apa9999

Got my state inspection sticker (finally!) after 2 weeks from purchase.

My mechanic told me that I have mismatched (different brand) tires on the car which the third party dealer put on there.

He said that I should go back to the dealer ASAP and have them make it right, because this mismatch could damage the drivetrain.

Does this sound plausible? This is not a lexus mechanic, just a guy giving me my state inspection.

msgs350

iTrader: (2)

Is your car AWD? If so, then yes damaging the drivetrain is possible due to tires not all matching (front/rear tread wear).

If its a RWD, then you are probably fine, i think the newest goes on the rear.

lkapimp216

iTrader: (2)

If it came from the dealer I would definitely complain about mis matched tire sizing and if you have and awd get it corrected asap and if you have rwd make sure both the rears match one side differing from the other could damage the rear as well

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

sounds like they are the same size just different brand tires, typical of a dealer on a used car that is not certified. Its fine but better to have all the same tires on your car. I doubt they will replace the others at their cost IMO but it cant hurt to ask.

apa9999

What pisses me off is the dealer sells TONS of AWD vehicles, and should know better. I'm still well within my 90-day lemon law rights, this goes to the use and safety of the car. I'm gonna make a huge stink.

Harlemboi

Nah.. Different brand is not a big deal at all but if the tires are a different size then that's a problem!

apa9999

im getting some very varied opinions on this. From no big deal to get this fixed ASAP

For the record, the tire dealer told me "hey man, I'm not trying to sell you a new tire. You should go have the dealership make this right." He seemed pretty convinced it was bad to have different brands.

07LXgs350

you CAN have different brands in front vs. rear but i would not recommend having different brands on the left side vs. right side of the car.

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

You know how many consumers have different tires in all 4 corners I see this more commonly then matching pairs front and rear.

Your car is safe as is so long the tires are the same size at each point. My guess is you would have never noticed if the tire shop hadn't pointed this out. Is it "better" to have the same tread at each corner...Yes!

apa9999

You're right, I never would have know had it not been pointed out.

3 tires are Venezia (never heard of it) 225/50 ZR17 98W XL.
Back right tire is Micheline P225/50 R17 93V.

These seem to all be the same size, other than the fact that the michelin has a "Z" before the R17. The lexus dealer missed this too when they were servicing it.. I'm hoping this isn't fatal to the car.

BinaryJay

It's not perfect but it's not the end of the world.

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

as others have mentioned, it is not ideal but as long as they are the same tire size then you will be fine. the drivetrain is not that sensitive.