Jim Clark

That could be a very popular car, especially with Prius owners who want Lexus trim. Although it looks like it will be smaller than the Prius which is classified as a mid-size car (the interior space is pretty impressive). We bought our Prius in the C4C program. We had to act fast as it was ending very soon. Originally considering a Camry hybrid but there were none. Got the last Prius on a local lot, luckily it was a Barcelona Red model IV with leather and nav. It's a nice car but I wish it had power/memory seats, mirrors (auto dimming), and steering wheel. The HS250h would have been $10k more (I can't remember if the HS was even available then).

Just turn the dashboard brightness down from "full" by turning it counterclockwise just past the "click".

I got to check out the Paradas in some light snow yesterday. They seemed pretty good, WAY better than OEM Mich's. I had to step on it pretty good to get traction control to kick in but acceleration was still pretty good and it tracked straight. Braking was also better, I did get ABS to kick in but had to hit them pretty hard to do it. These seem to be decent in the snow for an A/S tire. I feel safer than with the Mich's. Our street is still snow-packed and probably even more slippery than yesterday, I'll test it again today.

I know this is probably to late to be of help, but my dealer has a "Price Match" policy for tires and will meet anyones advertised price. That's from the Internet such as Tire rack, or a local tire shop, Costco, etc. Just get a written figure and they will sell you the exact tire at the exact price, including the two year road hazard. I purchased a set of Michelin MXV4 from my dealer and had a terrific experience. Cost was around $179. per tire. Paul Sorry to hear that. But best of luck with them. In case you didn't note, I drive an ES 350, not an RX. The Michelins are great thank you very much. Paul I was just basing my comments on personal experience. The Energy MXV4 S8's were terrible. Lousy in the wet and downright scary in the snow. Their ratings on Tirerack also suck. If, by chance, you got the Primacy MXV4, their ratings are MUCH better (#1 in the same category where the Energy MXV4 S8 was #15). If you got the Primacy, you should be fine.

Put over 1k miles on the Paradas this past weekend. DC-Boston and back. Impressed so far. Ride=excellent, noise=excellent, handling=excellent (crisper turn-in). Some wet driving, seemed very sure-footed, no hydro-planing on the few puddles I drove through, seemed to evacuate water extremely well. So far so good, very confident they were the right choice.

I know this is probably to late to be of help, but my dealer has a "Price Match" policy for tires and will meet anyones advertised price. That's from the Internet such as Tire rack, or a local tire shop, Costco, etc. Just get a written figure and they will sell you the exact tire at the exact price, including the two year road hazard. I purchased a set of Michelin MXV4 from my dealer and had a terrific experience. Cost was around $179. per tire. Paul Sorry to hear that. But best of luck with them.

They were mounted yesterday. They all passed road force balance, only one needed to be spun on the rim to get it within spec. It's raining today so I'll take it out and see how it does, BUT the coating from the mold is obviously still on them which will negatively affect performance for the first 500 miles. I like the tread pattern, it looks like it should evacuate water very well, and probably do OK in the snow.

The MXV4's are not good tires. I haven't noticed any squealing problems but their wet traction sucks and they're downright scary in snow. I was starting off on a slight incline on a recent rainy day and the traction control kicked in, I wasn't pushing hard at all. Yokohama Parada Spec-X's are on the way from Tirerack to my mechanic. If you're in an area that needs winter tires, then get winter tires. At least get "good" all seasons. Bite the bullet, dump the Mich's and get the Paradas.

I'm convinced, I'm going with the Paradas. My local mechanic just through a wrench in the works. I mentioned I was considering the Paradas and DWS's. He said that he would take the DWS's over the Paradas hands down. He did say to make sure whatever tires I got had a XL rating for eXtra Load vs. a SL rating for Standard Load. He said the XL's have stiffer sidewalls to handle the extra weight. Also, the DWS's totally kicked butt in the UHP A/S winter driving test done by Tirerack. I realize a SUV probably does not need UHP tires. But what can it hurt? The price difference is minimal. Looks like it's the DWS's. I think your mechanic should stick to mechanics, not tires. According to the Tirerack website, the Yokohama Paradas have exactly the same load rating as the Continentals DWS tires. Both have a higher load rating than the OEM Michelin and Goodyear tires (1764 lbs per tire vs. 1709, OEM). The only difference is that the Paradas have the same speed rating as the OEM tires (V, which is good to 149 MPH), whereas the DWSs have a "W" rating, which is 168 MPH. What this means is that the DWSs will produce a stiffer, more punishing ride than will the Paradas. Is that what you want? As I mentioned earlier, this stiffer-sidewall-based tire may be perfect for an all-out handling SUV such as the twin-turbo Cayenne, but just doesn't make sense for a ride-based luxury SUV like the RX400h. Dave The Paradas are ordered from Tirerack, being drop-shipped to my mechanic (he couldn't get them direct, backordered). Total cost will probably be about $850 with road force balancing. BTW, even Tirerack didn't have the DWS's in stock, they said they're backordered indefinitely. I'll report back about the Paradas.

