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Have any of you thought of going with 235/55/19 tires? There are quite a few makers of that size out there. The 55mm less width will make it better in snow and the height difference hardly affects the speedometer reading.(you can check the tire calculator) This should help the clearance problem of the strut, too. I personally have the factory Bridgestones on my 08 Sport, and had them siped right from the beginning. They have worn 1/32" in 5000 miles and did okay in the snow, too.
Found a new Toyo P metric tire in the correct fitment for our vehicles. Discount Tire can order them and I was quoted a price of $213 each plus tax. These tires have a mileage warranty of 60000 miles. The write up for the tire would indicate it will behave substantially like the OEM tires. I actually like the tread patterns better than the OEM. Oh, the tire is an Open Country H/T P metric 245/55-19. If you want to see for yourself go to Treaddepot.com and find the Toyo tires and look for the P metric group. Load range is 1900 lbs and the 640AB indicates good wear and traction. Hope this helps.
I was wanting to get some feedback from other owners as to which tire they replaced the original factory tires with. 225/70/16 Toyos from the factory which won't make too much over 35K miles. I've been looking at the Bridgestones and Kumho brands but have not made up my mind as of yet. What kind of tire did you go with and what kind of mileage did you get out of them? I think the Toyos would have done better but while having it serviced by Toyota somehow they all got 36 lbs of pressure in them and wore the middle pretty good before I caught it.
I was unimpressed with the performance of the original Toyo tyres on my 2005 Kluger (Highlander to you) and they wore out at 44914 km (28,000miles). The Toyos had poor grip under most conditions and very poor lateral stability. They were particularly nasty off bitumen
I do some off bitumen work and wanted a good mud/snow tyre with good on highway characteristics. I fitted Yokohama 225/70R16 102H pattern G051 H/T-S 30 months ago.
I now have about 75,000 km (say 48,000 miles) on the Yokohamas in 30 months and they still have probably 20,000 km wear. I checked tread depth last night and they are wearing consistently. Wet weather gripmis still good although I feel that they are just staring to go off a bit.
It is however critical to get the Kluger alignment checked about every six months (four wheel alignment on laser machine) as they do slip out, particualrly if driven over bumpy surfaces and check inflation regularly. They are less susceptible to inconsisntent tyre pressure than many vehicles but it does affect wear and handling.
Separate to the tyre choice question, I also have been caught with the overinflation game. Recently noiced that handling seemed shaper than usual and found pressures above 40PSI. Also, tyre shops tend to overtorque wheel nots. Last tyre rotation, I found nuts over tensioned dreadfully and had to buy a long breaker bar as I could not easily remove them. A reasonable torque wrench can be picked up for less than USD100 and socket is about USD 10 so you can easily adjust the nuts. If you don't you risk damaging studs and brake discs.
I have an 08 HiHy limited with the 19's :mad: and want to see if you are still pleased with the Michelins. I am concerned where we do drive in snow for 5 mos out of the year and you seemed concerned with the height of the tire.
The saga continues... the Lexus wheels arrived from the eBay vendor - and it turns out they've been drilled out and had steel sleeves inserted to move the center point of each bolt - they did not originally fit the Toyota. This was not stated - or even hinted at - in the eBay ad, nor did they admit to it on the phone when I called to inquire before purchasing. I took them around to Costco, Les Schwab, Discount, and Big-O - and NO ONE will work on these. No one will mount/dismount, or move the sensors for me. The vendor claimed 'if you didn't tell them, no one would know' - yet it was the very first guy I dealt with (at Schwab) pointed them out to me and told me they would not work on those wheels. In addition, the condition of the wheels belied the vendor claim that 'they all came off brand new Lexus vehicles at the dealer': there was a fair amount of brake dust, rust on several of the wheels, and one wheel had the letters "RF" painted inside in what looked like nail polish. The manager of the Discount Tire I showed them to thought they had been 'on a vehicle for 1000 miles or so' - yet the vendor keeps insisting they're 'excellent, like-new condition'. Even after mechanically modifying them by drilling out and repositioning the bolt holes.
