adero1978

I need to replace my tires on my RX 330. Before I go out and purchase, does anyone know if I will have any problems purchasing 225/55/r18 tires instead of the factory 235/55/r18 tires?

glassmanj

my simple advice, thousands of hours went into designing the car specifically to ride on the tires it came with. after years of testing, i've always found your best ride always comes when you buy the same brand and size of tire the car came with. when you change something as important as the tires expect consequences of your actions. maybe better ones, but most likely your car will ride worse. stick with the factory brand

jfelbab

You would notice a small (around 1.5%) change in actual speed vs. that reported by the speedometer as the 225 size has a smaller circumference then the 235. When you are dong 65 MPH your speedometer will indicate 64 MPH, no big deal.

You may also notice lower traction and longer stopping distance as a result of a smaller contact patch and that could be a big deal. You will also have to keep the load rating in your consideration.

If I might ask, why would you want a narrower tire ion the RX? Most who have changed out their tires have opted for a slightly wider tire.

Adamjeeps

I would agree to stick with the stock size, but check tirerack.com for reviews. There have been some huge improvements in tires over the past few years. I would definitely not stick with the stock brand if there were better tires out there. The Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season look especially nice, might replace my Alenzas with those soon.

spacecraft

It's the other way round, actually.
A smaller circumference means that the speedo will show a higher speed, not lower.
I agree that in this case the difference in negligible anyway.

lexus114

Okay, I`ll bite....Why in the world would you want to go with the 225 over the 235 tire? It`s a narrower tire? I.E The 235 is width, the 55 is the height of the tire, and of course the 18" is the rim size.

DixieLex

For safety's sake.

May I recommend Pirelli Scorpion Verde's from Tire Rack. These are probably gonna be the next on my daughter's RX

takeshi74

Why are you considering narrower tires? It would help if you'd explain your reasoning.

I haven't found that to be the case across the board. I doubt that any individual can perform enough testing to really come to such a broad, sweeping conclusion like that. Best really depends on the goals and priorities of the individual and it's naive to simply assume that OEM sizes and brands are universally best.

If sticking to the OEM brand works for you, that's great. Don't assume that what works best for you works best for everyone -- regardless of topic.