newone88

I have had my Es300h for about 16 months now and about 6500 miles.
I found out today that there is a nail in one of the tires and the dealer is telling me they can't repair the tire because it is too close to the edge and they suggested I replace it and they could do it for 230 or so with the same tire.
I told them no because I'm not really happy with these tires.
What would be a good replacement?
I'm not versed in cars and tires
Thanks

rustytank

I love my michelin primacy mxv4. Its really quiet and comfortable, eliminates most of the road bumps and does really well in the snow too, i should know we had record breaking snow in north east last winter.
However, your car is a hybrid. Hybrids come with different alloy wheels and tires with ticker side walls for straighter tires for better mpg and putting on regular tires would really defeat the purpose of a hybrid. The mpg change won't be too dramatic but still...

MrlexEd88

Have you tried an independent tire shop? Sometimes they'll say that to get you to buy a new tire instead of repairing for less, but they could be right if it's to close to the edge.... the best way to repair a tire is to replace it.

newone88

MrlexEd88, They said it it close to the edge but I have not verified this yet. I will check with a shop close by and see.

rustytank, so what should I be looking for in new tires? Thicker sidewalls?
Looking at a tire site, the MXV4 comes as good replcment tire for the h300.

lesz

I'm not sure about much of what you are saying. The Lexus ES350 and the ES300h are both shipped with the same Michelin or Bridgestone tires. The standard tire size and the models of tires used for both vehicles are identical. As far a wheels are concerned, the ES300h has different wheels from the ES350, but I believe that differences in the wheels are only esthetic/appearance differences. The standard wheel for both vehicles is a 17 inch x 7 inch alloy wheel. And there are at least a couple of people who post here who have bought ES300h vehicles and who had the dealer swap the ES300h wheels for ES350 wheels.

lesz

The puncture has to be in the tread area to be reparable and it cannot be into the area where the sidewall steel belts start. As a general rule of thumb, that ends up meaning that the puncture cannot be within about 1 inch of the outer extremes of the treads.

newone88

Thanks lesz. Are 18 too big for the ES? I recall someone saying they have 18 and they are much better.

lesz

The 18 inch wheels are an option on the ES350, but only the 17 inch wheels are available (from the factory) for the ES300h. That said, there are some ES300h owners who have replaced the 17 inch wheels that came with the vehicle with 18 inch wheels.

If you use 18 inch wheels, the tires used will be lower profile tires. So, the total diameter of the wheel and tire will be the same regardless of whether you have 17 or 18 inch wheels.

Using 18 inch wheels, because they will be used with lower profile tires, will result in a noticeably harsher ride quality. With the 18 inch wheels, you will feel imperfections in the road more than with 17 inch wheels. On the other other hand, the 18 inch wheels should provide marginally better handling, but, for the typical driver, that marginally better handling is not likely to be noticeable.

newone88

thank you lesz for the info, much appreciated.

rustytank

newone88, what tires do you currently have ?

What i mean is hybrids come with low rolling resistance tires(harder tires). Toyota ships all their hybrids with low rolling resistance tires. I assumed it was the same case with Lexus correct me if i'm wrong. As far as the wheels go, the sizes are the same but if you look up specs for the two wheels(hybrid and standard), the hybrid wheels will weigh less and have better aerodynamics.

newone88

rustytank, I'm not sure but they are the original ones that came with the car, I believe bridge-stone

gmanusmc

The Michelin mxv4 H rated are a marked improvement over the bridgestones - we changed to the michelins shortly after getting our ES350 and my wife loves them - very different ride - and I believe they are low rolling resistance.

Bill G

rustytank

well, If your car is equipped with low rolling resistance tires and you swap out with regular tires, your mpg can be reduced on average 2-3 mpg and can even be reduced up-to 4 mpg because that's how much fuel these tires usually save.. Again, its not dramatic but it does make a difference especially to a mpg conscious person. But if your car is not equipped with LRR tires then you have nothing to worry about...

Going back to your original question... Since you only have 6500 miles on your tires, I would stick with the same tire. It is not recommended to have different tires on a car for stability and safety reasons.

Max707

I think he is replacing all 4 and the Michelins everyone is recommending are OEM tires.

lesz

While I believe that Michelin makes an H-rated version of the MXV4, Michelin-equipped ES vehicles come from the factory with the V-rated version. At least, that is what my ES 350 came with. While I'm not sure that I know why a vehicle like the ES needs V-rated tires, the V-rated version of the MXV4 is somewhat more expensive than the H-rated version.