goody12

Just an update after using the CC2 for about a week now i find the tyres quite good it has excellent grip and low noise ..i am just waiting for pair of rear shocks ordered and an alignment done when fixed replaced 

On 7/18/2024 at 8:51 PM, IS300FSPORT said:

What's important is check how the current tyres are wearing if there is Inner/outer wear on the edges more so than normal consider getting wheel alignment done & an inspection on the suspension components. It's false economy to throw on new tyres if the wheel alignment is out it will only wear out the new tyres within 10k or so.

good comment one of my rear suspension was leaking 

59 minutes ago, IS300FSPORT said:

Get the rear shock done first then the alignment as it will disturb the alignment when they remove the suspension components. 

Good advice cheers

7 minutes ago, IS300FSPORT said:

++ You can get it done cheaper & it's not a massive job or overly complex.

Genuine parts are recommended to retain the ride quality but get a 2nd opinion if the shock is actually leaking or if it's a money making scheme. Try doing a bounce test.

Also do it in pairs you can imagine the other one isn't far behind if one is leaking to improve the comfort level & balance do it as a pair.

Another option is to find a Breaker on Ebay a car with front end damage rear shocks will be fine if low mileage. Genuine parts.

Genuine part for one shock is £149.83 x2 = £299.66. Add another £200 for labour from a regular independent garage approx so for £500 both sides can be done. 

Also if I may suggest stay away from Kwik fit for alignment, for that I'd stick with main dealer or an alignment specialist in your area with a hunter system they will give you before and after print out after doing alignment of the full setup. May even be able to adjust to reduce inner tyre wear.

https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-is-phase-3-rear-shock-absorber-2/

Lexus are charging me £442 just to fit in one shock will ask price for pair 

Just had my car rear tyres changed with the CC2 it certainly is a different drive first thing i noticed is that they were very quiet not much road noise, but i think i need a wheel alignment done the steering was a bit wonky though driving it ..Lexus wanted £144 for it but i had already spent a fair bit for tires and major service 

 Anyway booked it in with kwikfit for early next week to get it done..Also there was a leak in one rear shock absorber they said it needs changing they want £442 to change just one, do i need to change in pairs? can i get it done cheaper ?

18 minutes ago, Boeryeoes said:

please share your experiences. My car became a boat. Still have them in the garage for when the winter is a bad one. 

ok will let you know 

Now getting CC2 installed on my car next week by lexus also doing a service with them....Price of fitting and supply was more or less the same as others... 

2 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

I would go with 245/40 if original is 255/35. This is because speedo is already -5%, so going to 245/35 would make it -6%, and 245/40 -2.2% (closer to actual speed). But I guess depends on the price 0.8% or 2.2% difference is quite minor, but certain sizes are expensive. 

ok great 

1 minute ago, Linas.P said:

Good shout, best time to do alignment is when you replace the tyres, so you get most life out of them. Especially when getting premium tyres that may last 30k miles.

yep will do that for sure ...will this be a good size for my car CC2 245/35 Y18 92 

1 hour ago, IS300FSPORT said:

Had Nexen before I threw them away plenty of thread left but the shoulder started cracking the rubber compound seemed hard. & could even get the traction light to blink without trying.  I think they are a Chinese budget brand but I could well be wrong.

For tyres go with Mid range or Premium brands that are well recognised. It's safety so don't compromise.

I've been running UniRoyal Rainsport 5 for nearly 3 years fantastic in the Rain in Manchester we typically see Rain so if your up North of the UK I recommend an A rated tyre for Rain followed by rolling resistance the more economical it will be where you may see an improvement in MPG. 

Online tyre shopper is where I got them from with mobile tyre fitting around £400 from what I remember for all 4 may have been on a deal at the time. 

Thanks for the reply as it goes i just noticed the shoulder on one of tyres  is slightly cracked, and guess what its a nexen!!! i didn't even look at it until now i was worried about the threads looks like its a flaw with that brand ...i have just seen a  CC2 245/35 Y18 92 do you recommend this for my car  

1 hour ago, Linas.P said:

Depends what you want and how much you willing to spend - all tyres are compromise. On IS300h I would right away exclude UUHP tyres, like Michelin PS4s and similar, just not the car that benefits from it and then you have to deal with compromises.

