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Toyota Highlander Tires and Wheels

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Comments

  • bob259bob259 Member Posts: 280
    Did they give you the HT's as a replacement for the A20's?
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Has anyone discovered this unfortunate issue with 2008 - Highlander Limited?

    TIRES and replacement of them with 19 inch wheels ! Mine came stock with Toyo tires and now at 33K miles it has become time to search for replacements. Guess what...! NOBODY except ONE company has 19 inch tires from which to choose and these are quite inferior tires from what I have been told.

    Dealership can get TOYO tires (original OEM) from warehouse in Colorado, but at premium price of $1,200 installed for 4 tires.
    I had hoped good companies like Goodyear or Michelin would have quality tires with good treadwear by now for a 2008 vehicle. I believe the other company is Bridgestone or someone else and research on this tire from readers indicated stay away from them due to poor wet road handling and NOT good on ice or snow. Living in Michigan, I NEED both and getting ready for WINTER 2009.
    I cannot believe this mess and only ONE, maybe 2 tire companies out there having a mediocre tire to install on vehicle.
    Will appreciate any feedback from fellow Highlander - 2008 - LIMITED owners of this vehicle.

    Have YOU replaced your OEM tires yet?

    Thanks,
    Mike
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Hello:
    Yes, same issues on my end. I have 2008 Highlander Limited and now I cannot find decent tires to fit 19 inch rims. Only two mediocre tires will fit that I found.

    TOYO tires came on vehicle but after 30K miles they are about shot and looking for new tires for Fall-Winter snow-ice-wet road conditions that will give a decent ride.
    NO luck in Michigan and dealer told me same thing about changing rims.

    Any news or updates on tires and experiences appreciated at:
    skypilot1953@yahoo.com.
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Thanks for note on the tires.
    I did not find these on Michelin website and sent note to them.
    Now that it is mid-September, are you still happy with tires you purchased? Wider tires but not an issue with gas mileage? Ride pretty good?
    Need them for wet roads - snow real soon - and icy conditions. Where did you purchase?
    No issues with mounting on standard rims that came with 08 Limited?
    Thanks and will stand by at: skypilot1953@yahoo.com
  • mdhuttonmdhutton Member Posts: 195
    I'm not trying to be a smart a**, but read back through this entire thread. There have been some who have gone up a size (255/55/19) and have found that there are much more options available in this size AND no issues with 10mm wider tires on OEM HL LTD wheels.
  • guiseppeguiseppe Member Posts: 12
    just received my shipment of HTs...got them directly from treadepot.com and delivered in 4 days. total for 4 tires with shipping $710 will have a local garage mount and balance for $20 each. Town Fair Tire wanted $900 and I would get them in October. I am willing to give these a chance rather than change wheels and tires (although its a very smart thing to do) the HTs have much more tread than the toyos that came with the 2008 HL limited. will repost after I have them mounted and will comment on the ride & handling qualities. I did all of my research from this site and online tire dealers - what a great resource!
  • bob259bob259 Member Posts: 280
    Can't wait to hear how you like them... I've read great reports on them and they are also a 65K tire Vs the Open Countrys.

    I still hope Michelin builds them in the near future. When I talked to them a few weeks back, when I couldn't get any Xice snows in this size, they told be they were seeing more request and not just from Toyota owners so they were going back to the engineering group on them.
  • nowlennowlen Member Posts: 35
    I have a Sport with the 19's. I did find the Michelin Xice in the 17" and bought a set of base HL 17 OEM wheels on ebay for ~140 each. That lets me install them whenever I see fit and I don't need to wait in line and pay for mount & balance twice a year when switching between snows and summers. Plus, I'm not eating up my good summer alloys with the winter salt. This works for me since I'll be keeping the HL for at least 10 years. I use it only during the winter and to drive the dog around. The way I look at it I'm either wearing my snows or summers down at any given time and the extra margin of safety in the winter is worth the cost of the wheels IMHO.
  • doubles3doubles3 Member Posts: 21
    I also have Sport and I have 19 H/T arriving on Mon via UPS. I think putting 17 inch would take something away from the car. I hope Michelin will have something in this size next time around.

