Hi Again,

Was wondering if I can choose the tires that come on a brand new RX350?

I noticed some dealers have new RX350 with Michelins and others with Dunlops. How do you know what you get?

 

I can speak with some authority about this issue with regard to Canadian vehicles. Basically, if the vehicle that you are considering is built in Japan(VIN will start with a J) it will come from the factory with Dunflops on it. If the RX was built in Cambridge, ON (VIN will start with a 2) it will have Michelins on it. My Japanese Ultra Prem had Dunflops on it and I insisted the dealer change them for Michelins - told he was not alloed to do that. I drove the vehicle 7,000 km and hated the Dunflops and insisted Lexus Canada change them --and they did! If you are not sure which brand you want drive 2 RX's -one equipped with each brand and decide for yourself-settle for nothing less than what you want! In Canada, the base, sport and ultra prem models come from Japan everything else is from Cambridge. Let us know what you decide and like.

dentate
Oshawa, ON
Canada

 

I made it clear to our sales rep that we wanted the Michelins on it before we took delivery (just in case it was delivered with the Dunlops). He told us that was no problem. I doubt most Lexus sales people will let a set of tires stand in the way of a sale.

 

I have the Dunlops with no issues. I tried to switch out to the Michelins but every RX had Bridgestones. While I feel the Michelins would be better, the Dunlops certainly are decent enough. And they'll be gone by next year.

 

That's not always true. Mine (RX450h), came from Japan with Michelin's. They had two on the lot this past week and both of them had Michelin's as well. But I know some have had Dunlop's such as Anita's. So it's luck of the draw.

 

Jim, that's true. When I first looked at the 350, they all seemed to have the Michelins. A few months later, it was split between the Dunlops and Bridgestones. All were from Japan. There were no reviews out on the Dunlops before I got my 450h (still none). But wow did they massacre the Bridgestones. My sales guy offered to trade out the Dunlops with Bridgestones. I told him to forget about it. It's a shame because I really liked the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenzas I had on my 330.

 

My 450h has the 19 inch Dunlops. On Friday they dropped off a 2010 350 with 19 inch Michelins and took my RX back for the 10k service. From a ride perspective I could not tell the difference between the vehicles, however I was very surprised that on some of the road surfaces the Michelins had much more road noise.

I guess that this is one of the discussions that will never end with a conclusive answer. My input would have to be "It all depends"!!!

 

Almost same experience as yours. However, they tried to tell me it couldn't be swapped, and once that got tossed out, tried to get some money out of me to swap them with a Canadian made RX; That got them an evil-eyed response, so they "timidly" complied.

Moral of the story: Dealers are like electricity and water, always looking for the path of least resistance - unfortunately, too many customers give them that undeserved courtesy...

 

My 2010 RX was made in Canada and came with Bridgestones.

I miss the Michelins I had on my 2005 RX.

 

Fortunately mine came with Michelin Lattitude tires. The Bridgestone Alenzas worked great on my 400h.

 

Our 2010 RX (from Canada) also has the Bridgestone tires (19" wheels). Tires feel fine to us, but we've always liked Bridgestone.

 

My RX450h came from Japan with Michelin as well.

 

I knew when I responded that some folks would mention their 450h's-which are all built in Japan and for some odd reason Lexus only sends then to Canada with Michelins. When I responded I was strictly speaking about RX 350's not the hybrid and only about vehicles destined for sale in Canada. Our tires choices are different than yours as are our option packages - sad to say.

dentate
Oshawa, ON
Canada

 

The answer I found out depends on where the RX is built

In Ontario- Michelins
In Japan-Dunlops

 

Not always; there are also Dunlops in that mix, and Michelins have cropped up in Japan as well. Lexus buys tires in batches, and the successful provider may be motivated to move inventory, or may be short of same causing the manufacturer to look elsewhere, so the only sure thing is whatever lands on the dealer's lot, and that can vary from one place to another. That's why any preference you may have would need to be negotiated at the time of purchase, when the dealer may have to swap with another vehicle on the lot to satisfy your request.

Having said all that, my choice of Michelin over any other is drawn from my "personal past experiences". Any tire may be OK, depending on that. The choice may be a moot one for a little church lady, but may be a guiding influence for someone who pushes the car in a spirited manner around curves, etc...