Now I'm out $200 for shipping, even if I get the vendor to refund the $899 for the tires and wheels (Visa 'won't dispute shipping charges'), and am back to square one.
I visited the local Discount TIre and found these for about $160 each: http://www.enkei.com/wdm.html and with the Michelin tires I wanted (Latitudes) for about $1350 - plus of course the $200 idiot tax for trying to save $200 overall with the eBay vendor...
Just had the 255/55/R19 Bridgestone Dueler Alenza's installed on my 08 Limited Highlander. Have only put a few hundred miles on them. The vehicle seems to handle better and the tires seem to do well on wet roads. The ride is smooth and quiet. No problem with the strut clearance.
My '07 Highlander Limited AWD came with Goodyear Integrity 225/65R17 tires. They lasted barely 25,000 miles. I replaced them with Goodyear Fortera 225/65R17 tires and the tire dealer recommended running 40 psi. The ride is not bad, not as soft and car-like as the 30 psi Integritys, but still comfortable. So far they have performed well when I made two ski trips since installation.
Now my problem is getting the tire pressure inflation system light on the dash to go off. Will road test it later this afternoon and report back to everyone.
I own an 08 Sport with the 19" wheels. Although they were hard to locate for a price I was willing to pay, I finally found a set of 17" base wheels on ebay and they were delivered yesterday. I just had Michelin Latitude X-Ice mounted on them and tested them on the Highlander for fit. (I always prep for winter and for years have bought my snow times in the late spring for very low prices - I got these for 45% off). I'm pleased to say there is no problem with fit on the Sport as many have claimed. The hubs, calipers, rotors and everything else that would matter are the same part number except for the strut on the Sport so I had marginal concern. BOTTOM LINE: if you want to put OEM Highlander Base 17" wheels on a vehicle with 19" factory wheels GO FOR IT AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT A FIT PROBLEM.
Now, when my factory 19" tires wear out I'm going to give a shot at looking at 255/55-19 tires to replace the 245's. DiscountTire.com has a highly rated Hankook all-season for $185 w 65,000 warranty that they claim will fit without a problem.
I see a lot of people here talking about mounting 255/60-19 on their 245/55-19 '08 Highlanders. That changes the diameter by 1.4 inches and the circumference by 4.5 inches. You're asking for trouble. The problem is changing the profile to 60 - leave it at 55. Going to 255/55-19 only changes the diameter by .4 inches and the circumference by 1.4 inches - a much more reasonable choice.
Generally, you should only be changing the profile if you're changing the wheel diameter. (Going to an 18" wheel in the case of the 08 Highlander).
DiscountTire.com has a 'Tire Size Calculator' on the left side of their home page that can help you with these calculations and it will even tell you how much your speedometer will change.
No trouble at all, I drove over 3k miles on the 255/60 R19 Michelin’s tires without rubbing or any issues. Does very good on the wet road on a rainy day, I have not yet drove it on ice or snow.
Personally, I wanted to stay with factory rims, so I can't really comment from experience on the 20's.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, DiscountTire.com has a 'Tire Size Calculator' where you enter the current tire's specs and the tire you want to go to and tells you the differences in resulting TIRE profile. You also need to be sensitive to the wheel offset to avoid any problems. It takes some research on your part - call the big online tire sellers and/or trusted local shops and ask. Make sure you get a Fit guarantee just in case somebody makes a mistake.
For sure, going to 20's will give you less height of the tire sidewall (because you'll be moving to 50 series tires) making you more susceptible to pothole damage (a big concern in my part of the country) and will probably result in a rougher ride and a change in handling. If you live where the roads are straight and smooth that will matter less to you. Good Luck!
Did you have to reset the tire air pressure sensors to get the sensors to work correctly so the dash light does not come on? How many miles do you now have on these and are you experiencing any problems with them?
I have a 2002 Millenium Silver Highlander with the aluminum wheels. They have been holding up oretty well but on two of them the center piece inside the lug nuts with the logo on it is starting to peel on only 2 of them. Is this a common problem? Can you just get this little piece and replace them? I may try touch up paint. Thanks
Just had my new tires installed Saturday, all in delivered and mounted came in just under $800. While I am not thrilled about replacing tires at 19k I hope these will be better than the POS A20's :mad: . Much more aggressive tread pattern and should provide vast improvement when compared with the street slicks I have been driving on for these Maine winters. Drove back from Portland on 95 last evening in hard rain and they handled well. Will try and keep everyone updated and good luck finding the best replacements!