    Before I ordered H/T I called Toyo to moan about A20s. I was told that Toyo does not provide warranty on its tires which are sold as OEM on new cars. When I questioned them how is the set of new A20 (If I was to buy one) different from A20 sold with a new car, I was told that neither one would have mileage warranty. I was told that H/T have 60K (or is it 40K?) warranty.

    Can't wait til I get H/T on my car. I only got 25K off A20.
  • nowlennowlen Member Posts: 35
    If you live in an area that doesn't use road salt, then I agree with keeping 19's on, but a few years of running your 19's in the Northeast winter salt and you'll have year-round wheels that will definitely take something away - and look like crap ALL YEAR. Personally, I'm willing to sacrifice a second set of wheels to the winter salt and have something that looks great in the other 8 months. Also, there's an extra inch of sidewall on the 17's that will help in early spring pothole season. As for those going up a tire size, that is actually the WRONG thing to do IF you're doing it for winter snow. Do some research before that move; I know, it sounds illogical at first, but the reason is that wider tires 'plow' through the snow - narrower tires are actually better - like I said, just do your research. (All of these comments only apply if you live in a snow prone area like I do, and are considering snow tires, otherwise I would consider the wider all-season tires myself - but not for heavy snow and salt regions.)
  • hlsport08hlsport08 Member Posts: 4
    I've been watching this discussion for a while and finally decided to pull the trigger on HTs, but then found that they were $78 less per tire than A20s on one of the online tire outlets. What's with that? Any ideas?
  • doubles3doubles3 Member Posts: 21
    Never lived in NE but get plenty of salt in IL. Have not noticed this issue with my previous cars. For me is not worth the headaches of storing and swapping extra set of tires/wheels. If the weather gets really bad in the winter I always have the option to work from home for a day or two. I guess it comes down to you personal situation.
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Yes, indeed. I agree with the "wider" tires for winter driving. I live in Michigan and can attest to nowlen comment about wider not being so good in winter driving conditions. Have received an email from The Michelin Man. They indicated that a lot of Highlander owners are going with the Michelin Lattitude Tour HP tires at P255/55/R19. My TOYO tires are 45 which are a bit "smaller".
    Regarding the Bridgestones... Read the reviews of "unhappy" owners on various tire websites like KANROCK and other websites. Apparently, there are more than a few "unhappy" customers with these Bridgestone tires. In the past, I have been very happy with Michelin all season tires on vehicles I have owned.
    Trying to stay away from TOYO tires due to their "extreme" wearing even though I rotated them every 6K-8K very faithfully.
    Seems very strange that manufacturers and especially TOYOTA would have done more research with regard to putting 19 inch wheels on this vehicle in first place.

    Rims and salt: Yes, they can beat the rims up pretty bad. I used a good clear coat finish on the rims and try my best to keep the "SALT" off the rims with good cleaning as often as I can during WINTER months. Do not have storag capabilities or extra CASH to spend on different rims and tires just for Spring-Summer driving.

    Will let you know how I make out on the Michelin tires. TOYO are $965.00 installed in my area once they "arrive" from God knows where.
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Checked on the no warranty issue with Michelin. If you buy the Lattitude TOUR -- HP (High Performance) + High speed rated tire --- Yes, no warranty on treadwear. IF you stick with the Lattitude Tour which is still a good all around tire for wet roads and snow, there is a treadwear warranty. Plus, they will send you the coupon for a rebate of $60.00 for a set of 4. Can get from Discount Tire - Belle Tire - Sears tire dept.
  • doubles3doubles3 Member Posts: 21
    Received HT. Look good on the floor. Word of caution if someone thinks of winter tires only. My local tire shop quoted ~$170 to put new tires on. So doing this exercise twice a year, can become really expensive.
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    In flicking back through posts on this page I see that it is three years (and about 75,000km or 45,000 miles) since I fitted the Geolanders to my Kluger. They have proven surprisingly good and still have about 4.5mm or 3/16" tread left. Minimum standard in Australia is 3/32" but I tend to swap tyres before this. That suggests likely life in excess of 100,00km or 62,500 miles.

