HarrierAWD

For those of you whom remember, I was looking for future replacement tires for my RX300. I was considering both Toyo Open Country M410 and Michelin Cross Terrain. I want tires that are good in ice and snow, give a good ride, and low noise.

Lord must have answered my prayer. Consumer Reports just tested 22 SUV tires. The highly-touted Michelin Cross Terrain came out poorly. It is ranked #19 out of 22 tires. Its handling and ride were both rated "fair," not good for a $120 tire. FWIW, its cousin Michelin LTX M/S is rated "poor" for dry braking.

Toyo M410's ride is also rated "fair." I thought its compound felt very hard at Beijing Auto Show, so now CR confirmed my suspicion. (CR didn't test its ride comfort two years ago.) Its ice braking is rated "poor" So I won't consider it.

No tire really stood out in the test. Even the top rated tires had some shortcomings. For those who are in the market for tires, I highly recommend you buy the November 2004 issue of CR. Better yet, start a subscription. Then decide for yourself.

KeysRx300

Thanks for the information. But for those of us who dont subscribe to CR. What was the best rated tires?

Lexusfreak

The Yokohama Geolander G-051 didn't do too badly......one must understand that there s no such thing as 'the perfect tire'. But they should do well in rain & snowy conditions......It's funny because I have the 2004 Consumer Reports used vehicle guide & the Toyo Open country M-410 came in first overall in a test of 15 or so SUV tires...& the Yoko was in the top 3 as well! I wonder what gives??? I have the same copy of the November 2004 issue but left it at home......I'll check it out more closely. Just one point about ice braking.....the tests are usually on an ice rink & they are going at a slow rate of speed during the test....which begs the question.....if it's that bad & slippery out in the 'real world' & it's not a life or death situation.....why bother going out to begin with? I doubt any 'all season' SUV tire will excell in that category.

jassurafs

Go Yokes!! I feel vindicated in my decision to go for Yokes. They are one of the best tires. Though this would be my first winter on them, I am pretty confident that they would hold out as good as they did in summer and occassional rain that we had!

HarrierAWD

The Yoko G-051 came out #18 out of 22. It's "poor" in snow, "fair" on ice, and "fair" in ride comfort. So I can't consider it. You might not want it in Iowa winter.

Toyo M410 was the top performer, but not anymore. CR didn't test its ride comfort and other categories back then. Now it ranks #10 out of 22.

Ice braking is important to us in Colorado. We have big temperature swings of more than 30F each day, sometimes 40F. So the snow melts in the afternoon sun and refreezes by dinner time. The roads around here can shine like an ice rink. We still have to get to and from work.

There are several tires that received excellent or very good rating in both snow and ice. So it's possible to make good all-season SUV tires for winter.

Lexusfreak

I hope the ones that did come out on top are available in the correct size you need. Some might not be available in your size, or offer a very long tread life. Keep us posted in your decision. I'm very suprised by the Yoko's being so low in the rating (18th out of 22) The folks that have them on their vehicles gave them awesome ratings on the tire rack website & many of them live in snowy & cold climates. Perhaps the safest way to go would be a winter SUV tire specifically if you have that huge changing of climates & (I assume) being in the mountains would be the best way to go. Good Luck!

rhack1

ok...i haven't read the November CR yet, but i can STRONGLY attest to the winter performance of the yokos...i put the yokos on my 1999 rx300 in november and rode them thru 120 inches of Syracuse, NY (Upstate, NY) traveling...i commute 45 miles one-way down I-81 from Syracuse to Cortland...additionally, i drove many days to Rochester from Syracuse (to the west toward Buffalo) on I-90...i got thru every day with confidence and speed...not a single moment of slippage in either acceleration, turns, stopping, etc...i now have 40k on the yokos and the tread is still 1/2...as i do 90 miles plus each day, thru the winter, rain, etc on a winding, hilly expressway at 75-80 mph, i can tell you that they handle unbeleivably well in dry, wet and snowy conditions...if this isn't a strong testimony for the yokos, i don't know what is...i plan to order another set of four in a month to put on for this winter...not that 1/2 tread is bad...but i figure i'll save the 1/2 tread set for next spring/summer and always keep a fresh set of these tires on during the winter craziness we have in upstate new york...and yes -- we do average 120+ inches of snow each winter season...i am ABSOLUTELY sold on these tires and you can't beat the price...got them at the tire rack for under $70/ea...enjoy...