I'm convinced, I'm going with the Paradas. My local mechanic just through a wrench in the works. I mentioned I was considering the Paradas and DWS's. He said that he would take the DWS's over the Paradas hands down. He did say to make sure whatever tires I got had a XL rating for eXtra Load vs. a SL rating for Standard Load. He said the XL's have stiffer sidewalls to handle the extra weight. Also, the DWS's totally kicked butt in the UHP A/S winter driving test done by Tirerack. I realize a SUV probably does not need UHP tires. But what can it hurt? The price difference is minimal. Looks like it's the DWS's.

Basically a tie.

I'm convinced, I'm going with the Paradas.

$1200 IS a rip-off for an inferior tire. The MXV4's are deficient in any kind of slippery conditions. You need to do more reading here (this thread and others) and at Tirerack. Yes, you're nuts, why you think you'll get peace of mind with the POS Mich's seems crazy to me.

Here's a little additional info. The ExtremeContacts blew away the competition in a winter driving test conducted by Tirerack of Ultra High Performance A/S tires. I don't think I've ever seen a tire come out so far ahead in one of their comparison tests. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=124 I need to make a decision soon. We'll be taking the 400h up to the Boston area for Thanksgiving. I want new shoes before then. My priorities are: 1) dry and wet handling (including resistance to hydroplaning), 2) ride comfort and noise, 3) winter driving, and 4) wear. Although last year was an extreme exception, we typically don't get a lot of snow (if conditions get real bad, the wife just works from home), and the Parada gets good marks for winter conditions. The 400h gets driven pretty infrequently lately (maybe 5-6k per year), the wife uses the Prius for commuting and I prefer my BMW, so wear is basically unimportant. I'm nearly at a point of flipping a coin. Need to go back to the reviews (wish I could sort the reviews by vehicle type) and then make a decision soon. It could come down to looks, the ExtremeContacts have a funky asymmetrical tread pattern which apparently performs very well but I think I like the Parada's looks better. Have to pull the trigger soon. If anyone has any more opinions or info, please speak up.

Sounds like the switch on the rear door failed.

When checking possible tires at Tirerack, enter the vehicle information (including the correct size) and then choose to view ALL categories for you vehicle. The two options I'm considering after a bunch of research (mostly on Tirerack) are the Yokohama Parada Spec-X (#1 in the Street/Sport Truck All-Season category) and the Continental ExtremeContact DWS (#1 in the Ultra High Performance All-Season category). Tirerack has more consumer reviews than any other site. Each of the above mentioned tires have over 2 million miles reported in the reviews. I would think with that many reviews, the "average" reviews should be pretty accurate. As both tires are fairly new, many of the reviews had low miles reported, but a fair number of reviewers who had already put a lot of miles on them were still happy. When you read through the reviews, you can usually tell the people who are giving honest objective reviews. It's also important to look at what kind of car they're putting them on. Consumer Reports is good objective organization. But their reviews are only done periodically because they are reviewing SO MANY different types of products. The latest popular tires (like the Parada) are not in their reviews. I'm sure they also have a limited number of vehicles in their fleet for testing tires. I trust the reviews at Tirerack more.

The RX400h is not good in snow...even with AWD (the AWD system on the 400h is a joke). Tires are critical. Even "good" all-seasons are not good enough for the 400h in serious snow conditions. The stock Michelins that came on our 2008 AWD 400h are terrible, they are even scary in simple wet conditions. If you want to drive in serious snow conditions, you will need dedicated winter tires. I believe our Prius with the stock Yokohama A/S tires may be better in the snow (but not the deep stuff) than our 400h AWD with the stock Michelins.

I had done a bunch of research a while back, I was unhappy with the OEM Michelins. That unhappiness was confirmed when I took the 400h out on a recent rainy day. They were very lose and would spin with relatively light pedal input. Last winter I had a "scary" ride on hard packed snow with some ice. The 400h is not a great car in slippery conditions (even with AWD, which is a joke on this car), good tires are critical. My research (mostly at Tirerack) was leading me to the Yokohama Parada Spec X. I will put new shoes on this car before winter. I am leaning toward the Paradas. They have been ranked #1 in the street/sport truck all-season category for a long time. The other option at the top of the list is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS. They replaced the Continental ContiExtremes. I had the ContiExtremes on my Audi S6 wagon and I currently have them on my BMW 330Cic. In slippery conditions the ContiExtremes were amazing on the Audi (best A/S for snow ever), probably not the best choice for the BMW, General Exclaim UHP's would have been better. The best-in-class Audi Quatro AWD system probably had something to do with that. For me (and the 400h), it will be the the Paradas or ExtremeContacts. The Paradas are currently in the lead. If you don't have to deal with snow, consider the General Exclaim UHP's for the 400h. Sorry for my verbosity, just trying to help.

