DrGP

Just check my recently aquired 2008 RX with AWD. 26K miles. Looks like dealer put on new michelins on the front. Rears are probably about 1/2 way worn. Maybe an alignment issue?

hypervish

You should move the new tires to the rear. Always put the new tires on the rear of the vehicle.

It's possible that there was alignment issue, and the dealer took care of it and replaced the worn tires.

RX330inFL

Alignment... possible. Lack of rotation by the previous owner due to the low miles or that they had been on the front and were due to be rotated and were worn beyond the ones on the rear? The Michelins were probably the original OEM which were not all that great anyway and did not have the longest lifespan. After you spend some time in the RX you might start thinking about replacing them with a better set. Is a common thought. Newly designed tires last longer and are quieter.

While the AWD is supposedly 50/50 split, give me a center locking diff any day, the extra weight up front will lead to greater wear up there along with the fact that those are the steering wheels and under braking the weight is vectored that direction.

I keep both a tire air pressure gauge and a tire depth gauge in the glove box. Allows me to see tire wear across the tire and to adjust pressures as needed. Gives you a heads up regarding uneven wear and alignment issues.

arnieosp

iTrader: (1)

I rotate my tires every time I change oil, every 5-6K miles, and they wear out pretty evenly. My first set of original Good Years lasted about 33K miles.

pauljcl

Because I hit a pothole, one of my tires (rear) blew. I had to buy a new one. I decided to use the spare + the new purchased one on the front, the two older ties in the rear, and the remaining older as spare. At the time (16K miles +/-) I measured the wear on all tires: the front and rear wore identically, close as I could tell - which is the reading/resolving power of the tire depth gauge. I still believed that - logically because they also steer - the front should wear faster, and thus put the new tires in the front. I haven't measured wear, but I am trying to 'equalize' the circumferences as much as possible so that the AWD is under the least stress. I run the front at 31psi and the rears at 33 psi. I also 'rotate' the rears and spare every 5K miles, which spreads the usage/mileage over three tires instead of two. If the tires last to 35K miles (which they seem likely to do given the wear on the first 16K miles), and approximating a little, the worn rears/spare will have done (16+ ((2/3)*20))= 30K miles, and the front 20K miles. If the tires last - because of the rotation - 45K miles, then the 'useage' becomes 36K for the rear and 30K for the front, and I will have a 30K used spare. That will be the time to change all four, and certainly not to the Michelins that were OEM, which I have found harsh-riding and not particularly grippy, also lacking feedback (but that may be the steering and the Lexus suspension setup).
I find the narrative that your car had some form of incorrect alignment, and that the dealer changed two tires as a result, very believable. On both Lexus' (es?) I have owned (both AWD), the alignments were perfect and the tires wore absolutely evenly.

DrGP

Checked cars service history . Found the dealer put on 2 new tires and did a 4wheel alignment

pauljcl

All is therefore well. Congrats!