New Toyo Open Country H/T - 245/55/19 - Page 3

klossfam · 01-30-2009, 11:26 AM

pch316 - The only downside to consider is the extra 10mm of treadwidth (255mm vs 245mm)...The narrower the better in snow. I see you are in NJ but I'm in Metro Buffalo, so snow REALLY happens...everyday in January actually...

My wife gave her 30 mile trip review of the Toyo H/Ts this morning (in a raging snowstorm - surprise) and she generally doesn't get too excited - Said the new H/Ts were AWESOME...

The Bridgie Alenza does appear to have a good all season pattern (Bottom line: You need some tread blocks and 2 large channels to dispense the white stuff)...

If you go the Alenza route, let us know...I only got the Toyos because I was getting a 43% off warranty claim from the company. They have to be great for a long time to make up for how bad the A20s were...If not, syanora to Toyo for me...

pch316 · 01-30-2009, 11:47 AM

I will definitely let you know. I will probably let these Toyos wear out first before I purchase new ones. I only got around 6,000 miles on these tires so far and I hate them. They are terrible even in light snow. Can't wait till these tires are worn down so I can get the Alenza's. Maybe the price will drop by the time I make my purchase.

klossfam · 02-03-2009, 12:09 PM

TOYO OPEN COUNTRY H/T Update - The BIG improvement continues...more mixed conditions over the weekend (and warmer)...The H/Ts - despite the same 103S rating for sidewall and speed - are a crisper handling tire, even on dry pavement. With the aggressive tread vs the A20s, they are definitely a little noiser at highway speeds (but still quieter than our 2004 Pilot EX with soft Kumho Solus donuts)...and the important part: The better half is happy...I'll report back when I take tread depth at the first rotation at 5000 miles (starting depth on the H/T is this size is 12/32nds).

jdavy · 02-09-2009, 03:53 PM

I am also following this thread and want to know about the new Toyo HTs. I live in San Francisco and just run up and down the freeway to work. I still have tread on my A20s at 33,000 miles so I guess I should feel fortunate. I am hoping to get another 10,000 miles as I am not at the wear bars yet. I do agree with everyone that this tire thing is a bummer as I prefer better tires. If the Toyo HT is the tire to buy, who sells them? Not tire rack or any chain I know. Any recommendations besides the dealer?

klossfam · 02-09-2009, 11:09 PM

jdavy - You are major league lucky if your Toyos A20 are at 33,000 miles! They must have been using the "good rubber" that day at the Toyo plant in Japan. The H/Ts are a very different tire than the A20s despite the same speed and sidewall rating (S/103)...The A20 is/was very much a typical all season "car" tire without - in my opinion - big enough channels to clear heavy rain or snow. The H/Ts have 2 huge channels approx 1/4 of the way in from the outer and inner sidewall...the tread between is an agressive block design (typical truck pattern)...Despite this, they are only slightly louder than the A20s but a HUGE improvement in all other areas - including handling. They are expensive - but with a grand total of 2 all season tires in 245/55R19 size, what can you do? Toyo's online are best priced at:

Tire Deals 4 Less - $171 ea and about $15 per tire to ship
http://www.tiredeals4less.com/TOYO_O..._P4790C203.cfm

Discount Tires 2 Go is in your area kind of (Fullerton) and are $185 per tire and $14 per tire to ship
http://www.discount-tires-2go.com/Store_Detail.cfm?ID=173510&InfoID=4853&ShowLarge=T rue

Tires-Easy is somewhat competitive ($198 ea plus shipping - BUT the shipping is high - $26 per tire)

1010 Tires also carries (1010 is good for service - but expensive - $218 ea - I've used them in the past for Falkens but their pricing has gone up, up, up...)

The good and bad of a full size spare is that if you are doing 5 tire rotations (and you really should be), you'll need 5 tires vs 4...but for me, the full size spare is a necessity when towing...and great security on road trips...

jdavy · 02-09-2009, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klossfam

jdavy - You are major league lucky if your Toyos A20 are at 33,000 miles! They must have been using the "good rubber" that day at the Toyo plant in Japan. The H/Ts are a very different tire than the A20s despite the same speed and sidewall rating (S/103)...The A20 is/was very much a typical all season "car" tire without - in my opinion - big enough channels to clear heavy rain or snow. The H/Ts have 2 huge channels approx 1/4 of the way in from the outer and inner sidewall...the tread between is an agressive block design (typical truck pattern)...Despite this, they are only slightly louder than the A20s but a HUGE improvement in all other areas - including handling. They are expensive - but with a grand total of 2 all season tires in 245/55R19 size, what can you do? Toyo's online are best priced at:

Tire Deals 4 Less - $171 ea and about $15 per tire to ship
http://www.tiredeals4less.com/TOYO_O..._P4790C203.cfm

Discount Tires 2 Go is in your area kind of (Fullerton) and are $185 per tire and $14 per tire to ship
http://www.discount-tires-2go.com/St...owLarge=T rue

Tires-Easy is somewhat competitive ($198 ea plus shipping - BUT the shipping is high - $26 per tire)

1010 Tires also carries (1010 is good for service - but expensive - $218 ea - I've used them in the past for Falkens but their pricing has gone up, up, up...)

The good and bad of a full size spare is that if you are doing 5 tire rotations (and you really should be), you'll need 5 tires vs 4...but for me, the full size spare is a necessity when towing...and great security on road trips...

