You are unlikely to notice any difference in performance between decent V-rated and decent H-rated tires on any RX. Again, no RX is anywhere close to being a performance vehicle. Compared to my Outback 3.6R, the RX is a slug with zero road feel thanks to its electric steering. The set of decent Kumho tires that were brand-new on her RX when we purchased it in October 2018 were V-rated. Her current H-rated Contis handle beautifully and should last 10,000 to 15,000 miles longer than those V-rated Kumho tires did (I replaced them at nearly 49,000 miles).

If you remain concerned about what appears to be Canadian tire liability issues, you may have to just bite the bullet and stick with V-rated tires.

Another great bang-for-the-buck all-season SUV tire to consider is the Vredestein HiTrac. When my Outback 3.6R needs new rubber (probably in late 2024), I intend to install a set if I can get them. The 19-inch version was out-of-stock during Summer 2022 when my wife's RX needed new tires, Discount Tire was running a great sale on the Contis at that time, my research proved the Contis to be a great tire as well, so on they went. My wife does a lot of highway driving, has had zero issues with them, and I still consider them to be a great choice as well.

 

Thanks for your suggestions, RX in NC.
Can't find anyone who sells Vredestein here anymore -- no demand??

Called every local shop and no popular high-rated tires of any brand are available -- stock unavailable in my size!
They now just wanna sell 3rd tier stuff, of course.
Sheesh, even CC2 and Defenders are now out of stock ..even at Costco.

At now 5/32", I guess we're just gonna have to baby these existing tires for yet another year.
And not use the car when it's down to freezing.

My '55 Chev truck with posi and cheap lugged tires is starting to look good. Well, save for lack of inside heat
With weight in the back I can get around to everywhere in that thing!

 

GrayRX,
I cannot recommend the Michelin Cross climate 2 enough to you if snow is a serious factor in your equation.
I have said it before here, but it's almost like these were made for our RX. Drive like a tank on tracks in the snow, great handling the rest of the year and are as quiet as anything else we have used.
So satisfied with these that I put them on two daughter's Rav4 s besides the RX.
So far they seem to be living up to/towards mileage warranty.

 

Gosh, there is now so much anecdotal data surrounding CC2 tires.

How much of this article have you found to be true for you and others? https://motorhungry.com/michelin-cro...te-2-problems/

I've also followed up on these claims in several other forums and reviews.

Where I live, the winters are not harsh. Maybe cumulative couple weeks of snow and black ice during these recent winters.
But we usually don't drive much then anyway.
Summers lately have been in the reverse for a couple weeks: sweltering hot -- "heat domes".
In these lower demands, perhaps CC2 is overkill

As I might have intimated, priorities here are for QUIET (I even went to the extent of soundproofing the open cargo area a few years back), and good performance across temps including the odd ice patch ..oh, and no onerous fuel hits.

 

I/we have not experienced ANY of those issues. Found this video over a year after going with the CC2 s and could not agree more that while not the best in any category, they are almost the best in every category.

This is a screenshot from a YouTube comparison of Michelin tires

Lots of reviews out there, but a search on Google for Michelin Cross climate 2 reviews for me shows overwhelming positive reviews and ratings from retailers like discount tire, tire rack and other full reviews.
This one seems fairly typical of most reviews.
https://www.torquenews.com/1083/mich...eason-standard

No dog in this fight, just passing on our absolute positive experience with these tires. (zero noise increase for us, since that is your primary factor, and that is something I was concerned about due to the unique tread pattern. So paid close attention to the noise when they were first installed. Both windows down and windows up.

 

Thanks for the info. I have seen most all of the data from the sources you referred to.
But it's the real-world users' results that I'm now zeroing in on ..because I may become one of them.

What size tire and speed rating did you put on? How many miles do you have on them?

And how is your fuel consumption with these tires -- did it increase at all in either summer or winter?
(our fuel prices here are getting crazy)

 

Does Tire Rack ship to your geographic area? That may be your best option right now.

 

I looked into that. The shipped price to here becomes a killer. And I doubt anyone here will mount them -- pretty 'closed shop'.

I went and re-checked the amount of tread left on all 4 Michelin Latitude Tour HP tires. Still at 6/32" !
Less than half wear (but still quite old at now, 9 yrs).
So, there's really no rush -- I can wait a while. They're just noisy and crappy in the Winter.

 

Picture below for the size.
they are H rated, but I don't remember that even being asked as a question or an issue when we got them.

Honestly, no one who regularly drives this RX pays regular detailed attention to the gas mileage, but no one noted a difference with these CC2 tires.
Have around 15k miles on them after a couple of years.

 

........

 

For low noise, look for tires recommended for EVs. I have Continental all season tires on my Tesla and love the ride, comfort and low noise as well as much cheaper than Michelin tires. Also, longer warranty. I hated the Michelin tires that came on the car. Noisy, hard and I had issues trying to collect on warranty. Never got anything back.

 

Thanks -- I was dallying with that idea too.

Which Continental tire did you end up using?

Have you had a chance to try them in Winter conditions?

Are they also on your RX?

 

Last year I put a set of Cross Climate 2s on our 2014 RX350 FWD. They replaced the latitude tours that had not gone the distance and had become dangerous in the wet. I love the Cross Climates. They seem to be glued to the road when it rains and are smooth on dry ones. There is a little noise if you are on concrete but otherwise nothing. MPG did not change. We get 23 routinely on 87 octane. 90,000 miles on this long term ride that my wife and I both love.

 

After nine years of the Michelin X-Ice, they’re finally replaced by the new X-Ice Snow with new TPMS. Costco no longer charges for installation so that was nice! The winter set is on the 19” factory rims.

 

My tires on my 2016 Tesla S P100D are Continental Extreme DWS 06 Plus 245/35/ZR 21. My Tesla was one of very few developed to beat the fastest ICE cars with 0 to 60 in 2.12 seconds. It has Ludicrous and Ludicrous + speeds so I wanted a smooth riding quiet tire that could take the torque of that car. It is great on dry/wet and ice & snow even with all that torque. You should be able to use a less expensive Continental tire on the Lexus.

Our 2015 Lexus RX450h has Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires that are nosier and harder riding but good snow tires.