pauljcl

I have been, along with so many, reading and participating in a few of the many 'tire' threads. The time for change came, and I put Bridgestone Ecopia (Dueler 422) on my RX350, which I use mainly for travel in the summer. For long distances my major requirements are quiet and comfort. It took about 1500 miles of break-in for the tires to now be the most comfortable tires and the quietest I've had on any RX. They track very well, both in the dry and in the wet. The only drawback is lack of 'feel', particularly compared to the OEM Michelins (which, as all Michelins, provide the most 'feel'). For me, this is most annoying in the wet, since one does not 'feel' when/if the tires have begun slipping. But they seem to hold on really well and I'm happy at the trade.
My usual summer trip to Toronto from Miami was accomplished with a lot less fatigue than previously. Fuel consumption, dismal at first, seems to rival the OEM Michelins by the time the 1500 mile use has been reached. In my case, it is around 25 mpg or a touch more (RX's computer) on the motorway at 75-80 mph. We'll see if it improves further on the return trip next month.
All in all, so far so good.... it's been a good choice of tires at a reasonable price (Costco all in $780).

thomas1

I too just installed them on my RX400h, today, Time will tell. Yes they do lack feel...The Yokohama Parada X were a great tire in all respects, went 44k miles....Hope these perform that well...

pauljcl

"They" say 50K miles... we'll see.
But I really noticed much improvement as the tires passed the 500/700 mile mark and then the 1500 mile mark. Let us know your experience as you go...

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

almost 9 months for me....no problems so far.....

thomas1

warranty on Bridgestone is 65k....cant remember on the Parada X.,...... not driving much right now, my radiator cracked open. Slow leak, and I have one on order from RockAuto (denso). next task at hand.

pauljcl

Good luck!

evident

Hi, My old Michelin S8's were pretty old and had no tread left on them.

I just the Ecopia 422's (18 inch) installed at Costco yesterday and my car felt completely different when driving home. definitely tracks and handles much better than what I had on there. Will post an update after I've driven on them a little longer. On a side note, I had them put one of my old michelins on my full size spare. The full size spare was from 2006 (probably came w/ the car) and was completely cracked. Probably wouldn't have been able to use it if i got a flat. Make sure you have them put one of your old tires on your spare when you go to replace them!!

gundy

Excellent point Tina. And one I'm glad you made since I'm due for new tires soon (before winter anyway). Will definitely have the spare checked out. Being made of a rubber material, the tire will become dry, brittle, cracked over time and need replaced just as other wear-and-tear rubber parts do (e.g., hoses, belts). I wonder if there is any mention in the manuals of checking/replacing the spare tire after a certain period of time.

mpatton

I just installed these on my '04 330 and so far I really like them. Taking a 1200 mile trip in a few weeks and will see how it goes!

pauljcl

I think you will find that they are better towards the end of the trip than at the beginning. Mine were less noisy and gave better gas mileage at 1500 miles than previously. Let us know what you think and whether you believe they require a couple of lbs/sq in extra pressure as the sidewalls are so flexible/soft, or not.

mpatton

Thanks, I'll definitely let you know. It's a quick ~700 mi there and then back a few days after through 2 climates. Should be fun to see how they act!