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I got a call from Express Tire saying Toyo has a recall on the Versado and I need to go in so they can check the tires to see if they are part of the recall. Seems to me they'd have the serial #'s in their files.
The reason for the recall is something about rubber content not being up to Toyo standards.
If my tires are in the recall, he says they will replace with new tires at no cost.
Anybody else have this experience?
Maybe I should switch to the other Toyo tire available?
I debated between the two at time of purchase.
UPDATE... I'm a Happy Camper - mine aren't on the list!
If yours are on the list go to the link for instructions.
Looks like you just need to look at the last 4 numbers. From the recall notice...
This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Toyo Tires has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain Toyo Versado® CUV, Versado® LX II, Open Country® A/T, and Tourevo® LS II tires as specified below. Toyo is recalling approximately 4,677 of these tires in the United States, although not all such tires are defective.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
The rubber chemical mixture used in the production of some of the recalled tires does not meet Toyo’s specification for these tires. As a consequence, sections of the tread may become detached, potentially causing loss of vehicle control and a crash, which could result in death or injury.
These tires were manufactured at the Toyo plant in Sendai, Japan during a two week period in 2010 (as indicated by the last four digits of the DOT Serial #, i.e., 3810 and 3910. The serial number can be found after the letters “DOT” on the tire sidewall. There are approximately 4,677 tires covered by this campaign, although not all of these tires are defective. Tires manufactured before and after this period are not involved.
I am seeing some good things on here about the Yokohama, AVID ENVigor as well as the TOYO Versado CUV tires. I have an '09 highlander which came with the TOYO tires, 36K and they are done. Well not quite cause about 5k is winter tire land and they were not on the car. Anyway... I am trying to decide, I have also seen the Falken ZIEX ZE-912 available but by the look of it the RR (rolling resistance) is likely higher but I cant find any information on it.
The Versado's are being claimed as TOYO's most fuel efficient and the YOKO's look good as well. ANyone have anything to say about the Goodyear CS FUEL MAX or the Bridgestone DUELER H/L 422 Ecopia.... or the Hankook, Ventus AS RH07.
Sorry for asking so much I know most can only post on their experience. I am trying to pick the best all around tire with the best RR, kind of trying to see if I can get even better fuel burn.
Thanks
I had the car in for the 35km warranty service... so what is that, about 21K in US Miles. (sorry I live in Canada) Anyway they said that my tread wear is down to the red and the tires need changing. I looked at them and I am not a total fool, I know they look a bit worn but they have about 1/4-1/8th of an inch above the wear indicator when you go in a groove (not the edge) and if I stick my finger into the groove I have to push it to make the tip touch about 1/2 a finger nail. So they dont really need changing. Apparently when I asked the "tech" behind the desk where they measure the treadwear she said that it was measured at the edge of the tires.... Not sure about the US OEM tires but the TOYO were tapered at the edges when I bought the car, they were not a full tread right to the edge of the tires... and yes at the edge they would look much more like they need replacing.
Now some of you would say that I have not had the correct pressure in the tires but I am a bit of a geek that way, I have a digital gauge which I check against the cars PSI indication and set the tires based on the gauge, and I also set about 2psi above the car recommended 33psi. So I would think that theoretically the tires have been over inflated most of the time on the car and subsequently should have an uneven wear pattern primarily in the middle most sections.
Either way thought I would mention it because to me it definitely looked like the dealer trying to get a tire sale out of me. (not cool)
capriracer - My OEM Michelin MXV4 Energy tires on my Lexus RX 330 wore down to 3/32 after 17,500 miles & discount tires got Michelin to credit me $34.50/tire. This was after 6 years!! (It's my wife's car & she doesn't drive much). So it appears that Michelin stands behind their tires, even though I didn't buy Michelins to replace them; I replaced them with Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas. I was shocked they would do anything since the tires were that old.
There is a difference between a "warranty" and a "policy concession" - and what you got was a one time only policy concession.
Second, while there may have been a policy concession from Michelin, it was Discount Tire who got it, not you. They may have passed it on, but DT got it because they buy a HUGE!!! amount of tires from Michelin. The fact that DTC allowed you to go into another brand is a flag that YOU didn't get the policy concession - DTC did!
And third, Discount Tire is in the habit of making these kinds of policy concessions when they need to. They feel it helps bring people back to their stores. When a tire manufacturer does business with DTC, they need to prepared for this - and most do. I'll bet DTC would do a policy concession on off brand tires - that they sell, of course.
But my point still stands: Toyota provided the specs, but doesn't provide warranty coverage! Toyo was stuck with the problem and it is understandable they might not feel the need to do a policy concession. Michelin feels the same way, but they have such a huge presence at DTC that they are in a position to offer a few policy concessions to smooth the busniess relationship!
(an FYI: Most tire manufacturers do these, but the circumstances have to be right!)
What was the warranty on these tires and what chance do I have to get a credit from Toyota and/or Toyo?
If I get a credit from Toyo is it only going to be applied against new Toyo tires?
