I am in need of tire recommendations for my wife's 2008 Sienna LE FWD. While we love the van, we are learning (as have many) that the Sienna has quite the appetite for tires. The van came with the Michelin Energy LX4, and I have not been terribly impressed with them. As a result, I'm looking for some alternatives.
It seems as though I just have to accept that no tire is likely to hit its rated mileage on a Sienna, but that's not going to keep me from trying!
My wife drives the van on city streets to and from work, just a few miles each day. I tend to drive a bit more on highways on weekends. It is our workhorse car for driving trips. Here in Oklahoma, we have hot summers, humid, warm, often rainy/stormy springs, and often icy winters - icy moreso than snowy (but we've had our share of snow the last couple of years!). Generally, however, we have one, maybe two industrial snowstorms per year.
My wife's driving style is very conservative and deliberate, and by comparison she makes me look like Mario Andretti.
We are likely to take a long driving trip sometime this summer, loaded up with passengers and cargo, and I think the relatively low rolling resistance of the Energy LX4's have at least been one asset for that tire in terms of gas mileage. I do not necessarily have to have a harder touring tire - a quiet ride is probably more important. The mileage issue is, in my view, probably the lone asset of the Energy's, as they've proven finicky and seemingly prone to irreparable damage. I now have two OEM tires, one replacement, and one off-brand replacement when no Energy's were available and I couldn't wait for one to be ordered - and now I have mismatched treads on one axle (grrr).
Anyway, I've read generally good things about Hankook Optimo H727, and the Michelin Harmony (as an upgrade from the Energy LX4). I've read generally *negative* things about Yokohama' AVID TRZ. I've read nothing but disdain for nearly anything Bridgestone/Firestone. I'm trying to temper those opinions with the fact that most tires just don't last as long on Sienna's in general.
Any recommendations and experience would be greatly welcomed and appreciated.
Jeez you beat me here with the same question by just a few minutes! We have a 2008 Limited, came with a set of Bridgestone Turanza's which we got 42K out of. Looked long and hard at the Michelin HydroEdge, because of the excellent wet traction and long mileage. But, they are OOS at most online tire places, so I'm still looking.
Well, Paul, I've continued to do a little research and thought I'd post a bit more information here.
I was becoming intrigued by the idea of a set of Michelin Harmony's, and then remembered that Sam's Club sells a private-label version of them under the Michelin Radial X name. What tripped the trigger for me was the fact that I bought a set of Radial X's for my 2004 Buick LeSabre about two years ago and I have been *very* impressed by them.
The Radial X is a higher load tire, going from a 96 to a 98, and bumps from an S-speed rating to a T-rating, which suggests a stronger sidewall over the OEM Energy LX4's. And the Harmony's have consistently good feedback among various reviews I"ve read.
So, I think its down between the Hankook Optimo H727 and the X, and with the $70 off promotion at Sam's, the X's are in the lead at the moment. I think I can get the X's for $114 each, with $70 off, plus $15/tire installation. That's $446 plus tax, meaning I could get a set for under $500 with road hazard included.
Thanks, Dave. Trying to get the best tire for the money since funds are somewhat short right now. I spent a few minutes checking out the Radial X, like you said it seems to be available at Sam's, Costco and the like only. Tread pattern looks different from the Harmony, though.
Being in La., where we have no snow, a good rain tire with high mileage and decent road noise is what I'm after. I really wanted the HydroEdge, but it's not working out. People must be snapping them up with the rebate offer. My second choice was the Hankook Optimo H727 just based on Consumer Reports Best Buy tag.
So I'm looking at $147 each Radial X, at Sam's, plus tax and mounting, minus $70 instant rebate will make it $630ish. Trying to see how you got to the $446 plus tax figure. Unless we have different size tires, our XLE Limited takes 225/60R17's..
On the other hand, the Hankook Optimo H727 I can order from Tirerack for $547 shipped with tax, and have a guy here mount them for $40, still darn near $600.
I put the Michelin X from Sams on my 2005 about a year and a half ago, my recollection is that the tire price included install, lifetime balance, rotation , road hazard, I paid $420 after rebate (I have business card - no upcharge) . These tires appear to be wearing less than the original Dunlops , have 18,000 on them now, we don't get much rain here but I would rate them as only average on wet pavement, important to me was noise and these are very quiet! Andy
My 2008 Sienna is an LE, and takes the 215/65R16 size tire. When I went to my local Sams Club website here in the OKC area, the Radial X came up @ $114 each for that size, plus $15 per tire for installation. Sooo, I figure the size difference may explain the cost delta....
