GRMick

I'm a little confused by that one. On the PMC rating, this tire is noted as an all season performance tire. However, TR and the UK Continental sites note these tires are Summer tires…not all season. The US Continental site doesn't mention all season and it does not appear to be "M&S" rated. The EU rating for the 107V tires available in North America is E C 74.

viperdoc

To revive this thread a little, boy do these michelin latitude tour HPs SUCK!!!!

My F sport has only 11,000 miles in it. During the first snow of the year back in October, I thought, WOW! Does this thing do well in snow! Well, a few thousand miles later, and the tires are almost down to the wear bars. And last week we had a freek snow storm with dumped a massive 2 inches, and the car's antilock breaks activated with the slightest touch of the brakes. I see now why these were rated toward the bottom at tirerack. I cannot believe they have worn out so quickly (mind you, my commute is 6 miles each way, going 40 miles per hour, so I am not exactly taking it to the track) Also, the ride has gotten worse and worse. Imperfections in the road which were almost invisible, now provide a distinctive THUMP through the car when I go over them. The suspension is fine. It's these freakin tires.

billy44bo

What air pressure are you running the tires at? did you have someone check the
Alignment? Are you driving the Rx like a sport car? Did you rotate the tires at five thousand miles? Sorry to here you are having problems with them . How long have they been on the car? If you have done the three major things right alignment rotation air pressure and you only have 11 thousand miles on them Michelin shouldl replace them for free.

viperdoc

Billy, you make a good point. I have been so unhappy with them I didn't even think about trying to get them replaced. They have been on the car since last May (so not even a year). That is when I got the car new (the car now has only 11,000 miles). I have had it to the dealer for the 5,000 mile tire rotation/inspection and the 10,000 oil change and tire rotation/inspection. My driving is either an 11 minute commute to the gates of a military base, or with my three kids in the back taking them to various activities....so, no, not driven like a sports car (I wouldn't have the energy, frankly). The tire pressure is at the recommended 32 psi. Any higher and I really start to feel the road imperfections. I haven't had the alignment checked, but when the dealer told me how the tires were wearing, all they mentioned was that they were wearing evenly. So I doubt that there is an alignment issue. I don't know how much to trust the survey responses on tirerack.com, but the general consensus is that most people wouldn't buy these tires again.....I would agree. And I agree with their subjective ratings on other measures as well, including dry, wet and snow/ice traction. Of course the only other tires the dealer has for this car as OEMs are the #1 worst rated dunlops.

kitlz

viperdoc, sorry to hear about the Michelins. I've had similar bad experiences but with Goodyear. It's the main reason I typically do not choose OEM tires after the first set goes. I only did it once because I was trading the 330 in a few months later. Most times I've had the dealer install tires I bought from my fav tire store. That way I got exactly what I wanted on the RX. It's that important to me. Two years ago I finally let the tire store install the Pirellis and saved myself the 60 mile roundtrip to the dealer. The only difference, I had to add the tire change on the Lexus owners website.

Before you make a decision about changing out the Michelins, have the dealer check the alignment and make any needed adjustments. It's actually free for the first year or 12K miles, whichever comes first. At least you'll know. It's very unfortunate you have to think about new tires so soon but consider it your opportunity to find something better. Good luck.

mikemicaRX

Have read these comments for 1 year, wanted to add my experience with Yoko tires on my 08 RX 350: driven 22 K on them. Very satisfied with RAIN & SNOW conditions ( Ohio) . just rotated first time, slightly more worn on front tires, but back set look almost new still. This is not quietest tires I've had, yet I expect 40-50,000 miles based on first 22K now. Who has time to rotate tires at every 5 K , that I read people are doing on this forum ? I rotated & spin balanced at 22K, and I'm back running the road. Sound level is a 4 ( on 1-10 loudest scale). My next set of new tires, I will go for quieter I believe. But safety is a big issue with me, so lousy Ohio weather must be dealt with SAFELY. I am satisfied with Yoko's, and they are not expensive tires either . My type of driving, sales work , is a mix if city , highway. Drive alone often, but 4-5 people in RX every weekend. No one ever complains tires are loud when seated in the RX. Would also state that Yoko's are the BEST tire for both rain & snow that I've had on any SUV ! I've driven 10 different SUV's in my time. Also, I've never had any Michelins on any vehicle do better on rain & snow, only quieter I believe. Additionally , my Yoko's have a soft road feel which I like, good cornering at high or low speeds, responsive feel back to driver. Scale of Satisfaction: 7.5 out of 10 as best rating. Tire is Yokohama Avid Envigor all season , recommended OEM 18 " tires.

tak06

Just replaced the OE 19" Michelins with rather inexpensive 20" AS R07 Hankooks 265/45/20's mounted on 20x8.5" Lexus specific Lumarai wheels from D.T.D.
Whereas the Michelins were noisy, rough & choppy with poor steering sensitivity & handling, the Hankooks are quiet, smooth, great steering sensitivity and handling.
The latter two are probably a net result of a much larger foot print and rim width, but the difference is amazing
for a budget price tire from Hankook.

OEM 19" Michelins:


20" AS R07 Hankooks:

viperdoc

Love that look. I am thinking of getting that same style only in the black for my f sport.

kitlz

Nice rims and tires, tak06. You'll have to give us an update in a few months to let us know if you're still enjoying the ride.

As for me, it's been two years since I changed to the Pirellis and all is still well. I've put about 14K miles on them. Snow performance was very good overall this past winter. Only 12 hours left, yeah! I did stay off the roads during the worst storms. Common sense. Once I went around someone stuck on an ever so slight incline. I had no traction problems. And the short but steep incline, I was able to fly right up it while cars turned around. Tire pressure still remains pretty constant. I only added air once or twice in six months. Next rotation and alignment check is in May. I'll do another report then.

RX330inFL

Anita, I see on Tire Rack they have a new Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus.

tak06

I'll keep you posted, my current assessment may change with more mileage.

raylor4

Just came from a dealer in Roseville, CA. There was a new ES350 in the showroom with a window sticker that read, and I'm paraphrasing, "The tires on this car are expected to give 20,000 miles of service." Must be very soft tires for a quiet ride for the first year or so. Still, struck me as odd.
Ray A.

kitlz

Interesting. They're basically the same tire but two pounds lighter and a few bucks cheaper. I'm sure they won't disappoint. Thanks for pointing them out. The more options the merrier

RX330inFL

And, the treadwear rating went from 600 to 740. Looks like the new version is also a fraction narrower than the previous generation in the 19" size.

kitlz

And the Plus has a 65K mile warranty. Mine is 50K. I'm not sure how much different the loss on the width and higher treadwear will make. But the Scorpion Verdes are not a tire for someone looking for a mushy ride, that's for sure. Confident, yes.