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I dont believe Nittos are a OEM tires for Lexus, amybe thats is the reason for the higher speed reading. Yes, I believe Lexus current OEMs are either Michelin or Goodyear. My 08 came with the Goodyears, but I'm replacing them today with Michelins...$100 rebate for 4 tires at Discount Tire.. My 2008 is really going about 4 mph faster than the speedometer reading, and has done so since purchase. When brought to the dealer's attention, they said it was within factory tolerance. Mine came with Goodyear tires. They lasted about 24,000 miles. I had an RX 330 that came with Michelins that also had to be replaced at about 25,000 miles. The replacement tire was Yokohama Avid. These still had adequate tread when the car was traded at 60,000 miles. I put the same Yokohama Avid's on the 2008. They have only been on for 7,000 miles, so it's hard to say how they will last.

Yes... the readout on my wife's IS250 is not accurate all the time. Secondly, in order to do a valid comparison test as you described, and admitted that it wasn't "scientific", it would take more than a single test. There are too many variables that will effect fuel consumption - like: did you use the exact same fuel sample? Was the ambient temperature the same? Was the relative humidy the same? What atmospheric pressure, traffic conditions, wind speed, etc., etc.? It would be interesting to see some real test data. :D I would agree about real test data. Almost a year later the issue of regular vs high test is still around. I am over 20,000 miles with the car now, and for the last several months, since the price of gas tanked, have been using regular. There has been no noticeable difference in performance between the two fuels. This Lexus has been trouble free. Did the first two services at the dealer, did the 15,000 at my local mechanic. It would appear that high test may yield about 2 miles more per gallon. Not enough difference to justify high test.

I have experienced this also. I noticed a few months ago that someone had moved the mirror assembly while the car was parked. The glass itself was quite out of place. I moved the glass back to position manually, and it made a ratchety sort of noise. I suspect something inside has gone awry. It may be that we fuss more with the driver side mirror. It's possible that the passenger side mirror could also have this problem. One of the down sides of this vehicle is that it is very difficult to watch behind you when backing up at night. The back window is very highly tinted. The tilting mirrors help only a little bit. It would be nice to have brighter back up lights.

Great time to buy! Better get to it while they have the options and colors you want...the new models are coming out soon and I would imagine that selection will start getting stale. Be sure to check out some of the threads on the deals people have been getting. Simply amazing...some as much as 10k off sticker. I would also like to have a place to plug in the iPod, and I can't imagine it would take any space at all. As mentioned, there are still a lot of books on tape available at giveaway prices, and listening to a book can help make a trip go by. Yes, I know they also have books on cd, but they all seem to be unabridged, include 14 cd's, and cost an arm and a leg.

Surely there is a place to plug in an iPod?

Our 2008 RX 350 is only going 60 when the speedo says 65. Got 20,000 miles on it and that's been the only issue. I can live with it. Not having a place to plug the iPod in *BLEEP*es me off more. If you do not have a handheld GPS, put your cruise on at 60 mph while driving level on an interstate. Interstates have mile markers. Measure the length of time it takes to go one mile. Add a mph for every second under 60, subtract a mph for each second over. This is quite accurate between 55 and 65. The more careful you are in doing this, the more precise the reading. (Let's not get into a discussion about the difference between precision and accuracy)

I have a gut feeling that you probably don't want to have a lot of actual water in your tires.

Turn the radio up.

I checked tirerack.com and Goodyear tire is just junk, but Michelin MXV4 S8 is just slight better in reviews. Surprisingly, Yokohama AVID V4S has good review and cost 25% less. Have anybody using this model of Yokahama tire have any comment ? I am getting close to folk up $1k for new set of tire; just want to made the right choice. I used the Yokohamas on my RX330. I put them on at about 30,000 miles, after the OEM Michelins wore out. When I traded the 330 at about 80,000 miles, the Yokohamas were still going strong. I live in the great northeast, and we need good traction here. The Yokohamas were noticeably better than the Michelins, and yes, less expensive. I ended up using the Avids on several other cars, with similar good results. Also the Tirerack ratings were pretty good for the Yokohamas.

Cell service by ATT, no problem loading the phone book. I'm trying to get past all of the complexity of having a duplicate address book in the car. Once linked to the car, voice command on the Blackberry doesn't work. Seems to me that there should be an option somewhere to cut out all of the complexity and have the car act like a simple bluetooth speakerphone (i.e. the same way that an earpiece works). My earpiece allows me to use the full functionality of the Blackberry - including voice command. So essentially, I've just spent almost $38k for a car that is causing me to lose convenience and functionality on my handheld. Look on the bright side, you could have spent $45,000.

I had to go through this routine 6 or 7 times before it actually worked.

Stick with Michelin.... as Lexus wants. Drive fast on what they want is a hard tire is a good idea. Gooey Goodyears will wear out. Drive sane and go with high pressure Michelin and the traction.... Michelin can take it. Listen to what the manufacturer says. *BLEEP* Goodyear. They are too soft and wear out saking reality. This is why you need a real tire that can take 44 psi. OK, if Lexus wanted me to stick to Michelins, why did they put the crappo Goodyears on my car as original equipment? Michelins came with my 2004 330, and they lasted less than 30,000 miles, wearing out fairly evenly. They were replaced with Yokohamas that were still reasonably good when I traded at 73,000 miles.

This is from the US Federal Register, 2005-- Compliance Date: Consistent with the phase-in commencing October 5, 2005, all new light vehicles must be equipped with a TPMS that meets the requirements of the standard by September 1, 2007, with the following exceptions. Vehicle manufacturers need not meet the standard’s requirements for the TPMS malfunction indicator and related owner’s manual language until September 1, 2007 (i.e., at the end of the phase-in), and vehicles produced by final-stage manufacturers and alterers must be equipped with a compliant TPMS (including a malfunction indicator) by September 1, 2008. However, manufacturers may voluntarily certify vehicles to FMVSS No. 138 and earn carry-forward credits for compliant vehicles, produced in excess of the phase-in requirements, that are manufactured between April 8, 2005, and the conclusion of the phase-in. This is the National Highway Safety Admin web page with FAQ about Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems: http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/saferc...0002fd17898RCRD

Wrong season for this, but our 2004 RX 330 was sometimes parked in the driveway under some oak trees, and acorns were able to make it down through ductwork under the dash, and they would roll and rattle something fierce. The dealer wouldn't believe this possible, until they found one of the acorns. There may have been something missing, that allowed this to happen.

I won't argue with your testing regimen, or the results; but your results do make me feel much better using high test; especially at today's outrageous prices.. Sad to say, the difference between regular and high test today in New Jersey is $.38