So why wouldn’t the dealer have made that suggestion in the first place? She is supposed to research the options available to deal with product issues?
I rented one of those little cars once. After looking all over found the emergency package that was supposed to be used in case of a flat. Essentially a can of fix a flat. Only works for small leaks and a tire shop is not happy to deal with the stuff. Spare me the statistical data. Sometimes you have to put a tire on.
I listed THREE reasons why I chose the extra cost for the hybrid version. And it was quite clear they were MY choices and not anything I felt applied to anyone else. So not sure why you took exception to what I wrote.
No idea what you are talking about but I see a couple must get it.
No spare? No problem..
That is what Run-Flat tires are made for.. lol
That spare-less Sienna most likely had RFTs.
Yes, The older (anyway) XLE Sienna’s (IIRC or whatever the top of the line was) had R-F tires and no spares from the factory and they where also all AWD, so you had to replace them in pairs…
Our neighbor has a 2024 Sienna and she is very happy with it.
I feel run-flat tires are very expensive
You would be correct sir, but the benefits are amazing (if you can budget them), with the DriveGuard’s you can drill a hole in the tire (sidewall/tread) of all 4 tires and still drive normal up to 50mph for 50 miles with very little affect on the braking or handling of the vehicle…
Hardly anybody has 2 or more spares with them, and when a tow truck is a few hours out, RFT’s are awesome… Yes I have had many towed in with 2 or more flat tires… Customers that bought the RFT’s even with a spare praised them whenever they had a flat and was able to keep going… Just have to have TPMS in order to run them, that was our policy anyway…
I personally know people that bought cars with RFTs, but couldn’t afford them, when they wore out . . . probably due to poor budgeting skills
I know many people who live WAY beyond their means and when the car needs money thrown at it, whether it’s maintenance or unforeseen repairs, they’re in big trouble
When these same people complain about not having the money for the car stuff, I just nod my head and keep my thoughts to myself
I liked the Buicks and Cadillacs of the mid to late 1930s with.the side mount spare tires. It seems to me that the automobile stylists along with the marketing people could find a way to make sidemounts popular again.
And I remember an owners manual showing a picture for how to set the timing on the car’s distributor.
While someone was driving the car down the road under a load, a mechanic was standing on the running board reaching in to the distributor (with the driver’s half of the lifted open), and tuning it till it just began pinging.
I distinctly remember in the tuning instrutions that slight pinging was acceptable.
Here you go, @Triedaq , I bet you can find a used one today:
good gosh. didn’t know this topic would be so spirited. all is good as long as we stay friendly!! My problem is I hate change but one does usually when they get older. I can’t believe a used 2019 Rav 4 XLE (no premium, just xle) with 158.5K miles is on sale for 18K and change. I thought if I got 8K or so for my 2015 XLE with 121K now would be great. Time will tell if I pull the trigger and get another rav (le or xle). I have till near year end before all of those hybrids invade the dealership. One dealer near me (60 miles away) doesn’t even have a rav on the lot and only 38 cars (new) for sale. there goes my ad valorem taxes and insurance cost. but it’s worth it as I get a spin on oil filter (#4967 I think) vs cannister!!! The downside is the car has a skirt underneat whereas my rav doesn’t. I know it has a cutout for oil changes but for trans work, the whole thing has to come off. I give toyota that it’s plastic I think. The kia on my wife’s optima is like a very hard pressed, flexible cardboard. But I’ve learned to tak 3/4 of the bolts out and let it lay on the floor to drain the trans fluid and then reattach it easier since it’s started and just a matter of going around and inserting bolts vs. trying to place it in the grooves and start some bolts. I should quit complaining as in 10 years, I might be too old to do it myself. Have a great day!
Yes, they are.
My NX 450h+ came from the factory with Bridgestone Alenza RFTs, but I decided to keep an open mind about them until I was able to fully evaluate them.
What I found was that their traction (dry, wet, winter) was barely acceptable. Also, they have pretty poor treadwear characteristics. They were… okay… when it came to handling, ride quality, and noise level.
I replaced them (somewhat early) with a set of Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires. These Michelins–as is typical for that brand–have incredibly-good ride quality, plus their handling characteristics are far superior to that of the Bridgestone Alenzas. Additionally, their traction is nothing short of incredible–including on winter road surfaces. And, their treadlife is far superior to that of the Alenzas.
Per tire, these Michelins cost ~$70 less than the Alenzas. The Cross Climate tires are not RFTs, so I bought a spare “kit” from the Modern Spare company.
I am older than you and I really don’t mind changes and really like some of them.
The Dueler HL Alenza was/is a pretty good tire and used on a lot of Luxury SUV’s for many years now… the 001 Alenza RF’s with a totally different tread design-not so much… lol
You would have loved the DriveGuard’s though… The ONLY vehicle we ever put them on that a customer complained about was the Prius, and only because it lowered the MPG a little…
+1
I really like all of the electronic features on modern cars, and I’m 77 years old.
The Alenza RFTs are also low-rolling resistance tires. When I switched to the Michelin Cross Climates, my gas mileage and my battery range dropped by a tiny percent. I feel that this very small “penalty” is worth it in order to have tires with superior traction, ride quality, and tread life.