    Handling is still good and I have been very pleased with performance. Wear is about twice that of the original Toyos and performance dramatically better.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • klaasvdklaasvd Member Posts: 1
    My tires are worn out at 35000 Miles, The Dealer try to tell me that the tojo tires intalled on new vehicles are always a bad quality tire, and I should be lucky that I did get 35000 Miles on them. He suggest that I by the same tire brand, and that they will be a lot better quality tire, and should last for at least 65000 miles.

    should I believe them???

    Klaas
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Greetings:

    Heck no ! Why would same brand, same model tires give you MORE miles just because YOU are purchasing them. Another ploy from the dealer to ROB your checkbook and put inferior tires on your vehicle. I am getting Michelin Latitude Tour HP tires installed. One size bigger though: 255/50R/19. These are supposed to be good tires giving good ride, last much longer, and also good on ice and snow. Getting mine from Discount Tire in local Saginaw, MI area. Belle Tire can also get them. Stay away from TOYO and Bridgestone. Bad reviews posted on tirerack.com about the Bridgestone tires. My current TOYO tires have 31,000 miles and rotated every 6,000 miles since new. Now they are JUNK. Getting ready for Michigan WINTER.
    Good luck.
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    I've begun the search for replacement tires for my '08 Highlander Ltd. Since the vehicle only has 30K miles and TOYO tires are about shot one must be careful about voiding the TOYOTA warranty for this vehicle. Toyota tells me if I go "any" size bigger on the tires other than the P245/55/R19, it will VOID my vehicle warranty from Toyota. It also discusses this aspect on the TOYOTA website and confirms the dealership tire guy. He has seen some instances where owners did this and TOYOTA did indeed NOT honor the warranty on the vehicle. So that really limits choices from which to choose.
    Tirerack.com does NOT give the Bridgestone Duelers a very favorable rating and TOYO are the next choice . .. That's it. Anyone else having same issues or hearing the same thing from the TOYOTA folks, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

    MS :(:(
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    I hope you understood the ramification of doing this task? Voids the warranty on vehicle from Toyota. That is unless you have more miles on vehicle than I do... See Toyota website or call dealer service dept. They'll confirm for you. Same issues with 19 inch tires and going up a size. I've been told to wait until vehicle is out of warranty to make a change and still keep the warranty intact.
  • mdhuttonmdhutton Member Posts: 195
    Can you get 6K more miles on the current tires? Then, your warranty is gone anyway and upsizing won't matter.
  • doubles3doubles3 Member Posts: 21
    I still have 11K left on the warranty and 19 H/T should last as long and more. With more and more cars coming out with 19, I am pretty sure Michelin will be there next time around,3+ years from now...

    Again, I would caution people again getting A20 as replacements, since Toyo will not warrant these tires on vehicles which ship as OEM with these tires. The H/T have at least 40K warranty.

    I have H/T mounted week from tomorrow. Will provide update.
  • 2010sel2010sel Member Posts: 4
    I doubt if voiding the warranty on the entire vehicle due to different sized tires being used would ever stand up in any court. Maybe if they could prove that some component was damaged due to an oversized tire, Toyota could come out a winner. Me, I ran 235/60-18s on my '06 for 3 years and never had any problems. With the reliability built into these new Toyotas, chances are very good nobody else will have problems either.
  • doubles3doubles3 Member Posts: 21
    Probably not. However, courts take time and in meantime most people need a car. You will also need to get expert witnesses, lawyer etc. If you ever have an issue in the wheel area (like breaks,suspension etc) you better believe that the dealer will blame this on your over/under size tires.
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    What Toyota actually says is:

    "Toyota does not recommend modifying the vehicle in any manner, including changing the original tire size or the suspension. Toyota vehicles meet all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards when they are originally distributed, and modification could affect the safety and/or operation of the vehicle and remove it from compliance with specifications and standards mandated by the Federal Government. Additionally, should a condition occur on the vehicle that can be attributed to any type of modification, the warranty on the affected components may be impacted or voided."

