Bob GX

Just replaced the original Cross Terrains with Latitude Tours. There was still lots of tread remaining on the CTs but they were going on 8 years old. Also considered the M/S2, A/T2, and the CTs. The Latitudes had the best ratings (on the Michelin web site) for the way I use my GX - quiet, smooth ride, braking, fuel efficiency. I'm only 1 week into the new set but I'm very pleased with them.

If I did lots of Forest Service road driving I'd had gone with the M/S2 or the CTs

Lots of winter driving I'd get the M/S2 or A/T2

Real off road driving I'd get the A/T2s (I have those on my pickup and they have a higher noise level on the freeway - not objectionable, just noticeable).

kphu

iTrader: (8)

BOB GX thanks for sharing. I'm in the market for some tires myself and its good to know what others think about tire performance and options. As of the moment I'm on the look out for some 18" limited 4runner wheels (hopefully with some decent michelline treads on there)...if not then I'll probably go with the OEM Michellins.

Bob GX

kphu - good luck in your search - there's nothing like the feeling of knowing you're riding on good tires!

I've bought '2nd sets' of OEM wheels for snow tires for my wife's & kids' cars. If you have time to shop there is a pretty steady stream of OEM wheels (some with tires) listed on eBay, and sometimes they show up on the classifieds here. I've bought 4 sets that way thru the years and it's always worked well - just insist on a good quality photo of each wheel before buying so you don't get one with curb rash without knowing first.

Johnny Rad

I'm in UT, too. SLC to be specific. Small world.

I'm likely going with the M/S2 later this year.

Sounds like you're doing more highway mileage than me? Maybe you're weighing quiet, mpg, etc higher than winter and off-road traction?

Bob GX

Hello Johhny Rad
I live in So Ogden

I use my pickup for winter snow, and towing our travel trailer to the Uintahs or Wind River mountains on gravel roads, so it gets all the 'tough' jobs

My GX gets driven on nice days or road trips, so I valued the smooth quiet ride tires the most. Otherwise I'd have gone with the MS2s, or another set of Cross Terrains, as the best all around tire for our Utah driving. My GX came with CTs and they were great tires - the Latitude Tours are even smoother & quieter!

Bob

bmil128

I replaced the Cross Terrains on our '05 GX at ~78,000 miles with the Latitude Tours 2 years ago; they have been just as smooth and quiet, have ~36,000 miles on them so far and they are holding up well

kphu

iTrader: (8)

Sounds like the lat will be in my future if I don't find a good set of 18" limited wheels.

BOB GX if you can do me a favor and keep an eye out I would aprpeciate it...I've been looking for the past 6 months and no luck yet...sometimes it feels safer if there is someone local that can check out a deal instead of trusting someone from a far.

Thx,

Ken

lev00221

iTrader: (28)

I purchased an absolutely gorgeours 2007 LX470 for my wife. It's Crystal white with the grey interior and only had 8250 miles on it. Anyway, it still had the original Michelin tires that were fairly smooth and quiet but they had some dry rotting/cracking around the area near the wheel lip. I didn't want to take any chances so I purchased some new Michelin Latitude Tour HP's for the LX. The 275/60/18 size was on national backorder so I went with the slightly larger 285/60/18 size. I am very, very pleased at how smooth and quiet the new tires are. Also, the handling seems somewhat less "mushy" than before. Very, very highly recommended!

kphu

iTrader: (8)

Just an FYI, the larger tire size will impact your odomoter i.e. the odomoter will say something different then your actual speed. It may be minimal enough where it doesn't matter but I thought it would be good to know.

Here's a link that will tell you how's impacted your odomoter.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

According to the website, changing the tire size from 275/60/18 to 285/60/18 makes your odometer tell you a speed that's slower then what your actually doing i.e. if your odometer says your going 60MPH your actual speed is 60.9 MPH.

ROSCOGX470

ebaymotors.com. I bought 4 chrome sequoia wheels that look like our factory GX in great condition for $400 shipped. i just put the Lexus logos on the centercaps and get compliments all the time. Now I need a winter set so i dont ruin my chromes.

lev00221

iTrader: (28)

kphu,
Yes, I looked at that issue when purchasing the tires. The manufacturer's specifications let you deviate by 3%. Actually, I purchased the tires at Costco and they look up every tire purchased to ensure that it falls within the manufacturer's guidelines for the vehicle in question. Thank you for the good input nonetheless. It is something that many people overlook.

kphu

iTrader: (8)

Thanks for the tip! I'll check them out.

Ken