speedbird

Thanks Jeffery and Colin for your comments.The new Michelins fitted aren't run-flats and not the usual sport rated tyres as I wont ever be ever driving upto to the limited 155mph.The premium HP tyres are still rated upto about 120 to which no person should be driving at anyway unless the they intend to use for track days.These standard Michelins I bought for the folowing reasons:- firstly they are the same type as I fitted on my LS a few years ago and experience is proving them to be a good all year round tyre they are wearing well and the better tread patten gives improved grip in the wet compared to ribbed pattern sporty tyre and as I mentioned in my previous post they give smoother and quieter ride.As with many drivers this trend of manufacturers dispensing with a sparewheel is a real bone of contention.The consolation with the SC is you may have a chance of saving the tyre if the pressure sensors give you an earlier enough warning that a puncture is present and you can make a callout or get to a tyre repair center.I run a Toyota RAV 4 as my everyday car and that has no spare either.For many years I have been a regular customer of ATS Euromaster for my tyre needs both commercially and private and I have an account which does give me a callout facility throughout UK and Europe and does help to put ones mind at rest.When I clean the car or at any time I have a moment I make visual checks of the tyres just on the chance you might find that nail or bolt in the treads before its done the damage. By the way the colour is Mesa Red and I have never seen another one only a plain non metallic red even on car ad sites.The earlier model GS300/430 used this colour and I have seen a few of those. P.S.Correction: Mesa Red is used on our smaller cousin the IS250 coupe which you can see featured in that colour on the new series of 'Last Tango In Halifax' on BBC 1 starting Tues.19th.

I have been in the club since 2007 as an LS430 owner but I am pleased to say I can add the SC model to my membership.I had the same issues with the battery on the LS as the car wasn't used on a regular basis and now experienced the same problem on the SC for the same reasons.So having solved the problem on the LS it has been a repeat performance on SC.Firstly one has to except that the sofisticated electronic systems on these cars do drain a battery and irregular use and insuffient journey lenghths do eventually take a premature toll on the life of the battery.To overcome this I invested in a much uprated Bosch battery to which one has to adapt slightly to fit and also at the time fitting a permanent connector on the terminals so it is simple just to plug a CTEK model 10 trickle charger on when you know the car wont be used for a while. Just to mention on another subject on the SC.At first I was a little dissapointed with the harsh ride on less than good road surfaces and the vagueness of the steering of the SC.Now I had suspected the Dunlop Sport tyres,they are not run-flats,as the cause of this.After only 4 months of ownership I have had to replace the full set due to deep cracks between the treads which in my opinion was a safety issue.I mention this for anybody who might be considering a complete tyre replacement.All 4 tyres are now Michelin Premium HP filled with nitrogen[low cost option].I know tyres are a much debated subject but these Michelins have transformed my SC.It has made the steering more direct and poor road surfaces are far less abrupt and after an initial settling-in period of a couple hundred miles they run quieter than the Dunlops. I look forward to now being SC section member.

I must agree that it does appear to be tad overpriced for a 400.Unless I'm out of touch with the used market I would be happy to get that for my 2001 LS430 which has only 77k on the clock and is dealer maintained and running on Michelins.