Jim Clark

The Parada Spec-X is relatively new but there are over 1 million miles now reported in the reviews at Tirerack. They're popular with truck and SUV owners but they are not an off-road tire. It's the tire Gryphon chose and probably the one I will choose to replace the crappy Michelin MXV4 S8's than came on our RX. The ExtremeContact DWS is even newer. If it's as good as the ContiExtremeContact it replaced, it should be a very good tire. Another tire to consider for the RX is the General Exclaim UHP. Most online sellers show it as an all-season tire and it has a M+S rating. Tirerack lists it as a summer tire because they think the rubber compounds used are not good in freezing temperatures. It is a popular and highly rated tire with over 14 million miles reported in the reviews. It is also very inexpensive.

Rey, You might want to check out either the Continental ContiExtremeContact (235/55/18 - much better-than-average tread life and rolling resistance and better-than-average comfort and noise) or if handling is an ultimate priority, the Goodyear GSD3s in 255/55/18 (I have these-wider profile- on the Corvette and they are AMAZING on dry and wet roads). They won't last as long as the Contis, however. lwleedy, Just about every Michelin performs well when it comes to hydroplaning. The ContiExtremeContact was replaced by the ExtremeContact DWS. Some people have reported noise problems with the DWS and some people feel the sidewalls are too soft (mostly the performance car people) but most people are very happy with them. They are rated #1 in the Ultra High Performance All Season category. They are W rated. I wouldn't put GSD3s on an RX, those tires are meant for sports cars and are a summer tire. Scroll up to see the 3 finalists I came up with. Right now, the Yokohama Parada Spec-X is my 1st choice.

I assume you meant letting a local Discount Tire store match the price. Don't forget to figure in shipping. Yes, Jim, shipping is a factor. but it offsets local sales tax. Because of this Discount matches the prices without consideration for shipping. Tom Tom, Did you make a decision? If you got the Paradas, I'd be very interested in an opinion.

I assume you meant letting a local Discount Tire store match the price. Don't forget to figure in shipping.

My wife was using the RX400h in her commute which was the great majority of the miles being put on the car. It is a combination of highway and city/town driving, mostly highway but often a slow speeds due to traffic. We were getting about 28 mpg according to the car's computer. But you need to do a manual calculation, the computer calculation on our Prius tends to be higher than the manual calculation. But even if it was only 25 mpg actual for the RX, that's quite good for a big SUV with lots of power.

Without having done the research, $34k US sounds like a very reasonable offer.

Try researching on Tirerack.com. Input the vehicle and tire size to see your options. There are MANY reviews there, often representing millions of miles of use. They summarize the ratings by category of tire. I'm currently looking to replace the OEM Michelins that came on the car, especially after a recent winter driving experience that actually scared me. My current top three options are the Continental ExtremeContact DWS, the Yokohama Parada Spec-X, and the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenzas. They are all highly rated in their categories and are all considered to be all seasons with at least reasonable snow capabilities. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Yokohamas but have not made a decision. Hope this helps a little.

LOL RX!

If this were the case where the OP lives, that would mean his car is worth a mere $7500. If his car is really worth, say $30,000, then the loss amounts to just 20% of the car's value. Something just "aint" right! No wonder why there are so many "salvaged" vehicles out there. +1

I haven't had any problems in the snow either, but I have dedicated winter tires on the vehicle. Honestly, winter tires will turn ANY vehicle from mediocre to more than acceptable in the snow. I will admit, however, that my Subaru Outback felt more sure footed (wheeled?) in the snow. The dedicated winter tires make a big difference. "Good" all season tires can make a big difference. I had ContiExtreme's on my Audi S6. I believe they performed as well in the snow as a dedicated winter tire. I was in some extremely slippery conditions and they were very sure footed. The Audi Quattro system certainly had a lot to do with that.

After owning a Jeep and three Audis, the AWD on the 400h is a joke. IMHO, the OEM Michelins suck in the snow. They're rated #15 overall in their category at Tirerack. People there certainly don't like them.

Do people in Ottawa speak English?

30k+ for treadwear would be fine, since our Jeep was traded on a Prius in C4C, the 400h will not see many miles as I drive my BMW convertible most of the year. Just want something that performs better in all conditions than the OEM Michelins. Any additional input appreciated.

