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Highlander Hybrid Tire/Wheel Questions

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  • 89fj6289fj62 Member Posts: 20
    Please let us know if it is worth the aggravation to contact Toyo. I plan to search internet sites for new tires to have something to compare to when I go to a Toya tire dealer in April when I take my Highlander out of storage.
  • pupvolunteerpupvolunteer Member Posts: 8
    This topic is well dicussed on Toyota Highlander forum. (non hybrid)
    I posted there last Oct 13th on my experience replacing the A20's with Toyo Versado, on our '08 HH. I worked through Toyo and got 35% off the new tires based on the treadwear and mileage. (4/32 left at 24K)
    We have been happy with the Versados in all conditions, including snow and ice. Very smooth ride, gas milegae is a bit better than the A20. We have put about 6K on them.
    I debated between Versado and the H/T at time of purchase. Tire guy recommended the Versado for our situation.

    Call Candace or Debbie at Toyo 1-800-442-8696.
    They are very helpful, and if you go through the process it will likely be worthwhile.
    Others posting on the Highlander site went through Toyo and that was helpful to me in the process.
    One or two people got 50% discount, some 40%. It depends on the mileage on your A20s and treadwear remaining.

    As an aside, the Versado tires are now subject to a recall, and I will soon find out if mine are included. If so, Toyo will replace them with new tires at no cost. I got a call requesting that I return to Express Tire for inspection and possible replacement.
  • coolbreeze4coolbreeze4 Member Posts: 1
    Thanks to all that posted the information to contact Candace or Debbie @ Toyo.
    Had the same problems as posted in this thread with the A20's. Contacted them and received 29% off new Versado's. No hassles, very understanding.
    It's worth the call IF you had issues with the Toyo A20's.
  • mcgustomcgusto Member Posts: 7
    First let me thank the previous posters who mentioned contacting Toyo in regards to replacing the A20's. I did just that about a week ago (May 2011), and I wanted to write up what happened to aid the other Highlander owners if you seek this route. Here was my experience....

    I have an '09 Highlander Hybrid. 19k miles and the A20's are at 2/32nds (treadbar depth with pealing rubber). I had previously posted in about the Bridgestone Duelers at Costco, but after reading reviews decided against it. (Most reviews show similar problems as the A20's).

    I called Toyo and spoke with Candace. Very polite and understanding with the frustration of Highlander owners in regards to the A20's. She reiterated this was a tire made with Toyota specs. Super soft for a smooth ride, but wears out extremely quickly.

    I told her I wanted to replace them with the Open Country H/T's, and she approved. I had already done my research as far as authorized Toyo dealers close to my house, and there were 3 within a 5 mile radius. She instructed me to go to a certain dealer because only certain Toyo sellers deal with inspecting tires (at least as noted on the website). Although it was the one furthest away from my house, I figured if I was going to get an adjustment on the price, I didn't mind driving an extra mile or two. The one catch was I had to get to the dealer prior to 5pm because that's when the Toyo office closes where Candace works. (Basically, you bring your car to an authorized Toyo dealer, they inspect the tire and mileage, the dealer calls Toyo (Candace), and they authorize an adjustment (discount) on the tires.

    A couple days later, on a Tuesday, I drove down to the Toyo dealer as instructed by Candace. I hop out of the car, tell the mechanic my situation, and he says, "We don't do that here."

    ????

    I was a bit confused, and I told him I was SPECIFICALLY TOLD to go to this dealer BECAUSE they inspect tires. He turns to his, who was buying oil out the trunk of a car, and he says, "Nah, we don't do that."

    Then the guy I spoke with first comes to take a look at the tires and says, "Yeah, don't really deal with these tires anymore." Meanwhile, there is a HUMUNGOUS Toyo sign over the garage, with multiple Toyo signs hanging all over the place. At this point, I'm just aggravated because I just drove nearly 30 minutes in rush hour traffic and this guy basically is just blowing me off.

    Just because I was curious, I asked him if I could even order the tires from there. "Oh yeah, we could do that for you, but you'd have to pay full price."

    ????

    At this point I get in my car and call Toyo, but it was already 4:30pm and they close at 5:00. I ended up on hold for a half hour, then lost the connection.

    Feeling a bit bewildered as to what just happened, I decided to call the Toyo dealer closest to my house and explain the situation. I explained they would have to check the tread depth and the mileage, call Toyo, and they would authorize an adjustment on the price. "No problem," says the guy, so I drive over.

