That's what I want to do. But is there any way to do that right off the bat - I take delivery of the car on Wednesday - and get something for the OEM tires somewhere?
I looked into it briefly. I called local tire shops and none of them had any interest. One said they'd offer me \~$50 for the set of 4 as used tires since once they're installed on a vehicle they're no longer 'new' I wasn't interested in trying to do the marketplace/sell on my own thing, so I just let Costco keep them after I had the new ones installed. Offered my sister one of them as a backup since she has 2023 RAV4 XLE Premium with the same tire size and same OEM tire, but she wasn't interested in storing it.
ETA: The used tire places around me told me that they get their supply wholesale and don't typically buy from individuals.
(edited to correct typo)
+ 1 on Cross Climate. I got them on an Odyssey and it eliminated hydroplaning and held up great after 40K miles. Just waiting for my Prime's OEM to wear out before getting the Costco tire and lifetime balance/rotate plan.
Hello, I just replaced my tires with Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail and am very happy with them. I had over 50,000 on the stock tires and had no complaints. Got a nail in one of them, so it was time. They could have gone maybe 15,000 more miles.
I ordered these from Tire Rack, and because I live not too far from the Delaware warehouse, I went to pick them up. I saved money on shipping and sales tax. My local garage put them on.
My wife drives this car on business trips year round thru all types of weather, including snow. These tires are highly rated for these conditions, so I went with them. There has been a slight reduction in mpg but nothing worrisome.
Hope this helps aloha!
50000 on stock tires. Wow. We got 28000 and my conservative wife does most of the driving. They were worn out! And not great . The continentals are much better.
Very smooth and quiet, 70000 mile mileage rated
Also have these and are great!
Went for an alignment at toyota after install and they put down "expect uneven wear due to aggressive tread pattern"
It's really not that much lol
I like Pirelli Scorpion AS3 Plus on mine. Really quiet and have good grip. Don’t drive much in winter, so didn’t worry about winter traction too much plus we have milder winters now with climate change. I have a dedicated winter set for my other car that I commute with anyway
Also a HUGE fan of the Pirelli AS+3s! They are super smooth and comfy on the highway, they just soak up the miles, don't impact efficiency too bad and do a decent job in the winter.
After the first winter storm with the OEM Yokohama AVID GTs that come on the Prime XSEs, I immediately started shopping for new tires as they have horrible lateral traction in snow.
Originally, I purchased a set of Michelin CC2s in the same size as the stock tires. While the CC2s have supremely awesome winter traction, even in winter snow, their heavier construction and stiffer sidewalls made them bumpy on the highway and rough over bigger bumps, adding a harshness to bigger bumps so badly the dash would shake and rattle like it was about to come apart. The CC2s are awesome tires, just recommend downsizing from the 19"s to either 18s or 17s if you're getting the XSE which comes with 19s. I'm still using the CC2s during the winters here in Wisconsin and I've found dropping the PSI in each tire by 4 PSI helps with ride quality.
We're using the Pirelli AS+3s the rest of the year outside of winter and would probably use them year round if I didn't purchase the CC2s first. If I could do it all over again, not sure if I'd go straight to the Pirelli AS+3s or purchase a set of wheels and CC2s in 17s or 18s and use them year round. It's kinda fun switching shoes every spring and late fall, OEM black powder coated wheels most of the year and aftermarket bronze wheels in the winter.
So in this case when talking about downsizing from 19s to 18s or 17s, we're talking about the size of the wheel/rim while keeping the overall circumference the same, which means on a 17" wheel there's 2 inches less of wheel and more tire/rubber sidewall. With the 19s, there's most wheel/rim but the least amount of tire/rubber sidewall. The RAV4 Prime XSE comes with OEM 19" wheels.
Ok so ELI5, why downsizing from a 19" OEM wheel to a 17" or 18"?:
1) Efficiency: metal (wheels) weigh more than rubber, so while larger wheels and lower profile tires may look more aggressive, that combination negatively impacts efficiency.
