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Hi- My first post here!-  My wife has a 04 Sienna xle AWD which came w/ the Dunlop run flats-  We were lucky w/ about 20,000 miles.  Our dealer in
Greenwich CT had the nerve to say he didn't even know of a problem!  Anyway, I want to put on the Goodyear Assurance Triple tread but they only  come in a 225/55/17 -  The OEM Dunlop were 225/60/17.  Anyone know if this will cause a problem other then the Speedometer being off a little?  

You should see all the complaints about the sienna on tirerack.com. What a huge mess Toyota created with this tire. I got a call from toyota after I sent a nasty email to them. They tried to blame me somehow for not monitoring my tire pressure. They sent me a tire gauge to put with the one I already have. What an insult. They told me that the sienna is designed to only use runflats. What a bunch of crap. I told them i run studded tires on steel wheels in the winter and have no problems. The reason they say its designed that way is because they failed to design the van with a spare. I have an appointment tommorrow because they want to replace the one conventional tire I have with another garbage runflat. That still wont satisfy me. I want a spare.  

Your speedo being off will be the only problem but that in will throw your muleage off also.  If that isnt a big concern for you then you will be fine.  

Ironmike

I just joined this forum so excuse me for my timing.

I am a GM for a large tire dealer. I can tell you that there is no gel in run flat tires. Run Flat tires like the ones you have are Self Suppoting. What that means is the bead is reinforced so in the case of a flat the tire can handle the weight of the car for 50 miles. As far as vibration goes very seldom is a vibration caused because of a defect in a tire. Most of the time it is caused during the mounting process at the garage level. Having said that tire vibrations can be caused by irregular wear because of worn suspension parts, out of alignment or improper air pressures.  

Siennavanowner

Bridgestone makes a Blizzak that is a run-flat tire. If you have a 225/60R17 on your car and it is a Blizzak, it is a run flat tire.

The reason you cannot run a "regular tire" is your car comes with a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System).Runflat tires and TPMS systems work hand and hand.  It warns you when your tire is low on air pressure. The RFT tire is designed to get you to a safe place in a 50 mile radius without having to put on a spare tire.

It was makes a huge difference in the safety of your car. You won't get that sudden blowout and not be able to control your car because the runflat tire is designed to carry the load of the car.

I know all this because i'm in the tire business and train people on TPMS and runflat tires all the time.  

Devonian

Yes a 225/60R17 has a overall diameter of 27.7 inches. A 225/55R17 has a overall diameter of 26.7 inches. Not only that but the 225/60R17 has a load carrying capacity of 1653 lbs per tire. A 225/55R17 has a load carrying capacity of 1521. What that means is you're now going to take 528 lbs of load carrying capacity off of you're tires.

NOT SAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I'm new to the board.  Got here after being frustrated with the run-flate tires on my 2005 Sienna XLE AWD.  Van has about 29k miles on it.  Took it in a coupe of months ago for vibration and pulling and they tols me I had two flat tires and needed to get new ones.  Since my wife primarily drives the van, I spent the money and got two new tires.  The vibration and poor steering continued, so I took the van in again and am now being told that the other two run-flats have uneven wear and need replacement.  

What would be a recommendation for a good standard all-season tire that works?

Thanks  

woodbury:
I'm new to the board.  Got here after being frustrated with the run-flate tires on my 2005 Sienna XLE AWD.  Van has about 29k miles on it.  Took it in a coupe of months ago for vibration and pulling and they tols me I had two flat tires and needed to get new ones.  Since my wife primarily drives the van, I spent the money and got two new tires.  The vibration and poor steering continued, so I took the van in again and am now being told that the other two run-flats have uneven wear and need replacement.  

What would be a recommendation for a good standard all-season tire that works?

Thanks

woodbury

30K on any oe tire is great.  The Bridgestone 380 is the best option you have available right now. There are other tires, they just notrunflat.STAY WITH RUNFLAT TIRES IF YOUR CAR CAME WITH THEM. Read my threads above for the reasons.