One way of looking at it - not sports car so just put all-seasons for it for some safety on wet roads (just don't confuse them with winter tyres, little bit of rain and leaves in autumn is what they are for). All premium brands will have decent options - Michelin CrossClimate2, Goodyear Vector 4-Season, Pirelli Cinturato SF3, Bridgestone Turanza All-Season 6, Continental AllSeason Contact2 are all exceptional tyres. By the way CC2 was considered outright the best tyre for few years, but they are in that order now from worst to best, CC2 being the worst out of 1% percentile of best tyres. What are downsides? You will be paying about £20-£30 more per tyre and in summer (warm and dry) cheaper summer tyres will outperform all-season tyre. Will have slightly better fuel economy, lower noise and sharper handling. Do you really need sharper handling? Then go for summer tyre, if not then all-seasons are overall lowest maintenance tyre you can keep on the car all year long and for British winters they are more than enough.

Second option - go for summer tyre with good wet rating and stay way from UUHP, I would look into category of so called "Touring tyres", which are no as sporty, but more comfortable, usually last longer and I think quite suitable for car like IS300h. One of my favourites are Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2, Brigestone Turanza 6 is actually competent tyre (although I have concerns about wear), Yokohama BluEarth-GT AE51 and Michelin Primacy 4+ are all great tyres in this category (that I have experience with). Generally rated A for wet is what counts, but many of them are also quiet (under 70dB) and good on fuel.

I would stay away from 255 (40?), because that is absurd and unnecessary width for car that has only 200hp. Now I understand that you may have staggered rims and you can't go much narrower, but I would be inclined to go at least one step down to 245 and if possible 235, and try to fit roughly similar circumference tyre something like 235/40/19 instead of 255/45/18. This should at least partially solve undesirable tendency for these cars to understeer. 

If you want to keep original wide 255 tyre, then many of more economy oriented tyres are not available in that size... which kind of limits your choice with UHP/UUHP - like Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 6 or Continental Premium Contact 6 (maybe 7 now). Obviously... no mention of Nexen - I would avoid them, they were for long time considered budget, now they are sort of mid-range, but for the price (£10 difference), I would rather go with brands that are consistently at the top.

They are Korean, technically now mid-range, but for long time they were budget. I had one set years ago, so it is probably not representative... but  I put them on, on the way home nearly spun out on the roundabout without even trying, gone back to the shop and swapped them same day. I am sure they went long way since then, but they are just not worth the money. They are literally more than Yokohama, Hankook and similar mid-range brands.

Uniroyal Rainsport 5 are excellent tyres, sort of on point of what I would be looking to put on IS300h in UK - not very sporty, but very good in wet. The problem with them - they are kind of old now and they are pricey, sometimes they cost same as Michelin... and they are certainly not on par with latest tyres. Basically what I am saying - it is time for Rainsport 6 or whatever. But otherwise they good tyres if you can get them at decent price, I think in Europe they are made by Continental. 

Thanks for an excellent reply very informative stuff you wrote, looks like i will not be getting nexen and will get some of the all season tyres that will suit me better i don't believe in scrimping on tyres they can save ones life !!

I am not sure this has been asked before but cant find it ..what tyres do you guys recommend for my car i was doing some work in the Lexus dealership and they recommended  Nexen  255/35R18 94Y for the rears  ...what do you guys suggest Thanks 

Great topic this as i am thinking of changing tryres on my is300h 2015 ....which budget ones are good mine came with nexen a bit noisy those 

quick qusetion does one have to do an MOT with lexus or any garage will do 

Great advice guys 

On 3/31/2023 at 3:45 PM, Spock66 said:

Even if outside the Relax scheme if you continue to service through Lexus you will benefit from the free Hybrid Health Check which includes the hybrid battery warranty up to 15-years.

Also you could consider the Lexus extended warranty scheme for vehicles over 10-years, there is a thread for this somewhere on the forum.

Yep he was adviced by lexus that it will outside the lexus relax warranty ...but the extended warranty was £500 a year i told him to get it serviced with lexus ...Next due date will be january next year 

1 hour ago, Herbie said:

There's no doubt that he could get the car serviced at any reputable garage (doesn't even have to be a Lexus specialist) for a lot less money, but the service plan does have its benefits, the biggest one being the 'free' Relax Warranty. However, given the age of the car, I'm not sure if it would qualify for Relax.

One thing about a service plan is that you pay it monthly, so you don't have to find a big wodge of cash when it needs doing. Also, it locks you in to today's prices, so you're shielded from any rise that may happen during the term of the plan.