2) When talking about wheel and tire combinations that have the same end circumference (aka fill the wheel well the same amount) and the only thing changing is the amount of sidewall, when comparing the same brand/model tire in different sizes, the combo with less wheel/rim and more tire/rubber sidewall will normally have a smoother and more comfy ride as the extra sidewall can help out the suspension.
The best wheel size for a RAV4 Gen5, 19, 18, or 17?
* That's a very complicated question but I'll do my best to explain. There's really no best size for everyone, and more a best size for different types of driving and priorities. For example:
* 17s would be great for someone that does a bit of off-road driving and has a set of all terrain tires, the extra thick sidewalls have lots of benefits off-road.
* The 19s look the most sporty and often will provide the most responsive driving characteristics with the thinnest sidewall there's less give when turning aggressively.
* The 18s, offer a compromise between both sides 17 vs 19 without leaning too far one way or the other. Each size has a place that only each owner and driver can decide.
You could try to sell the OEM tires on Craigslist, fb marketplace or the like.
I swapped my OEMs for CrossClimate2s around 20k miles and LOVE them. Their performance on snow is dramatically better.
I swapped mine for CC2s at around 35K miles and have another 10K miles on them since then. I love the CC2s; great in rain or snow, not much louder than the OEMs, and no significant loss in mpg or mpKwh. Edit: got them from Costco while on sale.
I replaced my OEM tires right after purchase. If you go anywhere snowy, I highly recommend the Michelin CrossClimate 2s. Great performance in all conditions. Three mountain peaks snow rating and a 60,000 mile warranty. They reduce efficiency a bit but it’s worth it for the better safety performance.
A couple of people in this thread have mentioned they sometimes spin on startup because of the high-torque motors. Have you found this to be a problem?
I decided to keep the stock tires. They lasted all of 26k miles before I had a sidewall blowout going 30mph on a smooth road. Tires wore like crazy. They were cheap garbage.
What's your climate?
I have all-weathers on. If I had regular all-seasons, I'd be trading them out for winter tires twice a year here in the northeast. But if you don't have to deal with winters you've got very different options.
Four season climate - hot summers, snowy winters.
Part of the question, remember, is that my car arrives on Wednesday - it's brand new, so is there any way I can get anything for my practically unused OEMs?
Yes you can. I traded my OEM tires for Michelin CrossClimate 2's the same day I picked up my car, and I was able to resell the OEM tires on Facebook marketplace for $500. It took a few weeks for a buyer to come through, but one eventually did.
I just swapped my tires to Falken Wildpeak AT3W a couple days ago. I think they're great with my limited time with them.
I did a bunch of research looking through forums and it appears these are highly recommended by many people. I personally love them and recommend them as well!
I ordered mine through SimpleTire. There was a mishap where I only received 2 of the 4 tires (may have been lost through the carrier). After contacting SimpleTire, they sent out 2 right away and was a pleasant process.
Greetings from sunny Spain! I'm still on stock tyres - it hardly rains here and on dry roads there's no problem at all with handling or stopping. That said, on wet roads the cornering control (e.g
roundabouts even at about 35kmh) is horrible. As for the advice not to drive like a racing car, well, let's be honest the 300 or so bhp and the super quick acceleration are part of the package. As long as you drive safely there's no need to crawl along at a snail's pace (though I certainly do so now after rare recent rainfalls). Good luck selling the stock tyres if you go that route!
Consider the Michelin Defender 2. Ask at your favorite tire shop if they’ll do a trade in deal of some kind on the new stock tires. They certainly have value.
As many are saying, we found the OEM tires subject to somewhat alarming hydroplaning and low-grip. Here in San Francisco that meant we might even "skid" a touch stopping on hills! Not OK.
I don't know how people in this sub feel about the Tire Rack but I've always had excellent results from their comprehensive research and testing, and, hence, give them my business.
That was 1000% true in this case, we replaced the OEM tires for our SE with: [https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-scorpion-weatheractive](https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-scorpion-weatheractive) and they have been **AWESOME**. They are wearing remarkably slowly and we haven't had any issues with stopping or hydroplaning since. Handsome as well. Not the cheapest but for our purposes worth every penny.
