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From what I've read on this thread the problem is with the tires on the 2008 model; correct?
Has the problem tire been changed on the 2009 edition?
I live in the Buffalo,NY area and need a vehicle with excellent tires for driving in the snow. I don't want to buy a 2009 this spring and find after the first snowfall next winter I have bad tires.
Thanks.
Since most '08s and certainly any '09s will probably still have OEM tires on them through next winter, I'm guessing (hoping) that the options for a good winter tire in the 19" will be better by then.
I'll just try not to kill myself in the meantime.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Our car came with Bridgestone Dueler H/L 400, P245 55R19 103S, and from what I've already researched, this tire and one by Toyo are the only 19" on the market...and it appears they both suck!
Two questions: 1. Has anyone had success in dealing with Toyota on this issue? and 2. Can I purchase this tire for under $200 ea anywhere in Northeast PA? Any other comments you might want to make would be appreciated...like short of buying different wheels (maybe 18") has another manufacturer come out with a 19" tire?
Does Class Action Suit peak any interest? UNBELIEVABLE! I car company screws the public again.
I contacted Toyota too, they return me with the brief explanation of their quality control for every single part as well as tire. They didn't say any of action to satisfy their customer with tire problem.
Cheer Mr. Kziggy. Please do that. If you are going to do Class action, count me in.
company such as Toyota to put tires on a vehicle that are in such limited supply and from only two manufacturers. The amazing thing is that they are still producing vehicles with this size tire. Do I hear the words restraint of trade and kick backs?
I have been in contact with Toyota and they do not recommend changing to 18" rims because this would change the dynamics of the vehicle, however the base Highlander comes with 17" wheels. Who are they fooling? I guess time will tell as to what the eventual outcome may be. I believe that Toyota should do something for people that paid good money for crappy tires.
Having read this thread, I was motivated to call Toyota. To make a month-long story short, I am very disappointed. The local dealer's parts manager lead me to believe that Toyota would "buy two tires if I bought two tires," but then they backed out when it came down to it. So, when a planned trip came due, I pulled the trigger and bought some 17" wheels with some Michelin LTX M/S from Discount Tire. I LOVE these tires, and they were put to the test during our weeklong trip. We had some snow and they performed beautifully on some dirt roads with moderate slopes. The seven-spoke wheels match the bolt pattern exactly, and the difference in circumference from the Toyo's is negligible. I did my research beforehand, and the Michelin LTX is a VERY highly rated tire. I'm very glad to have made the switch. Going forward, I now have dozens of tires to choose from in the 17" size rather than the handful in the 19" size.
The new tire size: P245/65R17
Bolt pattern: 5-114.3
By the way, Discount Tire's "tire calculator" web page is GREAT for calculating the difference between your current tire size and proposed tire sizes. It shows how the different size affects your speedometer, and actual dimensional differences in circumference, width, etc. The page is located at http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos. I used it extensively as I researched various options in going wider, taller, etc.
The wheels I chose were $89 each and the tires were $194 each. After the road hazard, replacement and other stuff that you pay with Discount, the grand total was around $1,440. I will get $120 back from two rebates, so, a total of $1,320. I will be putting the Toyos and 19" rims on Craigslist to try and recoup some of the cost. The rims cost $579 each from Toyota...over $2,300! I'll settle for less than half that if I can find someone interested. The salesman at Discount Tire said I would would probably be able to sell them. We'll see. The Toyo's have about 7/32nds left. The rims are in great shape, and may appeal to another Highlander owner who has already put some Blizzaks on their original rims and are about to swap their Toyo's back on for the summer. (If anyone HERE is interested, let me know!)
Anyway, I thought I'd share my story. I firmly believe that I made a good choice in buying the Highlander. I believe it's a superior vehicle, and for some reason I thought that the company behind it was also superior to the "traditional" car companies I have dealt with in the past, like Ford, Chevrolet, etc. Clearly, I was mistaken.
If I encounter any other experiences with the wheels or tires, I'll post an update.
Thanks for reading.
Unfortunately like everything when you have a new size / product it takes time to get everyone on board. Like everyone I hope it's soon too, but I can't blame Toyota for the tire manufactures not providing thir product in the size I need.
When I need tires if it's still this bad I'll get the 18" rims and be done with it, but I'll be willing to bet by the fall there will be more the 2 tire manufactures making this size.
Anyone else in the Boston area hear the radio ad from the tire company that wants to give away Toyos? Buy 3 and get the 4th absolutely free. It's a great tire, too, and comes with the best manufacturer warranty in the business....
I bought 4 Hankook 235/55R19 H725 Optimo Mileage Plus II tires off E-bay, brand new delivered to my house for $600. Got 'em at East Coast Tires in Asheboro, NC. I now have 3000 miles on them, no problems so far. However, I live in TX, so there isn't the snow/ice issue to deal with......
