Summer Tire Suggestions For Rx400H (In 2012)

[cduluk]

Hey guys,

I have both a winter set and summer set of tires/rims, and my summer set is due to be replaced. Can anyone help me decide which tires to get?

I searched the forum and it seems that everyone seems to like the "Yokohama Parada Spec-X", but i'm not sure if there's something better out now.

I went on Tirerack.com and made a chart comparing the top picks by "Survey" responses.

I am mainly looking for minimal road noise and stability/dry traction. I will never take these in the snow...

I had a set of Dueler Alenza's on my old RX300 (which were the best at the time in that tire size) however the Alenza's in the RX400h's tire size (235/55/18) are rated poorly in road noise (which is important to me).

And what's with these Firestone Destination tires?? Never thought Firestone would be rated highly in any category...

Please chime in with any suggestions! Thanks in advance!

[lenore]

Just put the Yokohama Paradas on about 5k miles ago, so far, very quiet and very stable...Like them a lot so far...In the rain they have been great....But I live in Californy and our weather is easy on cars.

[lemon]

My wife's Equinox came with Michelin Latitude Tour and they have been very good in dry and wet and the treadwear has been outstanding. Close to 90 000 KM on it and can probably go 110 000 KM at least before they hit the wear bar. For reference, 100 000 KM is roughly 60 000 miles.

Also available in a Latitude Tour HP, which I believe is higher speed rated, and likely different sizes.

[RX400h]

Our Parada-Xs have been nothing short of outstanding - highly recommended!

[Mikli]

How about the Pirelli Scorpion Verde or the Nitto? The Kumho KL21 H are on sale for $127 each if going on value. I think a sporty tire will be better for the RX since the suspension is very comfortable. I also see some Nokian Z SUV tires for $109 each. Looked pretty nice and the brand is good.

[cduluk]

Lenore and Rx400h, do your Parada's seem to be wearing well? In my research it appears the wear rate is quite high- but, considering i only use these tires for 6 months/year it probably won't be a problem...

Mikli, do you have any experience with the tires you mention? It doesn't appear that cost is much different between any of these tires; i'd rather spend an extra $100 for a set if they'll give me a quieter and better ride. I figure since i'll never be in the snow, i should be able to find one that's a bit quieter (it seems to be that tires good in snow=loud and vice versa).

[lenore]

not sure on the wear, only have 5k on them...so far though they look great...very quiet.

[RX400h]

I have approx. 7000 miles on the Paradas. Lately, the city has been doing some major road work up the street, hence the pebbles in the tire grooves. Thread depth is right around .28". I think the perfect tire pressure is somewhere between 33-35 psi. I've been running 33 psi and the outer treads are wearing a bit faster than the middle treads.

[lemon]

Interesting thread here on tires...

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-second-generation/586118-lexus-rx-models-best-all-season-tire-choices.html

[RX400h]

From "Zig" at the Tire Rack (in the above-link):

The Yokohama Parada Spec-X (Street/Sport Truck All-Season) is a really good choice as well. This is more of a sporty feeling tire which has great steering response and cornering feel, but the stiffer sidewall does have a bit of a harsher ride then a touring tire. So, if you drive your RX a little harder than the average RX driver this is a great choice. Long wearing, quiet and does great in winter weather. Great recommendation.

[cduluk]

From "Zig" at the Tire Rack (in the above-link):

The Yokohama Parada Spec-X (Street/Sport Truck All-Season) is a really good choice as well. This is more of a sporty feeling tire which has great steering response and cornering feel, but the stiffer sidewall does have a bit of a harsher ride then a touring tire. So, if you drive your RX a little harder than the average RX driver this is a great choice. Long wearing, quiet and does great in winter weather. Great recommendation.

Well, that would be me (driving a little harder)! Looks like the Parada's will be the choice!

[Jim Clark]

From "Zig" at the Tire Rack (in the above-link):

The Yokohama Parada Spec-X (Street/Sport Truck All-Season) is a really good choice as well. This is more of a sporty feeling tire which has great steering response and cornering feel, but the stiffer sidewall does have a bit of a harsher ride then a touring tire. So, if you drive your RX a little harder than the average RX driver this is a great choice. Long wearing, quiet and does great in winter weather. Great recommendation.

Well, that would be me (driving a little harder)! Looks like the Parada's will be the choice!