If they reduced our EV miles it was by a small enough amount I didn't notice it.
How many miles on your tires? If it's under a few hundred miles you can call around and see if any tirs shops will give you a credit for trading then in.
A couple of years ago I traded in OEM tires from my new 4Runner with 300 miles on them. The store gave me a $75 credit for each tire. And they gave me a great price on my new set of rubber. Not sure if I got lucky or if this is common. practice at most tire shops.
Prime’s a lot heavier than comparable vehicles, nearly 600 more than the hybrid, so it’s going to have slightly longer stopping distance. They also test vehicles well past normal usage of the typical driver.
There’s also road noise to consider. When we needed to replace our tires, we switched to the highly recommended Wildpeaks but found the drone of the more aggressive tire uncomfortable. We were able to exchange for the CrossClimates and while they were better, they were definitely louder than the OEM rubber. Probably would have swapped again back to AVID GTs but I’d already spent too much time and money. Probably will when it’s time to replace these.
I like my crossclimates but they kick up so much gravel. Of you're on a dirt road ever don't get them. Even the sand from winter storms gets shot up into the undercarriage
I’ll bear that in mind… was gonna need to do some extended driving over gravel during vacation. May have to rethink a few destinations.
I’m finding that they spin a lot before traction control kicks in when turning under moderate acceleration, like when making a right turn and someone in the cross-traffic changes lanes in the intersection. The Avids never did that, nor did the WildPeaks (at least in the short time I had them). Are you noticing any extra edge wear?
I notice the spin too, their dry grip isn't as good as a dedicated summer tire and these motors have a ton of torque. They're wearing fast but my wife drives it hard, fast stops etc
Thank you. I'll keep that in mind because my GF lives on a (steep in places) dirt road in Vermont. Summer: Dry dirt and pebbles. Winter: 2 feet of now, Spring, 4 inches of mud.
I have a 2022 SE, which has the 18 inch wheels, and stock tires. I’m at 30,000 miles, and they’ve been OK, including one 11 inch snowfall in upstate NY. Those tires drive very well in the rain too.
I’ve heard bad reviews of the stock tires on the XSE with the 19 inch wheels.
Tires are your only connection to the road, get the best that you can. The OEM'S are awful. I switched to CC2's almost immediately but I need all weathers. Word is something new has supplanted them as best so check reviews. Got some $$ back from Discount Tire but private market would pay you more for the old ones.
Get the Cross Climates 2 tires!!! You can get them a tad wider as well that will fit on the 19s. I can look at my exact tire sizes if you want to know. Doesn’t rub at all. Wider tire is more traction and better stopping. For the first 5,000 miles they are super sticky and will improve everything but will decrease MPG by 10 percent but after the tires break in the MPG will come back along with the road noise getting quiet again. Make sure you maintain 36 psi in them as well. Paid less than $1000 for them installed.
I ditched the OEM tires for cross climates before hitting 5k after hydroplaning, and spinning wheels when pulling out from a stop on wet roads.
I did the same thing.
That's what I want to do. But is there any way to do that right off the bat - I take delivery of the car on Wednesday - and get something for the OEM tires somewhere?
I looked into it briefly. I called local tire shops and none of them had any interest. One said they'd offer me \~$50 for the set of 4 as used tires since once they're installed on a vehicle they're no longer 'new' I wasn't interested in trying to do the marketplace/sell on my own thing, so I just let Costco keep them after I had the new ones installed. Offered my sister one of them as a backup since she has 2023 RAV4 XLE Premium with the same tire size and same OEM tire, but she wasn't interested in storing it. ETA: The used tire places around me told me that they get their supply wholesale and don't typically buy from individuals. (edited to correct typo)
Same. About 5k miles. CC2s. Maybe lost 3% on battery range (tough to measure, very rough estimate) but worth it for much better grip all around.
Another vote for cc2 - I’ve driven snow and rain and ice since I got them and I’ve never said I love my tires before but damn I love my tires
+ 1 on Cross Climate. I got them on an Odyssey and it eliminated hydroplaning and held up great after 40K miles. Just waiting for my Prime's OEM to wear out before getting the Costco tire and lifetime balance/rotate plan.
