I have a 2006 RX 400h with about 50k miles on it. It looks to be at about the point where the tires should be replaced before too long. I presume that Lexus chose the Michelin's for performance and fuel economy. Should I be careful to replace the tires with the same tire or is there something out there that is comparable or better?

 

One thing I can warn you about is DO NOTTTT, I repeat DO NOOTTTT buy the Goodyear (aka Badyear) Eagle RS-A. They are not the tires you would want.

 

Thanks, that's the type of information I want to know. The way manufacturing is these days I don't even know if the OE tire is still available.

I would not be so concerned except that I want to think the 400h was designed with a lot of thought in mind and the tires were critical to the engineers. I love the vehicle and it has been problem free so I don't want to compromise it.

I happened to notice that the OE tires were produced by Michelin in the United States yet the final assembly of the vehicle was in Japan. All of the United States Michelin plants are in the eastern US. Apparently, the tires were manufactured in the US, shipped through the Panama Canal to Japan for final assembly on the vehicles that were then imported to the US. Is this a lesson in globalization or what?

 

I bought the Bridgestone Alenzas, and a lot of other Lexus owners are doing the same according to the other Lexus forum I am on. I agree dont get the Goodyears, but the Michelins are still available but many who have the Bridgestones like them better. They do have a higher tread wear rating and they are a much better all season tire even in some snow conditions that either the Mich or the G Year. Look at the tire rack and compare the user ratings of each and that might help you decide.

 

I went with the Good Year Eagle ResponsEdge. AWESOME tire. Very quiet, and excellent wear rating to date. Highly recommend.

Cheers,

MadloR

 

hahaha. Hi MadloR, glad to see you back on this forum! Haven't seen you around in a while!

 

Anybody know anything or have any opinions/experience with the Cooper Zeon Sport A/S? They appear to be highly rated.

 

Alright well time for my input on this subject... It all started about 2 weeks ago when i was driving to work in the pouring rain and almost crashed after hydroplaning on the stock Michilens.. in my opinion they are complete garbage in the snow/rain and drive more like $50 Firestone tires. I swapped mine out for Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow tires this weekend, and I couldn't be happier. These things are amazing! Ten times better feel than stock tires. Much more feedback on the road and the steering isn't as vague now. Much stiffer ride than stock, the lexus actually drives like an SUV now, not a Cadillac anymore. I could actually take the stock Michilens and bend them all the way in half which is absolutely unacceptable for a tire. They do weigh a ton less than the Pirellis but im much more concerned about my safety than getting .5 mpg better. By the way, I went with 255/55/18 (only $151 a piece from tire rack). The dry grip is amazing, I can actually corner now without worry about my RX tipping over. Drove them in the rain this morning and was extremely pleased so say the least, 80mph, no problem in pouring rain, wasn't afraid to take a corner at 15 mph over the speed limit either in the pouring rain. These tires instilled actual CONFIDENCE in me!!! who would have ever thought you would feel that way cornering in your RX?? I was always worried about rolling the RX. I give these tires a 9.0 / 10, check out the tire rack ratings (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....1=yes&place=53)


Edit: The Defining moment came last night when it was pouring buckets of rain, near hurricane like conditions, everyone is driving 45 in the slow/middle lanes and then comes Brett flying by them at 70 in the fast lane in complete control, high beaming people to get the F out of my way....On a side note, I hate people that refuse to move over from the fast lane, its a PASSING LANE for Christs sake!! If I want to drive faster than you desire with a higher chance of hydroplaning i'm more than willing to take that risk (not with the Michilens however). Just some background knowledge, I'm used to hauling *** at like 80 in these situations in my old ML500 with giant 275/55/17 All-Terrain Michilens, so it was an absolute shock to me when I couldn't even safely pull 55 in my RX when my Supra would have no problem pulling 70 in a torrential downpour (love my Bridgestone Potenza SO-3's). So basically I ended up having to weave in and out of traffic in this torrential downpour at 65 lol I would have been scared to death on the Michilens but I had no problem on the Pirellis, took the exit ramp at 10 mph over the speed limit, no loss of grip whatsoever. Took 90 degree turns in my neighborhood at 25-30, still no loss of traction, I couldn't even get VSC to come on.. I was shocked at how capable these tires were, two big thumbs up from me!
-Brett

 

I didn't think you would want to run winter tires in the summer? I thought they wear out much faster in warmer weather? Above 50 degrees...

Craig

 

The point of this thread was not to be argumentative but to get information. That being said, my 2006 RX400h was one of the very early ones. It was equipped with the Michelins. They seemed to be very good tires. After 50k miles the tread has worn to the point that they tend to hydroplane and I don't feel as safe with them as I did when they were new.

I'm surprised and shocked with what I've read about the Goodyear's. After the problems that Firestone has had (which has nearly destroyed the franchise) it is inconceivable that a major tire manufacturer would let a tire out of their factory with defects. Don't they ever learn?

Is NeoNz's problem with the Michelins due to tread wear or inferior design? I want to run a good tire that rates "very good" for tread wear and handling in wet, snowy and dry conditions. Yes, there has to be a compromise.

Right now I feel like I have to make a decision between the Cooper, the Bridgetone or the Michelin. The Pirelli is appealing but is it really designed for sever conditions and therefore treadware and safety at highway speeds may suffer?

Again, I'm only looking for information in order to make the best decision. That's why I posted the question. Time is short so any informative replys are welcome.