We like the Paradas. You mentioned you wanted a summer tire, but most of the ones on your list are all season tires, including the Paradas. They're good in the slop, unless you live in extreme snow country, you won't need winter tires.

[cduluk]

From "Zig" at the Tire Rack (in the above-link):

The Yokohama Parada Spec-X (Street/Sport Truck All-Season) is a really good choice as well. This is more of a sporty feeling tire which has great steering response and cornering feel, but the stiffer sidewall does have a bit of a harsher ride then a touring tire. So, if you drive your RX a little harder than the average RX driver this is a great choice. Long wearing, quiet and does great in winter weather. Great recommendation.

Well, that would be me (driving a little harder)! Looks like the Parada's will be the choice!

We like the Paradas. You mentioned you wanted a summer tire, but most of the ones on your list are all season tires, including the Paradas. They're good in the slop, unless you live in extreme snow country, you won't need winter tires.

I actually couldn't find any summer-only tires in this size... do you know of any?

[Jim Clark]

From "Zig" at the Tire Rack (in the above-link):

The Yokohama Parada Spec-X (Street/Sport Truck All-Season) is a really good choice as well. This is more of a sporty feeling tire which has great steering response and cornering feel, but the stiffer sidewall does have a bit of a harsher ride then a touring tire. So, if you drive your RX a little harder than the average RX driver this is a great choice. Long wearing, quiet and does great in winter weather. Great recommendation.

Well, that would be me (driving a little harder)! Looks like the Parada's will be the choice!

We like the Paradas. You mentioned you wanted a summer tire, but most of the ones on your list are all season tires, including the Paradas. They're good in the slop, unless you live in extreme snow country, you won't need winter tires.

I actually couldn't find any summer-only tires in this size... do you know of any?

If TireRack doesn't show any (they don't) then they likely don't exist. You'll like the Paradas.

[lemon]

I have approx. 7000 miles on the Paradas. Lately, the city has been doing some major road work up the street, hence the pebbles in the tire grooves. Thread depth is right around .28". I think the perfect tire pressure is somewhere between 33-35 psi. I've been running 33 psi and the outer treads are wearing a bit faster than the middle treads.

I noticed the same thing with the tires on my 400h but in the rear only. The oustide edge was wearing more than the middle. I recently had a four wheel alignment done as well, so that shouldn't be a factor. Is it under or over inflation that will cause this? Suspension design? Or maybe just my excessive highway exit ramp speeds?

[cduluk]

Well i still haven't gotten tires yet... (I've been incredibly lazy lately).

Have any new tires been introduced since the last time i posted? LOL. Rx400h and lemon, is this un-even tire wear on the Paradas something i should avoid? How bad we talking? I'm planning to make a few phone calls to tire places around here tomorrow to see what they've got in stock or to see if they need to be ordered. I'm hoping they can find a good price.

[Cat Rodery]

I went with Goodyear ComfortTred Assurance Tires on mine.

[RX400h]

I have approx. 7000 miles on the Paradas. Lately, the city has been doing some major road work up the street, hence the pebbles in the tire grooves. Thread depth is right around .28". I think the perfect tire pressure is somewhere between 33-35 psi. I've been running 33 psi and the outer treads are wearing a bit faster than the middle treads.

I noticed the same thing with the tires on my 400h but in the rear only. The oustide edge was wearing more than the middle. I recently had a four wheel alignment done as well, so that shouldn't be a factor. Is it under or over inflation that will cause this? Suspension design? Or maybe just my excessive highway exit ramp speeds?

If the outside AND inside is wearing faster, then the tires are underinflated. If the outside-only is wearing faster than the middle and inside, then it is an alignment issue and you may already have that resolved..

cduluk, my tire wear is no indication of anything relating to a tire defect. It is simply a matter of slightly underinflating the tires. It is not noticeable unless I measure thread depth with calipers.

[cduluk]

Oh good good! I did call a local shop the other day and they said the Spec-X tires were on back order, and that i should call them back the next day. A week later and i've forgotten again... Maybe this week! In the meantime my Rx400h is covered with a good 2mm of yellow pollen... I've never seen so much pollen in my life! The poor thing hasn't been cleaned since the body shop did it when i had the bumper repaired...