I'm an expert in the wheel and tire business, please listen to my warning.  

Moto,

Thanks for your advice and providing a specific option.  

Hey there moto2000,

 Nice of you to explain how the "TPMS and run-flats go hand and hand".  Now why don't you really explain why a "regular" tire won't fit on a run-flat rim and give specifics.  Rim design, interference from sensors, etc.  Or is it that you don't want to discourage consumers from purchasing these wonderful tires?  

Yes please explain why I have to stick with these garbage tires. The wheels I have are the exact same wheels that front wheel drive vans with conventional tires have. Toyota told me that the van is designed to have these tires also but can't tell me why or give any specifics. Sounds like a B.S excuse to me. I will get rid of this van before I put a new set of runflat tires on it.  

stephsvan/mike302

Gladly. Now lets get one thing straight I DO NOT work for a car dealership. I am in the tire business and it doesn't  make a difference if you come in my showroom and buy a runflat or a standard tire.

I'm just trying to pass on my expertise.

With that being said;I know this as fact. Self Supporting Runflat tires like Bridgestone,Dunlop, and Pirelli DO NOT take special rims. Michelin makes a runflat tire that has a PAX runflat system in it which does need special rims and plastic rings.

So yes you can use the wheels for a standard tire. You will have to find a place for a spare tire!

Being an all wheel drive Toyota told you the car is designed for these tire because it was easier to put on runflats than try to cram a spare in it. The all wheel drive system needs room on the back axle.

You will still have the valve sensors in the wheels for the TPMS and it will not screw up the sensors.

I will be buying a car soon with runflat tires and I cant wait.

What is more important to you,long treadwear life or the safety of your family?

I'll spend the extra for the peace of mind!

PS- The tire makers are working on tire compounds for longer treadwear on runflats.  

I am amazed at how ineffective the TPMS system is - apparently from comments here it works somewhere between 5-15lbs which is unbelievably low. I know that there is a system that works to .5 psi which may be on production cars this fall. It has existed for the past year but nobody in the industry seems to get too hurried to get some life-saving gear on-board when they can fit entertainment gizmos instead.

I wonder how much the insensitivity of the TPMS has left Siennas running on underinflated tires?  

I don't understand why you think runflats are safer for your family. Get a flat on a busy interstate where people are driving 70+ mph and see how safe you feel trying to drive to a safe place on these tires. This happened to me and I didn't feel like my family was very safe! We lost air pressure and our trusty TPMS failed to notify us. What notfied us was the smell of burning rubber! There we were with a FLAT tire    and no spare! You can have your runflats! I am getting a spare from Toyota or I am getting rid of this van!  

I just bought an '04 Sienna Limited AWD last month, and have not had the tire problems yet, but I do have a question for all of you Sienna AWD owners. How bad is your gas mileage? We get 13 city and 17 highway! We had it back to the dealer (it was a Toyota certified used car $30,000 w/24K miles and it had new Bridgestones RFTs on it) and they checked everything such as tire pressures, air filter (it was new) and computer checked the engine etc. and they say that everything is normal! If everyone else is getting 13 city, then I guess I'll have to live with it, but I doubt that all of you are doing so poorly on MPG. Where I live we don't even have any hills, the land is very flat, and I've always gotten more MPG than the EPA estimates on every car that I've had. I've even gotten 21 City regularly in a C-5 Corvette. Can anyone tell me what MPG you get please? I want to know if my MPG is the norm.
P.S. I had run flat tires on a 2000 Corvette and they lasted about 30,000 miles, and I had multiple flats after Hurricane Charley came through ( I live in Port Charlotte Florida), and they were all repaired at the GoodYear dealer. So run flats can be repaired, unless the sidewall is involved. GoodYear dealers have the proper machine to mount the RFTs. Regular machines could damage a tire while being mounted.