hoonami

I just got Bridgestone Alenza put on my 06 RX400h 3days ago. I was visiting family back home in Chicago so got the tires and alignment at the dealer. Got pretty good price on the tires i think, considering it is lexus dealership. Anyway on my way home(800 miles) the tires were very noisey on the highway, and lost 2-3mpg, even though it good grip and all, i am sure all new tires feel that way especially if you just replaced your worn tires. So I called bridgestone and they said they will swap it out with their line up of Duelers, ECOPIA. Suppose to be quieter and more fuel efficient tires. Anyone have any experience or have heard anything about Dueler ECOPIA?

Carver

Try checking the reviews at Tirerack.com.

kitlz

The Alenzas are a few pounds heavier. That might account for the lower gas mileage. I had no problems with them on my 330. They rocked in the snow. Unfortunately I don't know about the Ecopias. Try Tire Rack like Carver said. Good luck.

Adamjeeps

The Alenzas have been replaced by the Ecopias for some time now, you may have gotten some old tires. Also, you will calculate lower mileage when you put new tires on because they are larger in diameter than the old worn out tires, making your odometer turn a little more slowly, thus making it appear you have traveled less miles than if you had the old tires on.

mandyfig

We really need to check tire date codes. Old trires pose a problem. Who knows about date codes on tires? Time to google it.

hoonami

thanks guys, i just googled and check the tires on the car, manufacture date on 3 of the tires were 3211(32nd week of 2011 - august 2011) and 1 one them was 3511(35th week of 2011 september 2011). so they aren't that old im thinking. honestly i like how alenza handles on dry/wet pavement but road noise really bothers me especially on my hybrid. not really sure what to do now....whether to keep it or try ecopia... what if ecopia isn't much different on noise level....

nmtomcat

Here is a link to a web page that shows how to identify the date a tire is manufactured.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=11

I do wonder, however, what would be the problem with an older tire that has never been used. I see that Costco Tire still lists the Bridgestone Alenza Dueler. I have had two sets and really like them.

Neal

Adamjeeps

If they give you the Ecopias even trade then why not?

hoonami

ecopia is little cheaper than h/l alenzas....

Adamjeeps

What kind of tires did you have originally, maybe they were just really quiet. I have the Alenzas, and they are definitely not the quietest tire I've ever had.

hoonami

i had goodyear comfortred.

mandyfig

I have read good reviews on ecopia.

hoonami

on bridgestone's website, ecopia's specs are bit lower than alenzas for some reason.
Ecopia noise level and ride comfort level is lower than alenzas.

i am going to take it in to bridgestone's authroized dealer but not sure what i am going to do though.

1. switch to ecopia at no charge
2. pay the difference and put goodyear comfortred(which i had and was decent tire)
3. pay the difference and put michelin latitude tour

i've had at least 3 rx350(newbody) as loaner from lexus which had the alenzas and thought they were pretty decent tires and okay on noise level but we are talking 2 different cars....

what would you guys do if you were in my shoes??

corradoMR2

I recently changed the tires on my 07 400h, from the OEM Michelin Energy MXV4 S8s to BFGoodrich Radial TA Spec tires, which are 2010 and up Camaro V6 OEM 245/55/18. Yes, believe it. I'll get to that in a min.

After extensive research including Tirerack customer reviews, road tests, and other web site/forum/blog feedback, I've narrowed it down to the following, from most to least preferred. This is taking tire COST ASIDE, with the most important criteria as follows - Comfort, Road Noise, Wet/Snow handling, Treadwear, and if possible, maintaining or improving MPGS ("eco" or low rolling resistance tire). LEAST important to me was Sporty Handling/Dry grip.

1. Goodyear Assurance Comfortread Touring
2. Kumho Solus KL21 eco
3. Yokohama EnVigor
4. Bridgestone Dueller H/L 422 Ecopia

If you want among the longest lasting, comfortable and quiet tire, you've had them - stick to the Goodyears (but make sure they are the "Touring" ones). The Kumhos too are right up there. If you can accept a slightly harsher, noisier ride, but best dry grip of the bunch, the Yokos are the way to go. My fourth choice was the Duellers simply because of little feedback so didn't want to take the chance. However, they appear to be less noisy with better fuel economy than the Alenzas at the expense of some wet/dry grip though (low rolling resistance eco compound likely).

I didn't consider the Alenzas as I found the other tires listed were better for what I wanted.

I didn't consider the Michelin Latitude Tour HP because I owned them on my 09' Venza V6 for 2 years and found them lacking in the wet and comfort area, and they were wearing out fairly quickly (only a 440 treadwear rating). Also, they're among the most expensive.

So finally, despite my No 1 pick being the Goodyears, I went with the BFGoodrich Radial T/A Specs. This was risky considering they are designed for a performance car which would make one think the attributes I was looking for would not be in this tire. Well, I'm glad I took the risk. They were a cheap 81$ each at TireRack costing almost HALF as much as the next cheapest tire, the Kumhos. The few reviews (not just Tire Rack) out there showed a good overall tire and an unbeatable price. Treadwear is very good at 640 (at least on paper). Wet handling so far so good (no snow yet) better than the Michelins owned (Latitude and MXV4 S8s). Comfort and Road Noise a touch noisier/harsher than the Michelins, but chances are at least for the noise part, it's due to the new thicker tread. Overall smoothness of the tire is very impressive, though one tire needed almost 4 oz of weights and two trips to get it balanced before achieving my standard for Lexus smoothness. The best surprise with this tire is the Dry Grip is phenomenal! I honestly wasn't looking for that, but it's a welcome and pleasant feel when taking corners and feeling planted on the road and not hearing tire squeal. After all, this is a Performance/Grand Touring all-season tire. Now because they are about a half inch taller (and wider) than 235/55/18 tires, you will see a slightly lower MPG on the computer (3-4%), but so far when actually filling up at the pump, considering the mileage should be about 3% more than the odometer reads, run that against the actual gas pumped, and I've noticed no noticeable drop (or increase) in MPGs compared to the OEM Michelins.

Hope this helps