tire selection

robins117 · 10-17-09, 09:59 PM

I have a 2008 RX350 with 26K on the OE Goodyear tires. I researched CS and TireRack and saw that the Kumho Road Venture had good reviews on both. I put those on and they have so much vibration. I took them back and they "road force" balanced and now they're worse. Has anyone experienced anything similar? The retailer (Kauffman Tire) offered to replace them with another tire. They're recommending the Toyo Versado LX or Open Country H/T. Does anyone have any info or experience with either of these Toyo's? I live in the southeast, so snow is really not a concern. I just joined this forum and I've seen some posts about the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza. I'm not sure if I'll be able to swap for those now, though. I'd like to find tires that ride well, have good wet traction and will last at least 40K miles. Would like some recommendations.

jfelbab · 10-18-09, 08:15 AM

I own the Bridgestone Alenza's and the ride and feel are much better than the OEM Goodyears. If I were to purchase again it would either be another set of the Alenzas or the Yokohama PARADA Spec-X.

That said, there are no reviews that I have found that suggests the Road Venture has a lot of vibration. I wonder if there is not some other issue. Perhaps a defective tire belt or a problem with the balancer.

kitlz · 10-18-09, 08:48 AM

I just replaced the Bridgestone Alenzas after 33K on my 04 with the Michelin Energy MXV4. So far so good, the ride is nice and tight again and much better than the Goodyears on it originally. Michelin also has a $70 rebate available when you buy four.

kiwi · 10-18-09, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfelbab

That said, there are no reviews that I have found that suggests the Road Venture has a lot of vibration. I wonder if there is not some other issue. Perhaps a defective tire belt or a problem with the balancer.

apparantly they were road force balanced, which rules out/finds any tire problem whatsoever, so it wasnt a defective tire

srm47 · 10-18-09, 03:14 PM

I have about 4000 miles on a set of the Bridgestones H/T's on a 2008 RX 350 and couldn't be happier. They replaced the crap Goodyears that barely made it to 30K miles. I run the Bridgestone's at 32-33 PSI and the ride is great without losing much on the handling side.

Grumpa72 · 10-19-09, 08:33 PM

I put Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas on my 05 and I LOVE them. The OEM Michelins were quite good and went about 48K+ on the them. When I went to look at them as replacements, they did NOT have a warranty. The Bridgestones do and they ride wonderfully - low noise, no vibration and, after about 6000 miles, no appreciable wear. They will be my next tire too.

robins117 · 10-20-09, 12:07 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I should have checked on the forum first. I'll see if I can get the Bridgestone's but I don't think this dealer carries Bridgestone. I'll have to see what my options are. Could be that I'll need to choose a Toyo, Goodyear or Michelin (they carry those) and if that's the case, I'll probably end up going with the Toyo Versado. If that doesn't work, I'll have to see if they'll give me a refund, but kind of doubtful.

kitlz · 10-20-09, 01:01 PM

My dealer doesn't carry the Alenzas either. In the past, I purchased them and other non-OE tires from my fav local tire store, put them in the back, and then drove down to the dealer to install and align. When I changed from the Alenzas to the OE Michelins last week, it turns out the dealer was actually cheaper than my local tire guy by a decent amount. And I had a coupon for a free alignment

You can't go wrong with the Alenzas. They were pretty decent. Michelin has always been great too. I don't know about the Toyos. I have to say I was surprised you got 26K on your Goodyears. Mine lasted only 16K.

jimp · 10-20-09, 07:56 PM

I put on the versado lx 10k miles ago after getting 45k out of the original michelin they seem smoother and just as quite.no change in gas mileage.overall quite pleased and can find nothing to persuade me to switch to something else.

DaveJ · 10-29-09, 05:02 PM

Here's another vote for the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza. Great tire for our RX330. Very happy with them. Very quiet, good handling, smooth, and wears nicely.

skpsm · 11-01-09, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveJ

Here's another vote for the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza. Great tire for our RX330. Very happy with them. Very quiet, good handling, smooth, and wears nicely.

Another vote from me for the alenzas. 20k+ and driving quiet and smooth

asianrage · 11-03-09, 11:11 AM

My factory set of Michelin MXMV4 Energy lasted for 55K miles. I replaced those with a new set of Nitto NT420S sized at 255/55/18. Ultra High Performance All Season tires. 50 bucks cheaper but about 4lbs heavier, per tire, than the 235/55 sized Michelins. Ride very nice, though if I was to do it again, I think I might go back to the factory 235/55 sizing. I don't know how good treadwear will be, but I'm hoping that it'll be according to manufacturer's specs. I keep the tire pressure at around 31lbs.

asianrage · 11-03-09, 11:14 AM

I was going to get the Kumho Venture, but i found that, for the size, according to TR.com, that it was too heavy. It would diminish the MPG too much for my liking. My Nittos are lighter, but being heaving than the Michelins, I did suffer a 1-2mpg drop. I can't imagine how low the MPG would be with the Kumhos.

lexus114 · 11-03-09, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asianrage

I was going to get the Kumho Venture, but i found that, for the size, according to TR.com, that it was too heavy. It would diminish the MPG too much for my liking. My Nittos are lighter, but being heaving than the Michelins, I did suffer a 1-2mpg drop. I can't imagine how low the MPG would be with the Kumhos.

I really like (besides Michelins) Falken tires.

jmaynard · 11-06-09, 03:30 AM

My 2007 came with the Michelins from the factory. I got 51K out of them, and just replaced them with four more. I saw absolutely no reason to change a thing.