Need 4 Tyres, Very Uneven Wear, Goodyears?

[mspiteri]

Hello there, this is my first post!

I've had the car in for its 20,000 service (only done 14,000) and was told I need 4 new tyres; 2 are actually already at 1.6mm on one edge. I've only had these tyres, RE040's on for 6,000 miles, and the wear was extremely uneven, but that's a different problem that I clearly need to resolve.

So I did a lot of searching and people here seem to recommend (mostly) the Toyo Proxes and the Goodyear GS-D3s. Would you agree with these?

My car is a stock 2003 IS200 Sport, 215/45R17 ZR

etyres have the cheapest price for the Goodyears including VAT and fitting, at £114 each. Can you advise as to a cheaper source?

Now, the Goodyears GS-D3 come in XL and non-XL at this size. What does this mean, I cannot find an explanation anywhere? Is the XL ok? It's the one most available.

My massively uneven wear (eg inside 1.6mm, middle 5mm, outside 3mm etc, and all four types different!) ... is a full wheel alignment the thing to do? My dealer is Lexus Cambridge, and they've quoted £105 for this.

Thanks

Mark

[Anees]

Hi! Welcome! :D :D

Yep...get a full geometry check done first otherwise your new tyres will probably wear out as quick as your first set.

Have a look at:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/anthoney.bones/

This website run by a Geometry expert explains the importance of wheel geometry and the differences between, tracking, alignment, geometry are all explained.

Get your Geometry done ASAP and then get the Good Year Eagle F1 GSD3 tyres (same as mine).

I don't have the XL version - I think they have a slightly harder sidewall but I don't think they are worth paying extra for.

Good Luck and enjoy your stay! :)

[mspiteri]

Anees,

thank you for your reply. You're right of course, XL stands for eXtra Load, a stronger sidewall that can take higher loads. It's good to know the normal one is fine as well ... although Goodyear's online selector recommends the XL for the IS200.

I'll see which ones I can get this week, and get the full geometry done at the same time.

An expensive week!

Mark

[LEX200sport]

My massively uneven wear (eg inside 1.6mm, middle 5mm, outside 3mm etc, and all four types different!) ... is a full wheel alignment the thing to do? My dealer is Lexus Cambridge, and they've quoted £105 for this.

Thanks

Mark

←

Just had mine done at Lexus Sheffield. Charged me about £50 with the Gold discount!

I also have the GSD3's but not sure whether XL or not. Never knew about this to be honest. Cabt fault the tyres at all though.

[Tony-Bones]

My massively uneven wear (eg inside 1.6mm, middle 5mm, outside 3mm etc, and all four types different!) ... is a full wheel alignment the thing to do? My dealer is Lexus Cambridge, and they've quoted £105 for this.

Thanks

Mark

←

Just had mine done at Lexus Sheffield. Charged me about £50 with the Gold discount!

I also have the GSD3's but not sure whether XL or not. Never knew about this to be honest. Cabt fault the tyres at all though.

←

i must know was that £50 for alignment or a full geometry?

[mspiteri]

Just in case anyone is interested ... it turns out that GoodYear only do a 215/45r17 GSD3 XL in the UK. So nothwithstanding how dealers and websites list it, the GSD3 in this size is always an XL.

Now the IS200 does not need to have XL tyres, but as that's the only variant available in the stock size, that's the only option. And it's perfectly fine for use with the IS.

All of this from a nice man at GoodYear Technical who just called me up in response to an email I sent them a few days ago.

The tyre availability chart on the Goodyear UK site confirms this.

In the end I've ordered my new tyres from BlackCircles as they seem to have dropped the price to £112 in the last two days. No local tyre place would match that.

Then it's full geometry the next morning at Lexus Cambridge. Can anyone say whether Lexus Cambridge do a Club Discount; not asking how much, just if they do. It might be time to go Gold.

Mark

[LEX200sport]

i must know was that £50 for alignment or a full geometry?

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Hmmm, not sure actually, Ive got a print out from the dealer headed ML4600 with a load of settings stating befores and afters. About 20 different settings that mean nothing to me to be honest.

[Tony-Bones]

i must know was that £50 for alignment or a full geometry?

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Hmmm, not sure actually, Ive got a print out from the dealer headed ML4600 with a load of settings stating befores and afters. About 20 different settings that mean nothing to me to be honest.

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lets see, does the print show SJI and Castor? with a difference between the "before and after" settings? if YES then £50 for a full geometry with a print out is the "mut's", can you display the print....

[LEX200sport]

Here you go mate.

[Tony-Bones]

Here you go mate.

