DixieLex

Pirelli Scorpion Verde....think you'll like it

1koolfella

iTrader: (1)

The dealership told me that they do not include the spare with the rotation.

According to them, the tires will not wear evenly and also more difficult to tell if something is out of alignment.

If tires are being rotated front to back. It's easier to tell what's off and roughly when and if it was between tire changes than having a 5 wheel in the mix.

This was their logic, does anyone have an opinion on this either way?

jfelbab

I believe your service department doesn't want to do the five tire rotation as specified in your owners manual because it is much more work. Think about this, tires will age even if not used. After 6 years give or take, the tire deteriorates and is not as safe as fresh rubber. So there you have a spare tire not getting used and after 6 years or so it is likely a safety concern. This likely means you will get less mileage out of your set of 5 tires than if you rotated them.

Check your RX owner manual, Tire rotation info is on page 670 in my manual. It calls for five tire rotation. Show this to your service manager and ask him why he doesn't follow the Lexus manual. The manual is specific and shows the proper rotation pattern.

Tire aging link: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...sp?techid=138&

RX330inFL

This was the topic for my second argument with the Service Writer and then the Service Manager at the local Lexus dealership. Had picked up my car from its 15K servicing and had thought to ask for some reason about the tire rotation having previously read the Owner's Manual from front to back when I purchased my RX. When I pointed out what the manual said about tire rotations I was told point blank, "[t]he Owner's Manual is wrong. We do not perform tire rotations using the spare."

With that said, I have always been told that when doing a tire rotation you should cross the set of tires being moved to the drive wheels, in this case those tires going from the rear to the front. It does not show this on the diagram in the Owner's Manual.

jfelbab

Here is another Tire Rack link on tire rotation.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=43

If you contact Lexus Corporate and ask them if the manual is wrong on tire rotation they will respond with "follow the rotation as described in the manual." Take that response to the service manager and ask him if he disagrees with Lexus Corporate. You can email Lexus Corporate here: http://www.lexus.com/contact/index.html

RX330inFL

I already went that route a long time ago. Ended up with me taking my RX to the dealer less and less and usually just for the recalls even though the Service Manager and many of the Service Writers were replaced a short time later. There was a change in ownership. Still, I had lost all enthusiasm for that component of the Lexus Experience.

Note how the rotation schedule from TireRack for the 5 tire rotation [F] differs from what is shown in the Lexus Owner's Manual. What TireRack shows is what I was always taught.

KonaRX

Aloha,
I recently put Bridgestone Dueler H/Ls from Costco on my 2007 RX350 AWD. The difference in noise and comfort over the oem Michellins was night and day. Have almost 7000 miles on them and wear is negligable. As you live in a mostly sunny climate (Florida) as I do here in Hawaii, you might consider them. The free pump up with nitrogen occasionally with the free rotation (with the lifetime maintenence fee) keeps them rolling smoothly. Given the heat you have there like we have here, the nitrogen is a nice perk. Good luck.

jfelbab

My dealer tried to do the front to back rotation just once. They claimed it was no longer being done even though the manual called for a 5 tire rotation. I did contact Lexus corporate to clarify. They sent back this:

I presented this response to the service manager and ever since they rotate all five tires for me. There is simply no good reason to let a perfectly good tire age-out while I continue to wear out the other 4.

1koolfella

iTrader: (1)

Good to know and thanks for your response.

I have a spare that has not see the light of day. Well I mean touch the road. The spare still has bar code stickers on it. Before I replace the OEM tires, the manufacture date of the spare was the same on the rear tires (when I bought the vehicle the previous owner changed the front tires but not the rear)

After reading the replies, I'm considering rotating the new tires first in the x pattern I saw on tire rack and the following 6 months, start including the spare along with the set.

RX330inFL

By the time I noticed on the original tires it was too late to integrate into the pattern. When I updated my tires to the Alenzas I purchased just four figuring the spare was still good for a few more years sitting where it was. When I need to purchase the next set it will be for five tires unless I plan on trading or selling the RX shortly after.

daryll40

I wouldn't rotate the spare. But I would, after a few years, replace the spare with one of the tires being replaced, provided there was still some safe level of tread left for temporary, spare, usage.

steveq81

Well, guys, after looking through your comments and digging around a little more, I ended up with a set of Pirelli Scorpion Verdes.

Initial impression is that they are a smoother riding tire and quieter then the Alenzas were (when they were also new, that is -- obviously they beat the Alenzas with 54K on them). Spoke with a couple of people who had driven them in the snow this past winter, and they had very favorable comments.

As always, the Club Lexus community comes through.

DixieLex

find my post for my kid's RX w/pix.