Couldn't have said it better! <_< You'll be happy with either one. The difference in power isn't that much, the 400/450 wins by a slight margin due to the torque of the electric motors. If you like the feel of the 350 better, get that. The payback on gas savings with the more expensive hybrid is 5+ years.

I would stay away from a car that had been in a wreck unless you knew for certain what the extent of the damage was. There are plenty of clean ones out there.

I also had a stress crack in my 400h...took it to the dealer and they refused to replace it saying that something obviously hit it even though it was an air bubble. I was quoted $3,000 to replace the windshield (they just didn't want to replace it and get my money). I called my insurance and had them replace it. That dealership has the worst service I've ever experienced. I took my 2006 400h for it's first service. They left the oil cap loose and the oil spilled out destroying the car entirely. They were forced to get me a brand new 2007 although I lost a years worth of payments. Never going back to that dealership...full of thieves and liars. If something hit it hard enough to cause a crack there would be obvious damage to the outside of the windshield. Did the crack begin and end at the edge(s) of the windshield? If there was no obvious rock chip, it probably was a stress crack and should have been replaced under warranty.

We've had our RX400h for about 2.5 years. We've been very happy with it. The only problem we had was a stress crack in the windshield shortly after we bought it in 2007. Otherwise it's been trouble free. The OEM Michelin tires that came on it are terrible in the snow. The payback for the hybrid based on the increased gas mileage is pretty long. We originally bought it because the wife got to use the HOV lanes in her commute. We've had it on a number a fairly long road trips and it is very good for that. Very comfortable, good ride, plenty of room for all your gear. I used it for a guys golf trip to Myrtle Beach. It fit 4 of us with all our bags and clubs and the guys in the back seat were plenty comfortable as it has quite a bit of room. If you need "true" AWD, the hybrid might not be the best choice. The rear wheels are only driven by the rear electric motor. It even tells you in the manual that the car should not be taken off-road as serious off-road use could damage the hybrid system. I have heard from people that live in the great white north that they had no problems with it in the snow but they typically use dedicated winter tires. I think you'll find that the GREAT majority of people here are very happy with their RX hybrids.

Gryphon: How are the Parada Spec-X's working out?

This appears to be a V-rated tire. Is that correct? If so, expect tread life to be quite a bit less than that of an H-rated all-season tire. Yes the Parada Spec-X is a V-rated tire, as was the OEM Michelin. As far as I know all OEM tires were V-rated oj 400h's. I do not believe in downgrading speed ratings on a vehicle whose suspension was designed for a V-rated tire. There are many factors other than tread wear involved in speed ratings, particularly sidewall stiffness. The Yoko's are on but I have yet to check the pressures myself and will report my feelings shortly. Tom You'll need to give them about 500 miles to wear off the protective coating that manufacturers put on new tires, they might be a little slick during that time. Many V-rated tires have good tread life, especially the newer ones. I don't really care about tread life. The RX is now our 3rd car, the wife has a new Prius for commuting and I prefer to drive my BMW. BTW, I notice you have a 968 Cab, nice car. That was one of the finalists when I chose to get my BMW 330Cic. Although the 968 could fit 2 sets of clubs and enough baggage for a long weekend, the BMW had more room and the top fit under an automatic cover. A 944 Turbo hard-top was another choice. It had a Broadfoot re-build and some modifications that brought the HP up to 300+, it was very quick, would have been a good track car. 944 Turbos can be pushed to around 450 HP (pretty impressive for a 4 cylinder engine) and can take on 911 Turbos, but at that HP the engines don't last very long. I had a stock 944 in the '80's, probably my favorite car. Cruise all day at 110 comfortably, got a little squirrelly at 120+. The Z-rated tires on the 944 didn't last very long, LOL.

I agree about the load rating. The narrower width may look odd, especially if you currently have 255s. Still, there's no doubt in my mind that those are excellent tires. The stock 235's barely look wide enough for the RX. Going from 255's to 225's, I don't think you'll be happy with the looks. Check out the ratings at Tirerack for the various sizes that can be put on the RX.