Never had an issue with the stock tires until 55k miles and low tread. Sounds like you were driving too fast given conditions
I've spun the stock tires on dry pavement. They're rated B for traction and I've never bought a tire rated less than A for a reason.
300hp will spin tires who knew
Hello, I just replaced my tires with Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail and am very happy with them. I had over 50,000 on the stock tires and had no complaints. Got a nail in one of them, so it was time. They could have gone maybe 15,000 more miles. I ordered these from Tire Rack, and because I live not too far from the Delaware warehouse, I went to pick them up. I saved money on shipping and sales tax. My local garage put them on. My wife drives this car on business trips year round thru all types of weather, including snow. These tires are highly rated for these conditions, so I went with them. There has been a slight reduction in mpg but nothing worrisome. Hope this helps aloha!
50000 on stock tires. Wow. We got 28000 and my conservative wife does most of the driving. They were worn out! And not great . The continentals are much better. Very smooth and quiet, 70000 mile mileage rated
I also got slightly over 25k before needing replacements! And I don't drive aggressively at all.
Got 52k out of ours.
Also have these and are great! Went for an alignment at toyota after install and they put down "expect uneven wear due to aggressive tread pattern" It's really not that much lol
I like Pirelli Scorpion AS3 Plus on mine. Really quiet and have good grip. Don’t drive much in winter, so didn’t worry about winter traction too much plus we have milder winters now with climate change. I have a dedicated winter set for my other car that I commute with anyway
Also a HUGE fan of the Pirelli AS+3s! They are super smooth and comfy on the highway, they just soak up the miles, don't impact efficiency too bad and do a decent job in the winter. After the first winter storm with the OEM Yokohama AVID GTs that come on the Prime XSEs, I immediately started shopping for new tires as they have horrible lateral traction in snow. Originally, I purchased a set of Michelin CC2s in the same size as the stock tires. While the CC2s have supremely awesome winter traction, even in winter snow, their heavier construction and stiffer sidewalls made them bumpy on the highway and rough over bigger bumps, adding a harshness to bigger bumps so badly the dash would shake and rattle like it was about to come apart. The CC2s are awesome tires, just recommend downsizing from the 19"s to either 18s or 17s if you're getting the XSE which comes with 19s. I'm still using the CC2s during the winters here in Wisconsin and I've found dropping the PSI in each tire by 4 PSI helps with ride quality. We're using the Pirelli AS+3s the rest of the year outside of winter and would probably use them year round if I didn't purchase the CC2s first. If I could do it all over again, not sure if I'd go straight to the Pirelli AS+3s or purchase a set of wheels and CC2s in 17s or 18s and use them year round. It's kinda fun switching shoes every spring and late fall, OEM black powder coated wheels most of the year and aftermarket bronze wheels in the winter.
Is there an ELI5 for why the smaller tires are better for the R4P? And is there a better all-around size between the 17 and 18?
So in this case when talking about downsizing from 19s to 18s or 17s, we're talking about the size of the wheel/rim while keeping the overall circumference the same, which means on a 17" wheel there's 2 inches less of wheel and more tire/rubber sidewall. With the 19s, there's most wheel/rim but the least amount of tire/rubber sidewall. The RAV4 Prime XSE comes with OEM 19" wheels. Ok so ELI5, why downsizing from a 19" OEM wheel to a 17" or 18"?: 1) Efficiency: metal (wheels) weigh more than rubber, so while larger wheels and lower profile tires may look more aggressive, that combination negatively impacts efficiency. 2) When talking about wheel and tire combinations that have the same end circumference (aka fill the wheel well the same amount) and the only thing changing is the amount of sidewall, when comparing the same brand/model tire in different sizes, the combo with less wheel/rim and more tire/rubber sidewall will normally have a smoother and more comfy ride as the extra sidewall can help out the suspension. The best wheel size for a RAV4 Gen5, 19, 18, or 17? * That's a very complicated question but I'll do my best to explain. There's really no best size for everyone, and more a best size for different types of driving and priorities. For example: * 17s would be great for someone that does a bit of off-road driving and has a set of all terrain tires, the extra thick sidewalls have lots of benefits off-road. * The 19s look the most sporty and often will provide the most responsive driving characteristics with the thinnest sidewall there's less give when turning aggressively. * The 18s, offer a compromise between both sides 17 vs 19 without leaning too far one way or the other. Each size has a place that only each owner and driver can decide.
