Toyota Highlander

gasman1

My HL has about 30K miles on my first set of Michelin X-Terrain tires. They still look new and have performed flawless through snow, mud, gravel, and dry pavement. I really like how the sidewalls don't turn "brown" like the Continental tires on my other car.

My Tundra has about 6K miles on its X-Terrain tires. Same story.

I have the extended road hazard warranty which includes free rotation and balance. I have this completed at every oil/lube/filter change - 5K miles.

rfhou

Do the cross terrains have white letters on the sidewall? If so, how do they look on the HL? I'm interested in buying the cross terrains, but I want to stay with a black wall tire.

Thanks...

wwest

At Clublexus.com in the RX300 photo gallery, search for "monotone". 17X8 wheels, BSW XT (ct?) tires, 1.2" spacers.

bojack1

Had a set put on last month with the raised white outline letters mounted to the inside. Dealer used a little spray flat black paint over the white lettering which will wash off over time, then the dirt will cover the letters. Dealer said these are NOT directional tires so mounting to the inside should not be an issue. So far so good, not had them long enough to see how they will do in winter conditions.

wwest

My cross terrains have been on the RX since I bought it two years and 20k miles ago. Haven't had any complaints here in the Seattle rain and the only other adverse conditions its been in was a trip to Lewistown MT just recently.

Snow on Wolf Creek pass, north side, just north of Helena and then at the top of McDonald pass. Not a really good adverse condtion test but they did seem to be fine in both cases.

scanner

Is it my imagination, or does 90% of the messages in this topic seem to revolve around the following same 5 subjects?

1. Tires.
2. AWD.
3. Consoles.
4. Noises.
5. And the color blue.

landdriver

Maybe that's because we have the same 5 people contributing 90% of the messages to this discussion group!

wwest

I'll try concentrating on windshield fogging and climate control for awhile.

hlron

Re: the question of does it seem like 90% of the messages here revolve around five subjects: maybe not exactly...but hey, if so, lucky us! A lot of vehicles have more than five main things to discuss on these boards.

Also, I have had my Michelin Cross Terrains on my 2001 FWD for around 3,000 miles and I am very happy with them (I had the Goodyear Integritys before getting the Michelins). We had some heavy rain and wind here in California Monday, and the HL overall, including the handling, did great. Driving down a 7% grade, state highway, with windshield wipers going at full speed, I was real happy I spent to the extra money to get the Cross Terrains!

jacser

While day light driving I find the dash to be rather dark. Once the headlights go on and the dash lights up and all is fine. Is there a way to keep the dash lights on all the time?

bmc26

Can anyone please tell me if they are towing with Highlander, I am looking to buy a 6 cyl. It would be used to tow a boat that weighs 2000=2200 pounds well in the range of the max 3500, any success stories or nightmares, thanks

cliffy1

It really depends on how often and how far you plan on towing. If it is often or far, don't buy the HL or any other vehicle built on a unibody chassis. You need a frame. Even though the weight you are talking about is within the maximum capacity, you're asking for trouble down the road. Better to get a 4Runner. Again, this isn't because of the engine or transmission but rather the body.

Now, if you tow infrequently or for short distances, the HL will be fine. Occasional use will not cause long term problems and you have plenty of power to move a boat of that size.

fortek

Recently bought steel rims and Bridgestone winter dueler DM-Z2 from tire rack. Since I now have dedicated snow tires for the winter I'm looking to get 17x8's with 255/60 or 55 for summer use. No response from any RX300 members about rim size, offset used, or tire sizes. Some suggested 30mm spacers with 17x8 rims, however without the offset info or tire size this doesn't help. I'm beginning to believe they have no idea what offset they used. Another concern is the extra weight when going to bigger tires and rims, and the ability to align the suspension to factory specs once they are mounted. I suppose I can get custom 3-piece rims with any offset, and they would be lighter than forged.

Questions:
Factory offset?
17x8 rims-offset?
17x8 rims w/30mm spacers- offset?
Tire sizes used w/17x8's?
Can HL's suspension be adjusted or is it set at factory?
Thanks for the help.
(oops, picked one of those five taboo subjects, sorry)

wwest

I assumed offset doesn't matter. Pick the wheel you want/desire/can afford and get the spacer that allows you to use that pacticaular wheel regardless of offset. With the "correct" spacer, (spacing) the actual wheel offset doesn't matter.