31+k miles on the HL. Love the car but the tires were just about shot. I had looked at lots of options including staying with 19's and going to 255 Michelin Latitude Tour but at $299 ea and NO mileage warranty, it just didn't make sense.
Today at Discount Tire, I bought MB Seven X wheels ($78 ea) and Michelin LXT A/T P245/65R-17 at $179 ea (60k miles warranty). Mounted, CERTS (replacement guarantee), TPMS rebuilds -- out the door $1350 or so. I have already submitted my $70 rebate and will put my 19" wheels up for sale on craigslist and/or eBay shortly. Even if I only get a couple of hundred for the set, I'm nearly down to a grand net cost.
Driving home, seemed somewhat quieter. I won't be able to test them in snow for some months, but I'm optimistic. I'll post back after some more miles and weather.
I just had the Michelin 255/60 R19 latitude tour tires installed on my 2008 Highlander limited AWD and they are great. The car runs smoother , quieter, and corners better than with the original 245/55 R19 A20 tires. Michelin is currently running a SPECIAL PRICING on these tires for a retail price in the $160.00 range. I got 4 tires installed with road hazard, 4 wheel drive alignment and lifetime balance and tire rotation every 5k miles for $700. The same tire in the 255/55 R19 size is $280 per tire (not on sale). You can get these at any Sams or Costco or any other Michelin dealer. Also you can call the michelin tire number see the website and they will send you a preferred customer coupon that will give you an additional $60 rebate if you do not buy the tires from Sams or Costco. I have checked the clearance on the tires and they are fine.
The real problem with the Highlander is that in order for the car to hold the road Toyota requires the Castor and Camber and Toe in to be set so that it causes fast wear on the inside edge of the tires. This is just one of the things that come with owning a Toyota Highlander AWD vehicle. The original set of tires that came on the car had 31,000 on them and they still were not worn down to the tread indicators in the center of the tire but the inside shoulder of all 4 tires was worn to the cord so they had to be replaced. The 4 runner as an example does not have this issue.
Good luck with tires hope this helps nsome of you with the tire issues
I'm not sure I understand the second part of your message. Are you saying that the alignment on your new Michelins was not set to factory specs? In my experience, if you change the settings to get better roadholding(more negative camber for example) on any make of tire you also increase the tire edge wear. Are you attributing the wear patterns on the original tires to having changed the alignment settings to improve road holding, because that's exactly what you would expect to happen. I am sure that the Michelins will perform better than the originals in every way but if you change the alignment settings, they too will show undesirable wear patterns. Or are the Michelins so much better that there is no need to modify the alignment settings?
Going to 60 series changes the diameter by 1.4 inches and the circumference by 4.5 inches. Going to 255/55-19 only changes the diameter by .4 inches and the circumference by 1.4 inches. You make the call - it can cause alignment issues. In any case TireRack now has the Michelin Latitude Tour 255/60-19 for a special of $108 each if you're willing to be aware of the size implications. And, if you can get the $60 off that hotrod28 mentions, it would make for a nice deal!
No, I am only saying that the Toyota Factory specs have the wheels set so thay cause tire wear on the inside edge regardless of the brand or size tire your put on
After approximately driving 1000 miles on the 255/55/R19 Bridgestone Dueler Alenza.'s on my 08 Highlander Limited; my wife was complaining about road noise and the ride feeling more like a truck tire instead of a smooth ride. I noticed it to at higher speeds at around 65mph or better. The tires were excellent on wet roads and I believe they would have also been great in snow and ice. However, I had a 30 day drive warranty from the dealer where I bought them and decided to swap them for the Michelin Latitudes in the same size. These really provide a good smooth low noise ride and are also good in the rain. I don't believe they will do as well as the Alenza's would have done in the snow and ice. They also will not provide the tread wear that I would have gotten out of the Bridgestone Alenza's, but it is my wifes vehicle and wanted her to be happy. I believe that the Alenza's had harder rubber compound and therefore caused them not to ride as smooth as the softer Latitudes that we now have.
