wildta

Good to hear your reasons. When you end up getting your new set and putting some miles on them, please do update us with your opinion on them!

Maseace, any reason why you're planning to make a switch? Just curious.

I did my research and I felt the Paradas would suit me the best for another round of tires. Since I already had them, I know what I'm getting and I'm also in desperate need to replace them soon. I can see how worn out my current set is every time I park. I was considering the Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopias but decided I liked the Paradas' tread pattern better. My intuition is that the Paradas have less channels and since I live in Sunny SoCal, I figured more contact with the road for better handling would be my preference versus the channels on the Ecopias that might help in rain/snow (and maybe the channels would even help with rolling resistance by creating less drag and better MPGs) but less traction in dry conditions. All I know is that I was quite happy with my Paradas (moved from the Eagle RS-As so anything was better than those OEM tires) except for the last few thousand miles. I'm getting them again from Discount Tire for $825 installed including all applicable CA taxes, fees, waste, etc. I only put a $20 deposit down though so if anyone here can convince me otherwise, I would totally look into getting something else. This thread is what originally lead me to getting the Paradas to being with. Btw, I calculated the ACTUAL MPG averages of my OEMs (22.93 avg MPG) to the Paradas (22.54 avg MPG). One slight difference is that I was using premium gas every other oil change with the OEMs until after the second oil change using premium when I decided I had enough data to calculate that premium was a waste of money--nominal increase in MPGs (0.05 MPGs extra on premium) but definitely not enough to warrant the extra cost per gallon. Looks like the Paradas fared slightly worst in MPGs.

RX400h, thanks as usual! I really liked my Paradas as well as was considering just buying them again. I've had some close calls of having to swerve around objects or slamming on my brakes, I'm very confident that my OEM Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires that came with the car would not have handled those maneuvers as well. Since you sent this list over, I might as well research the alternatives. If I find anything profound, I'll be sure to report back to this thread!

I want to say it was RexRey... speaking of tires, what are you sporting these days? My Paradas are set to be replaced soon with right around 40,000 miles on them so far. I liked them except for maybe the last 3k-5k miles had a bit more road noise and less traction. I was hoping I could get more miles than 40k though.

Pinging this old thread again because my Paradas need to get replaced already. I ended up putting almost exactly 40k miles on them. The last 3-5k miles haven't been that great--a little more road noise and less grip. Has anyone here tried something newer and/or better? I see there's a new Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus

I got my price: # Price Total 4 Tires 666.00 4 Install 64.00 4 Enviro 7.00 Tax 58.28 Grand Total 795.28 I got Discount Tire to match Tirerack.com after freight charges, which all in all isn't really much of a price match considering I get hit on the taxes (probably a good thing to help pay for our state's debt burden anyway). In the end I'm still paying the same as what Dave paid going through TireRack so all is well with me. Plus I don't really want to spend the time to haggle a couple more dollars off--rather spend my time on the beach. B) Thank you all again for your help! I will give an update after a couple thousand miles.

I'll check out Discount Tires too. They appear to have the best reviews on Yelp. Thanks!

Thank you Rey and RX for all your input and advice! Looks like I found my next set of tires! I look forward to switching to them soon and to experience the difference. I am moving from the OEM Goodyear Eagle RS-A so it will be a welcome change as you can suspect. Gryphon got these tires too. He updated me yesterday with his opinion via email which I am pasting here to help out other folks: Gryphon: "My feeling for the Paradas have not changed. I think that the handling is very good and they are definitely quiet. My driving has been mostly city with one 700 mile round trip. It is a bit soon to know much about wear but I would expect it to be quite good. No MPG change over the OEM tires." And one last note, if anyone else here buys from Tire Rack, you can get 3.3% cash back here: http://www.fatwallet.com/coupons-cash-back/The-Tire-Rack/ RX400h, which Big O did you end up using?

Cool. Thanks for the update! The Paradas are at the top of the list. I live in SD so I'm in the same position as you in terms of driving conditions. Mind if I ask how much you paid and where you bought them from?

Thanks for the update! Any difference in MPG? What tires did you have before? Also, what area or conditions are you mostly driving in? I live in San Diego so I'm looking for something like RXREY but probably won't go wider to the 255s like him now that gas is so much more.

Looks like I have about 1500-2000 miles left on my tires. Just wanted to ping the couple folks still reading this thread to see if there are any new opinions and recommendations. On a separate note, has anyone here had their tires siped? http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tireSiping.dos

Hey RXREY, what is the benefit of having a larger tire such as 255/55/18 versus the OEM size?

I am starting to use "B" in a similar manner. The question of using it at any speed came up when there was one time I engine braked down a long canyon but had forgotten that I was still in "B". I ended up speeding to freeway speeds and drove a couple miles before realizing I was still in "B". I'm glad to hear that I can use "B" at any speed because I wasn't sure if I might have put extra stress on the engine from that mistake. Have you noticed when you shift to "B" that your regenerative braking needle increases (creates more electricity), does that mean it applies generators to create drag versus versus using the CVT in a different gear ratio?

