wheel life on wheel package

[merv]

Hi
I am new to this group. We are considering a new 2012 QX on which we are getting a good deal (69 down to 59). It has the bench seat, which we want, because we need to fit our three kids across with all the stuff in the back. The dealership has had it on the lot since July 'cause most do not want the bench.

We would not have chosen the wheel package if we were building it new, this one has the wheel package. We understand from our local tire guy that these tires are for performance rather than longevity and will likely have to be changed every 30K rather than every 60K.
We are trying to decide between the QX and the Sequoia, which is bigger. The ride benefits of the QX are obvious, as is the interior luxury c/w the toyota. But, trying to figure out whether to spend the extra.

Thoughts? Both on the wheels - which will be a considerable ongoing expense if the above is true, and between these cars, I mean trucks?

p.s. this is Merv's wife..I'm a little more interested than he is...

 

[200Proof]

I'll trade you my 20" wheels & tires for the 22" and your problem is solved.

 

[UFLJ50]

I have the 22's as well and I would be surprised if you only got 30k miles out of them. The major impact here is your type of driving, how well you maintain the tires with pressure and rotating. I have 12k on mine thus far and have plenty of tread left. Mine is an AWD which will have a little more wear than a 2WD. I have never been a fan of the stock bridgstones, would rather have a Michelin tire. Maybe if I swap mine out for a chrome set I will see about getting a second set for it then.

 

[grillmaster]

I have the stock 20" Bridgestone tires and at 14,000 miles (2011 QX56) they are wearing, in my opinion, rather quickly. The salesman informed us not to expect anything over 30k out of the tires due to their being 'soft'. They are soft to aid in the ride that Infinity wanted for the QX56. Although, the tires are the only thing that helps with the smooth ride, the wishbone suspension helps too.

Does the Michelins help in achieving somewhere around 60k miles? If so, that means they must be a harder tire and if so, would that impact the smooth ride?

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[Silverback]

The tread compound is not going to affect the ride. A harder compound may increase the road noise, but that will be it. The road noise can also be affect by the tread pattern.

 

[dmd2005]

Sequoia and QX were the two main choices we had. Exterior dimensions, they are both the same width, QX an inch or two lower, but 2.5 inches longer overall, but the Sequoia rear cargo area with 3rd row folded down has more room. If you have child safety seats latched in, you have to remove them for 3rd row passengers in the QX, but the Sequoia 2nd row can move forward like the new Infiniti JX seats to access 3rd row without removing child seats.

I have a Toyota Tundra which is basically 80% the same as the Sequoia. My wife does not like driving my truck nor the Sequoia. The visibility out of the QX is much better and the interior quality is much nicer.

We get snow and ice where we live, so it was a no-brainer to go with a set of snow tires and a second set of wheels. When researching tires for the 22" wheels, the OEM tires are the only 275/50/22 tires out on this size. There are many more options for the 275/60/20 tire size. If you're not too concerned about your speedometer being off about 3%, you have a vast array of tires to choose from in the 275/55/20 size which is a popular pick-up truck sized tire.

We got our QX the first week of Dec 2012 and only had the stock 22" wheels and tires on for one week before switching out to a set of aftermarket wheels and 275/60/20 Blizzak DM-V1 winter tires. Hopefully, we'll be able to get 3-4 years out of the 2 sets of tires.

 

[merv]

Thanks, that's good advice, I'm going to pass it on to my husband who will be the one dealing with the tires/wheels. We went with the QX despite the marked less cargo space largely because of how awesome it is to drive. I feel that it is much safer for me, shorter than my husband, given the superior visibility. We are in Wash state and go to the mountains a lot, so your wheel advice makes sense.
Thanks
Stephanie

 

[dmd2005]

I got my tires/wheels in Bellingham, WA...I live across the border so it was cheapest to get them from Discount Tire after shopping around. If you find a price cheaper than Discount Tire, they will match or beat that price. Plus, you get free rotations and swapping out of the wheels/tires if you buy from Discount Tire. The dealer or other shops will charge you a rotation fee and to reprogram the tire pressure sensors...will save you in the long run from paying someone to reprogramming the sensors everytime you switch tires/wheels. We took a road trip over Xmas down to Centralia, WA at the Great Wolf Lodge with the QX and it fit 2 child seats and 4 adults fine (we have the 8-seater). Had to add a Thule box to the roof as most of the cargo space behind the 3rd rox was taken up with 2 strollers.

The Blizzaks and any other snow tire have a softer compound than all-seasons and most people get 2 or 3 seasons out of Blizzaks before the outer layer of the tire is worn down. With the Blizzaks, you'll lose most of your grip when you're down to 50% treadlife. For $1K every 2 or 3 years and a piece of mind when you have a couple of toddlers, the safety of snow tires is worth every penny when you're driving through snowy/icy mountain passes. Good luck with your vehicle/tire choice...the QX is a fantastic vehicle and my wife loves it coming from a 2009 MDX.

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[roughyear]

I have the 20s tires on my 2011 QX, have about 45k miles on them, with about 40-50% thread still remaining... wow am I SHOCKED with the wearlife. Had a MB 500ML, and would need to replace those tires every 15-17k miles!!! imagine my surprise and relief that my tires are still alive.

I went with the 20s because I thought the 22s were a bit firm of a ride and a tendency to "body roll" the truck on tight turns, giving the rear passengers a roller coaster feel of back and forth side to side nauseating feeling.

 

[Desidon]

I have the 20s tires on my 2011 QX, have about 45k miles on them, with about 40-50% thread still remaining... wow am I SHOCKED with the wearlife. Had a MB 500ML, and would need to replace those tires every 15-17k miles!!! imagine my surprise and relief that my tires are still alive.

I went with the 20s because I thought the 22s were a bit firm of a ride and a tendency to "body roll" the truck on tight turns, giving the rear passengers a roller coaster feel of back and forth side to side nauseating feeling.

Maybe your 22's experience was on a qx without the hydraulic body motion control.

 

[Kcrebel]

I'm a bit surprised on the tire wear comments as well. I'm sitting at just over 20k on mine and while they do show some wear they are nowhere near 50% gone as they should be given the estimates above.
Are you guys rotating your tires? My qx is an awd and I have the tires rotated at each oil change. Just standard procedure I do on all of my vehicles and I have never had a set of tires get less than 40k on any vehicle under any driving conditions. Rotating is the life of a tire. Not rotating is what keeps the tire guys smiling!

 

[marctronixx]

Maybe your 22's experience was on a qx without the hydraulic body motion control.

+1. the 22s with HBMC is just an awesome ride.

rotate every OTHER oil change.

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[maverick415]

I've been rotating every 5k for every set of tires I've owned for the past 10 years and always exceeded the average life expectancy.