Dear all who changed your car tire and size from 245/55 R19, I'm trying to change my car tire and rim size back to original stand tire size 245/65 R17 and called 3 Toyota Dealer for asking the price for the new set of tire and rim for 245/65 R17.
They all told me that if it came with 245/55 R19 then they would not recommend me to change even it is a standard size for base model. And ABS and Speedometer may not work properly. At last they mention that my car warranty may void.
So I have to stick with Bridgestone Dueler for $179 a piece. That is the internet price from Firestone. Where can I get better price?
Any of you who change the tire and rim size had talk with your dealer or Toyota Agent about this matter?
Change to the Michelin Tour Latitude 255/60 R19. They are great. They are about 2-3 miles/hr slow at 70 but that is ok. They ride great and Michelin has them on sale. Go to a costco or Sams for the best deal . Other dealers can get them for less than 150 per tire and you can get a $60 rebate from Michelin if you call in on their website number. I did this and they ride great. The dealers are trying to push you to their tires which are an expensive solution. The Michelin also has a deeper tread than the Bridgestone and other Japanese tires. Good Luck.
Before buying my 17" wheels for my 19" Sport I went to the service/parts department and checked the difference of components between base and sport/limited. We could not find any part number differences in the braking, suspension, steering and drive train components in the gas engine models except for the struts on the Sport, which I have (it is a stiffer ride than the others). My dealer told me they should not present any problems and I found a set of virtually new OEM base model 17" takeoffs on ebay for just over $600. I got them so that I could put a decent winter tires (not much available in the 19" size) for the snow covered Blitzburgh hills. And as a bonus, the sidewall is almost an inch higher, giving the wheels a little more protection and cushioning during our infamous spring pothole season. I'll run my 19's in the summer and 17's in the winter.
The difference in resulting tire dimensions WHEN NEW is minimal: the 17's diameter is .07" less, the circumference is .22" less, and the speedometer will read .16 MPH less ... once you wear your 19" tires down by just 1/28" you hit the breaking point, and you'll be smaller than those new 17" tires! (1/28" = .0357" * 2 since we're dealing with circumference = .0704"). Why doesn't that change affect your ABS and speedometer? You don't buy new tires every time you wear new tires down by 1/28", do you? And... considering you have about 8 to 9 32nd's of wear from new to worn, you'll be FAR below the the dimensions of a new 17. It's just a matter of mathematics.
I suggest you go to the dealers and ask them to show you what is different. You can also go to discount tire at http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos and do the calculations and print that page out and take it with you. What they're telling you about switching to 17" wheels/tires just doesn't make any sense at all IMHO! :confuse: It's a shame that they won't try to assist you - probably some recent hires from Plymouth or Oldsmobile dealerships.
I could understand Toyota's concern for those who are changing to 255-60/19's to broaden their tire choices - that changes dimensions significantly (diameter by 1.44" and circumference by 4.52") ! Personally, I would not do that move.
Hi! Can you get the TSB number or the part nember for the 18" port take off wheels? Or maybe provide me with the dealership name or the name of the service manager so I may contact them for the information? Thanks!!!
After contact 3 Toyota Dealers and 2 local Garages, I stop my consideration to change 19 to 17.
Toyota Dealer told me that they will not do that kind of change and warranty may void but they didn't explain me why.
Sear Tire center manager came out and check wheel and brake clipper clearance and he told me that I can go down to 18 the most because of the clearance. And he mention me about how hybrid system engine, motor and recharging system set up. So I have to order Bridge Stone Dueler HL for my HH. I will stick with that for a while. There may be more choice after 1 year later.
Recently replaced the OEM tires after 34,700 miles with the TOYO P Metric 245/55 19R tires. Have just completed a 2000 mile trip in a variety of driving conditions and am well pleased with these tires. Much quieter than the OEM ones and provide a comfortable ride at 34 #s inflation. The 60,000 mile warranty is some comfort also. Purchased through a local dealer who beat Discount Tire by $140.00. Got the road hazzard deal also. If you need tires give these a serious look before changing sizes.