255/60/17 tires

fortek

let's look at it your way. What's the total offset that you have when you use the 17x8 rim and the 30mm spacing? If I can find this out, then I can pick any rim with any offset, then use the corresponding spacer to acheive the correct total offset (wheel offset + spacer= total offset)
Maybe I'm not asking this in a logical way, I apologize. I would agree the the actual wheel offset doesn't matter, what I need is the total offset. Any idea what you ending up with?
Any alignment problems?

soco2

Our ‘02 Bluestone AWD V-6 non-Lim. Highlander, delivered 2/02, now has almost 8000 miles. Overall, we’re satisfied with our SUV choice-- the NVH control, overall refinement, and quality of materials and construction are amazing at the price. We paid $1000 over invoice-- not the lowest, but not too high for an order made before much competition appeared. I recommend our dealer, Freeman Toyota-Lexus of Santa Rosa, for its sales practices and parts and service departments. BUT:
1) The brake pedal is soft/mushy. It was definitely a little firmer and higher after, maybe, a system bleed (the service dept. did not list any procedure or repair). This improvement followed a diagnostic drive by the Freeman ship foreman. Much of the mush and long pedal travel before there is any braking effect has returned, however. This is hazardous-- the mush-induced extra feet of stopping distance could make a grievous difference.
2) As of last week, we noticed a whistling (at times like a distant siren) at very low speeds, as when coasting to a stop, and a creaky groaning just before stopping. It’s hard to tell if the noises are coming from under the hood or under the vehicle. Has anyone noticed similar sounds?
3) 1) Steering that feels more crisp and accurate, and handling that is more taut would be nice improvements, and worth a small tradeoff in NVH.
4) While the Bridgestone Dueler tires may be decent performers (I haven’t explored limits), the skinny tread creates a minor appearance problem. The tread width of the nearly-new 225/70 Michelin LTX’s (same nominal width and aspect ratio as the Duelers) I have on another vehicle is about 13% wider. Also, the Bridgestones may contribute to the somewhat vague handling feel. Has anyone who has installed Michelin Cross-Terrain tires noticed a significant steering and handling improvement?

Thanks in advance for any comments and help.

cmuniz

Soco2 - The whistling noise sounds like one of the wheel seals is loose. I had the same problem as have others and Toyota fixed it under warranty. It has been discussed about a month or two ago in the "Problems & Solutions" forum. A couple of us had problems with the right rear wheel. Mechanic said it was not dangerous, but should be fixed to prevent excessive wear.

phrosut

I've been hearing a noise similar to the one described by soco2. "Distant siren" is a good discription and only when slowly traveling up to a stop sign and then again for a few feet when pulling away. Not enough air movement at that speed for it to be the seal whistle. I've been thinking it sounds like alternator noise coming across the radio. Each time it's happened the radio is on and tuned to an FM station very low on the dial (PBS) and the volume is turned high because the station doesn't come in very well. Since the noise tracks with engine RPM it may be that the noise suppression for the alternator is at fault.

Soco2 -- has your radio been on when you hear the noise?

And this is, I think, the biggest problem I've discovered in this car with just over 3000 miles on the odometer. I didn't have a choice of blue and the Bridgestone tires have worked well but haven't been tried in the snow yet. Since mine is a 2003 I got the console and the AWD worked the only time it was needed on a steep driveway with loose gravel. The ABS works too as we have tried it a couple of times on wet pine needles... can't lock up a wheel by trying.

I'm glad my last car wasn't as good as this HL because I'd probably still have it and not be here visiting with you all.

scanner

I think my point was missed. Everyone is welcome to participate and discuss whatever they want as much as they want. There's no need to "change" what you've been talking about. Also, there are no "taboo subjects" as far as I am concerned. Heck, I've been know to talk about some of them too. Messages about the same things are better than no messages at all.

What was meant by "revolve around the same 5 subjects" is how the same issues generate much discussion and make up most of the topic, BUT messages on new/different topics quite often generate little or no response at all. Why? Some new topics and new participants in addition to the usual ones would be nice.

fortek

How often have you posted a message, someone replied, and you thought "where did they ever get the idea that's what I was talking about". By nature of this format, and without face to face interaction, we often perceive messages quite differently when left to interpret there meaning.

Mention one "iota" about AWD and there's a flurry of activity. Try finding out about wheel offset specs, as in my last several posts, received one reply from the 90% group, and that's it, so I'm left to scour the info elsewhere.
One posting perceived the notion that I didn't think spacers were a good idea, listed all the pros about using them, and didn't address any of the other questions I had posted...very frustrating.

Makes me long for the summertime when car shows, autocrossing, and racing are in full swing at Englishtown/Raceway Park. Nothing beats that face to face interaction with people. Like the guy who went into the most elaborate detail about the steps he took to produce 600 horse at the wheels from his 96 GTS Viper's engine (yes-blue with the white strips).

