Tyre Recommendations for IS250 2007 Petrol

[Ozzay]

Hi,

I have recently bought a used Lexus (2007 2.5 Petrol with 17 inch Rims) and the front 2 tyres are mostly finished.

I have read so much and I am going crazy because there is no conensus on which tyres to put on.

The fronts are 225/45 R17.

I would prefer MPG over performance but is there anything that meets in the middle somehow, these fuel ratings are very confusing.

What have you guys got for the fronts/back.

Any help is much appreciated.

KR

[madasahatter]

Budget plays a big part, do you want good wet and dry grip. Do you want quiet tyres, i personally have good year all round. Some prefer other brands.

It is a mind field my friend.

[LenT]

As has already been mentioned, budget will possibly influence your choice.  So you may not like my first observation: personally I would never mix brands/types on different axles.  Mixing tread patterns and compound mixes is creating a potential for performance differences that may well catch you out one day.

So that means buying four tyres, not two.

I have gone for the new offerings in all-season tyres.  I have Goodyear Asymmetric 5s on the Lexus, which have proved to be a quiet tyre with a comfortable ride and excellent wet weather performance.  I was originally going for Michelin CrossClimates, which they do for 17” rims.  Unfortunately my Lexus has 18” rims and two different tyre sizes fore and aft - one of which Michelin don’t do.

However, I have Michelin CC on our 4 wheel drive Suzuki and they too are excellent in the wet and give a comfortable ride.

Previous experience with Michelins is that I get very good mileage out of them.  I had them on a Toyota MR2 and had just put on the third set after 90K miles.

I suggest you check out the tyre reviews and tests at sites such as autoexpress and tyrereviews.

[Ozzay]

Budget I am happy to spend £80-£90 I think.

Hows the MPG on the tyres you guys mentioned.

Also on the question of replacing the tyres at the back I think they still have many miles to go it would be pricey to get all 4 done. Is this something you really think is going to be needed? Currently two sets are different with the front tyres being Hankook Kontrol.

I think they are EVO2 at the back which are 245/45.

Yes it is a minefield.

I have thought about GY EfficientGrip or Goodyear Eagle F3/F5.

[Ozzay]

Also do these cars come with run flat by default or not?

Should I get run flat?

[Linas.P]

1 hour ago, Ozzay said:

I have read so much and I am going crazy because there is no conensus on which tyres to put on.

You welcome!

These are so called "can of worms threads". There has never been and will never be consensus on what tyres to put on and there will be as many opinions as there are members here. You will be the one to decide which is most convincing opinion and can follow that.

Just to start with... I had few tyres on IS250:

• Brigestone Potenzas and Turanzas (OE fitment depending on model year) - awful, just not much more to say- loud, hard, not great on economy and even grip hit and miss.
• Nexen (not sure what exact model it was - maybe N1000) - I just could not use them, terrible exchanged them to Pirelli after less than 1000miles
• Pirelli P-Zero - very comfortable tyre, but that is about it, mediocre in all other aspects and expensive
• Dunlop SP SportMaxx 001 - kind of obsolete tyre, but still OE fitted by Lexus, probably the worst tyre Dunlop makes, but otherwise alright, just slightly better than Brigestones. I would not immanently throw them away if they are fitted to the car, but I would not recommend them.
• Dunlop SportMaxx RT and RT2 - both amazing tyres in my experience, quiet, fuel efficient, provide long long mileage and decent grip all the way to like 1C, wet grip excellent and price is decent. Obviously, if buying today you need to look for RT2 as RT is obsolete.
• Continental Sport Contact 5 - great tyre all around, not as good as RT2 (but there are Sport Contact 6 now).
• Michelin PS4 - probably best road performance tyre (PS4s would be overkill for IS250), excellent grip, good mileage, but you get compromise on comfort and fuel efficiency + very expensive.

