Best Tires for Lexus ES350: Our Recommendations & Reviews

The best tires for Lexus ES350 should provide you with smooth ride quality, quiet rolling at higher speeds and safe and reliable handling in most conditions.

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Smoothness, quietness, refinement, and comfort are attributes that perfectly describe the Lexus ES 350. Sure, the Japanese sedan might be based on a Toyota platform, but its cabin is still one of the best places to be in when traveling on long road trips.

The luxurious manner in which the ES 350 glides over the road has taken over a large number of car buyers in North America, specifically people that cover a lot of miles annually. That shouldn’t be a problem for the Lexus ES 350 – it’s by far the most reliable car in its category.

Nevertheless, you will still need to replace the tires regularly, at least every 4-5 years. When you do that, you must choose tires that will last long, of course, but you should look for other qualities as well. The best tires for Lexus ES350 should provide you with smooth ride quality, quiet rolling at higher speeds and safe and reliable handling in most conditions.

The thing is, there is no single tire on the market that will work equally for every Lexus ES 350 driver. Moreover, there is no single tire that will work in every weather condition, including very hot summer days and harsh wintry conditions (snow and ice).

Fortunately, you arrived at the perfect destination to find great tires for your ES 350. In this article, we will give you a selection of the 10 best tires for Lexus ES 350. Unlike other websites, our list is filtered according to the tire category, simply because different tires work for different drivers.

Now, if you don’t know much about various tire types, we also prepared a detailed buying guide on Lexus ES 350 tires. There, you can learn everything there is to know about passenger-car tires. More to the point, you will see the advantages and disadvantages of each type of tire and how that affects your driving.

Best Tires for Lexus ES350

1. All-Season Touring Tires

Michelin Defender T+H

Michelin Defender T+H

The Defender T+H might be expensive for a touring tire, but it has everything you need for a safe and reliable drive.

On the street, this tire will give you a confident grip and traction over dry and wet surfaces, and it will even work in light snow. Moreover, highway stability is excellent, while responsiveness is surprisingly neat.

The Defender T+H is also one of the most comfortable and quiet tires that we’ve tried. Also, Michelin provides a healthy 80,000-miles treadwear warranty, and owners are very satisfied with the treadlife.

Pros

  • Very responsive for a touring tire
  • Excellent handling and braking in dry and wet conditions
  • Smooth ride quality and quiet rolling
  • Very long treadlife and excellent treadwear warranty

Cons

  • Expensive for the category

Continental TrueContact Tour

Continental TrueContact Tour

The newest touring tires from Continental scores highly in almost every category we tested, apart from the slightly lower traction in snow.

Other than that, the TrueContact Tour is probably the best touring tire right now. It’s not overly expensive, yet it provides the driver with usable grip and traction over dry and wet surfaces.

Moreover, we found that the TrueContact Tour brakes swiftly in the rain. We were also impressed with the ride quality and overall refinement, courtesy of the ComfortRide Technology.

Finally, Continental provides an excellent 80,000-mile treadwear warranty.

Pros

  • Excellent dry and wet handling
  • Strong braking in the rain
  • Outstanding ride quality
  • Quiet on the highway
  • Budget-friendly pricing

Cons

  • Snow traction could be a bit better

2. All-Season Grand-Touring Tires

Continental PureContact LS

Continental PureContact LS

The PureContact LS is probably the best grand-touring tire on the market overall. The only gripe we have is with the slightly lower 70,000-mile treadwear warranty (some competitors offer an 80,000-mile warranty).

Other than that, the PureContact LS performs excellently in all conditions. In our testing, we found that it is especially good when it rains, both in terms of traction and braking.

It also works fine on dry surfaces, providing the driver with excellent highway stability. Light-snow traction is among the best in the category as well.

Finally, the PureContact LS is very quiet and comfortable, especially over rough patches.

Pros

  • Outstanding handling in the rain
  • Among the best on dry tarmac
  • Smooth ride quality and quiet rolling
  • Very good on snow

Cons

  • Nothing to report here

Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack

Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack

If you mostly value comfort, then the Turanza QuietTrack is the best tire for you. Thanks to the in-groove quiet tracks and optimized pitch sequencing, Bridgestone’s grand-touring tire is by far the quietest you will find.