Wow, you got a lot of miles on OEM tires. I changed last week at 18500 miles and tread depth down to 3/32. I changed to Bridge Stone Dueler and it didn't come with mileage warranty. I hope 1 or 2 yrs later, there may more choices.
I rotated every 5K miles and watched the inflation every week. Also I don't drive my HL like a sports car nor peel off at stoplights. I learned some of my tire knowledge while in the Army. Also checked the tread depth carefully. I still have not changed my opinion about the OEM tires. The HL is not a performance vehicle and should be tired appropriately with all season type tires. Frankly I can't tell any difference in the handling and the braking is better IMO with the new tires. I switched out when the tires reached 3/32s depth. Feel much safer now.
FWIW -- I already changed out my wheels and tires(see post 288 above), but I heard from a mutual friend that my dental hygenist who has a 08 Limited LH, got Toyota to replace her 19" tires with new 19" tires. I don't know any details, but that's what I heard and I believe the source.
Yes, I rotated mine every 5000 miles too. And I drive normal too. I never do rush drive and hard braking too. My town has a lot of up and down hill roads and I check my tire pressure only once a month.
Finally, Toyota taking care of somebody if that news is true.
Just clocked 10,000 miles on Hankook P235/55R 19". Replaced the OEM Toyo tires that came with it. Overall, I have been very happy with these tires, despite the smaller width. Performance in heavy rain has been solid, wear on all 4 tires has been even across the tire, having rotated them twice. Weight has not been a problem when the vehicle is loaded down. Hankook warranty has been comparable to other major brands, and they are the 7th largest tire manufacturer in the world.
Hi awl1: I'm researching replacing the 245/55/R19's on my '08 Highlander Sport with 255/55/R19's and saw that you did this with your wife's '08 Highlander Limited. The two tires I'm considering are the Alenza's and the Michelin Latitude Tour HP's. I see that you switched over to the Michelin's after initially tyring the Alenza's. Is your wife still happy with the Micheln's? Are you still happy with the decision? My alternative is to switch to 18" wheels and go with 245/60/R18's. Thanks.
I decided to go the route of other '08 Highlander owners yesterday (cap208, tywebb3, etc) and bought new 18" wheels and 245/60 R18 tires. Went with the Liquid Venom 18" wheels (18x7.55-100/11440SMF) @ $135 ea. and Continental CrossContact LX tires @ $123 ea w. 65,000 mi. warranty. Out-the-door cost was $1260. Will get this installed later this week. Hope this resolves the issue. Also posted to Toyota consumer site and Consumer Reports.
I briefly considered going to 255/55/R19 per a previous poster (awl1), but I saw more people with success going to the R18's. Also asked the Discount tire tech and he mentioned that going to 255/55 R19's would probably wear fast too (just like the OEM 245/55/ R19's) due to the wheel size and dynamics of the vehicle. He thought that I'd get more lifetime on my tires going to the 18" rims. We'll see...
I bought a used 08 Highlander Limited 4 months ago. Recently I went to get a screw taken out of a tire and was shocked that they said I needed all new tires (had OEM Toyo A20s). I have 21K miles on them. After much reading on various forums, I decided to call Toyo directly. The first rep I spoke to explained that Toyo and Bridgestone were to share the contract with Toyota. Toyota made the "recipe" - they built them according to Toyota's requirements. Crappy requirements I might add. I was told to go to a local distributor (ended up at my Discount Tire who ordered them for me) and have them inspect the tires during the day while Toyo was open (I dealt with the West Coast office). They were to then contact Toyo while I was there. The manager spoke to Toyo, explained that I was riding on unsafe, bald tires and said he was told by me that Toyo would give me a credit towards new tires. To my (and the manager's) shock, they offered 50% off the new Toyo's. I had preferred to go with the Bridgestone tires because they are performance tires but I could not justify paying $1000 with no tread warranty. The Toyos come with a 65K mile tread warranty and they feel just fine so far. It drives a bit differently so that takes some getting used to. Just wanted to share my recently experience.
