steevr

I was at my local Costo this evening and their annual sale is on through Jan 31. Buy 4 Michelin tires and get an additional $60 off instantly. I bought a set a year ago for our old Expedition. Got to love their lifetime free balancing and rotation.

I've got 33K on my original Bridgestones and I figure I have only a few thousand left on the treads. I'm going to pull the trigger at the end of the month on a set of Cross Terrains. With the snow we had here last week in Chicago, I was once again sliding all over the place, even with VSC on the car. Can't wait to get rid of those OEM tires.

Only thing I'll miss about the Bridgestones is the sporty-looking ribbed sidewalls. I always thought it looked great with the raised black letters. The Cross Terrains have a smooth sidewall with the raised black letters. Oh well, I'd rather have safe all-weather performance than great looks.

Just wanted to pass the word on about the sale.

ultra63

Many of us were disappointed in these tires. I would consider other tires.

steevr

What was the problem with them?? We loved them on the Expedition and we got the first test with them on our new GX470 with the foot of snow we had in Chicago last week. They handled well.

CdeFabio

I agree! I made it part of the deal to have them on my GX and I love them! Perfect traction in all weather. We bought them for my wife's old Explorer and they were great as well. Very stable in snow and heavy rain.

mikey00

I also loved them as did most posters on this and other Lexus boards I visit. You can't beat the Costco price especially with free lifetime flat repair, balance and rotation.

CdeFabio

Exactly!! They are great! We bought my wife's Cross Terrains at Costco for her old explorer, very good service!

ultra63

There was a recent forum here on these disappointing tires.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...Cross+Terrains

mikey00

I would read the link completely and carefully before calling them disappointing. I stand by cross terrains as do many others.

CdeFabio

Agreed! I have had great luck with them - very good tires in all conditions!!

toy4two

I've seen people that went with tires that got better reviews at TireRack only to be disappointed they didn't go with the Cross Terrains.

HarrierAWD

I was once interested in the Michelin Cross Terrain since many people said good thing about it. Also I had Michelin X-One on my last car. It was the best tire that I've ever had. Later CR tested the X-One and it was the highest scored tire ever.

Until Consumer Reports tested 22 SUV tires in the Nov 2004 issue. The Michelin Cross Terrain was ranked #19 out of 22. Notably it has the worst handling among all 22 tires, and only a fair ride comfort rating, contrary to some owners' experience. Note that just about any new tire can do better than half worn Goodyear Integrity or Bridgestone Duelers. So "seat-of-the-pants" may not be the best way to judge tire performance.

TireRack does not do thorough scientific testing on tires like CR does. And people don't even have to buy from TireRack to post a testimony. TireRack might also be biased to tout brands that give better profit margin. So take it for what it's worth. If you are in the market for SUV tires, go to your local library to read the CR Nov. 2004 issue. Then decide for yourself.

mikey00

The CTs did not have the worst handling of all 22 tires as stated above. There were 17 tires that tied with the CTs for handling. Only 5 tires came out ahead of the pack. Still when all the test catagories are considered the CTs did not do well as one would expect. The results ran contrary as to what one may expect from previous customer experience and internet posts. I had Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts on both my RXs and replaced them with CTs on one of them. I was very impressed with the CTs over the H/Ts and know that they were a big improvement. But yet the H/Ts came out ahead on the consumer reports test. There are some tires that did well in the tests but customers have posted about other problems about them, such as keeping them in balance and wear. These types of things don't always show up in a test on a limited number of tires. I still think CTs are the best overall and plan I using them again if I ever wear these out.

HarrierAWD

Mikey00, please double-check.

The Michelin Cross Terrain got the "fair" rating in handling - the worst among all 22 tires. All other tires received "good", "very good", or "excellent" rating.

mikey00

Sorry about that. You are correct. I have been a firm believer in Consumer reports for years, and based on this test I would be tempted to try the Goodyear Fortera. I still find it odd that this test seems to contradict all other info I can find. The only drawback to the Fortera is that it is not made in the stock size for the RX (225), so you would have to upsize to235, but many do that with the CT anyway.

HarrierAWD

No problem dude.

I can understand why many RX owners swear by the Michelin Cross Terrain. I am sure that it's better than the stock Goodyear or Bridgestone. However, based on the CR test, there are better choices out there at much better prices.

I would never buy another Goodyear ever. After a long highway trip, one Goodyear Integrity failed on me (its sidewall leaked so I didn't run over a nail or something.) I took it to Goodyear in Kansas to get a replacement. They refused to honor the warranty and made me pay $110 for a new one. "Somebody stabbed it." they said. I'd like to know who can stab my tire at 75 mph???