RX450h Tyre recommendation

brendangeorge · October 8, 2020

Hi All
I hope this request does not annoy too many of you. I am almost down to the indicators and even I am not driving much I need new tyres on my 2012 RX450h. It came with brand new Scorpion Verdes and I hate them. They ride like train wheels (yes the tyre pressures are OK) and are rubbish in the wet. I was thinking about winter tyres - I had them on my last 430 and they were great.

Any suggestions? I will entertain all weather suggestions but am not very keen.

I should not complain too much about the Scopions - they have lasted ages and I get 30mpg if I don't drive like a hooligan. The wet performance is my biggest complaint.

Cheers

Bren

Herbie · October 8, 2020

Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 2 are absolutely brilliant tyres. I have them all round on mine and can thoroughly recommend them.

Barry14UK · October 8, 2020

Most here recommend Michelin Cross Climates which was also what Lexus Cheltenham told me and I have fitted to mine. I found these give a much better ride than the Dunlops it came with, also better steering and no complaints about road holding in any conditions although the Vector 4's have the edge in deeper snow I read in tests. So Cross Climates for Southern England and Vector 4's for Scotland. In between it's probably swings and roundabouts but little to choose between them. Price could also a consideration and availability and promotions which could also affect this. Check this out with various suppliers.

brendangeorge · October 8, 2020

Thanks Herbie and Barry.

Bren

Johntechx · October 12, 2020

Cross climates all the way!

They are quieter, the car drives like it's on rails and have reduced my torque steer to virtually zero.

On the front, I've had Pirelli Scorpions (huge torque steer), Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 (improved torque steer but only lasted about a year (8k!)) and Vredestein Quartrac 5 (better but knocked out by collapsed bearing on my front strut).

So I had both fronts replaced with the CC, I'd already replaced the rears (Continental) which had lasted throughout the front tyre changes and were only replaced as they were splitting and coming apart due to age and UV damage.

brendangeorge · October 12, 2020

4 hours ago, Johntechx said:

Cross climates all the way!

They are quieter, the car drives like it's on rails and have reduced my torque steer to virtually zero.

On the front, I've had Pirelli Scorpions (huge torque steer), Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 (improved torque steer but only lasted about a year (8k!)) and Vredestein Quartrac 5 (better but knocked out by collapsed bearing on my front strut).

So I had both fronts replaced with the CC, I'd already replaced the rears (Continental) which had lasted throughout the front tyre changes and were only replaced as they were splitting and coming apart due to age and UV damage.

Thanks John

I had a similar problem with the Verdies and tarque steer - also they were rubbish in the wet.

My local tyre dealer said other customers thought the CCs wore out quickly - this data did not include the RX. I was thinking about the route Herbie took and hope he has a comment about torque steering.

If I only cared about longevity it is verdies all the way - 35K on a set but they are rubbish in all other respects :(.

Bren

Herbie · October 12, 2020

1 hour ago, brendangeorge said:

I was thinking about the route Herbie took and hope he has a comment about torque steering.

If you really jam your foot down to the floor then yes, you'll get a bit but otherwise no.

The Goodyears really are a superb tyre and it's a shame that they often get overlooked in favour of the Michelin CCs.

CVLex · October 12, 2020

My go-to tyres of choice are either Bridgestone Dueller or Falken.

Both have been excellent all year round tyres which I've used for the past 10 years.

BartLexusFan · October 15, 2020

On 10/8/2020 at 3:22 PM, brendangeorge said:

Hi All
I hope this request does not annoy too many of you. I am almost down to the indicators and even I am not driving much I need new tyres on my 2012 RX450h. It came with brand new Scorpion Verdes and I hate them. They ride like train wheels (yes the tyre pressures are OK) and are rubbish in the wet. I was thinking about winter tyres - I had them on my last 430 and they were great.

Any suggestions? I will entertain all weather suggestions but am not very keen.

I should not complain too much about the Scopions - they have lasted ages and I get 30mpg if I don't drive like a hooligan. The wet performance is my biggest complaint.

Cheers

Bren

I just bought my 2013 Rx450h and it came with the same rubbish tires, glad I've spotted this thread.

brendangeorge · November 26, 2020

An update on my type swap chaps.

The tyre dealer put me off the CC's because he said they wear out quickly. However, he said a lot of vehicles come with the Verdies and other people did not complain (Range Rover drivers etc.).

So I went with the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 - £660 drive away price and they are fab.

Great when it is slippery or wet - no perceptible torque steer and quiet. The car rides more smoothly and in all ways better - thanks for your advice H.

The Verdies went on at 72830 and off at 105730 - 33K is not a bad wear rate.

I am now a happy bear. 🐻

Bren

Barry14UK · November 26, 2020

4 hours ago, brendangeorge said:

An update on my type swap chaps.

The tyre dealer put me off the CC's because he said they wear out quickly. However, he said a lot of vehicles come with the Verdies and other people did not complain (Range Rover drivers etc.).

So I went with the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 - £660 drive away price and they are fab.

Great when it is slippery or wet - no perceptible torque steer and quiet. The car rides more smoothly and in all ways better - thanks for your advice H.

The Verdies went on at 72830 and off at 105730 - 33K is not a bad wear rate.

