After a lot of research, we went with the 18 inch Yokohama Spec X tires on Lumarai Morro wheels. Just getting around to taking photos and posting.

After about a month and 500 miles, the tires have been great. Superb wet and dry traction. Very good ride and very low noise. Tires highly recommended.

 

GRMick, thanks for the update. I'm glad you finally found a tire. And the rims look good. The contrast is interesting. Keep us posted.

 

OFF - Dunlop Dueler's, 255/70/R18
ON - Michelin Latitude Tour 235/60R18 102V at America's Tire (Discount Tire)
Phenomenal reduction in road noise and a much smoother ride. Only put 10 miles on 'em and can't wait to try 'em on a bumpy country road. I'm RX-cited! $1033 OTD. Includes $869 for the tires, $16 for rebuilding TPMS which sounds unnecessary, but I'm unfamiliar with this new stuff, $64 for lifetime spin balancing, $67 Sales Tax, and nickel & dime fees.
We have a long trip coming up, so I will report anything out of the ordinary, should it become necessary.
BTW, there was a red dot on the outside of ONE of the tires. The guy said it identifies the heavy part of the tire. The other three did not have this mark. Any ideas?
Ray A.

 

I picked up a new '15 RX yesterday that came with those Latitudes.
There is a Red dot on each of the four tires.

I've always bought Michelin and thought I got lucky yesterday at the dealership.
I think my '02 came with Bridgestones.

 

GRMick ... why did you go for 18" tires on the 450h? Ride comfort? I think all 450h's in my area come with 19" wheels.

 

GRMick, so glad you like them! I thought they were a HUGE improvement over the Dunlop OEM tires.

 

Yes…went with the 18 inch diameter for slightly softer ride.

Our vehicle did indeed come with 19 inch wheels, and unfortunately, the Dunlop tires. The reviews were not wrong…the original Dunlop tires were really bad in our experience. We tossed the tires and kept the 19 inch wheels and use them for dedicated Nokian winter tires.

 

We are very pleased with their performance …and they are a great deal. Tire Rack has them for only $153 each, plus $55 for shipping the four tires.

Thank you again for sharing your experience..it really helped us out.

 

I ask this out of ignorance...........of course.

For whatever reason, of which I don't know, the 3rd generation RX is fitted with "V" rated tires; maybe 2nd generation too? I state this the way I do because the "V" rating is for speeds 'up to' 160mph......I believe? Whose going to go that fast.....but I'm guessing there is more to it than that. (part of my ignorance or 'I don't know')

One of the top rated tires and even been the 'recommended' tires for our RX has a 'speed' rating of "H". It's an X'tra Load type tire too.........105H is its rating.

The point is that a Lexus dealer will not put on a tire that is not 'matching' or identical in rating ........ meaning the "V". In fact some of the tire stores have the same policy.

Tire Rack and a few other tire re-sellers highly recommend the Bridgestone tire which has the "H" rating. What is one losing when they use a "H" tire instead of a "V"??? I believe the "H" tire speed rating is still up there.....around 135mph I think?

I am looking forward to some information and advice on this question I have posed.

thanks

 

Hello NorthGa;

Excellent questions regarding tire "speed ratings". I always thought the speed rating system was a bit confusing. IMO, a better way to look at the speed rating is to think of it as the tires ability to withstand heat and centrifugal force while under load. The higher the mph rating, the more robustly the tire has to be constructed to deal with higher temperatures and forces under load. H rated tires are good to 130 mph, V rated tires are up to 149 mph.

Lexus may have thought the RX needed the higher spec V tires to deal with the heat and load of the vehicle, even though the tires would never be used (legally) up to 149 mph on North American public roads. I guess if the RX was taken to a race track, those speed could be attained. Or perhaps they wanted global tires that could be used on unrestricted motorways around the world. Or maybe Lexus just liked how the tires performed and they just happened to be V speed rated.

In any event, as you indicated, most tire manufactures and installers do not recommend or put on "lesser" rated tires than what came from the factory. If something went bad…think Ford Explorer with Firestone tires, people could get hurt and every product liability attorney from Inuvik to Key West would be filing actions.

The same goes for tire load rating. If the manufacturing thinks the vehicle needs a certain load rating, even though it is more than the vehicles gross weight, tire manufactures or installer won't contradict this in most instances.

Here is a website that goes into detail about speed ratings. http://www.barrystiretech.com/speedratings.html In addition to the speed ratings, there is also tremendous amount of other tire information on the website.

For me, I'm okay with using lower speed rated tires in the winter where our tire/road temperatures and speeds are lower…our dedicated winter tires are "R" speed rated. However, I never buy tires with a lesser speed rating than H, or the manufacturers rating, which ever is higher. For load rating, I never go less than the original tires.

Hope this helps.

 

Rx is supposedly limited to 112 mph and won't come close to needed anything rating over "U"

Conversation about H vs V is wasted on the RX.

 

Waisted? meaning that it is not worthy being posted or asked about?

I asked because the Lexus dealership, which can come up with some pretty competitive prices for tires, will not entertain ordering or installing anything unless it is an 'exact' match of what came or is specified for the vehicle. In other words it has to be a 101 and a 'V' rating. No 105 and no 'H'. Some of the major tire resellers are doing identical.

So, maybe, if one is to try something different you 'might' have to buy the tires separate and take them to someone who will install them for you???

That's what I seem to be comfronted with?????

 

Well.....thumbs up to Bridgestone Tire Company
They called me to explain why it would not be a good idea for me to buy their tire!!!!!
They actually called and not just try to email me a vague response.

They said if I went to a Firestone/Bridgestone dealership they would not install the tire I had inquired about.
Why? because the "H" rating would definitely affect the handling of the vehicle. Specifically the item of concern would be stopping distance. The person said that in a panic stop the difference between a "H" and a "V" could be up to 26 feet in my vehicle.

So even tho the Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecco is a supposedly better tire, according to Tire Rack and a few others, it should not be installed on a 3rd generation RX.

Maybe I should contact Tire Rack and tell them.....since they tried so hard to get me to buy that tire?????

 

No, I only meant wasted in terms of maxing out the mph on the Rx in that the vehicle will never ever come close to reaching either limit. So speed rating of either is useless information.

But if there is a difference in stopping power per your post above, that is something altogether different which unfortunately I can't speak to. I've never dealt with an H rating.

Does sound like Bridgestone deserves some kudos for going to extra step in providing information.

 

I accidentally hit my Rx to a curb and got side cut beyond repair. Approx 50% tread is remaining on other 3 tires. Unfortunately it is AWD and I have to replace all 4 tires. Based on positive reviews on this thread I had almost decided to get Ecopia at Costco. The mechanic and sales guy at costco strongly recommended to get Alenza Plus instead of Ecopia. They said Alenza plus is as quiet as Ecopia with better snow handling and 80,000 mile warranty. I was not convinced on that and contacted Bridgestone support who suggested that I should get Serenity Plus instead of Alenza Plus or Ecopia. Now I am confused as I got three different opinions and all seem equally good.

Basically I am looking for very quiet, comfortable ride, better handling in general and in snow. Can anyone please suggest the best option based on their experience with:

Bridgestone - Dueler H/L Alenza Plus
Bridgestone - Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia
Bridgestone - Turanza Serenity Plus

Appreciate quick response. TIA