I have an 08 Sport and NO, the 17" factory wheels will not fit. It is due to the caliper on the Sport model. If you read back you can find my messages about everything I went through to get decent tires. I ended up getting 18" rims at Sears for about $118 each. They also price matched some fabulous Michelin MTX M/S tires from Tirerack for $129 each.
I live in N Guilford CT and purchased my Highlander Limited on Oct 2007. It came with OEM Toyo's and my first winter with them was fine. The second winter (this past winter) was not fine, at all. My wife started complaining early in the winter that "this car is no good in the snow" and I chaulked it up to her being a less than average winter weather driver....until I took the car out and slid all over the place on 2 inches of snow. I went out and bought some Blizzaks and had a very safe winter since. My point is to caution you that you will probably start having winter problems next year and please be very very careful. These tires are truly an abomination after a little treadwear.
I visited the closest Toyota dealer and see what options I had and what they had recommended to others in my position: Karl Malone in Salt Lake. We visited there when we first started shopping, and because of the salesman's attitude we never returned; even though I was not happy with their salesman, I figured the service org would be OK to deal with. Wrong again.
When I first raised the issue with the parts clerk, he acknowledged that, yes, there are only the Toyo and Bridgestone tires available for that size wheel on the Highlander, but then went on to claim that no one had ever complained about this before. He then called in another guy from parts, an older gentleman, who listened to my complaint and then also stated no one had ever come in to Karl Malone about this issue. No one? EVER? I pointed out that there are many angry customers venting about this online, having learned about it (like me) only well after purchase when it came time to buy replacement tires, and going back at least two years to Nov 2006.
His response? “I can find people complaining about anything online”, thereby dismissing my complaint. I then asked about their recommendations for swapping wheels. The first parts clerk then went on to say “you can't move to 17” wheels because they won't clear the brake calipers.” Yet people in this forum had already done this, so I returned home to call the dealer where I purchased the vehicle as these guys where going to be zero help.
On the way home, I stopped at a Discount Tire store to ask them about this issue. Their response? “We've had a lot of Highlander and Tundra owners come in and complain about this very problem, and many have in fact switched wheels. You can switch to 17” or 18”, or even to a 20”; all will give you more and better tire choices. I just swapped out wheels, replacing the originals with 17” wheels, on a Highlander Hybrid just like yours six months ago in our Linden store.”
I returned home and called the dealer where I purchased the Highlander to ask about the service bulletin referenced in this forum regarding the 18” Lexus Port Take Offs, but the service rep there did not know anything about said bulletin (though he stated he was aware of the issue), and could not find anything about it. Since Karl Malone wasn't even aware of the problem, there was no point in calling them.
Then I called the 'Toyota Experience Department' at 310-468-4000 – what a waste of time that was. After collecting all my info including my phone #, and listening to my explanation of the problem, the rep asked if he could put me on hold while he looked up the service bulletin I asked about; I replied that was fine, and since he had my number how he could call me back if somehow the call were dropped, right? “Yes, I can do that if the call drops”. No problem, I'll wait. Then he comes back on the line, tells me he needs to transfer me to another department, “the Toyota Experience department, but for more technical issues” (?), and will I wait? Yes, fine, I'll wait. Then he comes back again and says “They're all in a meeting, but I've logged the details of your case so if you would just call back later you should be able to speak with them.” Uh, what? You have my phone number, you have the details, have them call me back when the meeting is over. “Well, no they can't do that.” Why not? You have all the info you need, and only YOU know when the meeting is over. “That isn't how our system works.” What? What kind of customer service is that? I asked him to log my displeasure, note that I was most certainly NOT calling back, told him this doesn't constitute 'customer service' in any form, and hung up.
I've got an inquiry in to 'International Wheel and Tire' on eBay, as they were the ones that posted the Lexus 18” wheel/Goodyear Forterra combo on ebay for $900 plus shipping – a total of about $1100 for four wheels and tires shipped to my home:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/18-Toyota-Highlander-wheels-Goodyear-Fortera-Tire- s_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742Q2em153Q2el1262QQcategoryZ66484QQihZ001QQitemZ1- 10375199069QQtcZphoto
I'm going to visit Discount Tire again now that I'm armed with the proper info, and see what combos they can offer for an 18” wheel, hopefully with a Michelin tire, for the same $275 per that I can get from the offer above; once I make a decision I'll report back along with my first impressions following the swap. And I've written up a much longer, more detailed version of this posting which I intend to send via snailmail to Toyota Customer Service at corporate, along with cc'ing any Toyota board members whose names I can turn up.
Two final thoughts: 1) The guy from the Toyota Experience dept. noted that with regard to warranty violation, they would only look at components and systems related to the wheels and tires; for example, any problems with the engine would not be traceable back to the tire/wheel swap and therefore would not be voided.