My guess is there will be 90% views, 10% replys.
Don't mean to be a scrooge- Happy Holidays! Peace on Earth.

cmuniz

My whistling noise which was identical to what you described was fixed by the dealer by resealing the right rear wheel seal. After I got the car back, the whistling was gone. You either have a different noise or my dealer lied to me.

scanner

Fortek,

Have you tried searching the following site?

http://www.discounttiredirect.com

camrycoupe

I have a 2003 Superwhite v6 AWD ltd Highlander.(Just picked it up on Weds. and I love it!) It is the first AWD vehicle I have owned. I was startled to see in the manual that at 5000 miles I am suposed to torque the driveshaft, and about every 10,000 miles thereafter. My husband assures me its no big deal. Is this common for AWD systems to need that kind of constant re torquing?
What happens if I am late retorquing?

nimrod99

I am a new owner of a 2003 and also read the re-torquing requirement.

But I guess it only applies to severe conditions if you tow a trailer etc. Under normal conditions (highway - light trails etc) you don't need to do that. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Anyone else notice the front suspension noise when the wheel extends to full (ie going up a parking garage ramp onto a level floor, the front end gets light and you get a loud thunk)

tfuzz

bmc26: I agree with the towing comments by cliffy.

We towed a 2800# (approx.) Coleman tent trailer on a long trip through the NW last summer. We went over a number of high passes, several almost 11,000 feet. The HL did just fine, even going up the hills. It easily towed at the speed limit on the flat stretches, though I preferred to go a little slower (we did have a trailer brake controller installed in the HL, but not a sway bar). Our only complaint was that the rear of the HL sagged a bit, and at night that made the headlights aim too high, which oncoming traffic did not appreciate.

All things considered, from our experience and from reading comments on various websites, we felt the HL was not really adequate for frequent towing of a fairly large trailer on long trips, which we intend to do. We therefore traded it for an '03 4Runner with automatic leveling rear air suspension. The Runner is CLEARLY a better vehicle for towing, and an excellent vehicle otherwise. In some ways, though, we liked the HL better other than for towing.

If I were towing a boat to a nearby lake occasionally I'd be very comfortable with the HL (with trailer brakes). For heavier duty towing--I feel the 4Runner is a much better choice.

The best answer is to have a Runner for towing your boat, and an HL for going to the store ;-)

landdriver

nimrod99:

Concerning the suspension "topping-out": I did notice this for the first time about a week ago as I began driving down a ramp that exhibited a sharp transition from a level road surface. There was indeed a loud noise (it may have come from only one of the four struts, but I imagine that if I had been going a little faster the other struts would have topped-out as well). I was going faster than I intended when I approached the ramp (you know how competitive this Christmas time shopping traffic can get in the larger cities). My opinion was that I was going faster than is reasonable for the extent of the discontinuity in the road, so my take is that the tendency of the Highlander to top-out is at an acceptable level for the average, and even somewhat aggressive, driver. Of course I'm a fairly conservative driver, so others may have different opinions.

mikey00

It's really no big deal. There are 8 bolts on the driveshaft that Toyota claims should be re-torqued at 54 ft-lbs every 5k under normal driving conditions (not just towing). I did mine twice in the last 30k. There is no driveshaft on fwd. I don't actually do a complete re-torque, that is I do not loosen and tighten to 54 ft-lbs. I just check each of the 8 bolts to make sure they are at at least 54 ft-lbs. I question the need for this service but still do it because it is Toyota recommended, not like the many un-necessary dealer recommended fluid changes.

cliffy1

Posted by Fortek, 12/19/02

"Nothing beats that face to face interaction with people."

Heretic.

sportsterer

can anyone out there either confirm or deny the faint yet persistent rumors that cobalt blue colored vehicles experience significantly higher rates of engine oil gumming?

scanner

Sportsterer,

You are absolutely correct! I read it in USA Today. Scientific research has also proven the color blue to be the major leading cause of interior air pressure noise.

stever

It's gonna be a blue Christmas.

Steve, Host

fortek

Could my point have been better proven. I have no idea what your comment meant...heresy- any opinion opposed to established views ?????????
Plus the "D" after heretic...??????????????
Maybe that's the point, keep them guessing, stir up controversy.