Will read more of the reviews on the Alenzas again. More than a few reviews of the ExtremeContacts complained about noise and soft sidewalls. The Parada reviews were nearly all outstanding. My dealer is running a special on tires this month. I'm going to call them to see if the deal is any good and ask them what they know about these 3 options.

Thanks for the input. Your RX330 AWD is a lot better than our RX400h AWD. You have a center differential which connects to the front and rear differentials. The only connection in the 400h is the computer, there is no mechanical connection between the front and rear. The rear is only driven by the rear electric motor. When the system detects slippage, the traction control systems function MUCH to aggressively, allegedly to protect the sensitive hybrid drive system. I don't care about longevity as long as it's not ridiculously low. I just want a good all-around all season tire than can handle the slop without scaring the hell out of me. The ExtremeContacts are really new and there are relatively few miles reported in the reviews. The interesting thing I saw was that they are getting good reports on all types of cars from sports cars to SUV's. I've had ContiExtremes (apparent predecessor to the ExtremeContact) on two cars, an Audi S6 and my BMW 330Cic. Best all-season for snow ever and good in all conditions. I have to assume the ExtremeContact is an improvement, otherwise why reinvent the wheel? The ExtremeContact and Parada are both pretty new, but initial reviews are excellent, both #1 in their categories at Tirerack.

LOL! Our cars have become much more complex as each decade has passed, especially in the last three with the advent of computer controlled everything. But they've also become much safer. When Tucker was an advocate of seat belts in every car, pop-out windshields, and other safety features, he was considered a nut and the big three fought all of it. They still fight gas mileage and emissions requirements. Yes, they have their hybrids now. Why? Because Toyota led the way and they had to do it to compete. You can forget about trying to sell a car today without a FULL complement of airbags, ABS, traction control, etc, etc, etc. Our 2010 Prius bought in the C4C program doesn't have memory seats, mirrors, and steering wheel like the RX400h. It's quite an inconvenience. But, it does get 50 mpg which is nice.

Still looking for opinions on tires for the RX400h. The two options at the top of my list are the Continental ExtremeContact DWS and the Yokohama Parada Spec-X. I want "good" all seasons that are good in all conditions and can "reasonably" handle the snow we "usually" get here. This year is the winter from hell. The OEM Michelins are downright scary in the slippery stuff.

Are you sure you have to put new tires on it before you turn it in? Is there something in your lease that specifies the amount of tread that must be remaining on the turn-in vehicle? It appears the cheapest online option is at onlinetires.com. It's a Nankang, I have no idea if they're any good but if your turning it in soon you shouldn't care. They're $96 (plus shipping, mounting, and balancing). The cheapest option at Tirerack.com was $124 for General Exclaim UHP's. They are an all season tire but Tirerack has them in a Summer category.

I'm going to get verbose and digress: Traditional all seasons got that designation because they work over a wider temperature range. "Summer" tires become to hard in below freezing temps and their performance suffers in all conditions. Some all seasons are much better in slippery conditions than others. The ContiExtremes I had on the Audis performed well in all temps and conditions, and excelled in real slippery conditions. One day we had a freak snow storm in this are that quickly got compacted and all the roads turned to a sheet of ice. We were about to go up a fairly steep hill in our Audi S6 and there was a guy at the bottom of the hill waving his arms at us basically saying "DON'T TRY IT!". I just smiled and waved at him and then proceeded up the hill without missing a beat, didn't even get traction control to kick in, LOL. Then we were diverted due to an accident and ended up getting stuck in severe traffic on a divided highway (due to the conditions and accidents). I opted to cross the snow-covered grass median to get to an alternate route. My wife said: "DON'T TRY IT!". I smiled and said "don't worry honey". No problem, it was a piece of cake with Audi Quattro and the ContiExtremes. IF I had those POS Michelins on that Audi, I probably couldn't have done either maneuver, even with the best-in-world Quattro AWD system. The question remains...what tire to replace the POS Michelins. The ExtremeContact DWS gets excellent reviews on Tirerack, but they are so new that they have relatively few miles reported in the reviews. But it's interesting that the excellent reviews come from owners ranging from BMW 3-series sports cars to SUV's. Still looking for more input and opinions.

