RX400h front tyre wear

[kevmo]

My RX has severely worn its front tyres on the inner & outer shoulders in about 6000 miles, its having a drop link replaced under warranty at Lexus today and they are saying that this is normal tyre wear for a Lexus and there is nothing else wrong with the suspension.

In my head this is not normal. Do all RX's wear their front tyres like this? The tyres have about 3mm tread left apart from on the edges.

[Monte]

Hi,

My front tyres worn evenly at 8k miles but I keep them at 35 psi and not 33 as per manual, that's what many RX owners suggest to do.

Monte

 

[kevmo]

I too keep the pressures at 35psi. The wear is not underinflation.

[rayaans]

21 minutes ago, kevmo said:

I too keep the pressures at 35psi. The wear is not underinflation.

Do both front tyres have inner and outer wear? That would lead to an indication of underinflation and you say that is not the case. Have you been filling air up whilst the tyres are cold as hot tyres can add around 5psi on to cold psi.

Another thing would be to ensure your car is aligned properly. It is possible that there is too much positive camber causing outer edge wear or too much negative camber causing outer edge wear.

I have to say though, its quite rare to have both edges wearing at the same time, especially if the tyres are inflated properly as you say they are.

Out of interest, what tyre brand, size and load rating do you have? There may be a discrepancy causing this issue

[kevmo]

Both front tyres have roughly the same wear, I always check pressures when cold. Tyres are all Dunlop SP270, a full set of 4. I agree with the possibility that it could be alignment but I wanted Lexus to look at it before I do anything else as it is under warranty, also mis-alignment would I believe give either inner or outer wear as you have said . It is not at the same dealer I brought it from and they have suggested I contact the supplying dealer when I expressed my concern that this wear seems excessive. The problem I have is that the tyres were not brand new when I purchased it so I do not know how long they have lasted. There was not obvious wear on the edges but they are now shot after less than 6000 miles. I will be asking for their assurance in writing that there is nothing wrong with the suspension when I pick it up this afternoon and will also enquire about an alignment check. Then the next step is to contact the supplying dealer and see if they are willing to do anything. I don't hold out much hope as the Lexus line seems to be "no that's normal for a Lexus sir"

Safe to say that I would not have purchased one if I had known I would have to replace the front tyres every year.

On another note, I have to get new front tyres now. Will Lexus price match with an online supplier? Camskill are showing Michelin Latitude Tour HP at £222 delivered for a pair.

[rayaans]

Regarding the price match, it depends on the dealer. Mine will price match cost but only from Tyre stores including fitting. They're unlikely to price match online prices as more often than note, online sellers don't have as much in terms of costs to run the place.

Something worth thinking about - Is there a possibility that the camber is off on the front wheels? Therefore causing most likely outside wear on both tyres? I have a feeling someone knew about this and then swapped the front tyres around but put them on back to front on the other side as the SP270 are not directional so can be mounted any way you want which would lead to both edges being worn.

Pop down to Kwik fit or something and get the alignment checked before you get any new tyres, otherwise its just going to keep occurring and will shoot through the Michelins before you reach 10k miles.

I should mention that I had the SP270 which were factory fit on my RX450h and I ran them down to 2mm over 26k miles and the RX450h weighs about 200kg more than the 400h. You should be seeing around 28-30k on a set on the 400h.

I actually had the opposite to you where the middle of the tyres was worn more but I prefer to run my car on 36-37 psi so I had no problem with this.

[lurch]

Mine was same when I got it several years ago now so took it to a specialist for laser alignment which cost me £75 but was the best money I spent as has been wearing evenly ever since, he told me he does several Lexus cars as they seem to be slightly out . I put Hankooks on mine at £102 fitted each and they have been brilliant.

[stevet]

Hankooks on mine too. Almost 30k miles now.

[kevmo]

Thanks for all the advice, I will definitely be getting the alignment checked, (have had experience of this before) I am waiting for them to contact me to see if they can price match the tyres.

interestingly when I asked if everything else was ok with the suspension they said it was, but when I got home tonight and looked at the paperwork it says the lower arm bushes are worn. I will be calling them tomorrow so they can explain why this was not mentioned and why they did not replace them.

Another moan is that I had ordered a replacement cover for one of the roof rail legs that I lost, when i opened that this afternoon I found it was the wrong hand and painted silver rather than black. All in all not really the best service experience I have had.

[kevmo]

4 hours ago, rayaans said:

 

Something worth thinking about - Is there a possibility that the camber is off on the front wheels? Therefore causing most likely outside wear on both tyres? I have a feeling someone knew about this and then swapped the front tyres around but put them on back to front on the other side as the SP270 are not directional so can be mounted any way you want which would lead to both edges being worn.

 

That's an interesting theory and sounds very plausible, I'm sure I checked everything thoroughly when I brought it but could have missed some wear on the inner edges. No way to prove anything now though. May be worth a phone call to the supplying dealer just to see if I can get lucky or at least ask some uncomfortable questions.

