Tire Advise? Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas Vs Yokohama Avid Envigor

[physci]

Hi folks,

First off, I want to thank you all for the great resource on these forums. I've been a long-time lurker and have learned a lot.

I've got a 05' RX330 that has about 100K miles on it. Except for regular maintenance, I've never had any problems. Amazing vehicle, great stability, and a total-comfort to drive in.

At/around 60K, I swapped the standard OEM tires (Goodyear) for Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas. These were great for the most part, had excellent traction in snow and rain, very comfortable on roads, especially bumps and potholes. The only problem was aggravating noise from the tires which became increasingly unbearable, and even received criticism from passengers. My dealer said that it had to do with misalignment and said that the only way to fix it was to keep rotating tires and hope that it goes away (or to replace the tires). I did an alignment, and continued to have the tires rotated and balanced, with the hope that it will eventually go away. It never did.

Yesterday, we experienced a flat tire (nail) and just had the flat-tire switched for the spare tire. The blown tire is beyond repair, and I need to order replacements. I've decided to swap all 4 tires in an attempt to get rid of the loud noise. I am not 100% confident if the noise was a result of an alignment issue or a Bridgestone Dueler Alenza tire issue. I've therefore considered alternatives and following extensive research, I think the Yokohama AVID ENVigor has great specs, found to perform well in wet and dry conditions, has great comfort with minimal noise, and is likely a great alternative. BTW, my vehicle requires a 235/55R18 tire.

I know that there are many fans here for the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza, and I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are. Also if you have any other suggestions on alternative tires, please share. Thanks in advance.

[LEXIRX330]

No the Alenzas are great tires but they get noisy after 20k or so. The only thing that may help would be to rotate more frequently. I think the alignment will absolutely help but the bridgestones that I had are far better for tread wear than the goodyears that came on it but noise wise I agree with you they are noisy. One other suggestion would be to lower the air pressure a little more. I always kept my air pressure in my rx 330 around 29-30 psi and this seemed to help. The fact is the alenzas are a harder tire so they last longer however the noise comes with it.

[Chuckle]

Hi folks,

First off, I want to thank you all for the great resource on these forums. I've been a long-time lurker and have learned a lot.

I've got a 05' RX330 that has about 100K miles on it. Except for regular maintenance, I've never had any problems. Amazing vehicle, great stability, and a total-comfort to drive in.

At/around 60K, I swapped the standard OEM tires (Goodyear) for Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas. These were great for the most part, had excellent traction in snow and rain, very comfortable on roads, especially bumps and potholes. The only problem was aggravating noise from the tires which became increasingly unbearable, and even received criticism from passengers. My dealer said that it had to do with misalignment and said that the only way to fix it was to keep rotating tires and hope that it goes away (or to replace the tires). I did an alignment, and continued to have the tires rotated and balanced, with the hope that it will eventually go away. It never did.

Yesterday, we experienced a flat tire (nail) and just had the flat-tire switched for the spare tire. The blown tire is beyond repair, and I need to order replacements. I've decided to swap all 4 tires in an attempt to get rid of the loud noise. I am not 100% confident if the noise was a result of an alignment issue or a Bridgestone Dueler Alenza tire issue. I've therefore considered alternatives and following extensive research, I think the Yokohama AVID ENVigor has great specs, found to perform well in wet and dry conditions, has great comfort with minimal noise, and is likely a great alternative. BTW, my vehicle requires a 235/55R18 tire.

I know that there are many fans here for the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza, and I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are. Also if you have any other suggestions on alternative tires, please share. Thanks in advance.

[Chuckle]

proper alignment, balance and proper rotation schedule a must for tire wear and noise. Best to hook up with a shop that will offer the rotations free when you put on new tires. The alignment is infrequent if you aren't going off road alot and don't curb dog it.... balancing cheap. Tires are nearly a personal brand preference item so to each his own!!!!! :)

As for Bridgestone/firestone I myself personally wouldn't go near them -- Near same opinion of bad/goodyear. Sorry my personal opinion is they are dog *BLEEP* tires. I've found Michelin to be primo in terms of performance, wear and longevity (depending). Yokohama I don't have experience with so can't comment. Tire choice is crucial for ride, handling and noise... many mixed opinions you will find. I advise spending the time researching and sifting though it all... realizing brand loyalty and narrow personal experiounce will be abundant... just as I've demonstrated with distaste in the open of the statement. Good luck!!!

[RX in NC]

Our first set of Alenzas went nearly 55,000 miles before a similar situation to yours (a large screw destroying one tire beyond repair) caused me to replace all four tires last October. Yes, the Alenzas were getting noisier, but ALL tires get noisier as they wear. You've got to keep them at proper psi (on our RX330, they do best at between 36 and 37 psi for both treadwear life and reduced noise). I think the Yokohama EnVigor may turn out to be a great tire as well, but they are so new that at this point there is very little longevity data on them so we just don't know yet. I'll wait and let other folks guinea-pig these tires before I decide whether I will buy them....

So I wound up putting another set of Alenzas on the RX last October. If they turn out to be similar to the first set, they should do at least 60,000 miles if my wife doesn't run over another big piece of debris in the road....

[lemon]

Just a suggestion to make sure that the noise you're experiencing isn't a bad wheel bearing. I had a bad bearing driver's side rear in my 400h that could have been mistaken for tire noise.

[modmove]

proper alignment, balance and proper rotation schedule a must for tire wear and noise. Best to hook up with a shop that will offer the rotations free when you put on new tires. The alignment is infrequent if you aren't going off road alot and don't curb dog it.... balancing cheap. Tires are nearly a personal brand preference item so to each his own!!!!! :)

As for Bridgestone/firestone I myself personally wouldn't go near them -- Near same opinion of bad/goodyear. Sorry my personal opinion is they are dog *BLEEP* tires. I've found Michelin to be primo in terms of performance, wear and longevity (depending). Yokohama I don't have experience with so can't comment. Tire choice is crucial for ride, handling and noise... many mixed opinions you will find. I advise spending the time researching and sifting though it all... realizing brand loyalty and narrow personal experiounce will be abundant... just as I've demonstrated with distaste in the open of the statement. Good luck!!!

[modmove]

I also love Michelins. Couldn't wait to get the Duelers off my RX. I now have the Cross Terrains, and need new tires. Apparently, they no longer make the Cross Terrains for my size vehicle. My tire shop suggested the Lattitude Tours. Any experience with those?

[physci]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I've read both good and bad about the Michelins. The Yokohoma Avid ENVigor while relatively new does seem to have great reviews from almost everyone that has tried it. The noise issue does seem to be very minimal and according to those with the most-mile experience not even a factor. I'll do some more research on the Yokohoma. If I find anything of a turn-off, I think I'll stick with the Alenzas.

[rfcbuf]

I have Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas on my 2004 RX330 (46,000 current mileage) and now have a loud howeling noise problem that started about 10,000 miles following the new tires being installed. The noise is loudest at 45-60mph and reduces slightly at highway speeds beyond 65 mph but is still noticeable. Have read customer surveys from Tire Rack and have noticed other Lexus 330-350 owners expressing same loud noise problems with this tire.