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It diffinitly effects ride. A friend has the 18" wheels on his new suv and the ride seems to be better than my 20" wheels. Don't know about handling yet because my RX350 is only 6 weeks old and I have not been in situations where handling is real important.
Which manufactures model tire do most owners of the new RX350 have? I have 20" Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus on mine. Mine were part of the package which came with other features.
Based on the information in Tire Rack, different tires from different manufactures have different levels of handling, comfort and tread life, as well as, noise and price.
I have the Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus also. Reading the preview reports before the new RX350 was shipped, all were suppose to have a special Michelin tire. I noticed that tire was on the sport model and the RX450h.
My soon to be delivered RX also has the Bridgestone Ecopia tires - RX is from Japan. Not sure if the Canadian RXs are using one tire manufacturer vs Japanese RXs. We have the Premier LTX tires on the SO's Acura RDX and I prejudicially want them on my RX. The Premier tire series uses proprietary rubber and manufacturing technology to maintain tire performance from new to replacement better than other tires according to Michelin and some reviews that I've read.
Michelin's press release from mid-2015 indicates that they developed the tire in conjunction with Lexus for the RX; however, in the last week, Bridgestone announced that the Ecopias were being installed on select 2016 RX models in both 18" and 20" variants. I wonder if this was planned by Lexus, a reaction to supply issues by Michelin or a response to an issue with the Premier LTX on the RX?
Personally, I think Lexus botched the release of this vehicle. I can't believe that they are still unable to deliver vehicles in certain colors with "standard" equipment offerings plus baseline accessories in February after releasing the vehicle in November. You can have all the RXs that you want as long as you want black or silver. The number of lame, contradictory excuses from my dealer representative on this subject would make a great SNL skit - the reason that you can't get that accessory yet is because Lexus wants to make sure that you get the gas mileage that they advertise. It should be available in 9 months. Huh? Lexus is negotiating to change the laws of physics? Meanwhile, it appears that I can buy the accessory on EBay. And lest we forget the elusive mudguards that now appear to be showing up one set at a time to dealers.
we have the ecopia on our f sport 450h. the are supposed to an low rolling resistance tire to help with fuel economy. thats what we normally sell to highlander hybrids at toyota
I have experience with BOTH the 18" Bridgestone Ecopias that came with my base 2016 lexus RX and the Michelin LTX Premier that came with the 20" F Sport wheels I upgraded to. The Michelin are way more grippy and more responsive than the Ecopias. Many times I accelerated with the Ecopias to the sound of rubber burnout and also when suddenly stopping also did burnout sound but this inintentional burnout sound has never happened with the Michelin. I feel in control with the Michelin, more responsive drive. I have read people comenting that the Ecopias only last 25,000 miles before needing replacement and the Michelin can last more than twice. When I read that I flipped the Ecopias on craigslist for $400.
Some of the earlier posts are suggesting that 20" rims fill in the wheel space better or roll less often but really this is just about the tire/rim relationship of roughly the same diameter.
It is about how much is rim versus how much is tire. The 20's rims have much more rim but less tire sidewall depth and 18's have the opposite but are more or less the same diameter around.
The 20" rim likely have a bit stiffer but more responsive feel, as the tire has less sidewall to absorb the bumps..
I have experience with BOTH the 18" Bridgestone Ecopias that came with my base 2016 lexus RX and the Michelin LTX Premier that came with the 20" F Sport wheels I upgraded to. The Michelin are way more grippy and more responsive than the Ecopias. Many times I accelerated with the Ecopias to the sound of rubber burnout and also when suddenly stopping also did burnout sound but this inintentional burnout sound has never happened with the Michelin. I feel in control with the Michelin, more responsive drive. I have read people comenting that the Ecopias only last 25,000 miles before needing replacement and the Michelin can last more than twice. When I read that I flipped the Ecopias on craigslist for $400.
Just the person I need to hear from. What are your thoughts on the ride quality of the 18s vs 20s? My RX came with the 18s and I like the smooth ride. I bought the 20 F sport wheels off of eBay and picked them up today. They look sharp even though they are in boxes. Lol. I imagine they will look great on my caviar black RX but I am hesitant about ruining the ride. Thoughts? I plan to get the Michelin premiers.
Just the person I need to hear from. What are your thoughts on the ride quality of the 18s vs 20s? My RX came with the 18s and I like the smooth ride. I bought the 20 F sport wheels off of eBay and picked them up today. They look sharp even though they are in boxes. Lol. I imagine they will look great on my caviar black RX but I am hesitant about ruining the ride. Thoughts? I plan to get the Michelin premiers.
I'm assuming you have the base model. If so, can you post a pic after you get those wheels on? I like those wheels but don't want the F sport to get them. Want to see how it would look with those on a base model. Thanks!
02-16-16, 07:35 AM