Comments
I personally have the factory Bridgestones on my 08 Sport, and had them siped right from the beginning. They have worn 1/32" in 5000 miles and did okay in the snow, too.
I've been looking at the Bridgestones and Kumho brands but have not made up my mind as of yet.
What kind of tire did you go with and what kind of mileage did you get out of them? I think the Toyos would have done better but while having it serviced by Toyota somehow they all got 36 lbs of pressure in them and wore the middle pretty good before I caught it.
Thanks in advance for any replies and help.
Don
I was unimpressed with the performance of the original Toyo tyres on my 2005 Kluger (Highlander to you) and they wore out at 44914 km (28,000miles). The Toyos had poor grip under most conditions and very poor lateral stability. They were particularly nasty off bitumen
I do some off bitumen work and wanted a good mud/snow tyre with good on highway characteristics. I fitted Yokohama 225/70R16 102H pattern G051 H/T-S 30 months ago.
I now have about 75,000 km (say 48,000 miles) on the Yokohamas in 30 months and they still have probably 20,000 km wear. I checked tread depth last night and they are wearing consistently. Wet weather gripmis still good although I feel that they are just staring to go off a bit.
It is however critical to get the Kluger alignment checked about every six months (four wheel alignment on laser machine) as they do slip out, particualrly if driven over bumpy surfaces and check inflation regularly. They are less susceptible to inconsisntent tyre pressure than many vehicles but it does affect wear and handling.
Cheers
Graham
Separate to the tyre choice question, I also have been caught with the overinflation game. Recently noiced that handling seemed shaper than usual and found pressures above 40PSI. Also, tyre shops tend to overtorque wheel nots. Last tyre rotation, I found nuts over tensioned dreadfully and had to buy a long breaker bar as I could not easily remove them. A reasonable torque wrench can be picked up for less than USD100 and socket is about USD 10 so you can easily adjust the nuts. If you don't you risk damaging studs and brake discs.
Cheers
Graham
I have an 08 HiHy limited with the 19's :mad: and want to see if you are still pleased with the Michelins. I am concerned where we do drive in snow for 5 mos out of the year and you seemed concerned with the height of the tire.
Any feedback would be appreciated.....Mark
Now I'm out $200 for shipping, even if I get the vendor to refund the $899 for the tires and wheels (Visa 'won't dispute shipping charges'), and am back to square one.
I visited the local Discount TIre and found these for about $160 each:
http://www.enkei.com/wdm.html
and with the Michelin tires I wanted (Latitudes) for about $1350 - plus of course the $200 idiot tax for trying to save $200 overall with the eBay vendor...
So beware of these guys - they're less than up front about their business practices:
Wheels and Tires International http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/18-Toyota-Highlander-wheels-Goodyear-Fortera-Tire- s_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1171Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318- Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem120382506186- QQitemZ120382506186QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
Sounds to me like tey should alos be reported not only to eBay, but the BBB in CT.
That would be a red flag alert.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Now my problem is getting the tire pressure inflation system light on the dash to go off. Will road test it later this afternoon and report back to everyone.
SnoSkier
Now, when my factory 19" tires wear out I'm going to give a shot at looking at 255/55-19 tires to replace the 245's. DiscountTire.com has a highly rated Hankook all-season for $185 w 65,000 warranty that they claim will fit without a problem.
Generally, you should only be changing the profile if you're changing the wheel diameter. (Going to an 18" wheel in the case of the 08 Highlander).
DiscountTire.com has a 'Tire Size Calculator' on the left side of their home page that can help you with these calculations and it will even tell you how much your speedometer will change.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, DiscountTire.com has a 'Tire Size Calculator' where you enter the current tire's specs and the tire you want to go to and tells you the differences in resulting TIRE profile. You also need to be sensitive to the wheel offset to avoid any problems. It takes some research on your part - call the big online tire sellers and/or trusted local shops and ask. Make sure you get a Fit guarantee just in case somebody makes a mistake.