So what I would recommend and what I would avoid... Any non-premium or mid-range tyre - throw away immediately, they are just dangerous, unpredictable and nobody should trust their life to that crap. Mid-range tyres (that is your Avons, Falkens, Yokohamas, I consider Brigestone mid-range and long list of others) are generally compromise in some way, either fuel economy is bad, or mileage or some characteristic, but if they fitted on the car and still good I would keep them. The Premium tyres are the only ones to buy because they are the cheapest... let me explain - yes they cost double than chinese crap (don't mean to offend, as chinse makes a lot of great things, but tyres is not one of them), but they do at least double the mileage + they save fuel, are more comfortable, safer, quieter and provides better handling.

So what particular tyre I would recommend form my experience - Dunlop RT2/Goodyear Asymmetric 5 (they are both the same company), I found that to be a perfect compromise. There are many other good tyres like Michelins or Continentals, but they are more expensive without delivering more value. On more powerful car and if one drives more aggressively I would put Michelin PS4s. 

The universal/all-season tyres - there is saying "something that does everything is not good at anything" (or something like that)! They are just compromise - they will never match true summer UHP tyre in grip, fuel economy or handling. Like the often recommended Michelin CC - it is great tyre, but it never reach say PS4, or Dunlop RT2 in normal driving conditions above 8C (and from my experience I would argue even below that). Where it would excel is temps between +0+3C and if you have some mud, slush, wet snow - but where I live in UK (London) we at most have 3 such days a year. So I would never compromise 362 days of driving, because of 3 days which may or may not happen once in 3 years.

Finally, if you really short on money and don't want to "invest" in your safety, then there are alternatives - Sava/Debica UHP (owned by Goodyear/Dunlop and similar tyres to say RT, but not as good as RT2)... I would put Uniroyal Rainsport in this category (owned by Michelin), but recently Uniroyal is priced same as Dunlop RT2 and although great tyre otherwise it is not as great as RT2 or Asymmetric 5.

 

[Ozzay]

You mean these ones?

https://www.halfords.com/tyres/dunlop/sport-maxx-rt2-sportmaxxrt2.html

They say E on fuel rating. You gave a very extensive guide there thanks.

[Linas.P]

10 minutes ago, Ozzay said:

Also do these cars come with run flat by default or not?

Should I get run flat?

No and most definitely no! Runflats are more terrible versions of their "non-runfalt" brothers (and maybe sisters), awful ride quality and they WILL fail you when you need them most. Not so relevant for Lexus, but on BMW that is probably the first thing I would do - throw runflats away... just transforms the car.

IS250 has spare wheel and it has saved me countless times. 

16 minutes ago, Ozzay said:

Budget I am happy to spend £80-£90 I think.

Hows the MPG on the tyres you guys mentioned.

Also on the question of replacing the tyres at the back I think they still have many miles to go it would be pricey to get all 4 done. Is this something you really think is going to be needed? Currently two sets are different with the front tyres being Hankook Kontrol.

I have thought about GY EfficientGrip or Goodyear Eagle F3/F5.

You budget is plenty for good tyres - RT2/Asymmetric 5 could be had just under £80, especially fronts.

I would say it would be ideal to have same tyres on front and rear, but Hankook are good enough mid-range tyres. Keep them until they need replacing and replace them with same tyres you have fitted on the front when it comes to it.

I have bad experience when it comes to low rolling resistance "eco" tyres like EfficientGrip. They are probably ok for small cars which don't have much power, but I would not fit them on IS250. They are too much of compromise - don't offer much better economy than same brand UHP tyres, are available in limited number of sizes (like 17/45/245 isn't very popular) are not as comfortable and not as good for handling.

[Linas.P]

Here are sizes you need:

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/goodyear/eagle-f1-asymmetric-5/225/45/R17/Y/94/f?tyre=38668105

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/dunlop/sp-sport-maxx-rt-2/225/45/R17/Y/94/f?tyre=34598312

You can shop around and they can come little bit cheaper... I generally get them closer to £72, as well blackcircles often 2 like £25 off if you buy 2, £40 off if you buy 4 for popular brands like Dunlop, Michelin, Goodyear etc.

