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Tire Recommendations, Anyone?


hrhino2

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Just wondering if anyone has any advice on tire brand/style when it's time to replace them... my '02 Rx300 has 75k now and it's getting close to time to buy new tires....any recommendations out there for the best tire for a smooth, quiet highway ride?

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Just wondering if anyone has any advice on tire brand/style when it's time to replace them... my '02 Rx300 has 75k now and it's getting close to time to buy new tires....any recommendations out there for the best tire for a smooth, quiet highway ride?

I just got a set of Kumho Solus KH16's. They are awesome!

ku_solus_kh16_ci2_l.jpg

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I wasn't too pleased with the selection of 16" tires available, so I purchased a set of RX330 18" OEM replica wheels and put Michelin MXV4's on. Great ride, better cornering, quiet.

Here is the exact description: Michelin® Energy MXV4 S8 P235/55R18. Both Tirerack.com and costco.com sell them for $188/ea.

The overall diameter was nearly identical to the 16" OEM tire and wheel combo. The lower profile modernized the look a bit as well.

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Relying on memory here, so check it out to see if it is true. I recall that the biggest problem with the Michelins for our RXs is that they don't have a mileage warranty whereas the Bridgestone Alenzas do.

try www.tirerack.com and see what if anything is going on between these two tires with regard to price, warranty, and reader reports.

Gary

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If your RX300 has 16-inch wheels, I recommend the Firestone Destination LE tire. It is Firestone's less-expensive version of the Bridgestone Alenza tire and it is the best SUV tire for the money. I had a set on my wife's previous 2000 RX300 and my daughter has a set on her 2000 Grand Cherokee. It's a great all-around tire that delivers superb wet-weather and snow performance as well as long mileage - my wife put about 53,000 miles on those tires before I sold her vehicle back in late January and her tires were on track to go the full 60,000 miles and probably a bit more. The Destination LE carries a 60,000-mile warranty whereas the Michelin MXV4 S8 has NO mileage warranty and one-fourth less tread depth when new. I've found that best results are obtained when the Destination LE is kept at about 36 to 37 psi.

My wife has a set of Alenzas on her 2004 RX330 now, due to the fact that the vehicle has 18-inch wheels and the Destination LE tire is not available in the 235/55/18 size her RX330 requires. If Firestone begins building the Destination LE in that size by the time her RX330 needs tires again, you can bet that I'll put a set of Destination LE tires on it. The Alenza is a superb tire, it carries a 65,000-mile warranty, it handles wet weather and snow beautifully, and her Alenzas have really held up since I installed the current set back in February (nearly 20,000 miles ago), but the Destination LE is almost as good for about half the price. It's the best bang-for-the-buck SUV tire on the market right now.

As others have recommended, go to tirerack.com and check out all of these tires for yourself....

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Relying on memory here, so check it out to see if it is true. I recall that the biggest problem with the Michelins for our RXs is that they don't have a mileage warranty whereas the Bridgestone Alenzas do.

Just because a tire doesn't have a treadwear warranty doesn't mean the treadwear is poor. I've not had the S8s but I have had several sets of Michelin MXV4 Plus tires on two Lexus cars and they are a very long-wearing tire despite not having a treadwear warranty. The new Michelin Primacy MXV4 that replaced the Plus have the deepest tread depth of any Michelin car-tire ever. I've also had several sets of Michelin LTX M/S tires on my previous Explorer, no treadwear warranty but I had the first set for 100k miles and they had 3-40k to go. I replaced them...well because I thought I ought to replace them. My parents still have that Explorer and use it for hauling and boat stuff. They just replaced the second set I put on after 75k miles and they had at leas another 75k miles left on them treadwise, they just dry rotted and had a sidewall crack in one from lack of use. Replaced them with the same tires.

I've also had tires with treadwear warranties that didn't live up to them at all...

As far as tires, I'm really a Michelin guy. I have Bridgestone Turanza LS-Vs on my car now just to try them out, and they are great tires but aren't as refined in all situations as the MXV4s I had on the car before. This probably will be my last set of tires on this car, but I would replace them with the new Michelin Primacy MXV4. For the 99-03 RX I'd put a set of Michelin Cross Terrains on it. These are excellent tires, a little softer than the LTX M/S on the Explorer which goes better with the RX's personality. Costco has them on sale.

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Just because a tire doesn't have a treadwear warranty doesn't mean the treadwear is poor....

I've also had tires with treadwear warranties that didn't live up to them at all...

I agree with these general statements you make about warranties but I was trying to recall the discussion from the other board concerning these specific Bridgestones in sizes for our RXs. There was some discussion about ride quality and poor mileage out of the Michelins. These were actual reports from owners.

Fwiw, I am really a Michelin guy but if I can get significantly better mileage out of a Bridgestone at a cheaper price and a similar ride then I am all for it.

Gary

Edited by SW03ES
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I was trying to recall the discussion from the other board concerning these specific Bridgestones in sizes for our RXs. There was some discussion about ride quality and poor mileage out of the Michelins. These were actual reports from owners.

I've never had the S8s, but I have had several sets of MXV4 Plus' and were always very satisfied with them.

I think there are differences between OEM and retail with these tires. People who have them OEM seem to be much less satisfied with them...

Gary, Please don't post general links to other forums. If you're linking to a specific topic or post or peice of information thats totally fine, but linking simply to the main forum page isn't appropriate. Thanks for understanding.

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Gary, Please don't post general links to other forums. If you're linking to a specific topic or post or peice of information thats totally fine, but linking simply to the main forum page isn't appropriate. Thanks for understanding.

My apologies. I thought I was doing the PC thing to do by not specifically referencing the competition and using the general link so that others could look on their own.

Won't happen again.

Gary

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