bigpcman

I just had new tires put on my rx330 and had an unbelievable combination of errors occur. The tire store put on 215/65 r17 tires on the front and 235/65 r17 tires on the rear. I know this sounds impossible but that's what happened. So I ended up with a substantial mismatch in tire sizes front to back.

Unfortunately I didn't discover this until 2 weeks later after driving around 225 miles half of which was high speed highway driving. Before the tires were changed the car ran straight without any pull to either side. Now it pulls to the right.

The tire store has offered to replace the tires with the correct ones and to compensate me for any damage to the transfer case, viscous coupling unit or transmission.

So how do I determine what level of damage occurred if any? Would all the damage be evident already simply driving the car. Alternatively, would the damage be a reduction in the operational lifespan of the drive train leading up to a "surprise" future failure?

The tire store has asked for an estimate of the repair costs which will be evaluated by an appraiser.

I don't want to identify the tire store until after a final settlement has been reached. However, it is a popular nation wide tire retailer.

pauljcl

I am not an expert, but here is my take:
1. I assume you an AWD - otherwise, there is no issue.
2. No evident damage to any element of the transmission will be evident at this time,except later as a possible shortened life. However, 225 miles is not very much distance, so chances are that all is OK. You may want to speak to Lexus on this.
3. It is probably that the 'pulling to the right' has nothing to do with the past mismatch, but that one of your ties (probably front) is defective. You (=the tire dealer) can check this out by switching the front wheels side to side, and then by trying out another wheel (e.g. from the rear) to determine which tire is defective, then exchange it for a new one.
This must have been and is a trying experience. But, probably, all is OK and will resolve OK.
Good luck!

tomit

Different sized tires on the same end are definitely a problem. Different sized sets (front/back) probably not, since the AWD system is 'as needed' and usually not engaged. I would run it by a Lexus mechanic, however.

cdnewton

Not thread derailing, as it very much pertains to the issue at hand ... per the manual for our 2004 RX330 ... "... a full time 4WD system that constantly distributes torque at a ratio of 50:50 to the front and rear axles"

bigpcman

I contacted Lexus and was informed they will only offer an opinion about potential damage after performing an "inspection" consisting of driving the vehicle and visually inspecting the drive-train. This is of course not free and will cost around $150. Then if their opinion is "yes maybe some damage occurred" they will recommend dissembling the transfer case and other things. This is where the big bucks begin to kick in.

So I'm thinking perhaps a transmission repair shop might be a better starting point for an opinion.

pauljcl

1. I would not do anything other than an opinion from Lexus if you want to present your bills to your tire installer.
2. If you, who drives the car every day, does not feel anything wrong with the transmission, I doubt Lexus will. But, if you don't pay for it, let Lexus test the car.....
3. Again - if you were to drive one winter on icy, snowy roads, I think you would wear out the transmission a lot more than the small number of miles you actually did drive. So, unless you have a sense of something being wrong, or want to force the tire company to pay bills and maybe see a chance at a new transmission (after all, if you disassemble the transmission, might as well replace the parts which are comparatively inexpensive before re-assembling it, no?), I would not be concerned....

hmcwlbalan

I would run it by a Lexus mechanic, however.

bigpcman

I got the replacement tires installed today and the pull to the right went away. Fluid Auto Union is performing an inspection of the drive train.

cdnewton

Since you have an AWD RX330, I would ensure they acknowledge/document what they did. As this article states, it can be detrimental, but the big question is, within how many miles/time does it occur?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=18

Excerpt: "Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles are equipped with additional differentials and/or viscous couplings that are designed to allow momentary differences in wheel speeds when the vehicle turns a corner or temporarily spins a tire. However, if the differentials or viscous couplings are forced to operate 100% of the time because of mismatched tires, they will experience excessive heat and unwarranted wear until they fail.

This necessitates that four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles use tires that are very closely matched. This is because different diameter tires roll a different number of times each mile as a result of the variations in their circumferences. Tire diameter variations can be caused by accidentally using different sized tires, tires with different tread designs, tires made by different manufacturers, different inflation pressures or even tires worn to different tread depths."