P.S. - I have not personally had Asymmetric 5, but I feel confident recommending them because I know it is the same company as RT2 and if anything Asymmetric 5 are generation newer than RT2s (RT2s ~= Asymmetric 3). So they should not be worse and likely better.

[Ozzay]

8 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

Here are sizes you need:

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/goodyear/eagle-f1-asymmetric-5/225/45/R17/Y/94/f?tyre=38668105

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/dunlop/sp-sport-maxx-rt-2/225/45/R17/Y/94/f?tyre=34598312

You can shop around and they can come little bit cheaper... I generally get them closer to £72, as well blackcircles often 2 like £25 off if you buy 2, £40 off if you buy 4 for popular brands like Dunlop, Michelin, Goodyear etc.

P.S. - I have not personally had Asymmetric 5, but I feel confident recommending them because I know it is the same company as RT2 and if anything Asymmetric 5 are generation newer than RT2s (RT2s ~= Asymmetric 3). So they should not be worse and likely better.

It says for the sp-sport-maxx-r2 that they are run flats?

[Linas.P]

No they are not. They are XLs (extra load), but not runflats. I do not believe they make RT2 runflats, at least not in this size.

[Ozzay]

12 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

No they are not. They are XLs (extra load), but not runflats. I do not believe they make RT2 runflats, at least not in this size.

https://www.dunlop.eu/en_gb/consumer/tires/sport_maxx_rt_2.SPTMAXXRT2.html

Says run on flat

 

[Linas.P]

You are looking at generic tyre model page, there may be certain sizes and certain tyres which are runflats. The tyres I have linked and even that tyre size overall are not even available in runflats:

https://www.dunlop.eu/en_gb/consumer/tires/sport_maxx_rt_2/225-45-17-94-Y-4038526036018.html

 

[Ozzay]

1 hour ago, Linas.P said:

You are looking at generic tyre model page, there may be certain sizes and certain tyres which are runflats. The tyres I have linked and even that tyre size overall are not even available in runflats:

https://www.dunlop.eu/en_gb/consumer/tires/sport_maxx_rt_2/225-45-17-94-Y-4038526036018.html

 

Thanks I ordered these and will see how they go. £80 each fitted.

Thanks to all here.

Will check back with you guys on results.

[Mr Vlad]

Hello Ozzay. You have decided to take advice from one member only. That is your choice. Let me put you straight about tyres. But first I'll tell you I'm a professional driver having driven trucks for nearly 2 million miles and I'm on car number 29 now and easily done over 500k miles in cars.

Tyres have one job only. To keep your car on the road in most conditions. 

Choosing a tyre that will let you travel twice round the world is outright stupid.

Choosing a tyre for grip is paramount. 

The tyres on my 2007 is250 are Infinity Evomax on the rear and Roadstone Eurovis. Budget tyres But they have kept my car on the road admirably and without fear of losing control. I drive my car fast by the way and I love going round bends very quickly and setting off from the lights quickly too.

You've already chosen a tyre and I hope they suit your car and the way you drive it and the price you've paid is bang on. I look forward in hearing how you get on with them. 

[Linas.P]

Indeed that was quite quick decision, but I think it was good one.

@Mr Vlad I agree with with you on many points as well (except of the tyre choice) - I cannot claim that RT2s are definitely factually indisputably best tyres, but I hope I was clear in my posts that tyres I recommended are based on my experience (and opinion) having different tyres for ~130k miles on 3 different IS250s alone, and probably closer to 210-220k miles total on various cars.

I cannot specifically say that Infinity or Roadstone are specifically bad tyres, but with these brands you always gambling. I admit there may be "budget jewels", but equally there are "budget horrors"... I have certainly saved more money on consistent performance of Premium tyres (fitting them, never being worried and them lasting long time) than I would have ever saved gambling on hit and miss budget tyres.

