Michelin Tire Wear

[dogwood2]

Our 2008 RX 350 has 32,000 miles on it and the OEM 235/55R18 Michelins are down to minimum acceptable tread depth. I'm leaning towards Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenzas (65,000 mile warranty) at Costco or Toyo Open Country H/Ts at Les Schwab. The latter is what I have on another SUV and they have over 60,000 miles on them with a few thousand more to go. Any recommendations to buy or not to buy my next set of tires?

Also, is it true that the tires made specifically for Costco are somehow lower in quality than at, for example, a Michelin dealer?

Thanks.

[1990LS400]

Also, is it true that the tires made specifically for Costco are somehow lower in quality than at, for example, a Michelin dealer?

Thanks.

I doubt it. While some companies have manufactured lower content products specifically for Costco, those products have had model numbers, bar codes, etc. that were specific to Costco. I think you are OK as long as you buy a product model that is also available elsewhere.

I've bought 12 tires at Costco in the past 18 months - 8 Michelin MXV4, 4 Bridgestone Blizzak WS70. Issues I have with Costco are that the one near me 1) does not have a road force balancer, 2) does not have balancing weights that are suitable for my LS400's summer OEM chrome wheels, 3) their staff does not seem very knowledgeable - one of their tire tech's told me that he had never heard of road force balancing and his "tire school" diploma was on the wall! I ended up taking both sets of my LS wheels/Costco tires to the Lexus dealer to have them balanced. I'll be taking the wife's Camry to Costco in the next couple of weeks to have the Michelin MXV4 tires I bought last summer for it installed - I assume they can handle that.

[scottq60]

I just replaced the OEM Michelins on my wife's 09 RX350 a few weeks ago...like yours, the Michelins had ~32k miles on them and were WORN OUT!!! I've never been so disappointed with a set of Michelins. I had Costco install a set of Bridgestone Alenzas because my 07 Avalanche has them and at 33k miles, they have over half the tread depth left, and they ride, handle beautifully, not to mention they were significantly less expensive than the Michelins, and have a better warranty - I believe the Bridgestones are 65k miles vs 50k for the Michelins.

[RX350lover]

Consumer Reports (November 2011 issue) rates the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza H as Fair in regards to Tread Life, which is weak. They ranked in 12 position out of 23 tires tested. You better look at the rating to determine which tires suit your needs.

Btw, my replacement will be Michelin Lattitude Tour (not the HP). They ranked in 5th position, but have Excellent (the highest possible rating) for Tread Life, Noise, Dry Braking and Wet Braking. Those are the criteria that matter the most to me.

[Wilson 2007]

put Michelin latitude tours on last spring. very good driving now! ever since new, rx had drifted to right requiring steering pressure to keep on track on freeways. Lexus dealer with support from corporate had replaced PS rack -reduced problem but didn't fix it. Alignment twice by Lexus didn't gain good driving. independent shop got improvement but it took replacing the tires to get it driving like it should have - finally after 120k km. snow tires were damaged too by misalignment. New snow tires also drove great this winter.

[Buk]

I bought a 2010 RX450h AWD it came with Dunlops. I hated them, but went ahead and worn them out and replaced them with Michelins. When I traded the 2010 for a 2012 RX450h AWD, I asked that the Michelins be put on the new RX. The new car had Bridgestones. I wanted the Michelins. 30,000 miles later on the '12 they are in good condition and quiet.

At some point, I had alignments done to both cars. It's free if done before 12,000 miles. Monitoring pressure is important.

[bobgailw]

When purchasing my 2013 rx350, I noticed in the Lexus brochure that not to expect the tires to last beyond 15,000 miles. These tires were OEM Michelin Latitude HP. I told the salesman this was unbelievable, but he looked at me as though I was crazy. Well after 38,000 miles they were down to 1/32 inches in tread and they had to go. I replaced them with new Michelins at a dealer and measured the new tread depth at 9.5/32 inches in tread. The Michelin company warranties the treadware for 55,000 miles of wear. What kind of junk tires are coming to Lexus from the tire manufacters? Just to see if I am correct, I will visit a Lexus dealer and measure the tire depth on several new cars with OEM tires. This reminds me of buying a new computer printer and the ink cartriges are filled to 1/3 of their capacity. It seems Lexus and probably some other new car manufactures continue to screw us long after the purchase.