For sure, going to 20's will give you less height of the tire sidewall (because you'll be moving to 50 series tires) making you more susceptible to pothole damage (a big concern in my part of the country) and will probably result in a rougher ride and a change in handling. If you live where the roads are straight and smooth that will matter less to you. Good Luck!
Is this a common problem?
Can you just get this little piece and replace them?
I may try touch up paint.
Thanks
Today at Discount Tire, I bought MB Seven X wheels ($78 ea) and Michelin LXT A/T P245/65R-17 at $179 ea (60k miles warranty). Mounted, CERTS (replacement guarantee), TPMS rebuilds -- out the door $1350 or so. I have already submitted my $70 rebate and will put my 19" wheels up for sale on craigslist and/or eBay shortly. Even if I only get a couple of hundred for the set, I'm nearly down to a grand net cost.
Driving home, seemed somewhat quieter. I won't be able to test them in snow for some months, but I'm optimistic. I'll post back after some more miles and weather.
The real problem with the Highlander is that in order for the car to hold the road Toyota requires the Castor and Camber and Toe in to be set so that it causes fast wear on the inside edge of the tires. This is just one of the things that come with owning a Toyota Highlander AWD vehicle. The original set of tires that came on the car had 31,000 on them and they still were not worn down to the tread indicators in the center of the tire but the inside shoulder of all 4 tires was worn to the cord so they had to be replaced. The 4 runner as an example does not have this issue.
Good luck with tires hope this helps nsome of you with the tire issues
In any case TireRack now has the Michelin Latitude Tour 255/60-19 for a special of $108 each if you're willing to be aware of the size implications. And, if you can get the $60 off that hotrod28 mentions, it would make for a nice deal!
They all told me that if it came with 245/55 R19 then they would not recommend me to change even it is a standard size for base model. And ABS and Speedometer may not work properly. At last they mention that my car warranty may void.
So I have to stick with Bridgestone Dueler for $179 a piece. That is the internet price from Firestone. Where can I get better price?
Any of you who change the tire and rim size had talk with your dealer or Toyota Agent about this matter?
Please update the information thanks.
The difference in resulting tire dimensions WHEN NEW is minimal: the 17's diameter is .07" less, the circumference is .22" less, and the speedometer will read .16 MPH less ... once you wear your 19" tires down by just 1/28" you hit the breaking point, and you'll be smaller than those new 17" tires! (1/28" = .0357" * 2 since we're dealing with circumference = .0704"). Why doesn't that change affect your ABS and speedometer? You don't buy new tires every time you wear new tires down by 1/28", do you? And... considering you have about 8 to 9 32nd's of wear from new to worn, you'll be FAR below the the dimensions of a new 17. It's just a matter of mathematics.
I suggest you go to the dealers and ask them to show you what is different. You can also go to discount tire at http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos and do the calculations and print that page out and take it with you. What they're telling you about switching to 17" wheels/tires just doesn't make any sense at all IMHO! :confuse: It's a shame that they won't try to assist you - probably some recent hires from Plymouth or Oldsmobile dealerships.
I could understand Toyota's concern for those who are changing to 255-60/19's to broaden their tire choices - that changes dimensions significantly (diameter by 1.44" and circumference by 4.52") ! Personally, I would not do that move.
Toyota Dealer told me that they will not do that kind of change and warranty may void but they didn't explain me why.
Sear Tire center manager came out and check wheel and brake clipper clearance and he told me that I can go down to 18 the most because of the clearance. And he mention me about how hybrid system engine, motor and recharging system set up. So I have to order Bridge Stone Dueler HL for my HH. I will stick with that for a while. There may be more choice after 1 year later.
:mad: :mad:
Since I've already bit the bullit, I'll just wait til I go in this fall. I will post details though, when I get 'em.
Finally, Toyota taking care of somebody if that news is true.
So far....so good.....
I briefly considered going to 255/55/R19 per a previous poster (awl1), but I saw more people with success going to the R18's. Also asked the Discount tire tech and he mentioned that going to 255/55 R19's would probably wear fast too (just like the OEM 245/55/ R19's) due to the wheel size and dynamics of the vehicle. He thought that I'd get more lifetime on my tires going to the 18" rims. We'll see...