Update;
Just to verify, I went back to the Sam's website, and the 215/65R16 tires are, indeed $114.86, so that's $459.44 for the set, less the $70 discount, plus $60 installation, so that 's $449.44 before local taxes. When I went back and changed the size to 225/60R17, sure enough, the price jumped up to $146.88/tire, so size was definitely the difference.
aanders, as far as the Radial X goes on wet pavement, I'd have to think they'd be no worse than the Energy LX4's I'm getting ready to retire!
Last edited by SoonerDave; 03-14-2011 at 01:46 PM.
Reason: Extra info on size/pricing.
Well you are right that Siennas go through tires very quickly. My 2004 started with the Energy LX4's...wasn't too impressed with them. Now running the Avid TRZs for Spring summer fall...and dedicated winter tires for winter. Avid TRZs have been ok...but they wear fast...seemingly just like any and every other tire has/would on a Sienna. Those Hankooks are rated quite well on tirerack.com...though if you look at total miles of raters...it's still early days.
You'll never guess what happened in the meantime. My wife got a fork stuck in her tire, making the need for tires immediate. Sam's had none of the tires in stock, so I went to a small shop where I kinda know the owner, he set me up with a set of Mastercraft Avenger Touring LSR's, which he swears by. 80k treadlife, good wet braking etc. Still, with alignment it was $705
That's a heck of a situation. Always frustrating to think you're trying to stay ahead of things like tires, only to have the situation forced on you like that. I've never heard of the Mastercraft brand, but I hope they work out for you! Be sure to post when you can and let us know what you think of them.
As for my situation, I think I've pretty much settled on the Radial X's. Just a matter of letting the credit card close for this month so they can go on next month's statement
I just got the Michelin Radial X's at Sams Club. My cost was $483 out the door. Seems to be a good tire so far. Our 08 Sienna has 86k miles on it. OEM tires were the Micheline MXV4 which lasted until 53k, then Dunlop Signatures which were at 4/32" when we removed them. My wife was losing confidence in wet weather with the Dunlops. So far so good on the new Michelins. I was told that the Hydroedges aren't the same speed rating and most shops wouldnt install them on our van.
I looked at the Hankook Optimo and Michelin Harmony which is sold at Discount tire as well.
I went with the Michelin as Discount gave them to me for $116/tire with a $40 rebate so it came out to $600 out the door with the replacement certificates.
Basically the Hankook arent that popular and they usually have to special order them so thats what I didnt like.
Dave, the Mastercraft are a private label sold to small shops I believe. Cooper makes them. Road noise seems to be an issue with them. We went into town today, and while not much worse than the OEM tires, it definitely isn't a quiet ride. Website shows a 45 day free trial, so may talk to the shop again. Our Limited Edition deserves a quiet ride.
I gave it one last good, hard think today and dropped the hammer on the X Radials. Local Sam's had plenty in stock and I didn't want to run the risk of something coming up next weekend and missing out on the $70 discount promotion (runs out 3/31).
Final total with tax was $483, and the first thing my family mentioned after getting back on the road with them was that they thought the ride was notably quieter. My wife drove it some, and said she noticed an immediate difference in braking, which made sense because the driver's side front tire was just a few miles short of bald (down to the wear bars).
Obviously the first few miles aren't much of a barometer, so we'll see how things go, but I feel good about them. I started having second thoughts when I noted that two of the existing tires had tolerable tread, while the third was still in good shape, but they were mix-and-matched out of necessity when one had to be replaced last summer. I went back and forth thinking about buying just a pair and moving them to the rears, then said to myself "forget it," and just got the new set. Now I've got to see if I can find a used tire shop to buy the old ones
When I was talking to a tire dealer here, he said while the Hydroedge is a great tire, he wouldn't recommend it for the Sienna. He only recommended the Harmony. He said that Hydroedge is a loud tire with a softer sidewall and that I would regret getting the Hydroedge. Jury is still out!
Dynamic1, That's actually consistent with a couple of other things I've read over the last week or two...wish I could remember where, though. May have been one of the reviews on TireRack. That stronger sidewall was one reason the X Radial finally won out for me...
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