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thanks for that, good thing i'v got a 5ft/ 3ft monitor (lol).

seriously though you have had: the geometry test, nsr camber adjustment, osr toe adjustment, and front toe adjustment all at a cost of £50, that sure shows the power of the "gold club card" the "trusted centres" on WIM site at best would charge £97.12 inc vat... and i must add you did get a "full" geometry aswell, my only negative point is the front camber position "lady Lexus" has a killer camber as far as tyre wear is concerned, let me explain: "static" the front camber should be 30'-, the "dynamic" range is based on the suspention arc, so loaded the camber will be at 1 degree- and unloaded at 0 degree both taken from the static 30'-, your camber at 43' and 38' will inevitably be near to the 1 degree mark and conciderd normal, in short the front tyres will wear on the insides ( sorry )

[LEX200sport]

Hmmm thats a bit worriying as Ive just put brand new 18" GSD3's on. They recommended this for me as on the last vehicle check I had they noticed wear on the inside edges which was quite bad. The middle and outside were about 6mm and the insides were bold!! :o

So have Lexus adjusted it incorrectly? Anything I could do about this as I dont fancy shelling out for new tyres any time soon.

Thanks Tony.

Rich.

[Tony-Bones]

Hmmm thats a bit worriying as Ive just put brand new 18" GSD3's on. They recommended this for me as on the last vehicle check I had they noticed wear on the inside edges which was quite bad. The middle and outside were about 6mm and the insides were bold!! :o

So have Lexus adjusted it incorrectly? Anything I could do about this as I dont fancy shelling out for new tyres any time soon.

Thanks Tony.

Rich.

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Lexus have gone more or less by the book? thats the problem.... that is "all" they can do to be fair, geometry is so flexible it's realm is theoretical, example: if you are on 18" then i assume it's 2254018?, the point of load with the IS set-up is for 205/ 215 mm so any settings suggested by Lexus must be redundent! for sure on paper all reads well at 43' and 38' camber so why the wear? 6/6/0 see my point.

theoreticaly i would use the suspension height, tyre size, wheel inset, and driver profile to generate the settings! we are all unique so is the geometry, your car is not by the book only the set-up, i can help but i will need more information..

[LEX200sport]

Thanks for that. I suppose ill just have to keep my eye on them and look for uneven wear. The car does feel much better though and could tell a difference straight away. Ive read a few good reports about WIM, and would of liked to make the trip over but its a bit far to be honest, which is why I went to Lexus. If the tyres wear though as you suggest, then ill definatly have to make the trip over.

Thanks for your help.

[Tony-Bones]

Thanks for that. I suppose ill just have to keep my eye on them and look for uneven wear. The car does feel much better though and could tell a difference straight away. Ive read a few good reports about WIM, and would of liked to make the trip over but its a bit far to be honest, which is why I went to Lexus. If the tyres wear though as you suggest, then ill definatly have to make the trip over.

Thanks for your help.

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Be "wise", if the tyres do wear? you have a print out from the geometry to calculate corrective measures, if the time comes let me know and i "will!" be able to help without you needing to travel to me.....

[LEX200sport]

Cheers, thanks for your help. :winky:

[aski]

Here you go mate.

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thanks for that, good thing i'v got a 5ft/ 3ft monitor (lol).

seriously though you have had: the geometry test, nsr camber adjustment, osr toe adjustment, and front toe adjustment all at a cost of £50, that sure shows the power of the "gold club card" the "trusted centres" on WIM site at best would charge £97.12 inc vat... and i must add you did get a "full" geometry aswell, my only negative point is the front camber position "lady Lexus" has a killer camber as far as tyre wear is concerned, let me explain: "static" the front camber should be 30'-, the "dynamic" range is based on the suspention arc, so loaded the camber will be at 1 degree- and unloaded at 0 degree both taken from the static 30'-, your camber at 43' and 38' will inevitably be near to the 1 degree mark and conciderd normal, in short the front tyres will wear on the insides ( sorry )

Hi Tony, I am considering getting a full geometry check when the car goes in for a service next week at Lexus Sheffield. As you mentioned in the above post the tyres will wear on the insides when set up "correctly" at Lexus as in this case. Can different "your recomended" settings be provided that I can pass on to the guys that do the geometry?

I currently run a totally standard car with 17" wheels. New tyres (eagle F1's) going on this Friday and I would like the fronts to last more than the 15000 miles that the current set have (the usual inside edge tyres scrub).

One of the ball joints is also being replaced so the Geometry needs doing any way.

How do your recommended settings make a difference....will it make the car handle any better/worse? I am prepared to sacrafice a few quid in tyres to make sure the handling stays ok.

Any guidance appreciated.

[Tony-Bones]

The handling is the same offered by Lexus (exemplary).. your cars current position geometrically denies that.

When i re-wrote the Camber positions for the IS200/300/Sport/SC this also permitted the Castor to rotate into UK positions since most cars here in the UK have Asian Castor positions.... This new position suits Radii and road positions UK respectfully.

The tyre wear problem that burdens the IS also is dismissed.

I cannot display actual positions here in the visible forum as they seem to become (matter of fact) and this is dangerous.. email/PM or whatever and i will follow you though this process.