There are so many choices these days. When I was a kid you had only two choices, BF Goodrich and Firestone one tread type and no warranties.

Now I have to research for half a day and I still dont know what I am getting. A 70,000 mile warranty doesnt mean they will go that far and the salesman knows that. It only means, if you still have the car, they will discount your next set an appropriate amount. But why would you buy another set if the first set did not meet your expectations?

Several sizes will work on the car, BUT they will not use but one size.

I just bought 4 new tires, RHG Road Hugger. 55K mileage warranty $88 each. 225/55. Surprised they would mount them since not 245 width. I wanted the narrower tire to reduce rolling resistance. Nice that the pressure limit is 51 psi. I can run them at 45 psi and still be within warranty.

They took me back to show me the chrome peeling off the INSIDE of the rim and said it could cause rim leaks. Who was the idiot engineer that thought it was a good idea to chrome INSIDE the wheel? If it causes leaks I will pull the tire off and use a powered wire brush to clean it down to bare metal.....as it should have been in the first place. New wheels would have been more expensive than the tires.

 

One of the wheels on my GX was leaking and it was because of flaking chrome buildup. They were able to clean it up and it's been fine for about a year now.

 

Good to know. Thanks.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. My OE Goodyear RS-A were terrrible tires on the brand new 1998 Maxima, yet the tires went 87k and still had some left. That is the same as a restaurant having an "Early Bird Special," where all the diners eat and are full, and have so much leftover, that they take a doggie bag home, enough for tomorrow's dinner. these types of restaurants are often run by wealthy people who always wanted to own a restaurant, and they don't last.

Now, you have Michelin Premiers which start at 8.5/32, about 2.5/32 less than most. They are warranted to 60k and look like they are nearing shot at < 30k. When they don't make 60k, the owners buy a new set at a pro-rata imho likely to be in Michelins favor when I read the warranty. How do we avoid this scenario? Not really sure, because it's not just tires where industry is trying hard to not give the house away.

edit another example: A major wireless carrier as late as July--Canada and Mexico $25/mo. 1 gb data. Today? $70/mo. for 512 mb. Nearly triple the price, for half. Not quite but almost 6X the price. The reason they do that? They can. We consumers are easily taken. (actually as they fleeced us into no subsidized phones you pay $1000 or $750, they pushed people into a TravelPass for $5 or $10/day--once you use a small amount of data you switch to 3G--$5/day for 30 days is $150/mo.,not $25)

 

Its not that we can be taken so easily, its that so many of us are fools and accept it as normal. Those of us that complain are just pushed out the door because it is cheaper to advertise and get a new fool than it is to treat us properly so we will stay. Cell phones are the perfect example. Why try to satisfy me when I complain when they can get three new customers for the same cost.

 

I agree that there are too many tire choices and poor differentiation and too many mixed reviews on tires across the entire spectrum. Even the Premier A/S have very mixed reviews online. I have previously trusted Michelin and will continue to do so - I am just assuming they put quality and safety at top of mind, and reflect that in their pricing.

I'm quite happy with the ride quality of my Primacy MXV4 and X-Ice Xi2, and I have never reviewed either online. MXV4 wet grip is a bit lacking, but otherwise a great tire. I assume people unhappy with their purchase tend to post online reviews moreso than people happy with their purchase. Maybe there are plenty of very satisfied and Premier A/S owners out there remaining quiet.

I recently had a nail go through one MXV4, so using the factory Dunlop from 2002 as a permanent replacement and bought a new Premier A/S as a spare. When it's time to replace the MXV4 set, I will be purchasing the Premier A/S or whatever Michelin's best is at that time.

However, if someone provides information about another brand showing that this other brand's history, R&D investments, production quality, ride quality, and longevity is better than Michelin, at a marginally higher price or preferably below Michelin pricing, then I would be willing to switch brands.

I would say that the vast majority of 2001-2006 LS430 owners with chrome wheels now have the same problem with corrosion on the bead. You need to point out to your tire tech that the inside of the chrome wheels need to be wire-brushed and sanded thoroughly, and a generous and equal layer of bead sealant needs to be applied, otherwise you will experience leaks.

 

Sadly the MXV4's are no longer around, thats what I had on my car. I just got the p7s and noticed it had a harsher ride today. Turns out they put 35psi, I run mine at 32, so I just let some air out and will see how they feel. I also had the leaking with the chrome on my wheels, ended up having to have it repaired last year, so far its held up ok.

 

How did they repair it??

 

They had to scrape part of the chrome off on the inside that was flaking. I dropped it off and don't know the specific method, cost me around $100 for 1 wheel that was leaking.

 

Don't count me as one of those majority that you think has trouble with chrome wheels. My chrome wheels are OEM on my 04 LS430, now have 135,000 miles, and never had a corrosion or leak problem with my wheels.

 

I went from MXV4 v rated to comfortred touring V in 17s and noticed little difference both great tires. Goodyears have great rebates off and on.

 

When ya look at Tire Rack ratings they take one car one tire size and give their ratings but rarely in the car and tire size one drives. I really liked the Comfortred it was rated good but not stellar at 205/55/16 on a 328. The regular Assurance I did not like as much as I think of all the tires I have run pn my 2 LS in 300k miles. Alot of people rave about the Pirellis(just overall feeling was average), me no so much so its subjective also

 

The RHG Road Huggers I got were made for Discount tires so I expect the warranty will be well respected by them. But they were $20 (per tire) off the store price so the savings should makeup for any aggravation. When I commented that the RHGs were $108 each and that the Uni Royal Tiger Paws were only $88 but had a longer tread wear warranty(70k vs 55k), the salesman said, "I will give them to you for $88". I said, "sold"

I wonder if any of you have had this experience. The first day the tires were noisy and the handling was squirrely. The next day they were quieter and handled normally. Yes, I checked, there were no stickers on the tread, all clean.

I like the fact that the max pressure is 51 PSI so I can run them at 45 PSI for excellent fuel mileage and the suspension on this car is so good that you cannot tell the difference in ride from lower pressures except that at 32 PSI the steering is sluggish.

 

Its amazing to me how many people think price is a determinate of quality or think advertising is honest. Use your head, not your wallet if you want quality. It works better and you got it as a gift at birth.

 

So... you really run your RHG Road Hugger at 45 psi? That is pretty amazing...