A can of Worms--Tires

[henwin]

Allow me to open the can of worms known as tires. 

I live in the DC area and need to replace my OEM Bridgestones--on 18" wheels/RX 450h--soon. 

I'm looking for a longer-lasting, comfortable riding tire that is all season and will have a tread wear warranty of at least 60K.  Good wet weather braking would be a plus.  I don't need tires rated over 120 mph--I doubt that this vehicle could go that fast.  I won't be carrying heavy loads or towing a trailer.  The less money they cost, the better, though I realize I'll have to spend over $100 per tire. 

Suggestions would be appreciated.  Currently there are too many out there to even begin to contemplate, and I don't keep up w/ tires these days, anyway.

[1990LS400]

I suggest that you look at the customer ratings on https://www.tirerack.com and either buy from them or check locally.  There were two different sizes available for the 2015 RX450h - availability is going to vary depending on your size.

Many or maybe most major tire retailers will not sell you tires that have a lower speed rating than the ones that came on your vehicle with the exception of Winter tires.  Your RX probably came with H-rated (maximum 130 mph) or V-rated (maximum 149 mph) tires.

My wife's Prius can't get out of it's own way but it's a top trim variation and came with Z-rated (over 149 mph) tires and that's what we are stuck with buying for three-season use.  I just took off her Winter wheels/H-rated winter tires today hoping we're mostly done with snow and ice.

I've been buying almost all our tires at Costco for the past 18 years during one of the Michelin or Bridgestone sales.   Maybe other tire sellers do too but Costco includes lifetime balancing, rotation and flat repair in the purchase price.  I just had a flat repaired at Costco yesterday - in and out in about 30 minutes. 

[henwin]

I've been to TireRack.  Only trouble is, I don't know which tires are good/better/best.  Guess I'll have to go back and do some more reading.  Thanks for your time, it is appreciated.

[1990LS400]

1 hour ago, henwin said:

I've been to TireRack.  Only trouble is, I don't know which tires are good/better/best.  Guess I'll have to go back and do some more reading.  Thanks for your time, it is appreciated.

I've essentially stopped expending energy trying the buy only "the best" tires.  My main goal has become to buy tires that have been found to be reasonably quiet, that provide a comfortable ride and which are available at reasonable prices.

As much as I mind tire pressures and rotation schedules, I've never been able to get the rated life out of tires.  Tires are usually seen by manufacturers to be worn out when they have less than 2/32 inch of tread but by that time they are not safe on wet roads. 

Here is a current example.  The rather expensive Michelin Premier A/S tires on our Toyota Sienna Limited are rated to have a 60,000 mile treadlife.  The original tread depth was 8/32 inch and they are now (as of yesterday when I mounted them) uniformly worn to 4/32 inch tread depth after just under 26,000 miles.  If they continue to wear at the current rate, the tread depth will be at the 2/32 minimum at around 39,000 miles which is far under the 60,000 mile rating.

Do I want to be driving on these tires in rain when they are at 2/32 inch?  Maybe I will this time since the big selling point of these tires is their wet weather performance.  I've never submitted a tire warranty claim for premature wear even though I could have many times in the past but this time I plan to this time.  I'm getting a little tired (pun intended) of the warranty hocus pocus in the tire business.

 

[henwin]

All good points, well made!  

thanks.

[henwin]

On Costco--my favorite place to shop in the whole world--they do not list the correct tire size for my car!  They show the size as 17", but that's incorrect, the size is 18" and a slightly different aspect ratio.  So no matter what, currently it can't get "new shoes" there.

[Leftshot]

I too have historically been a fan of Michelin tires.  I recently bought a 2014 Lexus RX 350 with Michelin Premier LTX tires.  They are quiet, ride and handle really well.  However, when you check the reviews on www.tirerack.com there are MANY complaints on tread life.  The BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT is the top rated tire for our vehicle by both Tirerack and America's Tire.