For anyone who has successfully recieved a warranty credit for early tire wear, was it worth the trouble?
Considering either the Hankooks or the Goodyear FuelMax as replacements but the bad reviews of the FuleMax on TireRack are steering me towards the Hankooks - any FuelMax owners who think the TireRack reviews are nonsense and these tires are worth the extra money?
I've purchased tires through TireRack.com and been happy with the experience. I see that the Hakooks are a bit less expensive on Onlinetires.com - anyone have experience purchasing tires throught them? Any recommendationd for other online dealers worth checking out?
thanks in advance
OE tires do not carry a mileage warranty.
"... and what chance do I have to get a credit from Toyota and/or Toyo? "
Probably pretty small. You got 30K and that's considered reasonable for OE tires.
"If I get a credit from Toyo is it only going to be applied against new Toyo tires? "
Yes.
You win the "highest mileage on a set of A20s award!"
I have never heard of anyone getting more than about 20K on that tire.
Good to hear that your experience with the Versado has been favorable. I really like the Toyo H/Ts, so clearly Toyo makes some very good tires -- just not the awful A20s.
I found a tread I really liked on the Goodyear Ultra Grip ICE - BUT only available in a P255/60R19... I read that they are suggesting a P255/55R19 on the Hybrid Ltd's BUT will a P255/60 work? :confuse: I heard that an all-season in this size came very close to the rear struts. (These are rated as superb winter traction - especially on ice. They also boast ice over winter silica tread compound which enhances traction on Ice and Snow.
Also available is a Goodyear Ultra Grip ICE WRT (Commuter Touring) for $243 each in OEM size of P245/55R19 BUT tread is very different. Also boasts the winter grip compound and has two and three dimensional blade technology in tread pattern which channels water and slush away (similar to the Fortera tires). I'd have to see these in person to make a final decision.
The third I found with an aggressive tread was the Sears Bridgestone BLIZZAK DM-V1 P245/55R19 103R for $197.96 each. They boast UNI-T technology to handle ice and snow conditions like a pro...
Curious if anyone else has used these and personal comments on the wear and quality???
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I was reading that alot of you likes the Hankook Versus but wondered if anyone tried the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1? Looks like the Hankooks would still be hard to get this year.
The Blizzaks have a good traction rating in deep snow but I wonder if the tread would be too rough or noisy around town on dry pavement.
Any suggestions on other tires? I am looking for a good all season or light truck.
Original tread depth 12/32nds. Now at 10/32nds.
Great snow traction!
They are a little noisy, and ride a little stiff when weather is really cold, but otherwise very good. MUCH better than the factory A20's.
These now have slightly over 35K miles (2 years, 2 months) so they've lasted a bit longer than the others but these are "suppose" to be 65K tires so the fact that they likely have less than 5K miles left on them makes me wonder if Goodyear tires are simply JUNK? The GY dealer here has been great giving us credit for un-available miles on the prior tires so I have nothing against him or his shop. It is the Goodyear products that simply seems to be nothing but JUNK (at least in our experience).
Before anyone ask, this shop does all the oil changes and tire rotations as prescribed and there is no unusual wear. Due to the on-going tire wear issues, we have had Toyota themselves run all the alignments at regular effort. None have been out of spec. We've had the dealer check with regards to any recalls but they have not shared anything. This is a 4WD version of the Limited HiHy.
Now that there are about a "gazillion" other LRR options, we will likely go with something other than Goodyears due to all these issues. I think that the GY dealer even said that he can give credit towards a different brand but my wife is about ready to simply drop the "get credit" fiasco and just go buy a different brand.
My concern is "are ALL Highlander Hybrid owners experiencing these same issues with premature tire wear?"
Doing the math, the GY Integrity has a treadwear rating of 460 and you got 22K out of them.. The GY Fortera has a rating of 600 and based on the ratio between the ratings, you should have gotten a bit less than 30K - so 35K is pretty close.
I don't have a lot of data on this, but I think 1.0 turns per mile is about average. Compare yours and see if the math doesn't get you a better number.
Also, vehicle alignment specs are too wide to assure good tire wear. Take the toe for example: The typical range is in the 0.20° range. This should be 0.06°. That's 3 times the difference.
So you need to look at what the vehicle actually has and not accept "In Spec" as an answer.
Assurance tires that we have on this SUV "NOW"/today have gotten 35K (so far and probably have another 5K left). The Fortera tread rating is 600 and according to the manufacturer SHOULD have been good for 60K miles. Are you trying to state that the Manufacture did not calculate in "turns per mile" (TPM) into their equations when they established them? If TPM are important, what is the "average" TPM that was used to calculate the MFGs recommendations? I guess it would be possible that we had exceeded the MFG's projections but about 60% of my wife's driving is interstate (so few turns)
If the Fortera is rated as a 60K tire and the Assurance is a 65K tire, then the wear for each of these "should" have been pretty darn close, right? The extra 5K rating on the Assurance is only 3.333% so using your math on these, the Fortera "wore out" @ 28K miles so the Assurance should have worn out @ 28,932 miles. However, they are ALREADY @ 35K miles and likely have at least another 5K before they are worn out so they look like they are going to last 40K miles which doesn't work well with the analysis you presented but thanks for the attempt.