Moreover, ComfortCruise Technology also makes it the most comfortable, especially over rough surfaces. The Turanza also handles street driving very well – the handling is safe and predictable, both over dry and wet surfaces.

The tire is even useful for driving over light snow and comes with an outstanding 80,000-mile treadwear warranty. It’s a shame then that it is also very expensive for a grand-touring tire.

Pros

  • The quietest and most comfortable tire for Lexus ES 350
  • Safe and predictable handling
  • Wet traction is among the best in the category
  • Usable in light snow
  • An outstanding 80,000-mile warranty

Cons

  • High price

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring

The Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring is like a refreshment for everyone that doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on tires. This model is both durable and cheap to buy, which makes it a very cost-effective choice in the long run.

Despite the lower price, the CS5 Ultra Touring handles like its premium competitors. Traction and braking are excellent, both over dry and wet surfaces. We were also impressed by the responsiveness, which is outstanding for a grand-touring tire.

On top of that, the tire is very quiet and comfortable, especially considering the price. That said, snow traction isn’t as accomplished as on premium grand-touring tires.

Pros

  • Very responsive and good steering feel
  • Excellent traction on wet surfaces
  • Strong braking on dry and wet pavement
  • Budget-friendly pricing
  • Excellent treadlife for the price

Cons

  • Snow traction could be better

Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus

Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus

Like most Pirelli tires, the Cinturato P7 All Season Plus is all about driver’s involvement. For a grand-touring model, this tire is very responsive and provides the driver with an excellent steering feel.

Grip and traction are also outstanding, and braking is strong too, both over dry and wet surfaces. Pirelli offers a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty on this tire, which is good for the category.

With that said, the Cinturato P7 is not the best choice for harsh wintry conditions.

Pros

  • One of the most responsive grand-touring tires around
  • High levels of grip and traction
  • Strong results in the wet category
  • Excellent treadlife

Cons

  • Snow traction is below the class best

3. All-Weather Grand-Touring Tires

Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady

Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady

The Assurance WeatherReady is a great choice for driving through all seasons. In warm conditions, it lacks the overall finesse of “normal” all-season tires, but it’s still usable for most people.

What this tire loses in responsiveness gains in winter traction. Compared to any other all-season tire, the Assurance WeatherReady will give you much more traction over snow and ice, and stronger braking as well.

The only real downside that we can think of is the slightly shorter 60,000-mile treadwear warranty.

Pros

  • Much more usable in snow than all-season tires
  • Outstanding results on wet tarmac
  • Safe handling and braking overall

Cons

  • The 60,000-mile warranty might be limiting to some
  • Worse performance in hot conditions than normal all-season tires

4. All-Season Ultra-High-Performance Tires

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

The Potenza RE980AS will give you by far the best driving experience of any other tire on this list, which is why we think that it’s the best choice for ES 350 F-Sport owners.

When it comes to handing, you can find no fault with this tire. The handling is very responsive and grippy, both over dry and wet surfaces, while the highway stability is outstanding.

The Potenza RE980AS even comes with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is impressive for the category.

Also, even though you’re dealing with an ultra-high-performance tire, noise is not an issue. That said, Bridgestone didn’t manage to sort out the ride quality.

Pros

  • Sublime handling on dry tarmac
  • Outstanding results over wet pavement
  • Very responsive and drivable
  • Very quiet for the category
  • Outstanding treadlife

Cons

  • Choppy ride over uneven surfaces

5. Winter Tires

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Best-in-class traction and braking over snow, slush, and ice is everything you need to know about the Blizzak WS90. If you want the best-performing winter tire, this is it.

That said, Bridgestone still doesn’t provide any treadwear warranty on their winter tire lineup, which is a shame in this day and age. The treadlife should be good, though.