Thanks for the tips. I am like most on a budget so the HT look like a good value. I have some tread left as I am not down to the wear bars. I will try and remember to post what my final millage is. I do think my commute up and down the rather flat and straight freeway is part of that luck. not many curves.

jdavy · 02-12-2009, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdavy

Thanks for the tips. I am like most on a budget so the HT look like a good value. I have some tread left as I am not down to the wear bars. I will try and remember to post what my final millage is. I do think my commute up and down the rather flat and straight freeway is part of that luck. not many curves.

Thanks for the tip. Looks like the HT is the tire to buy. Les Schwab should have them in a month or two. As for my luck with miles, I do not do a 5 tire rotation. I only rotate the 4 back to front. Radials do not like to go back and forth. It breaks down the rubber. I think that is the secret to my success.

klossfam · 03-16-2009, 03:46 PM

Update on the H/Ts - 4,000 miles now and no measurable wear (still at 12/32nds)...It is hard to believe the same company makes the A20s and the H/Ts. The H/Ts have already encountered 18" of snow in one day and another day with several inches of rain and flooding (that's Western NY! but it's sunny and 65F today!). The wife reports nothing but good things during her 60 mile round trip commute over widely varying road surfaces. Definitely worth the $$$$ and they SHOULD be the stock OEM tire on a $35K+ vehicle...NEVER discount any tread pattern with 2 wide channels to disperse snow and rain (the Kumho ASX is another tire example of where this works extremely well).

PatrickB-379 · 03-16-2009, 04:21 PM

You must have been reading my mind to post this today. I just read back through it and was going to ask how they were doing.

I need to make my decision this week. I'm pretty sure these are the tires I'll get (unless Toyota gives me new tires).

Are they quieter now that they are worn a bit? One concern of mine was that you said they were louder than the OEM's. I'll be taking my snow tires off and was hoping to have a nice quiet ride for the summer. Although I'm not willing to replace tires every 15K to achieve that.

My other option is to go with a different size, but then I'd need to buy another wheel and snow tire as a spare for the winter.

vet · 03-16-2009, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffs3820

I just don't understand why Toyota fits the 245/55x19 to the Highlander...the standard wheel is a 17 inch and the 245/65x17 tires are quite common with an identical tire diameter. The load rating is exactly the same. The looks are basically the same. With a good tire the handling will be the same. Logic just seems flawed unless with the limited availability of the 19" tires Toyota thinks drivers will come to them for tires.

Frankly I would prefer the 17" wheels/tires.

For some reason manufacturers seem intent on increasing tire/wheel diameters in some sort of race for bragging rights. It used to be that larger wheels were usually only fitted when needed to clear larger brakes. Shorter sidewalls will give quicker steering response but a 55 aspect ratio is overkill on an SUV if you ask me.

bigb56 · 03-16-2009, 10:10 PM

I just got my 08 Sport with 18K on it. The A20's are pretty thin, I'll be lucky to get a year out of them. Living in the desert I will probably never need a tire that is good in the snow. 99% of my driving will be on the pavement. When we go to Mexico sometimes we drive on sand, (hope the 4WD will keep me out of trouble).

Do the H/Ts actually handle better than the A 20s on a dry road? My local Discount Tire can get them for me.

If you never had to drive in snow, would you still get the H/Ts? We do see rain now and then, and the sand.

bigb56 · 03-17-2009, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrailDust

Andy, try turning off VSC/TRAC and check out the difference. I was in a foot of snow with a bottom layer of ice this past weekend and "experimented" with the Snow feature. I didn't like it one bit and felt the computer was over-controlling the HL so much I actually lost traction. As soon as I turned off VSC/TRAC I was stable again and had no further problems. I will add, though, that this was on a dirt road and not pavement. Same performance difference in mud. Maybe I'm living in a dream world or something, but I think the HL's Snow button/feature is of little use.

TrailDust

Traildust, how do you turn off the VSC/TRAC?

***TrailDust*** · 03-17-2009, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigb56

Traildust, how do you turn off the VSC/TRAC?

The VSC/TRAC button is located to the lower right of the steering column, at about a four o'clock position on the dash. If you quickly push it once it'll turn off the VSC system, but in order to turn off both you have to keep the button pushed in for about 3 or 4 seconds. Watch the instrument panel, which will give you indicator lights to indicate when each one is turned off. In order to turn both back on either push the button once or, when the engine is turned off and restarted, the system will automatically reset. BTW, almost forgot, VSC can be turned off while moving, but in order to turn both off the vehicle must be stopped while pushing the button.

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PatrickB-379 · 03-17-2009, 02:52 PM

Well, against all odds, I'll be getting a brand new set of Toyo A20's for my Highlander. The only reason... I only have to pay for installation as I will be getting the tires for free. I guess it pays to be persistent, however I give all the credit to the parts manager at my dealership. He really went above and beyond for me.

My only advice, push the issue. Especially if you have "chunks" of rubber coming off. I had around 19K on them when I swapped on my snow tires last fall.

bigb56 · 03-18-2009, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrailDust

The VSC/TRAC button is located to the lower right of the steering column, at about a four o'clock position on the dash. If you quickly push it once it'll turn off the VSC system, but in order to turn off both you have to keep the button pushed in for about 3 or 4 seconds. Watch the instrument panel, which will give you indicator lights to indicate when each one is turned off. In order to turn both back on either push the button once or, when the engine is turned off and restarted, the system will automatically reset. BTW, almost forgot, VSC can be turned off while moving, but in order to turn both off the vehicle must be stopped while pushing the button.

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Thanks Traildust. So having a 2008 means I don't have to go through the brake/parking brake dance I have read about!