Scanner- thanks for the info. I checked discount tire and tire rack, and they both offered apx. 7-8 rims. What I wanted to find out was the offset they used so that I could broaden my choices of rims, regardless of offset, then use a spacer to acheive the correct suspension/tire clearance. I'll post my final tire/rim choice and total offset to help anyone who may contemplate a plus one upgrade.

scanner

Steve,

...is a pair of blue suede shoes.

scanner

Fortek,

If you do a search on original factory 16" HL wheels on Discount Tire, one would be led to believe that +20mm is the factory offset. E-mail or give them a call, or you could be a heretic and abandon our ways of electronic communications by visiting a sales person at a local tire/wheel shop. :-)

hlron

Sorry to be a tiny bit off subject real quick, but in order to help out here: Fortek, now we have another example of your "Nothing beats that face to face interaction with people" statement. We humans tend to have enough problems communicating in person, let alone via "written" words only, with people we have never met, where we can't see each other's body posture, inflections, etc. Anyway, I think Cliffy's post was in good humor; did you notice the "eyes" : before his "D" - I think he was signifing laughter, as indicated by the "eyes" and the "big smile", turned sideways, of course (although the two dots do post really light and don't stand out well). Kind of like a bigger plain smile Again, I do think Cliffy's intent is all in good humor As is me being happy that my Highlander is not cobalt blue! /Ron

fortek

Went to four different tire shops, spoke with the salespeople, got four different factory offsets, different from the tire rack and discount tire. Spoke on the phone with tire rack, still a different story. Finally just sprung for a factory manual and got the info.

As far as the "D", sorry I'm not up on the cute little symbols.

Have a great New Year everyone, I'm sure you'll all be sad to see me leave, this forum just doesn't cut it for me. Too bad since I had just gotten the TRD exhaust and K&N filter put on, ran it on the dyno before and after to see the results and planned to post them. I would suspect that nobody would have been interested anyway.

brad_22

I, for one, would love to hear about the TRD exhaust. I already have the K&N filter, but figured the exhaust was just a shiny noise-maker. Can you confirm or deny this? : )

sportsterer

scanner,
in addition to them mule fritters, of course. all kidding aside, though, it has been revealed that the cobalt blue vehicles, in addition to developing a propensity for excess interior air pressure noise, generate some kind of odd harmonic as they encounter the ambient light. This has been shown to render their lubricants to a state not unlike blueberry jam. it's true. just thought you should know.

steveb84

Must be a custom job...we have Indigo Ink (royal blue) and Bluestone (gunmetal gray-blue)

cmcardle

Around here (Milwaukee), Cobalt is the parent company of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Wisconsin. If there's a Cobalt Blue HL, I hope it's lease rates don't go up 25% a year like the other Cobalt products.

camrycoupe

The torquing information was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for your help!

golfer22

Please help..Can anyone give me a good reason for either vehicle. Price about the same for either. Highlander has more goodies but does not have a third row. Driving wise is one better than the other.

cliffy1

Hlron was correct about the meaning of my "heretic" post. I am in complete agreement that this form of communication has a lot of short comings and often, people forget what face to face communication means. Saying something like that on a Internet BB is certainly heresy. That was followed by the emocation for a sideways "big grin" which is a colon followed by a capital D. Often, a hyphen is placed between the two to represent a nose :-D

Have a merry Christmas. Just so there is no misunderstanding about this post, read it with a big grin on your face because that is how it is being written.

awchan13

I just installed 235/70R16 tires on my stock rims. Bridgestone Deuler AT's. They handle great so far. have about 1000 miles on them. I'm up in the idaho snow right now, and have not had any problems with traction, uphill or downhill. I'll post some pictures later if anyone wants to see....

goldston

Both Toyota and Honda make great vehicles. I've owned both and feel the fit/finish are excellent on both.
Either the H/L or Pilot will have +/- based on your personal taste, but I believe the deciding factor you have to ask yourself is, do I need or want the 3rd row seats?
In our case we did not. The cargo space rated higher on our list of "must haves".
Please let us know what you decide and why.
Best regards and Happy New Year.
Philip

golfer22

Well after much thought and driving I choose the Highlander. I decided I did not need the third row and the extras I got with the Highlander made it my choice. I like the feel of the vehicle because it is smaller.
We had a major snow storm Christmas and the Highlander performed wonderfully. Great vehicle!!

dougweaver

We are waiting for our special order HL to get here. We chose the HL because there are only 4 of us, so we don't need the 3rd row of seats. The extra storage space in back was more of a need for us. Good luck with your choice. dpw

nimrod99

Just been enjoying my new HL - reached 1000 miles.
OIL
Should I drain the oil now that it has been broken in? I am going to use Mobil-1 5-30. I figure my gas mileage should get better as the factory oil is thinnner to allow the moving parts to "bed-in" against each other.

TIRES
Any opionion on the best all round tire. I currently have Dueler H/T's and was thinking of Dueler A/T's or Dunlops like they have on the 4Runner. Looking for quiet highway M/S with good wet traction and some light trail traction.

Thanks

PS
I really love the HL

toyotaken

You don't need to change the oil until your first scheduled oil change at either 3,000 or 5,000 miles depending on the schedule you have decided upon.

Hope this helps.

Ken

nimrod99

Thanks
what about all the "dirt" in the oil from break-in? I was hoping to change this out at 1000 miles