HELP! (IS250 tyre sizes)

[eleveneleven]

Looking at replacing all 4 tyres on my IS 250. I'm not clued up at all when it comes to tyres so wanted to check i'm on the right lines before I buy anything 

I have 17inch alloys, Asda recommend the following

FRONT -  225/45-R17 (91W) 
REAR - 245/45-R17 (99Y)

Problem is, I've checked the car and it seems to be the opposite (225/45 (91Y) on the rear and 245/45 (95w) on the front) 

Which set up is correct? (does it even matter)
What does the figure/letter combo mean (91W, 99Y etc) 

Any help here would be much appreciated 

thanks 

 Lee

 

[LenT]

31 minutes ago, eleveneleven said:

Looking at replacing all 4 tyres on my IS 250. I'm not clued up at all when it comes to tyres so wanted to check i'm on the right lines before I buy anything 

I have 17inch alloys, Asda recommend the following

FRONT -  225/45-R17 (91W) 
REAR - 245/45-R17 (99Y)

Problem is, I've checked the car and it seems to be the opposite (225/45 (91Y) on the rear and 245/45 (95w) on the front) 

Which set up is correct? (does it even matter)
What does the figure/letter combo mean (91W, 99Y etc) 

Any help here would be much appreciated 

thanks 

 Lee

 

I would say that Asda is correct!  The wider tyres go on the rear.  They certainly do on my IS250.  This should be confirmed in the Manual, if you have one.

Or look on the driver’s door jamb where you should find a sticker detailing tyre sizes and pressures.

You should find a distinct improvement in handling with the tyres on the correct axles!

Hope this helps.  Now what tyres are you going to fit?
 

[J Henderson]

As Len says, the larger 245 tyres should be on the rear axle. Even before buying new tyres, you should switch your wheels around ASAP.

The number after the size is the load index - basically how much weight the tyre is suitable for.

Load Rating

Some tyres are also "XL" variants, which have a higher load index rating.

 

The letter (W,Y etc) is the speed rating.

V = 149mph

W = 168mph

Y = 186mph

 

[eleveneleven]

Thanks @LenT much appreciated. 

As for tyres I'm not sure to be honest, my last car had Michelin Cross climates and they were really good, id have them again but they're a little more than I want to spend at the moment. 

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 - These sound good at £411 for a full set? 

again any other recommendations are welcome. 

[eleveneleven]

4 minutes ago, J Henderson said:

As Len says, the larger 245 tyres should be on the rear axle. Even before buying new tyres, you should switch your wheels around ASAP.

The number after the size is the load index - basically how much weight the tyre is suitable for.

Load Rating

Some tyres are also "XL" variants, which have a higher load index rating.

 

The letter (W,Y etc) is the speed rating.

V = 149mph

W = 168mph

Y = 186mph

 

ahh ok got it thanks, so basically its not overly important as long as I stick to V W Y and the load rating on the rear is slightly higher. 

I'll see if I can get it booked in this week and get those tyres switched round, could actually be the reason why I'm sliding all over the place lately...

[Sundance]

Hi Lee ... agree with Len, most definitely 245s on the rear and 225s on the front. You will surely notice a difference in handling once you've switched them over. I cannot imagine why they're on the wrong axles 😲 , steer well clear of the garage that did that!

Agree with John too. The (91)(99) is the load index and relates to the recommended maximum carrying capacity so unless you're regularly filling your boot with seriously heavy luggage I might suggest that this index is almost irrelevant. That said, if you're using the car as a taxi (unlikely as the rear leg space isn't conducive nor is the economy) then perhaps (99) might be better than (91).

As for brands ... you can't go wrong with Goodyear Eagles but shop around. Try BlackCircles.com for example ... (£64.39 front) (£114.70 rear) ... total £358.18 fitted.

[J Henderson]

Yep. Eagle Asymmetric 5 is a good tyre. Not used them personally, but they always fare well in group tests & customer reviews.

[LenT]

29 minutes ago, eleveneleven said:

Thanks @LenT much appreciated. 

As for tyres I'm not sure to be honest, my last car had Michelin Cross climates and they were really good, id have them again but they're a little more than I want to spend at the moment. 

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 - These sound good at £411 for a full set? 

again any other recommendations are welcome. 

The other problem you may find with the Michelins is that they only make one of those two sizes!   I have 18” rims and that’s what I found, otherwise they would have been my choice.

But fortunately Goodyear had just launched the F1 Asymmetric 5 which in some respects was superior and they have proved to be an excellent choice.  And that seems a pretty good price as well.

I also agree with all the comments made by both John and Rowley.  I was actually being a bit restrained in my comments, but I can’t imagine a competent mechanic getting the the wrong tyres on the axles!  It could all have ended in tears - so a lucky escape, I’d say!  And it’s entirely possible that an resulting insurance claim might have been rejected if the tyre problem had come to light.

I wonder if it happened when a previous owner tried to swap the wheels round ‘to equalise wear’?  You can’t do that with the Goodyears either as they have a specific direction of rotation.
 

[eleveneleven]

According to the receipts Costco could be to blame, all 4 Dunlop's were purchased and fitted by them prior to my ownership, Not sure if the owner had them swapped at any point though

Quite surprised Lexus didn't pick it up when it was with them a few months ago, they sent me an inspection video and tried to sell me new front tyres amongst other things but didn't mention anything about the sizes. Typical stealership mentality 🤦‍♂️

I have it booked in first thing tomorrow to get them swapped around. Thanks again guys for the heads up. I'll see how it feels after the swap before I commit to buying new tyres. 

 

 

[Sundance]

2 hours ago, LenT said:

I also agree with all the comments made by both John and Rowley.  I was actually being a bit restrained in my comments, but I can’t imagine a competent mechanic getting the the wrong tyres on the axles!  It could all have ended in tears - so a lucky escape, I’d say!  And it’s entirely possible that an resulting insurance claim might have been rejected if the tyre problem had come to light.

I wonder if it happened when a previous owner tried to swap the wheels round ‘to equalise wear’?  You can’t do that with the Goodyears either as they have a specific direction of rotation.
 

I've only been a Lexus owner for 14 months so am a relative newbie BUT I did notice on my car's MOT history before I bought it ... and I kid you not :-

"Front tyre(s) of different sizes are fitted on the same axle"

"Rear tyre(s) of different sizes are fitted on the same axle"

Obviously a FAIL! So beware, there are some right numpties out there looking after vehicles ... 🙄

[Sundance]

1 hour ago, eleveneleven said:

Quite surprised Lexus didn't pick it up when it was with them a few months ago, they sent me an inspection video and tried to sell me new front tyres amongst other things but didn't mention anything about the sizes. Typical stealership mentality 🤦‍♂️

 

 

THAT is in every respect alarming and unbelievable ... or do I mean believable? 😲

The incredulity of Dealerships never ceases to amaze me ... which is why I never use them! 🙂

PS ... If they had offered you front tyres, I wonder if they'd have sold you 245s? 😄