    I get there, and the guys are super nice, take down my info., check the tires and the mileage, then tell me they will call me the next day, since the Toyo office was closed already. (At this point it was 5:30pm).

    I didn't hear back from them the next day, so I called them the day after. They said they had contacted Toyo, and they could do the deal for $1150 for four H/T Open Country tires to replace the A20s. He also explained that just getting the tires full price would cost $1400. I figured that out to be right around 17% off full price.

    Hmm??????

    So I asked him if this was the specified discount Toyo authorized, and he said it was an "in-house" discount because the manager didn't want to have to deal with returning A20's to Toyo.

    I told him I would call him back, and I called Toyo myself.

    When I called Toyo, I spoke with a representative who looked up my file. They had the guy's name from the tire place that called. I asked about the adjustment given, and the Toyo person said they authorized FIFTY PERCENT OFF A NEW SET OF H/T'S!

    I couldn't believe it.

    I asked the Toyo lady what I should do, since the guy was basically trying to give me the run around. She said I should call the guy back ask them about the 50% off. I told her I didn't really want to give some place business that was trying to dupe me, so she let me know I could go to any authorized dealer, they could call in and get the authorization (discount) number, and we could go from there.

    So that brought me to my THIRD Toyo dealer. I explained everything (again) on the phone, and the guy told me to come over. By the time I got there, he had already contacted Toyo and got the paperwork, but he explained why some of the other dealers might have been hesitant.

    You see, the dealer has to pay FULL PRICE for the tires up front, the customer pays the discounted price, and then the dealer sends the tires back, and Toyo REFUNDS the dealer with approval of the tires. I guess some dealers have had problems getting the refunds from Toyo, so that's why they were either denying the adjustment or trying to work with an "in-house" discount.

    Anyway, my suggestion to anyone seeking to get a discount price on a new set of tires because of poor performance on the A20's.....
    1. Contact Toyo
    2. Contact the dealer BEFORE GOING THERE and make sure they are completely willing to go through with the process, or don't be bothered
    3. Call Toyo after having the tires inspected to verify the dealer is giving you the correct discount

    You might be asking, "Is all this effort to get a discount on the tires worth it?" Well, in the end, I received 50% of a new set of H/T's, so I would say YES.

    Hope that helps,

    Gusto
  • 400e400e Member Posts: 41
    Congratulations!

    Not only did you get a great price on the HTs, you got a great tire. I've had mine for a year and a half and almost no wear when I check tread depth. Great snow traction, too. A little noisier than the A20s but not objectionable.
  • capriracercapriracer Member Posts: 907
    I just wanted to point out that McGusto's experience also occurs with other tire dealers and other tire brands. Many tire dealers are very willing to SELL you a set of tires, but some are reluctant to do warranty - especially if they didn't sell you the tires to begin with! They just don't see a guy with a tire problem on a new car as a customer.

    This is a common problem in the tire industry because there are no dedicated tire dealers. They all sell multiple brands and there are very few dealers who are actualy have close ties to a manufacturer - in spite of the signs on the building! To those folks, it's all about selling tires.

    So I advise that people either stick to the large chains such as Discount Tire or Tire Kingdom - OR - cultivate a relationship with a local, independent tire dealer. And by cultivate, I mean go there and get your work done there. Don't shop on price alone - consider it a long term investment in service.
  • jhende1jhende1 Member Posts: 2
    Here is an update. I logged onto Toyo's website, complained about the A20 tires, and in less than 10min, I rec'd a phone call from their customer service, who directed me to a Toyo tire dealer (in my case, this is called Town Fair Tire), who inspected the tire, and called Toyo w/ their findings. toyo then gave me 57% off the price of new Toyo tires, I chose the Versado CUV, and have been very happy with them, probably have 2-3K miles on them so far, great in wet weather, even snow as well. So, considering these tires are about 280 per tire, 57% saved me quite a bit.
    I would therefore definitely recommend contacting Toyo, and registering a complaint. It really was easy. good luck
  • poodlemom1955poodlemom1955 Member Posts: 10
    I am currently tire shopping for my 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid LImited. Any suggestions?
  • 400e400e Member Posts: 41
    Lots of advice on this thread- take a look at the last few pages and you'll get some ideas.

    I personally went with Toyo H/T tires and am pleased with them.

    I have had Nokian tires on other cars before and would be tempted to go with that brand next time I have to replace my tires.

