kmar

gusar,
Thanks for the information. That makes sense not to rotate the tires yet. Would you expect the slight feathering on the outer edges of the front tires to go away over the next couple thousand miles before the first scheduled rotation at 5,000 miles?

kmar

My 2015 RX has almost 5,000 miles and is showing excessive wear on the edges of the front tires. They are noticeable feathered. The grooves in the tire are very rough when dragging a finger over them. I had the dealer check the alignment at 3500 miles, they said it was within spec and said they'd rotate the tires at 5,000 mile service which is coming up soon.

These are the Bridgestone tires, and I've been running the recommended pressure in them. Is there anything I can do to correct this excessive tire wear?

Thanks for any and all advice.

vince22

im no expert, but here's my take on this, your car is too new with this kind of issues, common cause of feathering is incorrect toe-in setting, if the toe-in was set correctly and this wear pattern still occurs,this is usually due to bad bushings in the front suspension, causing the wheel alignment to shift as the car moves down the road, i'll take it to different place for wheel alignment again. good luck.

BertL

I have no issue with my 19" Bridgestone Duelers -- still looking like new after 11K miles; Have had no alignment done since delivery; Only a few rotations; and everything came back "perfect" with recent dealer inspection a couple weeks ago. I just went out in the dark and felt the treads on my RX450h, and they don't appear rough or odd to me. For comparison, I went over to my MBZ (4K miles) with it's much lower profile Protenzas that are a different size on front and back designed more for the track, and edges of the tread feel similar to the touch. I turned on the light and all 3 type/sizes of tires look similar near the edges of the tread. Since your dealer checked alignment, perhaps your expectations are different or even higher than mine.

Beyond alignment, tire pressure is what I'd keep an eye on. Pressure problems can creep up on you quickly. My Bridgestones don't seem to loose much air compared to my former Michelins, but I personally check them monthly just-in-case. I ran a couple pounds higher than recommended for the first 18 months or so to see if I liked the ride noticeably better (see other threads on all that), but have gone back to factory-recommended pressure spec since. ...but as you've done before, I'd bring your concern up when you have your RX in for the 5K service. Good luck.

kitlz

kmar, I've merged this with the other thread you started back in May. I'm sorry the issue hasn't gone away. Check the tire manufacturer warranty book. It should be with the owners manuals. You might need to take your RX to a Bridgestone dealer for inspection since Lexus doesn't warranty the tire. And have the alignment and wear checked again during the 5K service. Some dealers are willing to exchange tires at little or no cost. That is if it is a tire issue and not something else.

kmar

Thanks for merging the threads Anita. I wanted to bring up the issue again since the abnormal tire wear has continued since the dealer checked alignment and said "everything was normal". This sounds more like an alignment or suspension issue than a tire issue. I'm considering taking it to an independent alignment shop for their opinion and perhaps an alignment check.

kmar

A correction to my previous post. My tires are Dunlops, not Bridgestones. I've had Bridgestones on several new vehicles in the past, so I forgot the RX actually has Dunlop tires.

BertL

Ahh, yes, the Dunlops. IMHO from reading years worth of posts here about them, can be a whole different beast compared to Bridgestones I was referring to earlier. It may be worth your spending some quality time searching and reading a bunch of the older related threads around here to come to your own conclusions -- some people have talked about not only noise, but I've anachedotally been left with the impression that wear for some may have not been as great as owners expected or received from other brands they have owned (perhaps related to your situation, I don't know), etc... In any case, previous recommendations stand -- mention it again when you are in for your 5K service; Consider pulling out your Dunlop Warranty Card, then going to another authorized Dunlop shop and and ask them about the wear (as it's Dunlop's warranty, not Lexus on the tires themselves if they are an issue). IMHO, a second opinion that can visually inspect your situation in person, vs us out here on the net just reading and writing opinions, is worth a lot. Good luck once again.

kitlz

kmar, you can see a picture of the Dunlops I used to have on my 450h in post 8. I wasn't impressed with the wear after only 16K miles so I replaced them. They are the softest among all the OE brands. And they were infamous for losing air after a week. At least that's what I found. I had the RXh aligned within 12 months of getting my RXh with just about the same mileage. It was done annually until I upgraded to the Pirellis which are at 8/32 with more than 20K miles on them BTW. I'd still recommend getting them checked by a Dunlop dealer in case they might be defective. But unfortunately it's not the best brand out there. And by all means go for a second opinion from an independent alignment shop. Just don't have them do anything since you're covered under warranty. I had my fav tire place install the Pirellis with an alignment. The 450h didn't need an alignment for two years and very infrequent tire pressure adjustments. But I think that also speaks to the tires themselves. Good luck and again keep us posted.

kmar

My 5,000 mile / 6 month service is scheduled for next week, so I stopped into the local Goodyear/Dunlop dealer for an opinion on this abnormal tire wear. The manager took a good look, noticed the wear was only on the outside edges of the front tires and described the wear as "chopping". He thinks it's incorrect camber. I intend to bring this up with the Lexus service manager.

Since Lexus did perform an alignment check as I noted earlier in this thread, does anyone know if they'll check it again under warranty? With the previous alignment check they said everything was within spec, but something seems wrong based on what the Goodyear guy said and the continued and worsening tire wear.

kmar

My 5,000 mile / 6 month service is scheduled for next week, so I stopped into the local Goodyear/Dunlop dealer for an opinion on this abnormal tire wear. The manager took a good look, noticed the wear was only on the outside edges of the front tires and described the wear as "chopping". He thinks it's incorrect camber. I intend to bring this up with the Lexus service manager.

With the previous alignment check they said everything was within spec, but something seems wrong based on what the Goodyear guy said and the continued and worsening tire wear.

Since Lexus has already performed an alignment check as I noted earlier in this thred, does anyone know if they will check it again under warranty?

kitlz

kmar, the alignment itself is covered under warranty. You should ask your dealer if there will be a charge. Probably not since you're under the warranty mentioned in post #14. It's complimentary at my dealer.

SteveCraig

Been through this a couple times with Ford F150. Rubber goes early once it starts.
Insist on new rubber on a brand new car.

kmar

Ha, fat chance that would happen no matter how much I kicked and screamed. When I asked for an alignment check the first time at 3500 miles or so, the service manager basically said they were doing me a favor "covering it this time", almost implying it's not a warranty thing. I was a service advisor in the RV business a few years back, so I know the kind of denial that goes on. "Within spec", "working as designed", etc...

Marqevans

[QUOTE=kmar;9080918]A correction to my previous post. My tires are Dunlops, not Bridgestones. I've had Bridgestones on several new vehicles in the past, so I forgot the RX actually has Dunlop

I have the Dunlops on my 2015 which I picked up in early January. I have about 5,000 miles. There is no sign of feathering. Interesting thing is, I just checked my air for the first time and all tires are at 35 pounds. The recommended amount is 32. Dealer must set them to 35.