Tires For Rx300

[PhD2B]

Hello,

I currently reside in Kansas City, MO and own an RX300 (2003). I currently have Goodyear tires, and do not wish to replace them with another pair. Here in Kansas City, I experience all types of weather. Occassionally 2 - 4 feet of snow, rain and sometimes sunshine.

I need suggestions on which tires to replace the Goodyear ones with. Currently car is mostly driven on highways or inner city. No off roading.

THANKS!! :D

[snow-board]

Hello,

I currently reside in Kansas City, MO and own an RX300 (2003). I currently have Goodyear tires, and do not wish to replace them with another pair. Here in Kansas City, I experience all types of weather. Occassionally 2 - 4 feet of snow, rain and sometimes sunshine.

I need suggestions on which tires to replace the Goodyear ones with. Currently car is mostly driven on highways or inner city. No off roading.

THANKS!! :D

I replaced mine with the Firestone Destination LE tires and are very happy with them. We have weather very similar to Kansas City. My Lexus handles very well in the snow and Ice.

[rxpx40]

Just looked at this guy's website- He recommends Michelin Cross Terrains. I put them on my full sized van and really liked them.

See here:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rx300how2/index.html

Chris

[Grumpa72]

There has been a LOT of discussion on this and there seems to be a large number of folks who buy the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza from Tire Rack. Good reviews on that tire and it WILL be my next tire. The main advantage of that one over the equivalent Michelin OEM tire is that the Alenza has a 60000 mile warranty whereas the Michelin doesn't have ANY. If you are familiar with Tire Rack, go to their website and do a comparison between OEM sizes and I think you will find that the Alenza stacks up well against the competition. In addition, do a search here on Alenza's and read what others report.

[RX in NC]

I can speak from an ownership perspective for both the Bridgestone Alenza tire and the Firestone Destination LE tire.

When my wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD with standard 16-inch rims needed new tires about three years ago, I did a great deal of research looking for the best combination of an all-weather tire that would provide long mileage, great wet-weather grip, decent snow grip, a good ride, all for an acceptable price with a good warranty. After several days of research I settled on the Firestone Destination LE tire, ordered four of them from TireRack.com, and those tires really held up to everything that Firestone and most of the customers writing reviews on the TireRack website said they would be. The tires had about 53,000 miles on them when we sold the vehicle in late January 2007 and would have achieved their 60,000-mile warranty level had we kept the vehicle. They delivered superior wet performance, good snow performance, a good ride, and obviously a great treadlife for us. I found that by keeping them at 36 to 37 psi and rotating them every 6,000 to 7,500 miles they delivered their best all-around performance on that particular vehicle. I was so impressed by these tires that I put a set on my daughter's 2000 Grand Cherokee in late 2005 and that set has been every bit as good as the set we had on my wife's RX300. They're still going strong on her Grand Cherokee with about 36,000 miles on them now.

My wife bought a 2004 RX330 AWD the same day we sold her 2000 RX300 AWD in late January 2007. The 2004 RX came with a brand-new set of Michelin MXV4 S8 tires which I knew little about. So I researched them, found out that they are designed for sedans, not SUVs or crossovers, don't have a treadwear warranty, and are not rated well for wet weather or snow. Since these Michelins had just been purchased at Discount Tire by the vehicle seller, I obtained the Discount Tire receipt as a condition of purchasing my wife's 2004 RX and called Discount Tire about swapping them out for a set of Bridgestone Alenzas (which they did for a final cost to me of about $47). This vehicle unfortunately has 18-inch rims and the Firestone Destination LE tire is not built in 18-inch applications. But the Alenza tire is, and the Alenza was the highest-rated SUV tire at TireRack.com at the time. But be forewarned - the Alenza is also very expensive. The Alenzas on my wife's 2004 RX now have about 22,000 miles on them and once again, they have been everything that Bridgestone and the customers writing reviews on the TireRack website said they would be. They have a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty, they stick like glue to the pavement in all sorts of weather conditions, they have never hydroplaned, and they provide a good ride. They are undoubtedly some of the best tires you could put on a truck or SUV, but man, they are costly.

The Firestone Destination LE tire is essentially Firestone's version of its more upscale brother Bridgestone's Alenza tire. It uses the same design, technology, and compounds, it is warranteed for almost as long, and it is typically about half the price of the Alenza depending upon the application you need. If the Destination LE was available in the 18-inch size that my wife's 2004 RX requires, she would still be riding around on a set of Destination LE tires today. The Destination LE tire's treadwear warranty, performance, wet-weather handling, and ride quality are all so close to the Alenzas that it is truly wasteful to spend for a set of Alenza tires if your rims can be fitted with Destination LE tires.