Update: I took our Prius out today. Our neighborhood roads were still packed snow but not much ice. I put it through its paces, floored it, started normally, braked hard straight ahead, and braked hard turning. It did surprisingly well. Traction control was kicking in but only when I got on it pretty good. Normal starts were handled just fine. Braking was just fine straight ahead. It was also good when I got on the brakes in a turn. Nose-dived for just a split second but then the traction control kicked in and got it back on the track in the turn. The Prius has OEM Yokohama Avid S33 tires. They performed admirably. It convinced me even more that the POS Michelins on the RX need to be replaced.

Well it's official, the RX400h AWD system is a joke and it totally sucks in snowy/icy conditions. Had it out yesterday in a fairly bad storm (at least for NoVA). A light/fluffy snow but it quickly became compacted in very cold weather and conditions got very bad. The traction control light came on many times and I wasn't pushing it. When making a turn while slowing with LIGHT braking, the ABS would kick in and the car would plow straight forward with the traction light blinking and a few beeps. This is the 4th AWD vehicle I've owned after a Jeep Grand Cherokee and 3 Audi wagons. The Jeep was traded last year on a Prius in C4C. The Jeep and Audis would handle anything with ease. I always had confidence in them. Yesterday, I was actually fearful driving the RX. It is NOT an AWD vehicle. Another part of this equation is the tires. The OEM Michelins suck in the snow both for traction and braking. We get relatively little snow in NoVA and "good" all seasons are all that is needed. I had good A/S tires on the Audis and A/T tires on the Jeep. I went on Tirerack today to research possible tires. The OEM Michelins have absolute crap ratings (15th in their category). From the ratings in various categories, the new Continental ExtremeContact DWS appears to be the best A/S tire for the RX. They are rated #1 in the Ultra High Performance All Season category (including very good to excellent ratings for snow). Another possibility is the Yokohama Parada Spec-X, rated #1 in the Street/Sport Truck category. The Bridgestone Alenzas that many of you like were also highly rated in the Crossover/SUV All Season category. I believe the ExtremeContact DWS replaced the ContiExtremes I had on my Audis and have on my BMW. That is/was a really good all-around tire and probably the best A/S for snow. Anyone have experience with the ExtremeContact DWS or the Yokohama Parada Spec-X? After yesterday's experience, I want to replace the Michelins. BTW, winter tires are not an option here. Any input appreciated.

Hi Hank, I drive an LS600HL although i'm in London England. I think there are only 20 in the country from what the dealer tells me! I think your problem could be down to the Anti lock braking system warming up and struggling to cope with the 2.5 tons of steel (Heavier than a Bentley) that this beast weighs. I have found the brakes to be less than adequate on this car and need to use the tiptronic gearbox to help slow it down on most occasions. The flipside of this is that I did more than 60,000 before my brake pads needed changing and after 80,000 miles it is still using the original disks. Compared to my old LS430 it is a thing of wonder as that needed brake pads AND new disks every 10,000 miles. Greetings across the Pond! Good to communicate with another LS600 owner. My issue turned out to be a combination of the regenerative braking and a little bit of warpage which my dealer corrected. Have you had any other issues with your beast? Best, Hank It sounds like they fixed it for free?

Those two videos were hysterical. Both situations were shear ice. Best AWD in the world and/or snow tires wouldn't have helped. Some of the cars shown were Audis and Range Rovers, they have excellent AWD systems with traction control.

Hank, You put 24k on it since July? That's a LOT of driving! If it is warped rotors, the dealer might not cover that under the warranty, claiming it's normal wear and tear. But I would try to fight it out with them. Especially since you say it's been happening on and off since you bought it. Was it a CPO car from a Lexus dealer? That would possibly give you more leverage. The dealer should be able to pull all service records on the car even if it was serviced at other dealers. If they say they can't, they're probably lying. Why did someone get rid of the car at 6k? Could have been a sales manager or dealer owner using it for a while and allowing demos in it. The other possibility that you don't want to hear is that it could have been in a serious accident, repaired, and the first owner decided not to keep it. A CarFax or other vehicle history report might not show that. When you take it to the dealer, be nice (at first), but be ready to fight.

Josie, As others stated, it was probably a combination of the car wash and very cold temperature causing the parking brake to freeze up. No need for concern unless it keeps doing it. If it does, take it to the dealer.