Our 2011 RX 350 came with 19" rims and Michelin tires. It does not ride smooth and the tires are noisy along with some wind noise from the side windows. At 41,000 miles the tires are worn out and I decided to find out if others were having the same problems. A comon complaint with this car from those responding on the internet is the rough ride and not an exactly quiet ride either. Eigtht months ago I bought a new Chevy Equinox which came with 17" rims and Michelin tires. I am here to tell you that this ($25,000) car rides better and is noticeably quieter than the ($45,000) Lexus RX 350!
My wife says so too since she drivers the Lexus most of the time.
Here is what I did to make this a better car. I bought 4 refurbished 18" (factory original) rims on ebay from a company in Houston, $556 delivered to my front door. The rims look brand new.
I bought 4 Pirelli Scorpion Verde, Season Plus 235/60 R18,103H on Amazon for $638 delivered. Tire Rack had these tires at the top of the rating chart based on customers response. Many Lexus owners have also praised these tires. If you go this route be sure you get the (Season Plus) version as the regular Pirelli Scorpion Verde are not as highly rated. Lastly I had the old tires removed along with the tire pressure sensing device and had the new rims, sensors and tires installed which included lifetime rotate and balancing. Air pressue set at 33 psi, Cost for this at Walmart was $67.36, Total price = $1261.36.
Result: My wife says the car rides smoother and is quieter. I have noticed the same thing too along with a less harsher jolt when going over bumps and patches and imperfections on the road, we have a lot of those here in Oklahom City. I am looking forward to a much longer tire life as well. If your car has 19" rims and the ride is rough and if it is bothering do what I did, you will be happy with the result and you might like your car again.