So if your current RX300 is fitted with 16-inch or 17-inch rims, go with a set of the Firestone Destination LE tires. Keep them inflated and rotated, keep your front end aligned, and don't pretend that your RX300 is a sports car (you already know good and well that it isn't), and you can't go wrong with your tire choice....

[KBRX330]

Don't do the Michelins as they only last 30k . The Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas went 70,000 miles on mine but were noisy for the last 20k. I just put on a set of Kumho tires from Tire Rack for under $600. They seem to ride very quiet and handle well.

[wwest]

First, and foremost, I NEVER consider a warranty in the process of buying tires, and especially so, brake pads.

Think about it, do you want brake pads that last 80-100,000 miles? How do you suppose they do that?

IMMHO tires would be the same way, a long warranty would most likely mean HARD tread rubber.

I don't object to or refuse a tire tread wear mileage warrantly, but be careful of the "extreme" (beyond reason) ones. That becomes especially true when considering winter, TRUE winter, specialty tires.

My recommendation, keeping in mind that here on the eastside of Seattle we more often go to the snow and ice rather than have it come to us, is Bridgestone Turanza summer "only" tires. These give me the most comfortable and quietest ride imagineable. For those rare slippery roadbed times I always keep at least one set of tire chains on board for the rear and put the second set for the front onboard during the winter months.

If you feel you need something a bit better my experience ('94 AWD Aerostar) with Michelin cross terrains has been impressive. But the Aerostar also always has a set of tire chains on board for the snow skiing trips into the mountains.

You've undoubtedly seen our mountain pass news today.

Closed, closed, and closed.

[Grumpa72]

Don't do the Michelins as they only last 30k . The Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas went 70,000 miles on mine but were noisy for the last 20k. I just put on a set of Kumho tires from Tire Rack for under $600. They seem to ride very quiet and handle well.

Well, maybe that isn't true in all cases. My wife's 05 330 has OEM Michelins on it with 37000 miles and now has 5/32 of tread left. She drives conservatively and will most likely get another 5-10000 miles out of them. My next set of tires will be the Bridgeston Dueler Alenza in the 18 inch size though. I wouldn't put the Cross Terrains on our 330 for noise and ride. She recently got two nails in her tire so I pulled the spare down and put it on. The tire shop didn't want to repair it since the nails were adjacent to each other so I bought one new Bridgestone Alenza as the spare. This summer three more Alenzas are going on the car and the best of the Michelins will be my new spare. From then on, four tire rotations only.

Gary

[Reefer]

I have a 2004 RX330 and did a lot of research and found a lot of info at tirerack.com

After much thought, I purchased the Bridgestone Dueler HL and have been very pleased

with them and would highly recommend them. I did get a great deal right from

the Firestone/Bridgestone dealer - so take a look at them there and see what

they have to offer.

[ZAPP]

We have no snow here but what we do have is a lot of rough bad roads, and this RX300 is prone to a lotta tire/road noise.

What tire provides a cushy and quieter ride?

My default would be to go to Sams and say "put on the top-end Michelin"......

I have a 2004 RX330 and did a lot of research and found a lot of info at tirerack.com

After much thought, I purchased the Bridgestone Dueler HL and have been very pleased

with them and would highly recommend them. I did get a great deal right from

the Firestone/Bridgestone dealer - so take a look at them there and see what

they have to offer.

[JSmith]

I installed Destination LE's about 2 yrs ago on 02 RX300. Didn't like wet weather handling (poor) of OEM Goodyears. I drive 40k+ miles/yr, mostly hwy. Have 80k miles now, and plenty of tread left. Good hwy tire, low noise, and excellent wet weather handling. Best value out there.

[suraj]

I put Kumho Solus KR21 about 6 months ago and they are great. They sound very quiet and comfortable.

Price also is very good.

[ZAPP]

I put Kumho Solus KR21 about 6 months ago and they are great. They sound very quiet and comfortable.

Price also is very good.

sounds like a plan. quiet is good.

where did you find those?

[suraj]

You can find them at tirerack.com if you want to install yourself.

I went to Discount tires and asked them to order it that took around 4 days.

They ordered and installed for me for a decent price. I think around $450 with road hazzard.

If you buy online it is cheaper but you have to have it installed in a shop and they add price for installing, valve stem etc... around $18/tire...

I put Kumho Solus KR21 about 6 months ago and they are great. They sound very quiet and comfortable.

Price also is very good.

sounds like a plan. quiet is good.

where did you find those?