HarrierAWD

Guys, don't shoot the messenger.

Thanks for the testimony, but note that interstate highways are top priority for snow removal and salt spraying. They are much easier to drive on compared to secondary and rural roads where I live.

Also note that tire manufacturers may change the tire compound and/or tread design without notice. For example, Toyo M410 used to be rated "very good" in both snow and ice in CR's November 2001 test. Now it's "excellent" in snow yet "poor" on ice. So your favorite Yoko tires might have been changed as well.

Believe it or not, snow tires may not be the best option for people in the Colorado Front Range. The winter is very long (Oct. 15 to Apr. 15) yet our roads are clear and dry most of the time just like summer. I don't want to switch tires everytime the weather changes. I am simply looking for an all-season tire that performs reasonably well in snow and ice.

FWIW, Goodyear Integrity is rated "very good" in snow and "good" on ice according to CR Nov. 2001. The test was done for the passenger car size, no test done for the SUV size.

Hopeful

Can you tell me which tire came out first for comfort and ride? I don't have to worry about snow here in Hawaii, just rain. I guess first in handling in rain would be good, too. Thanks.

Whitestrok

Michelin=French

rx300ny

Late this summer, after 3 flats had to be fixed on three different OEM duelers, I replaced the tires on my RX... only do about 7.5K miles a year, all on road and long trips. Tried to do my homework on TireRack... everybody seemed to love the Yoko Geolanders, with a few dissenters that said they rode hard and were hard to balance. So I went with those, even special ordering them from a local tire shop that had never heard of them.

Unlike some posters here, man, have I been disappointed. Have had them balanced three times, and can't get the tire hop or slight vibrations out of them. (Most recent shop really tried to do a good job, and even tried to find the tire hop problem, which they couldn't) Handling is marginally better, but the ride really suffers. Now I feel kind of stuck with them... they weren't forced on me, I chose 'em over dealer recommendation of Michelin LTX/MS (which I had on my old Jeep and loved).

Any advice from you happy Yoko/Geo drivers?

ed

rhack1

i have been VERY satisfied with my geolandar 051's on my 1999 rx300 AWD...i did have trouble initally getting a good balance, though...i finally took my rx to Sear's and a guy there did a great job...i mount the weights on the inside so they are not showing from the outside...the key to the good balancing was for some weights to be mounted inside the rims -- some on the outer part of the inside and some deep inside...when they were just simply mounted on the inside outer rim, i had a vibration...what worked was having the weights mounted both in and out on the inside...as for the ride, i had the GY Integrities and the diff with the yoko's was huge...i have 40k on them and there's still at least another 20k left...i'd definitely buy again...and i live in upstate new york (syracuse) and commute 45 miles one way to work south of syracuse on route 81 -- travelling approx 75mph most of the time...wet weather, snow, etc and they handle great -- so far...

rx300ny

Explain to me what you mean by "inside" and "outside" the rims... do you mean the "inside" of the tire as the part facing the inside of the car? Or is there some other way to mount weights?

ed

TTEHarrier

I had Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires. They seemed to perform better than expected.

rhack1

hi...i'll try again...the weights are mounbted on the inside of the rim so they ar not visible when looking at the car...what i was trying to convey is that when the weights are mounted on the inside some of them need to be mounted inside the rim toward the outside of the car and some mounted on the outside of the rim toward the chassis...sometimes, they just mount the weights on the outside of the inside -- which still created a vibration....the rim/wheel is kinda hollow...some weights are mounted on the edge of the inside rim and some are mounted closer to the inside hub (or outer inside of the rim)...the concept is that you want weights on both sides of the tire width -- so some are as close to the inside of the rim and some are close to the outside of the rim -- both mounted on the inside so they are not visible...kinda/sorta make sense?!...i think the term for this is "static balancing" if i recall...i found out that a lot of places that mount tires when asked for the weights to be mounted inside, do so against the inner rim and nothing toward the outer of the tire...i'm not an expert, but after 2 attempts on balancing before i went to Sear's, i learned a few things...when done right, there's no vibration or anything...and i'm 40k into the set of 4...hope this helps...R