2) There's no point in waiting and hoping someone else will make a decent 19” tires for this vehicle later this year or next (Michelin's already said no, according to one post in this forum); sticking with the worthless Toyo tires for another 25K miles would cost me about $180/tire, or $360/tire for the next 50K miles. A good Michelin or Goodyear will last at least 50K, so spending the same $360/tire now ($180/wheel and $180/tire) gets me to better – and SAFER - tires, saves me money every on every set I purchase going forward, and pays for itself on the very next set of tires I purchase – two years from now, not one as with the Toyos.
don'twon't own one. I am looking for someone WHO HAS ACTUALLY ATTEMPTED THIS before I order a set of Factory 17's because neither I nor the dealer see any reason why they would NOT fit. I just makes no sense that the calipers would rub if they're the same calipers! Perhaps I'm missing something here. If you have tried the swap please let me know one way or the other. (And if it doesn't fit please let me know where the problem lies.) Thanks for any help.Hankook Ventus AS RH07.
You'll have to go just a touch wider on the profile, as the closest size available to OE at the moment is 255/55R19, but this isn't terrible, and in fact might be preferred. The 420 treadwear rating helps give a 65,000-mile warranty, and the traction and temperature ratings (each "A") surpass the OE Bridgestone POS's that came with the vehicle. A load rating of 111 (vs 103 OE) is also nice. Not that I'm planning on pushing it, but they're also V-speed rated (149mph).
I can't find a negative review anywhere, and I've just spent 4 hours researching this option. Discount Tire is offering them for $205 each.
Anyone have any experience or opinions with this tire ?
So I just ordered the Lexus wheels with the Goodyear Forterra tires from International and will update the forum after I get a few miles on them.
Nice find!
In doing your research, did you find any reason for safety concern in going with the 255/55/19 since there is no reduction in the aspect ratio vs the 245/55/19?
In looking at the tire measurements calculator on Discount Tire's site, the size differences are increases in sidewall height (+0.21"), diam (+0.43"), circum (+1.36"). I don't know enough to know if these differences are nominal or could have any measurable effect. The speedometer is only off by about 1mph.
Also, did you uncover any potential concern with putting a 255/55/19 on the Toyota OEM 19" rim?
Thanks
I would like to know about talen316 mention.
If there is not much different and no potential hazard, I would like to change my tire to that kind of tire too.
Now, odometer is 16000 miles and tire ware down to 3/32. I should change my tire very soon.
For my family safety, I have to change tire even Toyota and Toyo Tire still ignore customer bad feeling.
The only question I still need answered is putting this tire on the OEM 19" wheel, and I suppose I'll have to visit my local Discount Tire and ask what they suggest, which I haven't had time to do yet.
For my vehicle, I'm going to have DT sipe the tires for now, I've got OK tread left and this should improve ride and wet road handling until the snow flies again.
4 P245/65R-17 Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3's at $117 each
4 17 X 7.5 5-114 et35 elbrus i05 rims @ $105.00 each
4 315 MHz Tire presure Sensors @ 92.00 each
Tire rack threw in the retainers, lugnuts and needed extras...
Was a big chunk of money from my fun fund at $ 1400.00 but, it cured the thrill in my bladder during the drive thru snow to work. Now I feel safe, the Highlander is planted as if it was on rails and it stops on snowy hills. Toyota should send a memo to all 08 highlander owners living in snow areas explaining ways to correct this bad tire experiment. Good luck to all........I do love my Toyota, I just hope there aren't any future surprises....
Pls keep us posted on what DT tells you re the existing 19" rims fitting the wider tire.
Good idea with siping the tires as well. I only have ~ 6k miles on the vehicle, but will consider doing that as well as the tires wear.
Yeah, I was prob reading the same thread re the Toyo H/T P-Met 245/55/19.
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=279392&page=3
Someone who lives in NY State was saying how much better they've performed under wet/winter conditions.
I really love the look of the 19" rims on our 08 HL Sport and really don't want to change size. I'll be watching closely for more feedback on the net re the Toyo H/T and keeping fingers crossed that it may turn out to be a decent, safe all weather option for this size.
Tire Rack spin balances them and then ships them wherever you want - in my case to my trusty local repair shop. He charged me $30 to put them on and then I drove to the Toyota dealer, since they are the only ones who can enter the tires' sending codes into the console's tire pressure screen.
And so now I'm driving with very, very nice tires that were manufactured by Michelin expressly for SUV's. And it shows: they're quiet and they grip the wet road so much better than the Toyo's.
BTW, I have to express my sympathy that you have such weaselly Toyota dealers. Luckily, my Toyota folks were sympathetic (though, admittedly, not especially helpful).
This was an expensive switch, but I realized that since I'm no longer stuck with Yoko's as my only high-quality choice, this will pay for itself after the next tire change.
I hope this helps y'all.