Pros

  • Best winter tire overall
  • Exceptional traction and braking on snow
  • Performs excellently in wet conditions as well
  • Very good treadlife

Cons

  • Bridgestone doesn’t provide any treadwear warranty

Michelin X-Ice Xi3

Michelin X-Ice Xi3

The Michelin X-Ice Xi3 provides almost the same performance as the Blizzak WS90 – it’s only slightly worse in snow and ice braking. Still, you probably won’t notice the difference – the X-Ice Xi3 is as accomplished as a winter tire could get.

The biggest advantage of going with the Michelin is getting that amazing 40,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is higher than every other winter tire on the market right now.

Pros

  • Excellent traction over snow and ice
  • Outstanding in wet conditions
  • Best treadlife of any winter tire
  • Comes with a 40,000-mile treadwear warranty

Cons

  • Only slightly worse than the Blizzak WS90 in snow and ice braking

What to look for when choosing a set of best tires for Lexus ES 350?

What are the Best Tires for Lexus ES350 - 2

The Lexus ES 350 is far from a sporty vehicle, but it still has a healthy number of horsepower under the bonnet. The biggest issue with the vehicle, though, is the front-wheel-drive configuration. Under hard acceleration, the front wheels will lose traction, especially over slippery surfaces.

Therefore, the tires you put on your ES 350 must have enough traction for swift acceleration. On top of that, ES 350 drivers will be certainly happy if the tires are quiet and comfortable, and lastly, that they work in various conditions.

We will comb through each type we deem viable for the ES 350 so you can choose one that suits your needs best. Firstly, though, let’s see how the climate affects your tires and why it’s the most important thing to look for when choosing new ones.

The Weather Factor

Nothing is more important than choosing the right climate type of tire. If you choose tires that don’t work properly in your area, you’re in for an unsafe ride every time you bring your car on the street. Today, you can find summer, winter, all-season, and all-weather Lexus ES 350 tires.

The main difference between each type is the tread compound. Tire manufacturers develop the rubber compound in each tire to work in a tight temperature range. And, when the tires aren’t in an environment that sits between that range, there will be a big drop in performance.

For example, if the weather is too hot and the tread compound is designed for colder temperatures, the rubber compound will become too soft. Once that happens, the tires become much less responsive, and more importantly, much less stable. At higher speeds, the vehicle will not be planted on the road. Also, the tires will wear much faster.

Contrarily, if the weather is too cold and the rubber compound was designed for warmer conditions, the tire becomes hard and brittle. This will limit the tire’s ability to stick to the road and you will experience it as a loss of traction and grip. Moreover, the tires might get easily damaged.

Finally, tires made for colder weather also have a more prominent and aggressive tread pattern to help with traction in snow and slush.

Most Lexus ES 350 tires are of the all-season variety. As their name suggests, these tires are designed to work in every season. That’s great for potential buyers, especially those that don’t want to replace tires every year (summer and winter).

Modern all-season tires work very well in hot and cold conditions, providing the driver with ample traction and grip over dry and wet surfaces. Nonetheless, many enthusiast drivers view these tires as a compromise in hot conditions, where they lack ultimate responsiveness and grip to be driven aggressively.

More importantly, though, all-season tires work only over light snow and aren’t designed for harsh wintry conditions. That’s where all-weather tires come into play. These models are still considered “all-season”, only designed for colder weather. Obviously, with all-weather, you will lose a bit of the drivability in the summer, but gain better traction over snow, slush, and ice.

That said, if you live in areas with very harsh wintry conditions, the best choice is a set of winter tires. These tires are designed to work only in very cold conditions and naturally, they will provide you with the best overall performance. Winter tires are especially good over packed and unpacked snow, ice, and slush.

That said, winter tires don’t last very long, and have much worse performance in warmer conditions. These are only designed to be used in one season – winter. In other words, you will need another set of tires for the rest of the year.

Finally, summer tires are by far the best choice for hot conditions. Many people overlook these tires and think that all-season tires are similar in terms of performance. Trust us, they aren’t. There is a reason why sports car enthusiasts only install summer tires on their powerful vehicles.

Summer tires stick to the road much better than any other tire type. With a set of summer tires on your Lexus ES 350, the front-wheel-drive traction issues will be all but gone. Also, you will be able to drive much more aggressively through the corners, and experience much better highway stability, both over a dry and wet tarmac.