    The caveats they express are reasonable as some people will seek to drastically modify tyre sizes which can affect safety or alter handling characteristics. Try calling Toyota and finding whether they have knowledge of tyre changes that are permissible.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • 2010sel2010sel Member Posts: 4
    That's no where as bad as "automatically void the warranty on the vehicle" like some other people were led to believe by their dealers.
  • as48as48 Member Posts: 9
    I have the Highlander Sport 2008 with the 19" TOYO A20 tires since December 2007 with 36000 miles. The tires need to be replaced in the near future. I did not encounter any driving issues with these tires. The ride is smooth and secure even at high speed on both small roads and highway driving. Similarly, I did not encounter any winter driving issues on snowy roads in the North East. I drive a lot of miles in PA, CT and MA.
    However, I don't like the "special" pricing to the TOYO 245/ 55 R19 Open Country A20 tires. The dealer charges upward of $260 and internet pricing is ~$234. This tire type is not available at any local replacement tire service stores, and almost none of the popular tire companies make this size tires for the Highlander sport. Basically there are very few choices and no competition.
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Hello:
    Yes, indeed, no competition. I have TOYO tires coming from Belle Tire in Michigan where I live. Price installed with road hazard warranty - ready to go is $1,120 with taxes and disposal fees of old tires.
    Lifetime rotation and other stuff included.

    Not that I do not like the TOYO tires, but mine are shot after 31,000 miles and do not like the ability to choose from other manufacturers like Michelin or Goodyear without the worry of invalidating my Toyota warranty by going to BIGGER size tires on 19 inch wheels. Stay away from the Bridgestone tires. Bad reviews on tirerack.com website. Other's in my area also have had bad road noise and other issues with the Bridgestone tires that will fit this vehicle. Also: Do not wait to get tires with winter FAST approaching. TOYO tires are in very limited supply.
  • bob259bob259 Member Posts: 280
    Tire Rack was showing the correct size 19" Blizzak Winter tires a while ago so I ordered a set. So far my delivery date has been moved twice and is now out to mid October for arrival/delivery to their warehouse....

    I will go with the HT's when these A20's wear out, cheaper and a 65K warranty, unless Michelin or someone else steps up and starts to make them. Michelin has indicated in notes I had exchanged whith them that this is now becoming a more popular size and they will be looking at offering it next year... but until I see them listed I will just consider it pampering me.
  • as48as48 Member Posts: 9
    I sent an email to TOYOTA customer service, asking a bout the difference between the Open Country H/T and A20. I hope to get a meaningful answer.
  • doubles3doubles3 Member Posts: 21
    Why would you ask Toyota this question ? What would they know about H/T ?

    This seems as Toyo question.
  • as48as48 Member Posts: 9
    I did not know who else to ask. TOYO site dose not have any information about the A20. Hence, I couldn't compare their information on the H/T to that of A20. In addition, I did not find a customer contact address on the TOYO site. I am hoping that the Toyota customer service will make an effort to address my question.So far, no answer.
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Greetings:
    Do not know what question you may have about Toyo tires. However, the many posts on this site all say about the same thing. Toyo tires are not *that* bad, but just wear out quickly as any other OEM tires when installed on NEW vehicle. My Toyota dealership is one of the most *honest* and trustworthy dealerships I have ever done business with and give straight answers. The Toyo tires (A20) are on order from my local Belle Tire store. They are only authorized dealer who has access to them. Discount Tire does not and they too, told me so.
    Toyo tires are like Goodyear or any other low-end tires that come on new vehicles and this is how they choose to sell and market the cars. Once worn out, they expect you to purchase higher end tires that will give you more miles and better ride perhaps.
    However, like the dealership told me, "be careful if your vehicle is still under warranty because different size tires are NOT calibrated to transmissions, speedometer, and 4WD"... and if ANY issues develop with those "related" parts *AND* you have different size tires on vehicle, *YOUR* warranty will be *VOID*.

