Tpcorr

The tires on my 2009 ES350 have 37,000 miles on them, and will need to be replaced very soon. The Lexus dealer suggested buying 3 new Bridgestone Turanzas and using the full size spare as the 4th tire. I asked if the rubber degraded much over the years, but he said since it's in the trunk and not exposed to light it would be fine.

While at Costco the other day, I inquired about this same thing, and the tech told me I should buy 4 new tires, since the spare tire's rubber had broken down over the years, even while sitting in the trunk.

I'm inclined to buy 4 new tires, but don't want to waste money if I don't need to. Any advice is appreciated.

Tom

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I'd buy and have bought Michelin MXV4 tires for a ES350.A quieter,softer ride quality and much better all around tire.The stock Turanza's are garbage and have low ratings.
Do a search on tires.

ls430lover

finally someone that does research posted ten reviews of the combo performance / mieleage / gas savings on the the primacy mxv4 goes on deaf ears..
safe drivng

Tpcorr

Thanks Joe, those Michelins were my first choice, based on all the good info I've read on this site. I appreciate the input.

ls430lover, I have a feeling you're trying to insult me, but your grammar and punctuation are so bad it's hard to tell.

Tom

jcat_350

most tire places will give you a buy 3 get one free deal, solving your problem.

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

You'll be fine using the spare if you match it with three new tires of the same brand and model. Tire rack has this to say about aging tires:

"Our experience has been that when properly stored and cared for, most street tires have a useful life in service of between six to ten years. And while part of that time is spent as the tire travels from the manufacturing plant to the manufacturer's distribution center, to the retailer and to you, the remainder is the time it spends on your vehicle."

The spare has been stored in the trunk in a dark environment and should be fine

The tires mounted on new vehicles are usually pretty new, but you can check the date code to make sure. My wife's ES still has the OEM tires on it, and visually I can tell that they have not aged very slowly.

Lou

garsarno

I have done that same thing many times but I did buy the three tires / used the spare as the fourth within two years of owning the car, due to mileage and the original Michelins on my 2007 lasted 19,000 miles.

kewl

Note that Tire Rack didn't say what 'properly stored and cared for' might mean. In a climate controlled warehouse? Cared for? For a tire in storage just what care does the tire need? The trunk is likely not in the category of 'proper' storage (temp/humidity extremes) - it isn't the sun that causes most of the damage they are finding in aged tires - most age damage is on the inside of tire and internal in the chemical make up of the tire itself...part of the tire not even exposed to the sun - dry rot from sun exposure being something entirely different. Research by the tire and car manufactures is suggesting a life of 6-10 years, regardless of whether the tire was in use or in storage.

Is all this BS? Could be, but there sure have a been a fair number of accidents caused by blow-outs (many being on the rarely used spare) - and many of these accidents were blamed on tire failure. Was the failure the result of old tire or underinflated ones? Who knows.

For the cost I say it is not worth the risk, but of course you will never be able to prove your decision to buy all new prevented an accident from tire failure of the spare.

Good luck

BTW I am running Michelin MXV4 and they have been a very good tire in all respects.

Paul3637

Go here:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...0-tires-3.html

See my posts #29 & #32

Not only are four non-oem tires better and cheaper ........ they are a super good deal when you get the rebates Michelin & Discount tires offer on a set of four.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...ml#post7044176

SW17LS

The issue to me would be having to buy more of the crappy Bridgestone Turanzas when I could buy 4 Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires for it and improve the ride.

Macklin

If it were me asking the question this post would make up my mind instantly.

I also recommend the Primacy. I think I have a thread on here about them.

Tpcorr

Yes, I've decided to go with the Michelin Primacy. I may go for the slightly larger tire, and will also go with the H speed rated tire. Thanks for all the help.

Tom

SW17LS

I wouldn't do the slightly larger tire. Stick with the OEM size IMHO.

rx300mm

I bought 3 new identical tires, 2 years ago, used the 4th one since it was brand new. No issues, just saved some money.

07LexusGuy

So if you buy 3 new tires and used the spare, what happens when you get a flat while on the road?

I'm always glad the full size matching spare was there, takes me 10 minutes to replace and keep going.