Tyre Question

[ricostuart]

Hey all,

i know this is a common question, but I hope that mine is slightly different. I have the 2011 F-Sport running 18". It seems the outer edges of the fronts are almost completly bald (still drives and handles well though). Is this a normal aspect of the sport setup? I know that Lexus put on different geometry setup for the F-Sport over the other models.

Also, I think its the stock tyres (bridgestones i think?). I am looking to get some new sets all round, but want to keep them matching. Any suggestions on types?

I have been looking at T1R and Eagle F1, but I cant seem to find them for fronts and rears. Also the Ecsta Le Sport KU39. What you guys think?

My current tyre sizes are:

Front: 225/40/R18 92Y

Rear: 255/40/R18 95Y

Appreciate this guys! :D

[normski2]

Sounds to me like you need to get your tracking done. Do it twice a year ...it pays to!

[ricostuart]

yeah, been thinking of getting them done, but i didnt think much could be changed (not many adjustment points).

Plus my current tyres are just over 26k miles old!

[ricostuart]

What tyres do you guys go for that match?

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

Any sign of un even tyre wear shows that either your tracking, camber, geometry or all are out of place.

26k from a set of tyres!! To me that's amazing

Im lucky to get 12k from a set on mine :(

[ricostuart]

I think the geometry is set right (its slightly off for better track handling as part of the f-sport setup) compared to other models of the is250. I just need to look at getting new tyres. the rears are still fairly good nick. just the fronts starting to show their age.

[ricostuart]

Managed to find some goodyears efficiantgrips for the fronts (225) for a good price. Would having the same profile tyres on the rear (instead of 255) be too adverse? I dont dive the car hard or anything - it manly cruises on the motorways.

[juicestop]

Managed to find some goodyears efficiantgrips for the fronts (225) for a good price. Would having the same profile tyres on the rear (instead of 255) be too adverse? I dont dive the car hard or anything - it manly cruises on the motorways.

I would advise against changing from the manufacturers recommended profile - in the event of an accident your insurance company would not cover you.

[Tango]

The IS250 only has adjustable toe anyway, but I would advise getting the full geometry checked to ensure you do not have suspension wear or damage. The second generation IS has one of the most stable chassis available and once set properly within the specified Lexus tolerances it should not stray from the settings at all.

My IS250 SE-L was checked every six months over the 5 years I owned it (as a trial car by WIM) and it never once needed re-adjustment after the first correction from new, and after the second adjustment that was necessary to bring it within spec after lowering springs were fitted.

Tyre wear was also absolutely even across all four tyres after the optimum tyre pressures were set after monitoring the initial wear pattern.

[Exdee]

I think 225 is going to be really stretched in the back. The IS250 has staggered alloys. Rear is wider than front.

[ricostuart]

I think your right, so I decided to purchase 245 rears and 225 fronts. All good for thursday!

[F.A.]

Hey all,

i know this is a common question, but I hope that mine is slightly different. I have the 2011 F-Sport running 18". It seems the outer edges of the fronts are almost completly bald (still drives and handles well though). Is this a normal aspect of the sport setup? I know that Lexus put on different geometry setup for the F-Sport over the other models.

Also, I think its the stock tyres (bridgestones i think?). I am looking to get some new sets all round, but want to keep them matching. Any suggestions on types?

I have been looking at T1R and Eagle F1, but I cant seem to find them for fronts and rears. Also the Ecsta Le Sport KU39. What you guys think?

My current tyre sizes are:

Front: 225/40/R18 92Y

Rear: 255/40/R18 95Y

Appreciate this guys! :D

This also happened to my 2011 SE-L running the stock Bridgestone Turanzas, the same size as your set up. I managed 36k before the whole set needed changing, but whilst the rears had worn evenly, the outer edges of the fronts were nearly showing the inner layer of the tyre. Had a geometry check and all looked fine. Lexus commented that this was good wear due to the set up of the car. I ran the recommended PSI of 38 for the rears and 35 for the fronts for this set. I am now running a full set of Good Year Eagle F1 asymmetrical 2's and have covered nearly 7000k. I have increased the PSI on the fronts to match the rear at 38psi and have monitored this religiously every week and noticed that the fronts are now wearing evenly.

[F.A.]

I think your right, so I decided to purchase 245 rears and 225 fronts. All good for thursday!

The rears should be 255. Any reason why you are opting for a narrower tyre?

[ricostuart]

I think your right, so I decided to purchase 245 rears and 225 fronts. All good for thursday!

The rears should be 255. Any reason why you are opting for a narrower tyre?

Yeah, because there is a massive increase in range for 245 over 255. There is only a small amount of stretch required which i dont think will be noticeable. The loss in traction will be unnoticeable due to the fact the car will be nowhere near its limits. The tyres I am going for are a bit harder (longer lasting) which will reduce traction anyway. While these two things will compond the problem, again the car will be no where near the limits of the rear tyres.

I have always kept pressure up to its required limits (sometimes a psi over) using a handly nitrogen canister at my work ;)

[F.A.]

I think your right, so I decided to purchase 245 rears and 225 fronts. All good for thursday!

The rears should be 255. Any reason why you are opting for a narrower tyre?

I have always kept pressure up to its required limits (sometimes a psi over) using a handly nitrogen canister at my work ;)

This is my point. From my experience with this set up, the required limits are too low on the front, causing the uneven wear

[BigChaz1982]

The IS250 only has adjustable toe anyway, but I would advise getting the full geometry checked to ensure you do not have suspension wear or damage. The second generation IS has one of the most stable chassis available and once set properly within the specified Lexus tolerances it should not stray from the settings at all.

My IS250 SE-L was checked every six months over the 5 years I owned it (as a trial car by WIM) and it never once needed re-adjustment after the first correction from new, and after the second adjustment that was necessary to bring it within spec after lowering springs were fitted.

Tyre wear was also absolutely even across all four tyres after the optimum tyre pressures were set after monitoring the initial wear pattern.

Hi ive just got some lowering springs for mi IS 220 and was wondering if you had to fit SPC ball joint's to the front to get the camber adjusted as when i rang WIM this week they said they couldn't the camber on my car! Any suggestions will be massively appreciated

[Tango]

Hi ive just got some lowering springs for mi IS 220 and was wondering if you had to fit SPC ball joint's to the front to get the camber adjusted as when i rang WIM this week they said they couldn't the camber on my car! Any suggestions will be massively appreciated

Sorry, just noticed this post . You only need SPC ball joints if the car is lowered by more than 30mm, as anything less than that keeps the camber within the recommended Lexus geometry settings (and unlike the first generation IS, they're OK). WIM are correct in that the second generation IS only has toe adjustment, so lowering below 30mm needs the non OEM adjusters fitted to bring the settings back within specification.

Here's the ones we fitted to my IS250 Se-L:-