I still have the set of wheels I used to have on IS250 with RTs - they did over 30k miles (I need to go back and check, but it was like 37k or something), font ones still have 3.5mm, real ones are around 2mm (basically they due for replacement). They never missed the beat, quiet, fuel efficient, great dry and wet grip. No tramlining. I used to run them on higher PSI then recommended because I noticed that on IS250 standard tyre pressure results in wear on the outside of the tyre (indicating underinflation). RT2s are just upgrades over RTs and I have them on front of my RC, would fit them to the back too, but back had brand new Potenzas RE050s when I bought the car. 

If RT2s have any issue, even remotely then on cold winter days you may experience "crabbing" when turning the wheel on stationary car in the morning... this doesn't bother me the slightest and bear in mind RC has 235/40R19 on front. Besides turning the wheel on stationary car is bad practice anyway. I was told this is caused by XLs having harder sidewall, but that is necessary for handling and fuel efficiency (XLs are rated B on R19 and non-XLs are rated E).

Finally, all premium tyres are good - Michelin, Continental, Goodyear and Dunlop... you cannot go wrong with any of them. But as mentioned - at under £80/tyre (I waited for them to be discounted to £72) RT2s represents better value. Michelin PS4 are still better handling more performance oriented tyre, but no only it compromises on fuel efficiency and comfort, but it costs a lot more as well. And that is why I cannot recommend them.

[Sundance]

Hi Oz, choice of tyre is so very subjective as has already been clearly illustrated on this one thread of many on this topic.

We all have our opinions and that is all they are, opinions, so firstly in my opinion ... if you only need two tyres then I can't see the point in buying four, as long as they're on the same axle?

I'm a relative newbie on Lexus too so am still trying out the car, bought mine just 4 months ago, and I needed two new rear tyres so, surprise surprise, I bought two new rear tyres ... not four.

After carrying out my own research I chose the Bridgestone Turanza based upon their high rating for economy, wet grip and noise.  But most of my past high mileage driving other car marques has been using Goodyear and I cannot fault my experience with them especially their longevity, often getting 40k from one set - which, admittedly, was mainly motorway so it also depends upon how you choose to drive.

Odd as it may sound, if I keep the car and when I need fronts I'll probably fit Goodyear.

But hey, horses for courses my friend and try not to make your choice too complicated because it really needn't be. It looks like you've taken your pick from the comments on here but don't forget in future to do your own research on ratings using the likes of BlackCircles, Oponeo, Kwik-Fit and I'm sure you'll be fine.

Good luck.

[Ozzay]

4 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

Hello Ozzay. You have decided to take advice from one member only. That is your choice. Let me put you straight about tyres. But first I'll tell you I'm a professional driver having driven trucks for nearly 2 million miles and I'm on car number 29 now and easily done over 500k miles in cars.

Tyres have one job only. To keep your car on the road in most conditions. 

Choosing a tyre that will let you travel twice round the world is outright stupid.

Choosing a tyre for grip is paramount. 

The tyres on my 2007 is250 are Infinity Evomax on the rear and Roadstone Eurovis. Budget tyres But they have kept my car on the road admirably and without fear of losing control. I drive my car fast by the way and I love going round bends very quickly and setting off from the lights quickly too.

You've already chosen a tyre and I hope they suit your car and the way you drive it and the price you've paid is bang on. I look forward in hearing how you get on with them. 

I definitely look at the other forums/threads for a few days and I was just hitting my head on the wall. It seems that Linas has had extensive testing on tyres and suppose I will just take a shot here. I made my mind up to get the Eagle F1 3/5s but thought I would double check. I don't really want to wait around as I have somewhere far to go and I just hate the current tyres the outer thread is gone and its been worn down uneven due to low TP and alignment which I sorted. I suppose its worth giving feedback on these Dun's after a few weeks.

