Best Tires For My Driving Habits

[BROE]

I know many of you have commented on replacement tires for an RX300, but please consider the conditions under which I drive.

I drive 45 miles each way to my office. 45% of the drive is on expressway at 65-70 mph. 45% is on two-lane state highway at 55 mph. 10% is local driving speed. I would like to purchase tires that will give a comfortable ride and LONG tire life. I do not drive off-road, accelerate rapidly, or brake hard when stopping.

I currently have 75,000 miles on the original Goodyear Integrity tires and still have reasonable tread left.

My previous car was a 1996 Olds Bravada. The Michelin Radial XW4 tires on that were replaced at 117,000 miles. I replaced them with the same tires and sold the car to an employee with 198,000 miles on it and he is still driving on the second set.

So, based on the above, I would appreciate your thoughts on what tires I might consider as a replacement on the RX300.

[wwest]

I know many of you have commented on replacement tires for an RX300, but please consider the conditions under which I drive.

I drive 45 miles each way to my office. 45% of the drive is on expressway at 65-70 mph. 45% is on two-lane state highway at 55 mph. 10% is local driving speed. I would like to purchase tires that will give a comfortable ride and LONG tire life. I do not drive off-road, accelerate rapidly, or brake hard when stopping.

I currently have 75,000 miles on the original Goodyear Integrity tires and still have reasonable tread left.

My previous car was a 1996 Olds Bravada. The Michelin Radial XW4 tires on that were replaced at 117,000 miles. I replaced them with the same tires and sold the car to an employee with 198,000 miles on it and he is still driving on the second set.

So, based on the above, I would appreciate your thoughts on what tires I might consider as a replacement on the RX300.

I run Bridgestone Turanza summer only tires all year around for comfort and quietness.

I consider that worrying above tire "life" is a lot like worrying about brake pad life, so I don't.

Hint: A hard rubber tire will give you the longest tire life but make you misserable during that daily drive.

[Topshelf]

Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza or Michelin Cross Terrain would be great tires. Both are priced competetively and both are a good highway all-season tire. I have the Alenza's on mine and have recieved numerous compliments on the plush and comfy ride. If $$$ is a concern, look into the Kumho line. I've used those tires on 4 other vehicles and swore I would never buy any other overpriced tire brand again. But these new Stones are superb!;)

[wwest]

Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza or Michelin Cross Terrain would be great tires. Both are priced competetively and both are a good highway all-season tire. I have the Alenza's on mine and have recieved numerous compliments on the plush and comfy ride. If $$$ is a concern, look into the Kumho line. I've used those tires on 4 other vehicles and swore I would never buy any other overpriced tire brand again. But these new Stones are superb!;)

If you're interested I still have the Michelin cross terrains I removed from my 2001 AWD RX300's 17" wheels in favor of the much quieter Bridgestones.

[HRP]

Since you are in Ohio and appear partial to Michelins, I'd suggest the Michelin Pilot series. The road noise is somewhat increased since they are All Season tires. We've run them on our last 3 cars (in the piedmont area of N.C.) and been very happy with the traction and ride, highway, country (2 lane), and around town. Did drive in Ohio last spring and summer on 2 trips to get a puppy, and had to go somewhere about 25 miles from "you can't get there from here" on unmarked 1 1/2 lane secondary(?) roads. We do drive an LS430 currently. Please let us know which tire you choose.

[Lexusfreak]

Why not consider these? B)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...re1=yes&place=0

[SW03ES]

Personally I'd mount a set of Michelin LTX M/S tires on this vehicle. They're a very smooth tire, still will offer your good poor weather traction being a tire designed for light trucks, and have very good treadlife. I've had 2 sets of these on an Explorer and the first set was replaced with 120k on them and they still had good tread. I just replaced them because I thought I should lol. The XW4 isn't at all appropriate for this car.

They're reasonably priced, and good and round like most Michelins so you won't have any problems with balancing (mine never needed to be rebalanced during those 120k, and never lost any air). Probably the best choice. Plus they're sedate looking tires with the option of elegant black lettering to suit the vehicle.

[LexusOwner2K6]

I have Yokohama YK420s on my SC300, and just have to say this. Those tires are crap in the rain. If you have a lot of rain or snow in your area, keep away from those Hamas. If not, they perform exceptionally well on dry roads at low or high speeds.

[Lexusfreak]

I have Yokohama YK420s on my SC300, and just have to say this. Those tires are crap in the rain. If you have a lot of rain or snow in your area, keep away from those Hamas. If not, they perform exceptionally well on dry roads at low or high speeds.

Not sure if your comments are relevent........BROE is looking for an SUV tire which the YL420's are not (nor can I find them anywhere on tirerack or several other tire sites).