[lenore]

The Michelin Cross terrains are great, I have 58k mile on mine and still probably have another 20k miles left. they are definetly quieter than the Michelin x. And the Duelers were terribly noisy. The Ride is excellent on the Cross terrains. Got mine at Costco.

[mckellyb]

I put Kumho Solus KR21 about 6 months ago and they are great. They sound very quiet and comfortable.

Price also is very good.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it's been a while since I've visited, and this jumped out at me, being I was just here for my wife's RX.

I heartily second this tire choice.

I've been a fan of Kumho's since putting a set of KH-11's on a '95 Intrepid ES we used to own. On the side was molded, "FOR SUMMER USE ONLY".

Yeah, whatever.

I had a dedicated set of snows on a separate set of wheels, which I'd gotten for the mountains west of Denver, but in Portland, OR, there was no way I was swapping tires for the one or two snow days per year. Just not gonna happen.

I was one of three people, and the only one w/2wd who showed up at work the one day it snowed. Granted, it took 20 minutes to get into the parking lot, but that was because of the inclines and angles involved.

I've recently replaced the positively horrible OEM Headstones on the RX with a set of 5 Kumhos, and I'm quite happy. Only about 300 miles on 'em, but they're quieter and the hum tone they generate is of a lower frequency than the Bridgestones. Treadwear is 680, which gave me pause, as I don't want tires like iron, but they hold the ground better than the OEM heaps.

I had a set of Michelin X-Ones on the above-mentioned Intrepid, and positively hated them from day one.

The Kumho KR-21's almost impossible to find online right now, backordered until September, but a guy here in Austin, TX, managed to find a set of five, locally. Had 'em on the next day. $470 for all five, mounted, balanced, new stems, w/8.25% tax. It was the same price as me going mail-order then having to pay for all of the above, plus I'd have had to cart the new ones around. No thanks.

Sometimes, the corrugated tin roof tire shack ain't a bad place to shop, if you know exactly what you're lookin' for. Discount Tire it wasn't, but Discount was absolutely -0- help this time around.

[ZAPP]

This post was helpful to me because I have been wondering: "What is the QUIETEST Tire I can put on the RX300?".

So, with the below in mind I started websurfing for tires.

Tirerack.com has a lot of survey and test info. Oddly, they did not recommend the Solus KR21, but they do recommend [the auto-match database] the KH16 for the RX300. The survey numbers on that one are impressive - by a gnat's hair it ranks second in "Noise Comfort" and overall is also second, with a price tag of $69. The reports suggest it gets excellent wet traction.... which can sure help me since mine is not AWD.

Anyone know the diff between the KH16 and the KR21??? tread design?

And a tip - I called Discount Tire locally on another issue but while talking, I told the guy this was the tire I was considering and asked if he had. He said "we can get it". I mentioned what I had seen on tirerack.com and that the price was $69 per and he said "we guarantee we will beat ANY price".... so....

I put Kumho Solus KR21 about 6 months ago and they are great. They sound very quiet and comfortable.

Price also is very good.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it's been a while since I've visited, and this jumped out at me, being I was just here for my wife's RX.

I heartily second this tire choice.

I've been a fan of Kumho's since putting a set of KH-11's on a '95 Intrepid ES we used to own. On the side was molded, "FOR SUMMER USE ONLY".

Yeah, whatever.

I had a dedicated set of snows on a separate set of wheels, which I'd gotten for the mountains west of Denver, but in Portland, OR, there was no way I was swapping tires for the one or two snow days per year. Just not gonna happen.

I was one of three people, and the only one w/2wd who showed up at work the one day it snowed. Granted, it took 20 minutes to get into the parking lot, but that was because of the inclines and angles involved.

I've recently replaced the positively horrible OEM Headstones on the RX with a set of 5 Kumhos, and I'm quite happy. Only about 300 miles on 'em, but they're quieter and the hum tone they generate is of a lower frequency than the Bridgestones. Treadwear is 680, which gave me pause, as I don't want tires like iron, but they hold the ground better than the OEM heaps.

I had a set of Michelin X-Ones on the above-mentioned Intrepid, and positively hated them from day one.

The Kumho KR-21's almost impossible to find online right now, backordered until September, but a guy here in Austin, TX, managed to find a set of five, locally. Had 'em on the next day. $470 for all five, mounted, balanced, new stems, w/8.25% tax. It was the same price as me going mail-order then having to pay for all of the above, plus I'd have had to cart the new ones around. No thanks.

Sometimes, the corrugated tin roof tire shack ain't a bad place to shop, if you know exactly what you're lookin' for. Discount Tire it wasn't, but Discount was absolutely -0- help this time around.

