Excessive Tire Wear On 2005 Rx330

[RaffieB]

So we bought our 2005 RX330 new. After 1 1/2 years and 12k miles (we dont drive it much), the tires were shot and the dealer said its from the alignment being off. They said it was my fault for not checking tire pressure everyday, then they said I didnt have enough Nitrogen in the tires, and a host of other BS. After a few rounds of arguing they replaced the tires from Goodyears to Michelins. According to them they are the better brand. Now another 1 1/2 years and 12k miles later they are saying the same thing again.

Does this model have prblems with excessive tire wear?

ANy advice, cause the tires do seem worn out.

Better yet - Does anyone know the number to Lexus Corporate? I may have to escalate this is issue.

[code58]

So we bought our 2005 RX330 new. After 1 1/2 years and 12k miles (we dont drive it much), the tires were shot and the dealer said its from the alignment being off. They said it was my fault for not checking tire pressure everyday, then they said I didnt have enough Nitrogen in the tires, and a host of other BS. After a few rounds of arguing they replaced the tires from Goodyears to Michelins. According to them they are the better brand. Now another 1 1/2 years and 12k miles later they are saying the same thing again.

Does this model have prblems with excessive tire wear?

ANy advice, cause the tires do seem worn out.

Something is not kosher in Denmark. There is no way those tires should be wearing out in 12k mi. What kind of wear do they have? Are they worn evenly across? Do they have cupping? Are they worn on one edge or both edges? Do you keep them inflated at least to what the manufacturer recommends? Are all 4 tires worn out or only the fronts? Do you have AWD or just 2WD? Have you ever had the alignment checked? Did they (or you) have it checked when the 1st. set of tires wore out? I don't believe you have caster or camber adjustment on an RX- so if you bought it new and haven't done any damage to it, toe-in or out are the only adjustments. Nitrogen isn't going to have any affect on the tire wear other than not loosing pressure as fast, and you should be checking them once a month no matter what you have in them. Most people don't check them near often enough and that is hard on a tire (destructive) to run it too low on pressure. I run my tires at a minimum what the factory says and most of the time 2 to 3 lbs. above factory recommendations.

[newtoncd]

So we bought our 2005 RX330 new. After 1 1/2 years and 12k miles (we dont drive it much), the tires were shot and the dealer said its from the alignment being off. They said it was my fault for not checking tire pressure everyday, then they said I didnt have enough Nitrogen in the tires, and a host of other BS. After a few rounds of arguing they replaced the tires from Goodyears to Michelins. According to them they are the better brand. Now another 1 1/2 years and 12k miles later they are saying the same thing again.

Does this model have prblems with excessive tire wear?

ANy advice, cause the tires do seem worn out.

We have just over 100K on our 2004 RX330 AWD and the vehicle definitely goes through tires faster than any car I have driven. However, having said that, after two sets, we have averaged about 35,000 miles before the Michelin's hit the wear bar.

For your next set, you might try the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza; unlike the OEM Michelin tires, the Alenza has a 60,000 mile warranty.

[RaffieB]

So we bought our 2005 RX330 new. After 1 1/2 years and 12k miles (we dont drive it much), the tires were shot and the dealer said its from the alignment being off. They said it was my fault for not checking tire pressure everyday, then they said I didnt have enough Nitrogen in the tires, and a host of other BS. After a few rounds of arguing they replaced the tires from Goodyears to Michelins. According to them they are the better brand. Now another 1 1/2 years and 12k miles later they are saying the same thing again.

Does this model have prblems with excessive tire wear?

ANy advice, cause the tires do seem worn out.

Something is not kosher in Denmark. There is no way those tires should be wearing out in 12k mi. What kind of wear do they have? Are they worn evenly across? Do they have cupping? Are they worn on one edge or both edges? Do you keep them inflated at least to what the manufacturer recommends? Are all 4 tires worn out or only the fronts? Do you have AWD or just 2WD? Have you ever had the alignment checked? Did they (or you) have it checked when the 1st. set of tires wore out? I don't believe you have caster or camber adjustment on an RX- so if you bought it new and haven't done any damage to it, toe-in or out are the only adjustments. Nitrogen isn't going to have any affect on the tire wear other than not loosing pressure as fast, and you should be checking them once a month no matter what you have in them. Most people don't check them near often enough and that is hard on a tire (destructive) to run it too low on pressure. I run my tires at a minimum what the factory says and most of the time 2 to 3 lbs. above factory recommendations.