    My choice: install the Toyo tires just before winter driving season. I have them on order and Belle Tire is holding in back room for me since this size for my Highlander Limited is a very *RARE* tire to be had from *ANY* warehouse. I guess it is "first-come-first-served"...
    Next tires will be higher grade like Michelin or other brand, but for now, it will be the replacement TOYO tires, not Bridgestones due to NOISE and rough ride as noted on tirerack.com.
  • guiseppeguiseppe Member Posts: 12
    I finally pulled the trigger and got a set of Toyo HTs installed on my HL Limited. I got them online at Treadepot.com for $710 (shipping inc) and mounted and balance at my local Toyota Dealership for $12/tire. They drive great and are very quiet. I am definitely pleasantly surprised. It was not easy to buy a Toyo product after the incredible disappointment from the oem tires. Do not buy the A20s for replacement tires - get the HTs. They may be hard to find so find out when the online tire sites receive their delivery and call on that day. The HTs have a nice deep tread with a couple of large channels for water and they should be much better in snow than my old Toyos. I took the HL on the highway it handles perfectly, tracks like a new set of properly balanced tires should. If you are not going to change tire size, then this is your best bet...IMO
  • mtairyordgemtairyordge Member Posts: 144
    I have a 2008 Toyota Highlander Limited. This is the fourth Highlander Limited I have owned and every one has had Michelin tires except this one The OEM tires Bridgestone are horrible treadware and at 20K need to be replaced. So I went a searching for Michelin and they don't make 245/55 R19. They do make 255/55 R19 but putting these on the HL will void the New Vehicle Warranty.

    I called Michelin and asked if they are planning on manufacturing the 245/55 R19 and they did not know but they took my information and are forwarding it to corporate HQ. Speaking to the supervisor at the customer service center he says that they track requests and will act on it IF they get enough demand.

    Lesson here is call Michelin at 1-866-866-6605 tell them you want to request that a tire be made to fit the Highlander. Make sure they take your information. :shades:
  • 400e400e Member Posts: 41
    I have an '08 Highlander Hybrid Ltd and need to replace the tires at 25K miles.
    Just called the local Costco and can get Michelin Latitude HPs in 255/55/19 at $315 per tire (total price, mounted/balanced with road hazard). Still seems high.

    Am concerned from what I'm reading about Toyota possibly not honoring the warranty if using this size so probably will go with the Toyo HTs.

    If anyone has any snow experience with the Toyo HT, I'd appreciate hearing about it.
    (Sounds like some negative reviews about snow performance on the Michelins, at tirerack.com).
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Greetings:
    Yes indeed - a voided warranty. You can see my many frustrating posts on this subject under Highlander 2008. Spoke with my dealership management as well as numerous other individuals whom I trust and all say the same thing. Granted, the chances of anything going wrong are slim. However, the dealership has told me the following:
    A. Speedometer is calibrated to OEM size tires.
    B. Transmission is same thing since it is computer controlled.
    C. Suspension is tuned to OEM tires.
    D. Other things.
    Thus, you may get different feel, different ride with different tires and also will VOID the warranty and you will need to FIGHT tooth and nail with Toyota to get any warranty work reimbursed to you IF it ever occurs. Same thing was told to me from my local tire store in MI (Belle Tire). Thus, I have TOYO tires on order from their warehouse and plan to run those another 30K. Hopefully, by then.. a "decent" wearing tire will be available. I plan to call Michelin as previous poster above has suggested. Good idea. My advice is to stick with the TOYO tires and not Bridgestones. Start looking NOW before other Highlander owners see the same results and TOYO tires will become "hard" to find. My OEM -- Toyo tires have 31K and are "shot" as one would expect for "cheap" OEM tires. Rotated them very faithfully at every other oil change as well to no avail.
    Michigan winter season is fast approaching and I'll have the new TOYO tires installed within next couple of weeks. Happy searching and I would seriously wait until Michelin or other companies come out with suitable 19 inch replacements.