Now, let's talk treadwear warranty. The difference between a guarrantee and a warranty is subtle. A warranty is kind of like an insurance policy and the terms of the warranty spell out what happens if you don't achieve the mileage. Typically, treadwear warranties require regular rotation (to even out the wear rate differences front to rear) and that the tire show even wear across the tread face (to deal with misaligned vehicles) - and if the tire wears evenly by more quickly that perscribed by the warranty, a prorated adjustment is made based on the difference between the warranted mileage and what was actually achieved. For example, a 60K tire that only gets 40K will result in a 33% credit towards the next set of tires.
From the tire manufacturer's perspective, it is known that this "turns per mile" thing that greatly affects the wear rate. A tire manufacturer may provide a warranty that is conservative - that is, it understates the actual average - or it may provide a warranty that overstates it. That is where the treadwear rating comes into play.
The treadwear rating is based on a test. It is OK to understate the rating, but it is illegal to overstate it. The folks setting the warranty mileage should consider how the rating looks in portion to the warranty - but that doesn't always happen.
But the "TPM" thing is also a pretty gross assessment. It doesn't take into account that tires also wear even when the vehicle is basically going straight. 2 years ago, my daily commute changed from a 10 mile, 1.0 turns per mile to a 12 mile, 0.5 turns per mile. I am sure I am not going to get twice the mileage out of the tires. What the TPM calculation does is give an idea if the rapid wear being experienced is the result of the way the vehicle is used.
Based on what you've posted - 3 different tires and all more rapid that the warranty - I would suspect that this COULD be a source.
I do understand warranties and GY has given us credit for the un-used tires. In calculating backwards, it turns out that the from the 22K mark to the current ~85K mark has cost us $166.56/tire so while it is fairly aggravating to have to continually claim mileage credits, at least they are there to keep the cost somewhat viable.
I still think that this has something to do with the truck itself rather than our driving experience. During the "Fortera" period Toyota DID perform a recall on the power steering rack on this particular car (Note: The alignment was very tight to specs the entire time so should not have been a factor but who knows).
Since this recent post, I have learned that there is speculation by other Highlander Hybrid owners that these tires may have been designed by Toyota as too narrow as a way of getting better fuel economy at the penalty of better fuel mileage (i.e. 225 may be too narrow to permit this vehicle to get the Mfgs projected mileage out of them). Perhaps it works OK for some who have extended periods of highway travel (e.g. 1hr+ commutes to work or 4 hour trips to clients) but for my wife who has a 35 minute drive down the interstate 4 days a week and then the balance of the time short jaunts hauling the kiddos around, they just don't work the way they should.
I'll stop my rant now and go back to shopping for replacement tires. Thanks again for the replies.
What Tires should I look For ???? or avoid ???
Thank You
my HL has Geolander.. already 30K on it.. I think will get another 20K ...
smooth,quiet, good in rain and light snow.. horrible for Heavy Winter..
Bridgestone Dueler
Continental 4x4 Contact
Goodyear Integrity
Hankook Dynapro
Michelin Symmetry
Yokohama Geolandar H/T G92C (The one I have is Geolandar H/T-S G051 )
Continental CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology
Michelin LTX M/S2
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring
General Grabber HTS
Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza
Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G051
Michelin Latitude Tour
Kumho Solus KR21
Yokohama AVID TRZ
I have 30,000 miles on my Toyo H/T tires with just a little wear (original tread depth 12/32nds; now at 10/32nds) so these newer Toyos should be good for more than 50-60K. Not bad!
Especially since they have GREAT snow traction.
I'm DONE with Goodyear!! I understand that the Highlander seems to eat tires on a regular basis, I have spoken to a few people I know that own them, they have the same issue. So, my question to everyone, what do I go with? Do I spend a lot more just to have the tires still wear out no matter what? Here are the tires (size 225/65R17) that have been suggested to me:
Continental CCLX20 - 70k
Continental ProConnect - 80k
Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring - 80k
Kumho Solus K16 - 60k
Falken Z1EX 912 - 65k
Michelin Tour Latitude - 65k
Also 2 Goodyears and 1 Bridgestone, the Bridgestone Ecopia has bad reviews for even little cars!
I appreciate any feedback you have!!
The trick is not just to have the tyres rotated but to have a regular four wheel alignment about every 15,000 miles.
I am now on second set of Yokohama Geolander with first set running 60,000 miles. Second set looks good for similar mileage.
Cheers
Graham
I've had Falken's before and they are OK for the pricde but wear fairly fast. The Michelin are expensive and the Latitudes don't wear NEARLY as well as the LTXs so I don't think they are worth those $s.
Thanks,
Rick
http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/04/toyota-highlander-how-to-choose-the- -best-replacement-tire-.html