Good one. Yah the tires are slightly more worn on the front set, and they are all evenly worn - no cupping etc. It's a 2WD and when they gave me a new set of tires after the first 12k they did a full alignment so it should be running even. I took it in cause it was drifting and the tires looked worn and they gave me the same ole story as they did 12k ago. Tires are always at the right pressure. Its got a low tire pressure sensor so the light would go on and plus for oil changes they check and fill as needed.

THis was all this past THurs Oct 2nd. I told the service guy to "F" off when he said we are going to install new tires and align the car and charge you. Told him to speak to the manager then call me, and still havent heard back. I guess Im keeping the loaner car a while longer.

[Grumpa72]

Our 2005 330 has its original MIchelin OEM tires at 45000 miles and still have a couple of safe miles left in them, perhaps 2000. I would spend the money on an alignment just to eliminate that. To wear tires out at 12000 miles is really suspicious at best. All four or just one side or front versus back?

Have you tried another dealer?

[RaffieB]

Our 2005 330 has its original MIchelin OEM tires at 45000 miles and still have a couple of safe miles left in them, perhaps 2000. I would spend the money on an alignment just to eliminate that. To wear tires out at 12000 miles is really suspicious at best. All four or just one side or front versus back?

Have you tried another dealer?

Its all 4 tires and my next step is another dealer. I coaught the service guy in a lie and he quickly said Ill call you back and that was 8 hours ago. The problem is I can tell they are worn by looking at them so I think they know there's a problem and they are trying to cover something up.

[code58]

Good one. Yah the tires are slightly more worn on the front set, and they are all evenly worn - no cupping etc. It's a 2WD and when they gave me a new set of tires after the first 12k they did a full alignment so it should be running even. I took it in cause it was drifting and the tires looked worn and they gave me the same ole story as they did 12k ago. Tires are always at the right pressure. Its got a low tire pressure sensor so the light would go on and plus for oil changes they check and fill as needed.

THis was all this past THurs Oct 2nd. I told the service guy to "F" off when he said we are going to install new tires and align the car and charge you. Told him to speak to the manager then call me, and still havent heard back. I guess Im keeping the loaner car a while longer.

If they are worn as evenly as you say, I am at a loss as to what to say, except to say again, that's definitely not normal! I did alignment in the course of body work, so I know a little bit about it. I can't say for sure about your RX but I don't believe there is adjustment on the struts either front or rear. That leaves a pretty easy job for the alignment guy. Some cars have adjustment for caster and camber on McPerson struts and some don't. Probably more that don't than do. At any rate, if they are worn evenly, no inside or outside wear or inside and outside wear, it definitely doesn't sound like alignment. Most cars don't need alignment for a LOOOONG time after they are built, as long as they are not abused (as in potholes and etc.).

[ajay95]

Are OEM tires covered under warranty?

[joepattie]

we have a 2005 RX330 AWD and continue to need new tires every year. This really stinks.

[lenore]

What kind of tires are you running? There are choices that last better.

[Paul1307]

I have both a '98 GS400 and an RX330 and tires have occassionally been a slight wear problem. Bridgestones were really bad, Michelin really good. Then I discovered the "85% rule." All tires are different and assuming that you don't have an alignment problem, and that the tires are properly inflated, you can get some clue from the coding on the tires as to how long they'll last, how quickly they're expected to wear, and their speed rating (which you probably already knew). Theoretically, the higher the speed rating (like Z, for example), so they tell me, the softer the tire. I've not necessarily seen that correlation, but I won't argue the point. However, you'll also find on the sidewall a "maximum inflation" level in PSI. My best experiences with tires and tire wear come when the tires on my GS are inflated to 85% of the maximum PSI. On a Michelin rated for 40 PSI max, that's about 34 PSI; on long trips I bump it up to 36 for a smoother ride on interstates and better gase mileage. On my RX, the tire's max pressure is 50 PSI; 85% is about 42.5 PSI and I bump it up about 2 PSI for longer trips. Monitor your tires and rotate them regularly. I don't see any appreciable decrease in ride quality at these higher PSIs. Like the earlier writer aluded to, if you get cupping (wear in the middle of the tire but not on the outer edges), they're under-inflated; if the center of the tire is experiencing more wear than the outer edges, they're over-inflated. Rotation equilabrates the wear on all tires.