I did a test for the 14k miles. Here's what I got driving around in SD in my 2008 RX400h. ACT MPG is actual calculations based on odometer and gas receipts DIFF is the difference I got from actual calculations versus the on-board computer MILES amount driven using a specific brand/octane OCTANE type of gas ACT MPG DIFF MILES OCTANE BRAND DATE 23.18 0.44 3924 Prem Varied 2/21-6/23 22.11 0.70 5033 Reg Varied 7/6-11/20 22.84 1.07 4550 Prem Varied 12/4-4/19 (re-sorted data by brand/octane) 23.37 0.43 2596 Prem Chevron Varied 21.95 1.27 1948 Reg Chevron Varied 22.73 1.03 5543 Prem Shell Varied 22.21 0.35 3085 Reg Shell Varied 24.45 -0.65 335 Prem Valero 6/3 Attached as image too since pasting the excel chart looks funky on here. So there's definitely not a significant difference in MPG that would warrant the extra cost in premium. However, I did notice a difference in power whenever I switched over octanes which is important to me since my driving style is heavily geared towards the lead foot type. I am now going back to Regular for my next 5000 miles (I basically switched in btwn oil changes). I typically used the same gas stations and pump as much as I could, but just for show I also broke it down by brand. In case you're wondering, I guesstimate about 75% of my time is spent on highway and not so much of the stop-and-go kind during rush hour since I try very hard to avoid those times. MPG Chart.bmp

The '08 does not have this. IMO, I would prefer to have those various simulated gears for engine braking down canyons and such. I found this CVT tech brief interesting. Apparently Audi's latest CVT is faster and more fuel efficient than the manual and automatic: http://www.sae.org/automag/techbriefs_01-00/03.htm

I used the incorrect term, by downshift I meant engine braking. Is there a max speed at which I should not shift to the "B" gear when wanting to engine brake? From the manual online: The transmission will feel different. The RX400h uses an Electronically-controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT). The transmission does not shift with fixed gear ratios like a conventional transmission, so it delivers power efficiently and smoothly. The “B” gear position is for engine braking. http://www.lexus.com/pdf/models/rxh_driving_performance_guide.pdf

I have a 2008 RX400h. Is there a speed maximum speed in which I should not downshift with the CVT transmission? Maybe I don't know how CVTs work but I could not find anything in the manual. I do notice when downshifting that my regeneration meter goes up so maybe it's not really downshifting but instead applying the regenerative system?

I have to turn up my XM volume about 10 notches higher than my other inputs like FM and CD to make them sound equal. Is there anyway to adjust the audio level for the XM Sat input on the 2008 RX400H?

How do I keep the audio screen static? Especially when I'm flipping through my XM stations to see song titles. Everytime I activate the audio screen, it only statys for 10 sec and then reverts back to the previous screen.

I live in SD too. Do you use mid-grade during summer months but never premium? I've been using premium but started doing research into the octane thing, and thought I might be wasting money buying premium. Have you done any testing using regular for a while and then switching to premium? Just wondering if you noticed any performance or mpg difference btwn the two.

Thanks! I thought there might have been a slight possibility that it would be possible but I guess not! :(

I have the bluetooth in my RX400h, is there anyway for me to use my phone's voice dialing while it's connected to my car's Bluetooth? For example, when I have my hands-free bluetooth like Jawbone or Jabra headset hooked to my phone, I can just hit the button on the side of the earpiece and voice dialing will activate on my phone. Does the RX400h do the same? I can't seem to make it work.

I have a 2001 Lexus IS300 with slight bumper damage, some deep scratches and a broken reflector. The estimate came to around $700. The damage was caused by a neighbor backing out into my car in our parking garage, so he barely side swiped it causing some deep scratches and a broken reflector with no dents or dings. Does anyone know what the collision center typically does to repair such damage? Do they remove the whole bumper and repaint the whole thing? I'm curious because the price seems rather extravagant for such minor damage. And now the rep from the collision center is asking me if I want the rock chips repaired, wouldn't the chips be repaired anyway if the process of repairing involves removing the bumper completely and repainting it?

I used to get around 25 mpg on the monitor prior to installing a roof rack and that was not being conservative. I even got 23mpg avgs on a couple tanks when I did trips btwn LA and San Diego avg'ing around 80 to 90 mph. Here's the rack that I got: http://www.orsracksdirect.com/inno-racks-b...board-rack.html Ever since it has been on my car I've been getting around 22 mpg on the monitor (two tanks now). It doesn't appear to add a lot of wind resistance since it's looks unobtrusive, and I can only hear a slight amount of extra wind on the road when above 60mph. I'm using premium in about 60 deg weather, tires at 38 psi, 65% freeway/35% city, new oil change at 10,500 miles (at around 11,000 miles on the odo now) and tires just rotated with oil change. I just started an excel sheet and my last tank read 21.4 on the monitor but manual calculations gave me 20.5 :cries: My last two tanks I've been relatively conservative too. I've even started using my cruise control set at 65mph, which is unbelievably slow here in socal, I swear I get passed by grandmas and their walkers. Anyone else have similarly reduced mpg's with a roof rack? The person above hauling a trailer and getting 22mpg... that's amazing! Btw, my brother has a BMW 5-series and his mpg gauge is much more accurate than ours, he calculates his mpg manually and has consistently been off by only .1 from his monitor. What's the deal Lexus?