[lex2times]

I agree with Topshelf, Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza's are sweet.

I just put on a set of 255/55/18 on my stock rims and the ride improved 100% over my Goodyear RS-A's.

They are classified on Tire Rack as a Highway All-Season, so still pretty quiet.

The treadwear rating is also outstanding, 600!

By the way, anyone looking for a good tire size calculator, look no further than 1010tires.com.

[corrado_mr2]

I agree with Topshelf, Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza's are sweet.

I just put on a set of 255/55/18 on my stock rims and the ride improved 100% over my Goodyear RS-A's.

They are classified on Tire Rack as a Highway All-Season, so still pretty quiet.

The treadwear rating is also outstanding, 600!

By the way, anyone looking for a good tire size calculator, look no further than 1010tires.com.

Hmmm... did you have to add any wheel spacers to make the tires not rub? I had just bought other 255/55/18s from Tirerack and although they do fit in the wheel well (front/rear) with the stock 18in mags (and height-adjustable air suspension), the front tires rub and press against the inner plastic fender by a few mm when the steering is turned all the way at "Normal" height. Didn't test at "Low" or "High" but don't think it will make a big difference.

Needless to say, I had the mechanic remove them before leaving the garage and place back the stock :cries: 235/55/18 Michelins, which are dangerously slippery in wet/snow conditions. I'm now looking at possibly 5mm spacers for the front at 12$ each (and while I'm at it, the rear too) because I love the fatter tire look on the RX and also want to avoid big bucks shipping the tires back for a refund/exchange.

I'm not sure if the spacer will be enough to clear the rubbing, though. My challenge is avoiding a larger spacer (8mm and above) since the stock lugs/studs must be replaced for longer costly ones.

Anyone has any experience or a solution to this?

[corrado_mr2]

I agree with Topshelf, Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza's are sweet.

I just put on a set of 255/55/18 on my stock rims and the ride improved 100% over my Goodyear RS-A's.

They are classified on Tire Rack as a Highway All-Season, so still pretty quiet.

The treadwear rating is also outstanding, 600!

By the way, anyone looking for a good tire size calculator, look no further than 1010tires.com.

Hmmm... did you have to add any wheel spacers to make the tires not rub? I had just bought other 255/55/18s from Tirerack and although they do fit in the wheel well (front/rear) with the stock 18in mags (and height-adjustable air suspension), the front tires rub and press against the inner plastic fender by a few mm when the steering is turned all the way at "Normal" height. Didn't test at "Low" or "High" but don't think it will make a big difference.

Needless to say, I had the mechanic remove them before leaving the garage and place back the stock :cries: 235/55/18 Michelins, which are dangerously slippery in wet/snow conditions. I'm now looking at possibly 5mm spacers for the front at 12$ each (and while I'm at it, the rear too) because I love the fatter tire look on the RX and also want to avoid big bucks shipping the tires back for a refund/exchange.

I'm not sure if the spacer will be enough to clear the rubbing, though. My challenge is avoiding a larger spacer (8mm and above) since the stock lugs/studs must be replaced for longer costly ones.

Anyone has any experience or a solution to this?

Update: I installed the 255/55/18 tires with the 5mm spacer. No rubbing! All is good. I will create a new post on this.

[Edmcd]

Hi, Newbie "Ed" here. . . I've enjoyed the Michelin Pilot Exalto's on an old '92 SC400. My driving is not quite as spirited as it was 20 or 30 years ago, but I found them to be wonderfully quiet at reasonable speeds and sticky enough for handling the more exciting curves I entered a bit too fast on the BR Parkway. If I weren't paying attention, the speedo would sneak up to an indicated 85 on Interstate 95, so a radar detector was a necessary accessory.

My formative years were spent in old 356 Porsches, so anyone familiar with the live rear axles should know why the SC was such pleasant change. . . Plus, the radio was listenable now.

The Tire Rack customer evaluations may be useful, but I found that it necessary to discount the top and bottom 20%ages to get a feel of what my experience would be with a particular tire. If the writer had just replaced badly worn tires with something new with full tread, there would be irrational exuberance, like as not. Conversely, if they had a somewhat negative impression, there could well be some compulsion to use horrible expletives in otder to protect the rest of the world from their mistake. I found myself in complete agreement with the knowledgable writer who indicated that it's hard to go wrong with appropriate Michelins. You are after all driving a premium automobile, and safety is also a consideration.

Looking forward to learning from the members here, ~Ed in SC

[JuanKDonnelly]

Hey Ed allow me to thank you for your good post. I'm also a newbie. Honestly you already solve my problem. ^_^