Does the Lexus IS eat tires more than normal?

The tires are Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06

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That is correct.

Gosh, that’s more than I’m paying per mile for gas.

Well there went that theory out the window… I am not a fan of Continental’s but the DWS was always my go to tire if I couldn’t find a Bridgestone to use, never had any complaints out of them and they seemed to always work good…

SO the 560 AA A UTQG should normally get you around 50K IF you are able to rotate them… With the aggressive alignment angles and no rotations, that should put you at about 1/2 mileage… Also City driving versus Highway driving (cornering a lot, doesn’t have to be fast) is much harder on thread wear also… Cab drivers (in Nashville anyway) get about 1/3 to 1/2 treadwear no matter the mileage warranty…

EDIT: even less mileage with AWD…

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I suspect there are other cars that have seats and egress that will serve your needs, that are more cost effective.

Would you mind recommending which cars ? Ones that are reliable and non-electric.

No can do. You know your medical needs, I do not.
I find my F150 has comfortable seats, my GFs Camry is horrible, my base level Mustang has non-adjustable lumbar support, but is okay for 3-400 miles driving.
Most comfortable was my 1972 Buick Electra 225.

Then there is your required entry and egress, again that is to your needs.

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No one can say what vehicle will meet your medical needs . Only the person who has problems can make that decision. Speaking from experience.

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The Camry seats are horrible indeed which is my I got rid of mine. I would experience excruciating back pain while driving it.

In 2017 inwated a new car. I tested the Toyota Avalon and after 20 minutes found the seats hurt my back around the shoulder blades. I’ve rented Camrys with the same type seats and the same results. I ended up with a Honda Accord EX-L and the seats are very comfortable. If this describes your issue you might try an Accord or Acura sedan. If it doesn’t, what is your medical issue?

Scoliosis. The Lexus IS solved my problem where health is concerned. The seats hug tightly and support all sitting positions. It’s the most comfortable car :red_car: I’ve ever driven, and I’m not talking about smoothness; the seats are just amazingly designed, blind spots are nonexistent, car is easy to drive, etc. and since I’m not very tall, the IS is just the right pick when it comes to my health condition.

I’ve tried corollas. The seats are uncomfortable. I’ve tried Honda civics and same thing. As for the accord, I used to own the older ones. Not sure how good the new ones are now.

Seat comfort is such an individualized factor that everyone needs to make his/her own decision on seat comfort–hopefully after doing an extended test drive.

While I liked my '92 Accord in every other way, the extremely low placement of the driver’s seat (it lacked power seats, unfortunately) caused me to experience very bad Sciatic symptoms after driving it for more than 30 minutes. Unfortunately, my test drive was very brief, and I didn’t experience that problem until after I bought it. Luckily, my drive to work was only ~15 minutes initially, but when I moved further away, the longer daily drive left me in agony every day, and I had to ditch the Accord.

I have no idea whether Honda still uses such an extremely low placement for their seats, but–in any event–taking someone’s advice on seat comfort is not a good idea because your own unique anatomy and physiology require that you make your own judgment regarding seat comfort.

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In this case I’d find a long-wearing model tire that fits your IS, keep them fully inflated (I run 2 psi over the recommended psi), check the alignment periodically, and resign yourself to more frequent tire purchases, since it meets all your other needs.

Edit - looking at TireRack, the only ones with better UTQC ratings (640) cost about 25% more than what you got, so you’re probably close to optimum on tire cost.

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Just a thought…

If the car meets your needs otherwise, it might be a fool’s errand to either search for, let alone trade it, for something else just because of the tire cost. Kind of like these folks who go buy a small 4 cylinder car to drive instead of their SUVs when gas gets to $5/gal. Doesn’t make sense to pay more for another car to “save” money on gas.

Point being…you might be better off money-wise and health-wise to stick with the one you have.

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+1

If you sell the car you will have a lot of depreciation to deal with and still have to buy another one. Given your medical condition, it seems like a comparatively small price to pay for a comfortable car.

Tire Rack says the OE tires are Bridgestone Utranza ER33 tires with a UTQG of 140. They costs about $1000 for all 4 plus mounting and alignment. As a comparison, they also sell General G-Max AS05 tires for $700 (UTQG 500). That’s just an example. There are other tires that fit your IS 300 with similar wear ratings. While you may not buy at Tire Rack, they are a good website to get ideas for replacement tires.

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This is the car that you all have been helping me with.

I agree with the others. If the car is indeed the most comfortable suitable car you’ve ever had, and is just the right size and shape for you, keep it. The cost of new tires every couple of years will soon be forgotten if you compare it to having a daily driver that can literally be painful to drive.

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I would research smaller rims, non staggered, higher profile tire sizes, longer life touring or all season tires, and reduced negative camber.
Is the IS based on a more pedestrian Toyota model?
I would look at what shoes that model wears.

I don’t think there’s any Toyota on that chassis.

+1
IIRC, the only other vehicle sold in The US that is built on the same chassis is the slightly larger Lexus GS.