On my Mazda 3 1.6 2007 which I sold I got Bridge Turanzas all round. The car was a much better drive and better gripped on the ground for sure in wet but no noticeable difference in fuel economy. Prior to those I used to buy only used tyres and one day I had a very weird issue which is called the 50p tyre problem. I attributed the aquaplaning and sliding away of the car to suspension as the tyres seemed to look fine on the outside. For that reason after what I experienced I probably won't be buying used tyres though they are cheap (£20/25 per tyre or maybe more for the sizes I need).

Off topic and rather not start a new thread. I have put in Castrol Magnatec A5 oil 6.2L 5W30 SN. Should be OK right? Seems OK. Just got some idle ticking sound (sitting in car) which I am noticing today but don't know if that is because of the oil or what not, its not a bad sound just a little noticeable I don't think that was there before maybe just my ears.

[Ozzay]

On a side note I plugged in an OBD2 reader just to see and there are no fault codes. Not sure if that's normal but there are no issues with the car.

[Mr Vlad]

I'd have thought the oil you've used is OK. Might I suggest you buy a bottle of ZX1. Halfords have it. I've used it in All my cars since the mid 80's. It coats all moving metal parts and reduces drag massively. Great for cold starts where the car has stood for a while. No tappety noises heard etc.

[Linas.P]

I would always advise to do alignment when fitting new tyres. If old tyres were unevenly worn etc that could affect the alignment and if you do it before changing the tyres it may still be slightly out when you put the new ones on.

The oil you used is correct. I used Magnatec for most of my oil changes (A1/A5 is as well correct for petrol C2/C3 for diesel) and in my opinion it is already overkill for over 10 years old engine. There are better oils you can get... but we talking about diminishing returns here.

Not finding any errors on Lexus - that is NORMAL! 😁

[Ozzay]

12 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

I would always advise to do alignment when fitting new tyres. If old tyres were unevenly worn etc that could affect the alignment and if you do it before changing the tyres it may still be slightly out when you put the new ones on.

The oil you used is correct. I used Magnatec for most of my oil changes (A1/A5 is as well correct for petrol C2/C3 for diesel) and in my opinion it is already overkill for over 10 years old engine. There are better oils you can get... but we talking about diminishing returns here.

Not finding any errors on Lexus - that is NORMAL! 😁

Well I did the alignment about one month ago not sure if anything would change since then. Very little adjustment was needed. I also went into a frenzy with which oil and found the guy with the cap on this forum was very technical and no clear answer was given.

[Linas.P]

In very non-technical way I can just confirm that Castrol Magnatec A1/A5 5W30 is great oil and probably better oil than Lexus ever imagined when designing the engine in ~2003. Is it best oil - no, but it is plenty good enough. Could you get cheaper, still plenty good enough oil... yes you can... probably.

[Ozzay]

What about this whole unleaded 95 and super unleaded business. I have a BP right near me shall I stick to Unleaded 97 or go 2 miles up all the time for a Shell 99? I swear the Shell does give better mileage but its too soon to tell. Does mixing fuels cause issues?

[Sundance]

14 minutes ago, Ozzay said:

What about this whole unleaded 95 and super unleaded business. I have a BP right near me shall I stick to Unleaded 97 or go 2 miles up all the time for a Shell 99? I swear the Shell does give better mileage but its too soon to tell. Does mixing fuels cause issues?

Hi again Oz, you do choose the right topics for a good night read and a bit of controversy ... next you'll be asking about E5 and E10 so here's a thread that can accompany your late night tipple but try not to take it all too seriously, just pick out the factual bits and make up your own mind ...

https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/127448-is250-and-the-e10-petrol-exclusion-list/

As for the 95/97 issue, I seem to remember a recent thread on that too but can't locate it quickly, no doubt someone else will enlighten you.

Stay lucky.