[carguy07]

This post was helpful to me because I have been wondering: "What is the QUIETEST Tire I can put on the RX300?".

So, with the below in mind I started websurfing for tires.

Tirerack.com has a lot of survey and test info. Oddly, they did not recommend the Solus KR21, but they do recommend [the auto-match database] the KH16 for the RX300. The survey numbers on that one are impressive - by a gnat's hair it ranks second in "Noise Comfort" and overall is also second, with a price tag of $69. The reports suggest it gets excellent wet traction.... which can sure help me since mine is not AWD.

Anyone know the diff between the KH16 and the KR21??? tread design?

And a tip - I called Discount Tire locally on another issue but while talking, I told the guy this was the tire I was considering and asked if he had. He said "we can get it". I mentioned what I had seen on tirerack.com and that the price was $69 per and he said "we guarantee we will beat ANY price".... so....

I put Kumho Solus KR21 about 6 months ago and they are great. They sound very quiet and comfortable.

Price also is very good.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it's been a while since I've visited, and this jumped out at me, being I was just here for my wife's RX.

I heartily second this tire choice.

I've been a fan of Kumho's since putting a set of KH-11's on a '95 Intrepid ES we used to own. On the side was molded, "FOR SUMMER USE ONLY".

Yeah, whatever.

I had a dedicated set of snows on a separate set of wheels, which I'd gotten for the mountains west of Denver, but in Portland, OR, there was no way I was swapping tires for the one or two snow days per year. Just not gonna happen.

I was one of three people, and the only one w/2wd who showed up at work the one day it snowed. Granted, it took 20 minutes to get into the parking lot, but that was because of the inclines and angles involved.

I've recently replaced the positively horrible OEM Headstones on the RX with a set of 5 Kumhos, and I'm quite happy. Only about 300 miles on 'em, but they're quieter and the hum tone they generate is of a lower frequency than the Bridgestones. Treadwear is 680, which gave me pause, as I don't want tires like iron, but they hold the ground better than the OEM heaps.

I had a set of Michelin X-Ones on the above-mentioned Intrepid, and positively hated them from day one.

The Kumho KR-21's almost impossible to find online right now, backordered until September, but a guy here in Austin, TX, managed to find a set of five, locally. Had 'em on the next day. $470 for all five, mounted, balanced, new stems, w/8.25% tax. It was the same price as me going mail-order then having to pay for all of the above, plus I'd have had to cart the new ones around. No thanks.

Sometimes, the corrugated tin roof tire shack ain't a bad place to shop, if you know exactly what you're lookin' for. Discount Tire it wasn't, but Discount was absolutely -0- help this time around.

Yep tread design. I have had the KH16's for a while now and they are great for wet and dry. The KR21's are a more agressive tread pattern. Probably better in the snow. The KH16's are nice and quiet, I have been very happy with them.

The KH16's

The KR21's

[Hadyourphil]

I bought a set of Hankook tires for mine and got 50,000 miles out of them! I definitely will get another set.

Hankook Dynapro AS. They are Korean-made, BTW.

[ZAPP]

were they quiet?

I have over 79K on the original equip tires..... which is why i'm on this thread!!

Quiet is my Numero Uno criterion

I bought a set of Hankook tires for mine and got 50,000 miles out of them! I definitely will get another set.

Hankook Dynapro AS. They are Korean-made, BTW.

[Hadyourphil]

I thought they were... Actually they're still on w/53k, but the front ones are worn down to the bars. I bought 'em because Consumer Reports said good things about them. One interesting thing was low rolling resistance!

I dug up the original article and it rated them "very good" or "best" on noise.

[Hadyourphil]

Duplicate post.

[ZAPP]

Thx!

'sounds' good.....

[LBCDan]

I would recommend the Yokohama Avid V4s 235/55/18 tire for the RX330. It is nearly identical in weight to the OE Goodyear tire (29.5 vs. 29 pounds) but the tread width is 1.5 inches wider giving the tire a much more low profile appearance and more rubber on the road. Don't bother with the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza's, they weight 4 pounds more per tire and that much additional unsprung weight will hurt your gas mileage. With high gas prices, the costs add up quickly over time.

[JSmith]

I got rid of my Goodyears and installed Firestone Destination LE's. (first Firestone tires I've used) Liked the reviews I saw on tirerack.com. I've put 101k miles on them so far, and still have plenty of good tread (hwy miles, of course). The wet weather handling has been excellent. A great value, and easily as good as Michelin tires I have run on other previous vehicles.