I am now a happy bear. 🐻

Bren

Well that's strange, as the well respected German Auto Bild, found The Cross Climates to be the best long lasting tyre and best tyre overall. Of course no tyre is going to come top in every test due to conflicting design, construction and compound, and the customer may prioritise choice by price or other attributes. Anyway, these are the way these tyres were assessed. as shown in comparative tables and overall result. https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2019-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

brendangeorge · November 26, 2020

23 minutes ago, Barry14UK said:

Well that's strange, as the well respected German Auto Bild, found The Cross Climates to be the best long lasting tyre and best tyre overall. Of course no tyre is going to come top in every test due to conflicting design, construction and compound, and the customer may prioritise choice by price or other attributes. Anyway, these are the way these tyres were assessed. as shown in comparative tables and overall result. https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2019-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

It is always difficult evaluating test results Barry - I do so for a living. You are faced with a ton of data and unless you know about the test process in detail you are being fed a marketing story. It is very difficult not to accept the fancy data presented by many so called experts so I don't and I recon I am not alone on this forum. Who has the time to carry out the work? This is why I asked for some feedback/experience and received some great data.

I can tell you that Richard who sold me the tyre knows they will be a suppository if they are rubbish 😀. This has not happeded in twenty odd years.

Don't believe a word anybody tells you (including me) unless you check and graphs are........ let's say for the magazine. They are a good place to start though but bear in mind the mag has to please its readers and its advertisers......... In a different industry where I worked we sold a product that was not the fastest but cost effective but worked and was very reliable. A journo rubbished it because it was not the fastest or cheapest - I walked into a large bank and asked what they thought about the article - the customer pointed at the bin where he has tossed the mag - the journo had called him a dolt and his boss asked him why.... Cut to the chase - I told the journo (it was a big bank) and his face was a picture - I then told him a few things about testing - OK the analogy is a bit loose. My criteia for evaluation were performance in bad/poor weather - the bank wanted reliabilty. The data in the tyre graphs is all quite close and a little counter intuitive - Summer tyres beat all season and winter tyres for wet weather breaking - what about a cold wet winter day - the winter tyre will win - I have done this test myself.

It is good to see the evidence presented by the press refuted by real World data - I am a big fan of Honest John for that. The tyre guys I buy from see a wide range of vehicles (all except HGV and PCV) including the cops. They are a great source of practical data. All good stuff.

Cheers

Bren

Barry14UK · November 27, 2020

Well as long as you are happy Bren that's all that matter's. Furthermore, I have said on more than one occasion on this forum that the Goodyear All seasons Vector 4's have done well in tests and more particularly where there is snow. I don't think the results I posted were' fixed' for the benefit of Michelin in a magazine. Were it so they would not have been shown to come last in one of the set of tests and not done particularly well in another. Several other reviews have also given 1st place to the CC's. Here is the 'What Car' one. https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/whats-the-best-all-round-tyre/n1161 Certainly, these comparative tests are only a guide because some work better on certain cars than others and your use and priorities may mean you opt for a tyre that has a lower overall rating. The value of performance ascribed to every type of test could also affect the overall assessment of a tyre.

Naturally, companies extol the strengths of their products and some of the claims are exaggerated. I found this out when I was involved with tests to destruction on certain items of equipment I needed to evaluate in the UK and Europe that my company was looking to purchase so am not easily swayed.

jawaid · June 21, 2023

I'm looking to replace all 4 tyres on my 2016 RX450h, currently have Yokohama Geo's (hadn't heard of Yokohama until I bought the RX450h) wondered if the advise above is still valid or would you choose a different brand. Currently split between Michelin Cross Climate 2 and Bridgestones.

Have done some research on the internet, found a few people had put budget tyres on, but not keen on those, plus want to keep the car for a good few years and think budget tyres might be false economy, as I currently do between 7,000 and 10,000 miles per year.

Given it is now 3 years since the above posts, what tyres would you advise on in terms of best value for money, longevity and fuel economy?

Las Palmas · June 21, 2023

Bridgestone and Yokohama are same cup of tea.

For a comfort car I would recommend Continental or Michelin.

Sundance · June 21, 2023

On 11/26/2020 at 6:01 PM, brendangeorge said:

Don't believe a word anybody tells you (including me) unless you check and graphs are........ let's say for the magazine. They are a good place to start though but bear in mind the mag has to please its readers and its advertisers.........

Cheers

Bren

Hi Brendan,

I think you've just hit the nail right on the bonce!

Tyres are far too subjective a topic in my opinion, too many variables like locality, driving style, cost & mileage driven to name but four, difficult to make any sound recommendation as no two of us are the same.

Here's a wise post from another good old 'tyre' thread, courtesy of Rayaans who has a 450h ...

"It's really just a load of opinions and hearsay. Michelins are a lot more expensive so it's no surprise they get recommended by tyre fitters. They usually have higher margins on them. Some will outright recommend Continental and others will recommend some Chinese brands. It's like going to a restaurant and asking for the "best dish." 👏

Sybaris · June 26, 2023

I find the Bridgestone Duellers to be very comfortable especially at higher speeds, the car just glides.

Thing is that there is no one perfect tyre. It depends on the roads you drive on, climate, temperature, how you drive etc. If you are calm, leave long stopping distances then most mid to premium brand tyres will be ok. The RX is not really a car to go full on with, it is meant to be driven calmly.

I do swap summers and winters as I get the best optimum from both climates but I prefer that. It suits my needs. Some people like all seasons.

Only issue was that from August to now there was/is not much choice of winter tyres. So I went with a set of Yokohamas. They gripped ok but you feel the bumps in the ride more. Again I am not driving in the Alps, just regular suburban roads but when its cold/snowy/wet. Again I drive sensibly and they do the job.