If it were me, I'd do it.

Yep thats what i was thinking the car is old but it is has only 56k miles on the clock only and full service history from lexus ...i will advice him to ask if relax warranty is included cheers 

Asking for a friend he just bought a 13 plate IS300H this year the service plan he was quoted was £1695 it includes 3 services 2 full  and 1 intermediate  service  and 3 MOTs till 2025 is it any good? .....

Considering he bought the car from a Lexus dealership  January .what do you guys think is it worth getting 

Just checked it was serviced in January so next service is due January 24 next year he thinks

On 1/16/2023 at 12:21 PM, Bounce75 said:

Post some pictures when you get time.

Will do very soon..... great cars lexus i am surprised i  have not driven one since all these years 

21 hours ago, immotek said:

Congratulations. 

I recently got an IS300h too and been thrilled with it, a bit older and more miles (2014, 85k) but also FSH.  

On the infotainment point, I've installed the Carplay system (there's a thread in this forum on it) and can highly recommend it for bringing the the system into the modern world. 

It will cost you around £300-350 and around an hour or two of your time to setup, but it's worth it if you value the ability to link seamlessly with Android or iOS. 

That sounds great would love to do something like that ...will be keeping my car for a while the sound system is very good,  Android or IOS will make it even better 

just an update i am now the proud owner of a Is300h 17 plate 55,000 on the clock with full service history .. I have had it for a few days now and i am happy with it so far ...What i have noticed is how quiet it is inside and i am already noticing the fuel efficiency it gives, only slight complaint is the info-entertainment screen not the greatest resolution and it looks a bit dated ...sound quality is fantastic though as i have the mark levison sound system in my car    

Very good mpg i am well impressed, i have  settled on a IS300h i think that more than enough for me for now although the ES was very tempting maybe in the future

Just an update I test drove the ES 300H today it was a car very comfortable and a lot more bigger than I thought ..I test drove a lovely blue colour takumi trim ES with the HUD display ..

  The mark Levison stereo system is a revelation I need that in my car that for sure, and I was surprised how quiet the car was inside ..some sort of noise dampening I was told ..the car also handles beautifully with the feather weight steering 

Still undecided as I have not driven the IS 300h will be doing that at another dealership next week …but for now the ES is the top dog 

1 hour ago, PaulWhitt20 said:

So far I don’t think anyone has mentioned that the IS is rear wheel drive and the ES front wheel drive. But don’t let that put you off the IS I have never managed to loosed the back end even on snow. With its 50/50 weight distribution it performs well in slippery conditions. I have not driven an ES so cant offer an opinion on that. 
My other comment, the Top spec IS with Mark Levinson will have bigger wheels that will make the ride harder. Good luck in your search, either will be a great car. 

cheers for that tip

4 minutes ago, Notamech said:

Well they're cars from different classes. The IS is more a 3 series / C class type car where as the ES is more a mid size - E class / 5 series type car. Other than the sunroof and sound system i think the decision would largely depend on what you use the car for and what your priorities are. I sold my e class due to ulez expansion and was looking for a lexus hybrid. I knew i didn't want an suv so for my budget my options were the IS or the GS (which i think is now replaced by the ES) but overall similar decision. I test drove both and frankly preferred the GS as the interior was roomy and it was more comfortable etc. But similar to the ES the rear seats didn't fold and the boot had an awkward shape which made storing a childs buggy along with any luggage tricky. In the end i went for an IS as that was at a good price + the looks and storage won me over. Overall for what i use the car for (primarily in the city and school runs etc) it is compact had adequate storage that is flexible and it is easier to park is relatively tight spaces than something like the e class or cars of that segment. But it is not without its flaws e.g its designed to be sporty so the seats are super snug doing anything like stretching over and trying to reach anywhere else in the car e.g. The glovebox etc is a nightmare. Sometimes even trying to take things out of the centre console is super difficult and inconvenient. If i had to do it over i sometimes think the GS would be more comfortable. While the IS is adequate as a family car it was designed to be more sporty and is not what you would choose if you prefer wafting along in comfort. Also if you do more highway runs and need the comfort I recommend the more comfortable ES. 

I have a 3 series and selling due to ulez expansion like you  also the ES looks featured packed unlike the IS but the IS looks smaller and more compact ....i will test drive both and decide which one will suit me i do like folding rear seats though of the IS ...it also depends on price lets see ...

   Thanks for your thoughts