17" Wheels Wear Out So Quickly!

[kryong]

I just found that 17" wheel (P215/55R17) tires wear out so quickly, and they usually say its life time is around 20K miles. I feel like this is too ridiculous since I don't have to worry about tires for other cars whose life cycle is around 60K miles typically.

All other ES330 owners who has 17" wheels have a similar life cycle of tire (20K miles)? How many really considered to change it to 16" wheel (which may cost a lot for rim?)?

kryong

[gbhrps]

Typically the tire size has no bearing on the wear of a tire, unless its exceptionally wide and for application on a Vette, 911 Porsche, Acura NSX, etc. If a tire is rated for high speeds or sports car applications where there is exceptional grip, you get a much shortened tread life simply because softer rubber compounds are used to get the grip, and they wear out very quickly. Check with a tire dealer and they should be able to find several tires by different manufacturers that will give you much better tread life than the ones you have presently. I have the same tire size on my wife's ES330 and they have around 40 000 km or 30 000 miles, and are at about half wear. I like the Michelins but I'll shop around for something with a better ride and longer life for her next set. You shouldn't have to change wheel sizes at all to get something that gives you what you're after.

[kryong]

Thanks for the reply. I thought it is a problem not only for me but general problems with ES330. In following link,

http://www.servcolexus.com/Distributor/Lex...&view=specs

[5] Tires fitted with 17-in wheels are expected to experience greater tire wear than conventional tires. Tire life may be substantially less than 20,000 miles, depending on driving conditions.

For Camry, it shows the same

http://www.cardata.com/Brochures/Toyota%20Camry.pdf

[5] Performance tires are expected to experience greater tire wear than conventional tires. Tire life may be less than 24,000 miles, depending upon driving conditions. (PAGE 16)

If you're saying it depends on brands, I'd like to know which tires generally give longer life. Can anyone share the information on P215/55R17 tires (for ES330) in general?

Thanks,