Tyre Choice

[ColinBarber]

The noise and economy ratings are basically nonsense, grip does bare some resemblance to real life but there are many other factors to consider such as comfort, cornering ability, wear, rim protection and some people even make a choice based on how well the tread pattern looks.

[lurch]

Hankooks for me had them on four years now been brilliant and only £104. Each fitted .

[PCM]

The noise and economy ratings are basically nonsense, grip does bare some resemblance to real life but there are many other factors to consider such as comfort, cornering ability, wear, rim protection and some people even make a choice based on how well the tread pattern looks.

And the Tread Pattern ( on these M&S ) is important ... too :)

[ChrisKaye]

I have done some reading up on this to find out why some budget or mid-range tyres out score their premium rivals when it comes to the EU tyre ratings, and the answer is that the Tyre Manufacturer submits their own ratings to be printed on the label! Crazy but true!

Bigger brands seem to be more honest than the cheaper brands (more "face" to lose should negative publicity from incidents comes to light, I assume?)

The problem from independent reviews is that tyre brands and models vary broadly throughout the range, ie: a 18" Michelin Latitude may perform great, but a 19" version of the exact same tyre could be awful!

Couple the above to the weird, not used widely, 235/55 profile on our RX's and it can be hard to find ANY reviews of a tyre you are interested in when tested on the same car as you intend to fit them to (trim and spec differences not of much relevance).

So, all we can do is speak to our forum friends and post reviews of our own experiences to help each other out.

One very interesting thing to note is that most of us seem to agree that the standard fit Bridgestone RE031's are pretty awful!, especially as they age!

[ColinBarber]

I think you are possibly given the major manufacturers too much credit. More likely is these larger companies have longer product cycles so they haven't redesigned all their range yet to achieve the best test results. The smaller companies are more agile and will quickly develop a new tyre to 'beat' the tests.

We already know the manufacturers are designing tread patterns to deflect sound into the vehicle, away from the microphone on the kerb. This results in a better sound score but is more noisy inside the vehicle. It is also easy to design a tyre that is quite on the smooth testing surface but then performs horribly on normal UK road surfaces. These are two reason why the dB rating of tyres is no indication on how quite a tyre will be to the driver of the vehicle.

[rayaans]

Can someone please explain because I can't understand why you you would want to pay more for these tyres when there are better rated tyres out there which are a lot cheaper .... these are C rated for wet grip and C rated for economy ? ... or are these ratings nonsense ?

Like what exactly? Michelin is a premium brand so you'll pay more compared to something like Nexen for example regardless of whether the tyre is better or not. However, we're driving Lexus here so sticking a Nexen on is a sign of cheap-skating (and that's coming from a Yorkshireman!!). This is something I look for, especially on used cars as its likely a sign of "paahh - it'll do", which has consequences elsewhere e.g. scratches on paint, service intervals etc etc.

I prefer to get a tyre rated C for economy. The reason is - that the higher the rating, the less grip the tyres have as they're running on harder compounds with low rolling resistance, I chose C as its a middle ground, good economy but good grip also.

In terms of noise ratings, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE! I was on original Dunlops rated at 71db from new. The Dunlops did roar a bit and got louder as they wore. The Michelin's are eerily quiet.

In terms of wet grip, the previous Dunlops were rated an F or something and would spin out in the wet so still better to go for Michelins! :( Also, when you consider that they only cost £123 each for the 19" tyres and £50 for all 4 fitted by Lexus, its a no brainer.

I was also aware that there werent many reviews on 235/55 r19 tyres and that's why I went for the Michelin's. They're a favourite in the US, they RAVE about them and Id rather listen to current owners (some of which who went from OEM dunlop to Pirelli Sc Verde and then to Michelin in the quest to find the best all round tyre) than pick a tyre out of the sky.

[DanD]

It's a bit like buying a Lexus or a Kia.

Nothing wrong with a Kia at all. Well equipped, good warranty... but it's still a Kia.

If you go and spend your hard earned cash on a premium brand like Lexus, it seems a bit of a shame to then go and cut corners - so to speak - on tyres etc.

You would not be taking your Rolex to Hill Samuel for a service.

Oh dear... I sound like a snob... :-(

I guess what I am trying to say, is that you have a top quality car... so don't go compromise and make sure you fit top quality tyres.