Natureboy

Thank you for your input gentleman. Based upon my research snow tires are generally not needed in the coastal regions of British Columbia. This is true, but I'm in the interior of BC, and the climate is very different to the coast. Trust me when I say, we need real snow tires up here, especially when I head up to the mountains in the winter to snowboard. Even with my Blizzaks (real snow tires), I've felt the rear of the car wanting to slide out sometimes. Where I live, we've experienced -27C in winter and +47C in summer and I've only lived here for 2.5 years so far. As such, I believe proper summer tires are the correct choice for me. That said, Dave, I'm curious. Since you have an RX, what tires do you use, how do they feel, and what type of driver (speedy or sensible) are you? Failing finding decent summer tires, I may consider whatever you're using. John, I appreciate your suggestion of Continental Ultra Contact, but I'm not sure about that. They may feel great on your CT200H, but terribly on an RX. This is why that Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician I mentioned earlier suggested finding reviews of people that have used those tires on the same vehicle.

I recommend this video by a Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician to help you decide.

Time for me to replace summer tires on my '08 RX350 AWD. This video by a Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician got me thinking more deeply about which tires I should look for. (He is incredibly knowledgeable about Toyota and Lexus. I highly recommend his channel.) He suggests buying the same tires you are replacing, if you were happy with them. However, I wasn't very impressed with the summer tires (17" Michelin Latitude Tour HP) that were on the car when I bought it, which are the ones I'm replacing. I felt the ride was quite bumpy, but perhaps I'm ignorant and that has nothing to do with the tires. If not happy with the current tires, he suggests considering putting the same tires that the car came with from the factory, since that's what the engineers decided work well on the car. According to TireRack.com, my car originally came with Goodyear Integrity tires, which are all-season tires. I'm not really interested in all-season tires since I have and need real snow tires in winter. I think genuine summer tires would be the best decision for me, since it isn't a compromise. Failing that, he suggest reading reviews of tires from people who used them on the same vehicle. Well, I tried that, but that was easier said than done unfortunately, so now I'm here. So, my question to you fine chaps is, which 17" summer tires have you tried and trusted and why? FYI, I'm not a speed racer, so I don't really care how the tires grip when racing around a corner. Many thanks in advance.

Thank you all. I've since learnt that toe adjustment is possible on the rear wheels, so indeed there are adjustment bolts there. Good point about the corrosion potentially spreading to other components! I've ordered some penetrant. When I jack up the car to change diff oil soon, I'll try find the exact bolt they're talking about so I can more clearly describe to Lexus what bolt I need as they didn't seem to understand "rear left eccentric bolt".

I took my Lexus RX350 2008 for wheel alignment, since the car was pulling to the left, which the alignment fixed. The shop said "rear adjustment left side eccentric bolt is seized" and told me it needs to be replaced. If I understand correctly (which I may not), since my car is not a truck, there is no "adjustment" in the rear, so I shouldn't care if the bolt is seized, right? There is nothing to "adjust" in the rear, and it's not like the bolt is going to break, so why should I care? By the way, the shop didn't give me a printout of my alignment (which is a negative reflection of them), nor was I wise enough to ask for one.

Thanks. I will start by installing a block heater, since that's always a good idea to improve the lifespan of the engine parts. If that is enough to start the engine, great. If not, I'll load-test the battery. I don't know about the US, but I'm finding it really difficult to find the right block heater in Canada... The Lexus dealerships don't even stock them anymore.

2008 RX350. Should I get a block heater, a battery heater or both? The coldest temperatures we get around here is about -25C/-13F. I was told that all North American cars have block heaters installed at the factories, but I'm not sure that my car does, even though it was built in Canada. If it does have a block heater and I just can't find it, would that warm the battery enough to be able to start the car? Thanks!

Well, I'm back again with my 2008 RX350. Had my same winter tires put on again, with the same sensors and the problem is back. How on earth are you supposed to reset that TPMS warning light yourself? The sensors are fine, the system just needs a reset, but I can't find out how.

Problem solved free of charge! I went back to the tire shop and they plugged in their computer. Apparently the ECU got confused about which tire is where or something like that. They spent 2 minutes sorting that out and sent me on my way! No more TPMS warning light. All seems fine now.

I have the same problem as the OP with my 2008 RX350. I had all the tires pumped and sensors checked (including the spare) at a tire shop. When I turn the ignition on, the TPMS warning light flashes, then shines solid, indicating there is a TPMS malfunction according to the manual. I've tried resetting the tire pressure via the button under the steering column too. Nothing seems to work. Any ideas?