[rayaans]

15 minutes ago, kevmo said:

That's an interesting theory and sounds very plausible, I'm sure I checked everything thoroughly when I brought it but could have missed some wear on the inner edges. No way to prove anything now though. May be worth a phone call to the supplying dealer just to see if I can get lucky or at least ask some uncomfortable questions.

Who is the supplying dealer? Just say you want it sorted otherwise you'll be sending an email to Lexus UK and naming and shaming them on Lexus Owners club so they know where they stand

[kevmo]

The supplying dealer was Lexus Woodford, to be fair they don't know about the issue yet and were very good throughout the purchase. Yesterday it went into Lexus Sidcup as they are close to me, they were in fairness ok except for refusing to acknowledge there is a problem and failing to mention the worn bushes.

just want to add that the car was purchased last July and I have covered nearly 6000 miles since without any other issues.

[rayaans]

2 hours ago, kevmo said:

The supplying dealer was Lexus Woodford, to be fair they don't know about the issue yet and were very good throughout the purchase. Yesterday it went into Lexus Sidcup as they are close to me, they were in fairness ok except for refusing to acknowledge there is a problem and failing to mention the worn bushes.

just want to add that the car was purchased last July and I have covered nearly 6000 miles since without any other issues.

I do find the Jemca dealerships yo be on the low side of Lexus Customer service tbh. Edgeware road had an IS300H pop up which was in the price bracket, colour combo and spec we were looking for.

Firstly their salesmen were totally incompetent as they refused to haggle having the idea that "the price is what you pay". Not only that they offered low ball price for my car (a car which I PXed to another Lexus dealer for £800 more 2 months later) and their car also had a severe crease on drivers side seat which was certainly not wear and tear. I drove 190 mlies to see a car which they said was "perfect" but it turned out it had a lot of chips and scratches that weren't properly repaired and a front bonnet alignment issue! 

 

It could be that the lower arm bushes were fine when Woodford checked the car. However if you're under warranty, I'd expect Sidcup to pick it up, tell you and then arrange a date to replace or if in stock offer to do it then and there. That's what my dealer does anyway. 

Severe wear of the lower arm bushes would give you some play and may cause wear but I would think it's usually on the outer edge.

Could be a combination of lower arm bushes worn and poor alignment. 

Out of interest, what is the load rating on the tyres? Are they 235/55 r18? And do you tow by any chance? 

[kevmo]

I will be asking Sidcup why they did not mention the wear and asking them to replace the arms this afternoon when I go to pick up the rail leg cover (god help them if its wrong again).

Depends what the outcome is from that as to whether I contact Woodford.

The tyres are 235/55R18, I will have a look at the load rating this afternoon when I leave work and no I don't tow. I do a 26 mile round trip commute which is 80% motorway, so nothing too demanding on the tyres and I don't drive it very hard at all.

[rayaans]

21 minutes ago, kevmo said:

I will be asking Sidcup why they did not mention the wear and asking them to replace the arms this afternoon when I go to pick up the rail leg cover (god help them if its wrong again).

Depends what the outcome is from that as to whether I contact Woodford.

The tyres are 235/55R18, I will have a look at the load rating this afternoon when I leave work and no I don't tow. I do a 26 mile round trip commute which is 80% motorway, so nothing too demanding on the tyres and I don't drive it very hard at all.

Also, look out for vibrations - could be unbalanced wheels which are wobbling around causing inner and outer wear. Apart from that, unsure what else it could be.

[Parrot of Doom]

It's an eleven-year-old car, suspension components are going to be worn.  Whether they're worn beyond a point they could be considered roadworthy is another question, but if the car passes an MOT then I'd be surprised if the dealer will replace those bushings.

I've had a couple of cars laser aligned at a place in Oldham, it's well worth doing if you intend to keep the car for any length of time, although bear in mind that they can't fix the alignment of components that are excessively worn - the only cure for those is to replace them.

[DanD]

Had similar issue with my RX400h and my regular tyre fitting company told me at the time that it was a fairly common problem on the RX300/350/400h. Re-alignment improved things for a while but the problem would come back...

The problem was exacerbated by...

- Going too fast around roundabouts... tempting when you have recently switched from a "conventional car" to a powerful AWD, but weight + power + high centre of gravity are no good for tyres!

- too many speed bumps around where I live 

- and,having to climb a high kerb at an awkward angle when maneuvering onto my drive

[kevmo]

so, went back to sidcup today and long story short. The bushes have some wear but are ok, spent most of the afternoon with the service manager who was very good, got a pair of Pirelli scorpion Verde put on for a great price of £212 fitted and after 3 calls to Woodford they offered to contribute £150 towards the new tyres. 😊

 

Will be getting the alignment checked after the holiday next week. All in all pretty happy with the result.