We have been working on an older Lexus RX 330 for the past few months, bringing it back to its former glory as the second-generation SUV that started a wave of luxury crossovers in America.
The older Lexus RX 330, which just turned over 200,000 miles, was in need of work when we obtained it for a very special high school student in our Automotive Addicts household. As a vehicle for our high schooler to drive to and from school, we wanted her to be safe on the road. After completing most of our restoration of the Lexus RX 330, we wanted to finalize the assurance of the vehicle’s safety with a new set of tires to replace the tired rubber that looks to have been through the ringer over the past 40,000 miles or so.
We looked to many tire brands in reading their reviews but also wanted to be conscious of the possibility of the restored Lexus hitting various road conditions, even potential snow, for when and if our high school student would one day venture up north here in the United States.
Several tire brands claim to have tires that are all-season and can excel in all conditions that you would throw a road-going tire on an SUV. However, in discovering many real-world results, there’s a limited number of all-season tires that really excel in all weather conditions without compromise in dry and summer seasons. Fortunately for us, we have some connections to various tire brands, and Bridgestone seemed to stand out with the introduction of their Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra tire, a tire that’s been proven to excel in all weather conditions from documented real-world tests.
The new Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra tire is an all-season CUV/SUV tire that touts an 80,000-mile warranty along with having an excellent balance of performing well in dry, wet, and winter conditions. Moreover, the Alenza product line of tires from Bridgestone has had many years of real-world testing and feedback from consumers for Bridgestone engineers to create the newer Alenza AS Ultra tire, which combines years of developed technology and advancements to create one of the best-performing tires of its kind on the current market. Naturally, we wanted our Lexus RX to be as safe as possible, so why not go with one of the better-performing tires? After all, tires are one of the most important components of any automobile!
Having experienced the new Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra tires on our Lexus RX 330 for two weeks now, driving in dry and exceptionally wet thunderstorm weather, we’re delighted with their performance thus far. Hydroplaning is virtually nonexistent thing going through standing water and small to moderately sized puddles. There’s a welcoming level of handling assurance that’s been restored in our Lexus RX 330 considering the age of the vehicle. It’s as if the vehicle has a new leaf on life in its smoothness and quietness, a quality that’s supposed to be deeply instilled in a Lexus vehicle even with many miles on the clock.
My personal use of tires and many different brands is rather vast, considering I’ve owned and continue to own many sports cars, modern SUVs, and have tested well over 1,000 new vehicles during my automotive career. Bridgestone tires have many forms of OEM fitments, and in the past, I have always been pleased with the brand’s performance. However, it was not until now, after experiencing the newer Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra tires, in addition to reading many real-world reviews, that I found the brand to exceed my expectations. In some past run-ins with Bridgestone tires on older sports cars, I may not have been so favorable of their overall performance. Now, it seems the tables have turned in the scheme of making an exceptional CUV/SUV all-season tire in the Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultras.
The Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra tires come in a variety of sizes and can be equipped on several passenger vehicles and CUV/SUVs. Time will be the ultimate test of the new Alenza AS Ultra tires after thousands of miles are logged. For now, Bridgestone has surely impressed us and given us some peace of mind for the safety of our high school student that will brave the wild streets of America in her restored Lexus SUV.