[RX400h]

Perhaps Steve will chime in but one of my neighbors who has a few very custom vehicles has recommended 3D waterless car wash and synthetic cloths (bright green) that you can buy at Costco for a decent price. I have to admit, I am a bit skeptical but have agreed to try it out. My neighbor's cars haven't been washed in years, yet they look new.

http://www.3dproducts.com/Waterless-Car-Wash.html

[cduluk]

Well guess what, guys!? I finally got new tires installed!!

I didn't end up getting the Parada's, or the Pirelli's, or anything that was on my original list. Calling around my local tire shops, it appeared that the Parada Spec-X tires were on back order for 30 days and i wasn't planning to wait that long. The price for 4 of the Pirelli's came to $1100 for the set, so that was clearly out. Then another check on tirerack introduced a different tire, the Dunlop Signatire CS. It didn't come up on my original search, but the stats on them were very impressive, as well as the price.

http://www.tirerack....0h&autoModClar=

These tires were given the highest "tread wear" rating of 9.2/10 (which is good since i don't want to replace these for a while) and the noise comfort 8.7 was only second to the Goodyear Assurance. The ride comfort also beat everything except for the Pirelli's. The treads are VERY aggressive looking and are surprisingly very quiet on the highway- without a doubt quieter than the factory Michelin's i was running on my winter set.

If i had the time to wait, i would have liked to have gotten the Spec-X tires but it's the summer and i wanted new tires so i could enjoy them this summer! I'll update as i drive them a little more, but so far so good!

[cduluk]

Hey guys, i've had my new tires for a few weeks and needed to update!

Like i said earlier, i have two sets of rims/tires: one set for summer and one for winter. The winter set has the factory Michelin's which we all know are awful, and my summer set "had" what were called the Dunlop Sport 270 which was only available in the UK. It was these tires that needed to be replaced.

I had been driving on the Michelin's since last Fall, and have now removed the Dunlop Sport 270's on my summer set to the Dunlop Signature CS. What a difference!!!! They're AMAZING!

The biggest difference with these new tires is the "stability" while cornering. With my old Dunlops and especially the Michelins, the car would roll substantially while cornering- but with these new tires, the car doesn't "tilt" at all when cornering. It feels like a sedan rather than an SUV.

Another difference is the SILENCE! With my old tires, i'd hit around 80mph and you could "feel" the speed and hear the noise. But you can't feel the speed with these tires, and they're a LOT quieter at high speed. Last night i "found myself" doing 105mph and it felt like i wasn't even pushing 75mph. There is a substantial difference in ride comfort and noise with these Dunlop Signature CS tires.

And the tread looks MEAN! While looking at them you'd assume they're loud and good in snow, but they're rated very poorly in snow. There's no doubt that the tread life will be good however, the tread is so deep! I'll try to post some pictures this week!

So if anyone gets in the same boat as me, finding that all the other tires are on back order, definitely consider the Dunlop Signature CS! They make a HUGE difference.

[cduluk]

Here are some pictures of the new tires!

[skyfish400h]

How about the Pirelli Scorpion Verde or the Nitto? The Kumho KL21 H are on sale for $127 each if going on value. I think a sporty tire will be better for the RX since the suspension is very comfortable. I also see some Nokian Z SUV tires for $109 each. Looked pretty nice and the brand is good.

the nitto's are noisy... they are OK on the front and handle well up there but when rotated to the back, my nice quite lexus sounds like a truck.

i'm reading good reviews of the Bridgestone

Turanza Serenity Plus

[chand3]

I just put General Tire UHP, 255/55-18s on. Was contemplating the Paradas but wanted something wider and a tad taller to fill in the wheel well. Looks wise the proportions are better in my mind. No problems with rubbing.

I find the UHP side walls rather pliable, so it does fit in well with the "luxury" Lexus feel and soaks up bumps nicely. However, for a summer tire I'd prefer if they were a bit stiffer. But they are a huge improvement over the OEM Michelins. UHP's give better road feel, feels more planted, heavier steering and I can take turns at speed more confidently. Mileage did suffer slightly.

Noise wise it's between the super silent OEM Michelins and my winter Birdgestone Blizzak DM-V1 which has a slight road hum. The tire does produce a bit of noise but it's not that bad and bearable. Past 80km/hr the wind noise covers up the road noise anyways. Noise was my biggest worry since the UHP style of tread normally has noise issues. But only time will tell how the sound changes with tire wear.