[1990LS400]

When purchasing my 2013 rx350, I noticed in the Lexus brochure that not to expect the tires to last beyond 15,000 miles. These tires were OEM Michelin Latitude HP. I told the salesman this was unbelievable, but he looked at me as though I was crazy. Well after 38,000 miles they were down to 1/32 inches in tread and they had to go. I replaced them with new Michelins at a dealer and measured the new tread depth at 9.5/32 inches in tread. The Michelin company warranties the treadware for 55,000 miles of wear. What kind of junk tires are coming to Lexus from the tire manufacters? Just to see if I am correct, I will visit a Lexus dealer and measure the tire depth on several new cars with OEM tires. This reminds me of buying a new computer printer and the ink cartriges are filled to 1/3 of their capacity. It seems Lexus and probably some other new car manufactures continue to screw us long after the purchase.

Your tires were worn out way before 38,000 miles. 1/32 inch of tread is crazy dangerous on wet roads. 3/32 inch is generally thought to be the minimum safe tread depth for summer and all-season tires and 5/32 inch minimum tread depth for winter tires.

I first noticed the 15,000 mile tire life warning when 18" wheels and tires were offered as options on the 2004 LS430. Before that, the warning was that 17" tires might last no longer than 20,000 miles.

My 2014 Sienna came with Goodyear all-season tires in size 235/55R18 - same size as used on the recent RX350. As of tonight, these tires have 8/32 inch tread after about 16,000 miles. I think they will last a total of about 30,000 miles (three years for me) with careful monitoring of pressures and alignment. I will replace them when they have 3/32 inch tread left. I check tire pressures at least once per month and far more often when ambient temperatures vary by much. Tire pressure changes by about one psi for each 10 degrees of temperature change. Just a 30 degree change will have tires down 3 psi and wearing faster.

I will be lucky to get three years (5,000 miles per year) out of my Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 winter tires and only because I downsized to 17" wheels for winter use. I was able to get nearly 25,000 miles out of Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires on the 2000 LS400 but it had 16" wheels and was far (700 pounds) lighter than the Sienna.

The public seems to like big wheels and tires - maybe its due to all those Hot Wheels toys! I would be fine if auto makers went back to much smaller wheels and longer lasting tires. The 1956 Mercedes I drove as a teenager in the 1960's had 13 inch wheels. The Mercedes W123 I bought in 1979 had 14 inch wheels. The Lexus LS400 I bought in 1990 had 15 inch wheels.

Unfortunately, big wheels and shorter lasting tires seem to be here to stay and not just on vehicles made by Toyota.

[RX400h]

Since smaller diameter tires have to complete more rotations per mile, wouldn't you think that if the tire compound is the same as that of a much larger tire, the larger tire would have to outlast the smaller tire? I think the compounds are "stickier" on today's lower-profile, higher performance tires, allowing those tires to wear faster.

Also, since many people equate giant, heavy vehicles with ultra-safety, it is a good thing that those giant wheels and tires open up more space for larger brake rotors.

Something like the new Miata, at 2300 lbs, can easily get by with smaller and lighter wheels. Unfortunately, the consumer wouldn't stand for 14 or 15" wheels.

[lenore]

I personally hate the taller tires. The sidewalls are to narrow and rim damage is common. The sidewalls have to be stiffened to accommodate the weight, hence crappy ride.

[RX400h]

Back in the 70s riding in an American car was like floating on whipped cream - silky V8 engines with 70-series balloon tires.

[1990LS400]

Back in the 70s riding in an American car was like floating on whipped cream - silky V8 engines with 70-series balloon tires.

A 70-series tire was not a "balloon tire" and was considered to be quite a low profile and sporty tire in the 1970's. For example, the 1976 Corvette came with 225/70-15 tires and so did the Pontiac Firebird.

"Normal" cars of the 1970's and even some sporty ones (e.g. Chevy Camaro) used the equivalent of 75 to 80 series tires.

[RX400h]

By 70-series, I included anything in the 70s aspect ratio range. For example, a 75 Monte Carlo, which was considered a luxury coupe had the following:

GR70-15 with 220mm tire width. Regardless, you won't find that kind of aspect ration on any car that is under 30 years old.

[msat]

 

Considering the Milestar MS932 Sport Radial Tire, 235/55R19 105V for 2010 RX.  

 

Ten reviews on Amazon all with 5 stars.  

Noise is #1 for me, followed by wet and dry traction, followed by longevity.

 

Anyone use these tires?  

 

https://www.amazon.com/Milestar-MS932-All-Season-Radial-Tire/dp/B00OMA5DVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1489846212&vehicle=2010-75-2868-20--9-6-5-7937---1--222-2-0&sr=1-1&ymm=2010%3Alexus%3Arx350