    Cheers,
    Skypilot1953
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Greetings:

    Not voiding the warranty on "Entire vehicle". . . Only those parts that need replacement due to incorrect tire size. Dealership told me it is the same as putting inferior oil in crankcase, or choosing NOT to perform routine maintenance on vehicle. Dealership in my area is very honest and has excellent reputation. This is why I bought a Toyota in first place. Another story for another day . . .

    Thus, if you "Ever" had transmission problems or other "related" issues with vehicle and they can trace it back to "you" and incorrect tires, "you" will need to hire a "fleet" of lawyers and subject matter experts to "fight" with Toyota. Are you an attorney by chance looking for some work? I surely cannot afford the time and expense of big court fights just to get money reimbursed by Toyota. Look on door panel of vehicle and you will notice the tire size correctly stated on the door jamb of vehicle. It is also stated in owners manual. Thus, I decided to got with Toyo tires one more time until my warranty is "done". Then, I will go to better quality tires from Goodyear or Michelin and take my chances on my "trusty" Toyota with full understanding my my own liabilities for my choices.
  • bob259bob259 Member Posts: 280
    Hope you had them order you the Toyo HT's as they are less and have a 65K warranty and are the same size as at A20's
  • doubles3doubles3 Member Posts: 21
    I finally got my H/T ($700 delivered +$120 install) on the car. So far feels
    pretty good. One thing I noticed right away is that thread is about 30% thicker than A20. I bought HL in Oct few years back. Did not pay attention to tires until first winter when I was sliding all over. I was somewhat shocked how thin were the 2-3 months old A20 at the time.
  • 400e400e Member Posts: 41
    Sounds like a good price on the H/Ts -

    Will be interesting to see if the H/Ts are better on snow than the A20s. Would almost have to be!

    Thanks, all, for your experiences. Looks like ordering the H/Ts is what I'll do.
    I too like the idea of letting Michelin know about our wish that they would make this size.
  • as48as48 Member Posts: 9
    I got the response to my question from Toyota. The answer did not address the specifically my question about the differences between the H/T and the A20 tires. However, one can assume that the H/T tires are fine for the Highlander as their size is P245/55R19 103S.

    The Toyota answer stated:
    The recommended tire size for your 2008 Toyota Highlander Sport is P245/55R19 103S.
    If the tires differ from the recommended size found on page 539 of your Owner's Manual, it will be a modification to your vehicle and could affect the vehicle’s performance, safety or durability, and may violate government regulations. In addition, damage or performance problems resulting from the modification will not be covered under warranty.
  • bob259bob259 Member Posts: 280
    If you go to this link and enlarge the picture you will see they are much better and should do well in snow for a M&S tire
    http://toyotires.com/tire/pattern/open-country-ht

    and

    http://www.treadepot.com/group/ophtp.html
    (If you go here and plug in the vehicle you will get the size and offerings... Note the A20 is a 40K tire for $200 each and the HT is a 60K tire for $158 each)

    If you look around you can get them for about $155.00 each + shipping.

    For the winter I bought the Blizzak's in the correct size from the Tire Rack and a set of OEM 19's takeoffs on eBay to mount them on. Cost a little more but I've found in the winter nothing works better and gives you a better safety margin than Winter tires Vs M&S tires.
  • joe05joe05 Member Posts: 11
    A co-worker had a flat tire on her 08' Highlander, took it to a 'national tire chain' and their recommendation is to replace all 4 tires. Has anyone heard of such a thing? The tires only have 18,000 miles.
  • bob259bob259 Member Posts: 280
    Sounds like someone on commission to me, you have to be careful of these places. Makes no sense at all, unless the tires are all worn out.
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Greetings:

    My response would be "why" ? Do not mean to be sexist, but there are tire chain stores and other places that do "not" treat lady customers very well. I have experienced this issue while waiting in a waiting room and talking with other customers who happened to be female. Tires could be getting bad if they have not been maintained (air pressure + rotation, etc.) However, after only 18K, I would say they should have enough tread to last awhile. Have you completed the Lincoln penny test on them? Place penny head-side down on each tire tread and if you can see entire President head on the coin, tread is getting "pretty-low". You can find pictures of this test and how to peform it on Internet.
    Next is finding replacement tires. As previous poster, take a read on the tire situation with this vehicle. Make sure you get exact tire size since this vehicle is still under warranty. Toyo and Bridgestone are only mfg. having correct size tires at this time. Mine were "shot" after 30K on vehicle and I do regular checks on pressure and rotations.
    If you live in a snow area, you might want to perform the tire tread test and see how much tread is left on the tires and/or go to "reputable" tire store that knows how to treat a lady like respected and valued customer that will give her "straight" answers to her vehicle issues.
    Sorry to say, but I have seen this first hand in last several weeks.
  • rd1943rd1943 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2008 Highlander Limited, 24,000 miles on the Toyo a2’s. I drove in a snow storm in Boston last year and it was a scary experience. 18k on the Toyo’s then and they were impersonating toboggans. I have been looking for replacements since then. Same luck as others on this forum both with Toyota customer service and dealers. Toyota’s position that a slight change in tire size might damage the vehicle and void the warrantee is a smoke screen and is ludicrous. What happens when tire tread wears down or you drive with an underinflated tire? The vehicle is not calibrated for smaller tires!!! After getting a quote of $303 per tire for new Toyo’s and reading that the Duelers don’t perform any better in the snow and with the Toyo HT hard to get, I went to a local tire outlet. He steered me to the Nokian WR G2 Suv. The 255/55 r19 tire has a sidewall that is .2 inches taller than the 245/55. This changes the ride height of the Highlander by about .2 of an inch. It means that the speed registered on the speedometer will be about 1 mph slow at 70 mph. The vehicle will say you are doing 70 when in fact you are doing 71. Gas mileage figures on the console display will say you are getting 1% less than you are really getting because the slightly bigger tire takes you and inch or two farther each time it turns around. Thant's the total impact on the calibration of the speedometer, transmission etc. Slightly lower rpm at any speed, but that’s good for mileage. The Specs on the tires: 500 treadwear, A traction, A temperature. V speed (150mph) Severe winter / snow (Mountain/snowflake) rated. Low rolling resistance for better gas mileage. With these specs the tires should be good in heat and snow, handle well and go for 50k miles or more. I was sold. Tires were less than $220 each. The tires fit well and look good. Rear strut clearance which is the only thing close is still more than ½ inch from the tire and that clearance does not change with load or suspension movement. I have had many cars and have put over sized tires on some of them. Never had a problem related to tires. I’m sure the Highlander will be the same. I can live with a veiled Toyota warrantee threat but I won’t drive another winter on tires that endanger me or my family. I’m looking forward to having a 4wd vehicle that will handle well in the snow again.
  • joe05joe05 Member Posts: 11
    Unfortuanate as it is, a Toyota dealership offered her the same advice. Requiring her to purchase 4 new tires because 1 went flat.
  • marcarmarcar Member Posts: 1
    Wondering how long you've been driving on the Nokian WR G2 Suv's as we're considering purchasing them for our '09 HL Ltd. but are a tad concerned about the upsize to 255 from 245? Love the Haakapiilita's.....that's our fave winter tire, but didn't think we'd find them to fit the HL. Thanks and safe driving.
  • damifinomikedamifinomike Member Posts: 64
    Greetings:
    Never heard of the tire brand you noted in message. As noted in prior posts, be *VERY* careful and fully understand the issues with going to *Bigger* tire as you note in your post. You indicate driving an '09 Highlander. I suspect your vehicle is still under warranty? IF yes, you may have issues with any warranty work on vehicle suspension and other underbody components by going to different tires. I am going with Toyo tires for "one-more-time" on vehicle with hopes that Michelin or other companies will "soon" have more 19-inch tires from which to choose.
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