    I would recommend staying with the stock factory tire size, although there are those who will recommend other sizes. Now that there are at least 3 decent choices in the stock size, not much reason to risk using a non-stock size.
  • brioboybrioboy Member Posts: 24
    Just to underline what #217 said, stick to exactly the same size wheel and same size tire as any difference will throw off the computers and you will have no end of "check engine" lights.
  • brioboybrioboy Member Posts: 24
    Just exchanged my Michelin winter tires for new Nokian WRG2 - true ALL season tires. Driving from Whistler to West Vancouver, my HH seemed lighter-footed and more nimble on the curves and quiet. Kal Tires's sale price was honoured by the Whistler shop - way better than a couple of years ago.
  • joopwinnerjoopwinner Member Posts: 1
    I just wanted to thank you for this reply. It is very specific and reassuring. I purchased a 2012 Highlander Hybrid in April and have about 5,000 miles on it. The tires are fine at this point but it's early... I live in San Francisco and I head to Tahoe almost every weekend Jan-April. I know the Toyo's are not going to cut it. I had Nokian WRG2's on my 2009 Lexus IS awd before I sold it - those tires were amazing. Never got stuck even once. I've ordered a set of WRG2 SUV's for my Highlander in the 255 55 R19 size. Able Tire and Brake in Novato CA is selling them to me for about $1280 inclusive of tax, mounting, balancing etc. I also purchased a used 255 55 R19 Nokian WR Sport Utility (what the WRG2 used to be called) for $73 on eBay to put on in place of the 245 55 19 full size spare. They say it has 60-70% life left on it.

    Question for anyone here - Given that my Highlander only has about 5700 miles on it, should I be getting a 4 wheel alignment or can I forgo that this time? I don't think I 've done anything that would knock the alignment out of place but I also am worried about destroying $1300 worth of perfectly good tires.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks!

    Bill
  • inndriverinndriver Member Posts: 8
    Need advice, please: 2007 HH. 28.5 MPG on summer tires. Now I have Blizzak MV-V1 winter tires. Nice for snow and ice, nice ride. But, due to their "sticky" rubber compund, they decrease my mileage by 1/2 mile per gallon. Do I go through the hassle of buying summer tires, changing them out, storing the Blizzaks somewhere? Is the expense, and the extra 1/2 MPG,worht doing this? Or, do I just keep the Blizzaks on year-round, which will cause them to wear out faster?
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    inndriver said:

    Need advice, please: 2007 HH. 28.5 MPG on summer tires. Now I have Blizzak MV-V1 winter tires. Nice for snow and ice, nice ride. But, due to their "sticky" rubber compund, they decrease my mileage by 1/2 mile per gallon. Do I go through the hassle of buying summer tires, changing them out, storing the Blizzaks somewhere? Is the expense, and the extra 1/2 MPG,worht doing this? Or, do I just keep the Blizzaks on year-round, which will cause them to wear out faster?

    I always switch out the winter tires. I run Nokians myself and we're getting real close to switch out time here. I wouldn't worry about it from a mileage perspective, but more from a tire life angle. You want the Blizzaks to last you multiple seasons. And yes, there's that initial expense of buying the second set of tires, but while one set is on, the other isn't using up tread life. Spread over the life of the vehicle, it's really not that expensive for adding a little safety factor in the winter.

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 237,100
    Plus.. winter tires wear out fast on dry roads. You'll probably get better tire wear from some all-seasons.

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  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    kyfdx said:

    Plus.. winter tires wear out fast on dry roads. You'll probably get better tire wear from some all-seasons.

    I agree. Running the winter shoes when you don't need to really cuts down on the useful winter tread life
  • inndriverinndriver Member Posts: 8
    Thanks to those who replied. Next questions: Do I get a new set of wheels to mount the other set of tires? If so, where do look? Identical wheels? Less expensive ones with the same size and track as originals? How do I know the aftermarket wheels are safe and compatible?
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    I just store the tires that aren't on the car in the basement and have the tire shop remount them when it's time to change. Something to think about if you're going to get a second set of wheels is that you'll need another set of TPMS sensors (I'm assuming you have tire pressure monitors) and they're not exactly cheap either.

    It's not too difficult to find aftermarket wheels that will match the specs for your vehicle. If your original equipment are alloy wheels and not just steel wheels with wheel covers, they can be pricey. But you know that they will be correct.
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