Having said that, summer tires don’t last very long – even the best of them need to be replaced after 20,000-miles. Also, summer tires tend to be expensive, and they are only really available in the high-performance categories.

Touring and Grand-Touring Tires

Apart from the weather, tires are also distinguished in terms of performance. In our opinion, the best Lexus ES 350 tires for the average driver are touring and grand-touring tires. As their name suggests, these tires are designed to cover a lot of miles, which plays perfectly with the Japanese luxury sedan.

The best thing about these tires is the durability. The best touring and grand-touring tires come with up to 80,000-mile treadwear warranties, which is quite simply mind-blowing. That means that if you cover 15,000-miles annually, you will be able to use these tires for 5-6 years between replacements. These tires are also pretty cheap nowadays, which only adds to the cost-effective nature of these tires.

Furthermore, touring and grand-touring tires are supremely quiet and comfortable over bumps. Again, this plays very well with the nature of the Japanese sedan, which is designed to be comfortable and refined. The best touring tires on the market today are so smooth that you won’t be able to hear them on the highway.

Now, when it comes to handling and braking, these tires are adequate for street and highway driving. In other words, you should expect safe and reliable handling, usable traction on dry and wet pavement, and excellent highway stability. That being said, if you want to drive more aggressively, these tires won’t cut the mustard. They simply lack enough grip and traction for spirited driving.

So, what’s the difference between touring and grand-touring tires? Well, it’s all in the speed ratings and size availability. Touring tires usually come in smaller speed ratings and sizes. Also, they tend to be slightly worse in the handling and braking department, but better for durability. Grand-touring tires, on the other hand, are better for more spirited driving and provide the driver with much better highway stability.

Please note that most touring and grand-touring tires today are only available with an all-season tread compound, which also limits their overall performance, but adds to the durability.

High-Performance Tires

The Lexus ES 350 is far from a sporty vehicle, for sure. Nonetheless, Lexus tried to inject some sportiness in recent years in the F-Sport version. If you own that particular model or just want an elevated driving experience, we recommend going for high-performance tires.

As their name implies, these tires are designed for high-performance driving. In other words, they are made to provide the driver with better stability at higher speeds, better traction during hard acceleration, stronger braking, and much better grip in the corners.

A set of high-performance tires will elevate the overall dynamics of the Lexus ES 350. The first thing that you’ll notice is a much better steering feel and faster responses. Immediately, your luxurious Japanese sedan will feel more lively and easier to drive fast.

Moreover, with a set of these tires on, you will be able to achieve much higher speeds in the corners and enjoy better stability at highway speeds. High-performance tires are safer if you want us to put it that way.

That being said, high-performance tires also have some disadvantages. First of all, they are far from comfortable. Sure, the ES 350 is still able to iron most bumps, even with high-performance tires, but overall, the ride quality will be worse. It’s the same with the noise, which will be more prominent.

Furthermore, high-performance tires also don’t last very long, especially if you opt for a summer tread compound. The combination of high-performance tires with a summer tread compound will give you by far the best performance, but also the worst treadlife.

Finally, high-performance tires are also divided into several tiers. For the Lexus ES 350 F-Sport, we recommend ultra-high-performance tires, which offer a great combination of on-road comfort and responsiveness.

Max-performance and extreme-performance tires, on the other hand, are designed for much more powerful and faster vehicles and we wouldn’t recommend them on the Japanese sedan.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How often should I rotate my tires?

We recommend rotating the tires every six months, or every 5,000 to 8,000-miles (whichever expires first).

Will low-profile tires damage the ride quality?

Yes, putting larger wheels and lower-profile tires on your ES 350 will hurt the ride quality.

Are winter tires only good for snow and ice?

Winter tires are designed to work in freezing conditions and over any type of surface, including dry, wet, snowy, icy, and slushy.

Conclusion

We can’t stress that enough, but each type of tire has its pros and cons, and it’s up to you to find a balance that will suit your driving. Just be sure that you purchase tires from reputable and well-known manufacturers, as very cheap tires don’t offer a safe drive. On top of that, you’re driving a fine luxurious sedan – it deserves high-quality tires!

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