Is 250 Wheel Size & Ride

Desmond · May 4, 2013

My 220D and current 250 run on 18" wheels so I have never really tried an IS with 17" wheels. Just wondering whether they make an appreciable difference to ride comfort without too much sacrifice on handling.

On a good A road or motorway 18" is fine but they seem a bit hard on the B roads especially to passengers.

So any recommendations? Go for a pukka set of 17" from the dealer or find some on the net? Or is it just not worth the expense & effort?

Exdee · May 4, 2013

There will be a difference but it won't be very drastic. The next time you shop for tyres make sure you get a softer compound. You will be amazed at what a difference they can make in terms of ride comfort. Unfortunately they will not last as long as the normal tyres.

Desmond · May 4, 2013

That's interesting Jamie, never thought of that. Any recommendations? It sounds the same as the compound for winter tyres.

redbaron · May 4, 2013

Sorry guys but it's not he compound that makes the difference for a more comfortable ride. The compound is important for level of grip and warming up time /max temperature of tyres.

Much more important for comfort and noise levels is the height to widt ratio and the stiffness of the flank of the tyre.

It,s pretty useless to fit more than 91 spec, although Lexus recommends 94 for example for the IS 300 Sportcross. Some guys run load index specs that are meant for a Transit Van with 2 tons of load and six passengers and towing a trailer. Bloody useless, harsh ride and a waste of money.

My 300 is most comfortable on 205/55/16 88 spec winter tyres. But if you look carefully at tyre specs you can select a tyre that will give you comfort as well as sharp handling. The Fulda Sportcontact is very good and the Dunlop SportMaxx RT is even more comfortable and makes even less tyre noise. I paid 370 euros ex vat for 4 225/40/18 Fuldas over here; so they are very good value for money. Dunlops are 10 to 15 euros more per tyre. So still cheap.

Exdee · May 4, 2013

That's interesting Jamie, never thought of that. Any recommendations? It sounds the same as the compound for winter tyres.

The softest tyre I have come across over the years is the Federal SS595. I don't know it it's still available. Back in my teens I had this tyre on some 19" wheels on a Civic Type R and it was excellent in terms of comfort. I found this tyre after a lot of trial and error and subsequently went for it every time on that particular car. I remember that the tyre had a very short life span but it provided excellent comfort as a low profile tyre.

Currently I have Dunlop SportMaxx and it is acceptable. It's not very good in the wet but the road noise and comfort are okay.

I have heard a lot of good stuff about the Good Year Assymetrics 2 which I do hope to try somewhere down the road.

Sorry guys but it's not he compound that makes the difference for a more comfortable ride. The compound is important for level of grip and warming up time /max temperature of tyres.

Much more important for comfort and noise levels is the height to widt ratio and the stiffness of the flank of the tyre.

It,s pretty useless to fit more than 91 spec, although Lexus recommends 94 for example for the IS 300 Sportcross. Some guys run load index specs that are meant for a Transit Van with 2 tons of load and six passengers and towing a trailer. Bloody useless, harsh ride and a waste of money.

My 300 is most comfortable on 205/55/16 88 spec winter tyres. But if you look carefully at tyre specs you can select a tyre that will give you comfort as well as sharp handling. The Fulda Sportcontact is very good and the Dunlop SportMaxx RT is even more comfortable and makes even less tyre noise. I paid 370 euros ex vat for 4 225/40/18 Fuldas over here; so they are very good value for money. Dunlops are 10 to 15 euros more per tyre. So still cheap.

True to a certain extent. Tyre profile is a major contributor in tyre comfort but in this case the difference between the OEM tyre height on the 17 and 18" wheels is 5 which isn't a lot. In my experience tyre compound can have a significant impact on ride comfort. I had Good Year Eagle F1 on my Type R before I changed to Federal SS595 and the difference between the two was night and day in terms of comfort. The tyre specs were the same. The only difference was that one tyre was hard and the other was soft. If you think about it, it makes sense, the softer the tyre is, the more forgiving it will on things like pebbles or general imperfections on the road and vice versa.

redbaron · May 5, 2013

Hey,

Thanks for usefull remarks. Sure, ofcourse the profyle and compound can make a difference in noise and comfort. This varies form one manufacturer to another and even between different types from the same manufacturer.

Dunlop SP9000 is completely different than a SportMAXX RTand mind you , the RT suffix makes a lot of difference. When compared to other types of Sportmaxx this tyre is much better in noise levels and grip in wet conditions.

But ask any tyre manufacturer and he will tell you that the first thing to watch when you want a comfortable ride is size, widt/height to width ratio and stiffness of the flank/carcass of the tyre.

But it is not always true! I ran Michelin XWX 185/80/15 back in the day on my Triumph and they were

so horrible it's hard to describe. In theory they should have been more comfortable than the Pirelli P6 195/60/15 I had before.

But they were not. You had to wear a motorcycle belt and teeth protection. They were rockhard and lethal in the rain.

Have a good look at test results, watch comments of users on the appropiate sites and tell your tyre supplier what you want from a tyre and you should be OK.. Last but not least talk to other Lexus drivers..