RX400h

I'm not sure if they are similar, but the Nitto NT 555s did very poorly among tires tested by Consumer Reports (ranked 20 out of 21 tires). Noise level was worse than average - not good for a luxury vehicle. On the other hand, the Nitto Neo Gen ZR did fairly well, placing 2nd among 15 all-season tires.

Having a V-rated tire on a 4600-lb vehicle whose suspension was really not designed for handling is overkill and unnessarry. IMO. The 60,000 mile rating of the Bridgestone Alenzas is a joke, as there is little chance that those tires can come anywhere close to that mileage. H-rated tires often provide a smoother ride and longer tread life, so I would not rule them out as replacement tires. A quick check with a Tirerack rep confirmed that almost all tires in the size required for our vehicles have more than adequate load capability. The Tirerack rep highly recommended the Michelin Lattitude Tour if ride comfort and low noise are top-priority requirements. It is T-rated (118 MPH max), but I don't think the RX400h can surpass that speed, anyway.

Rey, those are considered truck tires and are rated "much worse than average" for tread life. Fortunately, they ARE better than average in most other performance categories. I admit that this is a tough decision!

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.

We do occasionally get torrential downpours during Winter months, but the majority of tires out now are very competant on wet roads. By the way, Rey, did you check the difference in cross-sectional width? I would think that the 225s would be narrower than the stock 235s.

I had them set to 35 psi, but the center of each tire was wearing faster than the inner and outer areas. I now have them set to 32-33 psi.

Unfortunately, at approximately 25,000 miles, our Alenzas are starting to hum. I generally have rotated them every 5000 miles. For this reason, I may try another brand when they wear out, which will certainly be long before 65,000 miles.

Jim, Rey lives in Los Angeles and as in my case, does not need to worry about having to use all-season tires. The temps here rarely dip below 45 degrees. How long has the Parada Spec been out? I was under the impression that it is a relatively new tire and thus, does not have many reviews - at least that I've seen.

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.

This is rare, indeed but in any case, you still can't compare that 420 treadwear rating to one published by any other manufacturer. Consumer reports does include treadwear comparisons in their ratings and they show the V-rated Versado getting a "worse-than-average" rating while the T-rated Versado achieved a "much better-than-average" rating. The Michelin MXV4 achieved a better-than-average rating in the H category.

Almost universally (among same manufacturer's tires), a higher speed rating means shorter tire life. This is not because of the speed capability of the tire; rather, most higher speed-rated tires have stickier rubber compounds. you'll notice that tires having the highest mileage guarantees are all in the lower speed rating categories. In addition, you cannot compare tread wear ratings among different manufacturers, since there is no global "standard" to which the ratings are calculated. As a general rule-of-thumb, an H-rated tire will outlast a V, Z, or W-rated tire quite handily.

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.

Rey, You should remember that the user ratings in the Tirerack web site can be somewhat deceptive, as the "user" may not have been able to truly compare the various tire models. I would be more likely to believe Consumer Reports vs users unless a majority of users are reporting problems after a number of miles. JimsGX's experience is a good "sign", though.

According to Consumer Reports, the Michelin Primacy MXV4 tops the charts among "H"-rated all-season tires. They are available in 255/55/18 size and have the best rolling resistance rating along with better-than-average tread life. They are fairly expensive at $222 per tire. The Toyo Versado LX is listed among the "T" and "V"-rated all season tires, but did no better than 5th place (V-rated) and 9th place (T-rated).

....until you pull up to the gas pumps at the same time jrober does and he tells you he is averaging 32.5 MPG in his hybrid Lexus RX. My nephew's wife bought an RX350 just before regular shot up to 4.20/gallon. She was not a happy camper! I just had to throw out those comments. After all, this is a hybrid forum! :P

I agree with Lemon - there is no tire pressure monitoring system in our 2006 RX400hs, so your comment about Toyota's lack of common sense does not apply in this case. What I was trying to say earlier is that it seemed like you didn't have anything major to complain about, so you singled out the non-existant tire pressure monitoring system. When people ask me why I don't complain about the rain here in San Diego, I tell them I grew up in CT. While that in of itself doesn't make the weather here, perfect, it does help to keep my complaining to a minimum! ;)

Well I wouldn't trade my RX400h for any other SUV. If this is the biggest problem you've had, you, like the hundreds of thousands of other RX owners, are very fortunate to have a Lexus and not an Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, or BMW SUV!

Again, do NOT bolt aluminum to steel where there are corrosive elements or even just water. Stainless steel would be better, although any areas that are not exposed to air or fresh-running water will experience pitting corrosion.

True, but if it's bolted to steel, it could become a giant anode and be eaten away by corrosion (literally).

I assume you meant letting a local Discount Tire store match the price. Don't forget to figure in shipping. In many cases, the Tirerack will not charge for tax, which can be almost 9% of the cost, depending upon which state you live in. I just bought a couple of Goodyear GSD3 tires for the Corvette. Discount tire could not match the Tirerack price, but they were close enough that I went with them.

If it's aluminum, it'd better be hard anodized with a sodium dichromate seal. Otherwise, it'll get really ugly if exposed to salt water.

Actually, many PVC compounds are brittle when cold. That shield may be UHMW polyethylene. Very few 4-wheel drive vehicles have heavy-duty protection against boulders and the like, so the RX400h is certainly not alone. Perhaps there's a way to add a another plastic piece that would prevent snow from getting under the larger piece.

We all warned you about living that far north but you wouldn't listen! :D That price ($500) is absurd but I'm not too surprised at the US price. That would like paying $125 for a Toyota Corolla part.

For the most part, our Bridgestone Alenzas have been great tires. At about 32,000 miles, they are just starting to growl a bit. There is still a decent amount of tread left. I may try a different, yet still highly-rated brand the next time I need tires.

LOL RX! Hey, it's good to laugh during these "trying" times........ :)