tyres on my IS as they have come to the end of their useful life. Unfortunately financies are tight.

Can anyone recommended a decent budget tyre that would not break the bank? There are so many brands out there I have no clue what to look for other than the ratings on the tyre as in fuel efficiency, noise and wet grip.

The tyre I really like the look of is the Hankook Ventus Prime 2 which has the following rating fuel efficiency B, wet grip B, noise class 2 and noise 71db and the cheapest I've seen these are £67, which I cannot afford.

Interms of Budget Auto Grip P308 which have the following fuel efficiency C, wet grip C, noise class 2 and noise 71db and are only £37.80. Which is better than the a lot of the big brand tyres.

Thanks

[scudney]

Really you think auto grip at £37.80 is good value,well good luck then especially with winter round the corner,the only thing between you and the road is the rubber on your wheels,please get something decent at least,not just anything because it's cheap.

[asharb123]

Scudney, I appreciate your feedback, but the whole purpose of the topic was to get some advice and recommendations. I have read reviews on Auto Grip tyres and like a lot of budget tyres the general consensus is that they are not good in the wet. However there must be some that a better than others.

Also it must be better to buy new than part worn?

As mentioned above I'm on a limited budget and my tyres all need replacing which I need to get done before the MOT.

The only way I can differentiate between tyres is by looking at the labelling. This must be a new tyre by Auto Grip as it has better fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise rating than more expensive tyres, unless they are not telling the truth.

What tyre would you recommend and should I consider part worn?

[scudney]

To be honest with you am not sure what to recommend I have never liked budget tyres as I think handling particularly in the wet is compromised so I stay away from them,however as you are on a tight look round and draw up a list of maybe four and pick one based on data available or go down a centre and seek their opinion as to what they think is best suited for your car based on your limited finances.

[Captain Fizz]

Falken do some decent budgetish tyres.

If the current tyres are legal, I'd save up for a month or two and get 2 x decent tyres, then in another month or two, another couple of decent tyres.

If getting to legal limit, then just get as good as you can afford, maybe eat soup for a few weeks :D

[asharb123]

Ian, Lol. The kids won't mind eating soup, but I can't stand the stuff. I wish I could change my tyres on a every 2 month basis, but they are all bad and the MOT is due in October and there is no way they will pass. I will visit a few tyre centres and see what advice they give. I may even contact WIM for some advice. I was just hoping that there may have been some tyres specialists on the forums who could give some advice. But I get the general impression its a personal thing what rubber your car wears.

I would like to know who decides the labelling for a tyre is it the manufacturer or is it independently verified?

[Captain Fizz]

Independent tests, on calafornian roads (high temp) so all-season tyres have artificially low scores.

IIRC.

(If I Recall Correctly)

The Falken's I had on my Focus seemed to grip well and were pretty cheap.

[andyk134]

What did you go for in the end? Personally I would never compromise on tyres or brakes, it is your life on the line! I have Continental Sport 5's on mine and they give superb traction and breaking

[asharb123]

Believe it or not the car based the MOT with no issues even though I was worried about the tyres. I've managed to find a set of Grey 11 spoke alloys like yours Andy, which have Nexen's on them. I'm assuming these are OK a I think they are standard on Hyundai's, Kia's and some Toyota's. I haven't put them on the car yet, as I want to get the knocking noise from the suspension sorted first and then get the body work before putting on the wheels. I was on Camskills site and the Hankook look like the best value interms of fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise.

[andyk134]

I guess for the MOT they just look at the tread and the legal limits rather than the make of the tyres. I never let mine get anywhere near the limit. there is an interesting chart on the wall where I get my tyres showing how the stopping distance goes up as the tread depth goes down and it is quite eye opening. they also say that the Hankooks are at the top of the budget range so a good compromise if you cant afford the premium tyres.

I just always believe in putting the best tyres and brakes and any other parts, especially on something as quality as the Lexus, but also from a safely aspect. The same reason I put V power in, even though some on here say it doesn't need it and they don't notice any difference, I notice the change from the higher octane and the additives that keep it clean.

The multispokes are nice if they are in good nick and so far mine are fine and are so much nicer than the 5 spokes in my humble opinion. I still love the way the Mk 1 looks even after all this time and wheels can make or break the look.

[asharb123]

For the MOT, I believe it doesn't even matter if all 4 tyres have a different tread pattern, which is worrying as that would be like wearing an adidas trainer on one foot and a nike on the other, both trainers but different attributes.

I've used genuine Lexus parts in my car for service items and if there has not been much difference between a quality OEM and Lexus, I've opted for the Lexus part. With the tyres, now that they have the labelling system, it shows clearly why some budget tyres are not worth buying. Do you really want buy a tyre that has an F rating for wet grip? But it also highlights that some of the more premium brands do not perform as well as the higher end budget brands, though the gap is closing. Hankooks are not as budget as they were.

The wheels needed changing on my car as they were the original 5 spokes from new. Also my wife seems to think they are good way of judging where the kerb is. I always wanted the grey 11 spokes, as I had mentioned I had a red IS with grey alloys like yours and I loved it.

I agree with you that the MK 1 is a stunning car, even today after all these years it still a looker. Interesting thing is you do not see as many BMW's, Mercedes or Audi's of that year around. I just wish Lexus would wake up and rather than start from scratch when a model comes to the end of its life cycle, they actually think about evolving the car. Taking cues from the old and adding to the new. I know you are not a fan of the MK 2 IS, but I think that is a stunning car and with the right wheels looks even better. Its fit and finish is excellent. Just a shame they did not do a 2 litre version with a proper automatic rather than the CVT. With the MK3 you would have thought Lexus would have learnt about fuel economy etc etc. Don't know what Lexus were thinking, by having a 2.5 litre petrol with a CVT gearbox. The first Lexus LS was a game changer, now all Lexus are more of an after thought.