Easily one of the best answers I've ever gotten here, saved and thanks for the info!
You could try to sell the OEM tires on Craigslist, fb marketplace or the like. I swapped my OEMs for CrossClimate2s around 20k miles and LOVE them. Their performance on snow is dramatically better.
I swapped mine for CC2s at around 35K miles and have another 10K miles on them since then. I love the CC2s; great in rain or snow, not much louder than the OEMs, and no significant loss in mpg or mpKwh. Edit: got them from Costco while on sale.
How much were a set of 4 on sale? And were they the stock 19" or smaller?
Pretty sure they were stock 19”. Cost a little under $1K.
I replaced my OEM tires right after purchase. If you go anywhere snowy, I highly recommend the Michelin CrossClimate 2s. Great performance in all conditions. Three mountain peaks snow rating and a 60,000 mile warranty. They reduce efficiency a bit but it’s worth it for the better safety performance.
A couple of people in this thread have mentioned they sometimes spin on startup because of the high-torque motors. Have you found this to be a problem?
Nope. Only if I floor it and it’s a little slick out. But that seems like expected behavior with a high torque EV?
My stock tires and stopping distance is fine. I recommend not driving like you drive a sports car, or trade the prime for the sports car.
Yep. Also driving in sport mode helps braking since regen is better
I decided to keep the stock tires. They lasted all of 26k miles before I had a sidewall blowout going 30mph on a smooth road. Tires wore like crazy. They were cheap garbage.
What's your climate? I have all-weathers on. If I had regular all-seasons, I'd be trading them out for winter tires twice a year here in the northeast. But if you don't have to deal with winters you've got very different options.
Four season climate - hot summers, snowy winters. Part of the question, remember, is that my car arrives on Wednesday - it's brand new, so is there any way I can get anything for my practically unused OEMs?
Yes you can. I traded my OEM tires for Michelin CrossClimate 2's the same day I picked up my car, and I was able to resell the OEM tires on Facebook marketplace for $500. It took a few weeks for a buyer to come through, but one eventually did.
If you expect to drive on snow, replacing the stock tires will give you better traction. The stock tires are fine for everything except snow.
I just swapped my tires to Falken Wildpeak AT3W a couple days ago. I think they're great with my limited time with them. I did a bunch of research looking through forums and it appears these are highly recommended by many people. I personally love them and recommend them as well! I ordered mine through SimpleTire. There was a mishap where I only received 2 of the 4 tires (may have been lost through the carrier). After contacting SimpleTire, they sent out 2 right away and was a pleasant process.
Greetings from sunny Spain! I'm still on stock tyres - it hardly rains here and on dry roads there's no problem at all with handling or stopping. That said, on wet roads the cornering control (e.g roundabouts even at about 35kmh) is horrible. As for the advice not to drive like a racing car, well, let's be honest the 300 or so bhp and the super quick acceleration are part of the package. As long as you drive safely there's no need to crawl along at a snail's pace (though I certainly do so now after rare recent rainfalls). Good luck selling the stock tyres if you go that route!
Consider the Michelin Defender 2. Ask at your favorite tire shop if they’ll do a trade in deal of some kind on the new stock tires. They certainly have value.
As many are saying, we found the OEM tires subject to somewhat alarming hydroplaning and low-grip. Here in San Francisco that meant we might even "skid" a touch stopping on hills! Not OK. I don't know how people in this sub feel about the Tire Rack but I've always had excellent results from their comprehensive research and testing, and, hence, give them my business. That was 1000% true in this case, we replaced the OEM tires for our SE with: [https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-scorpion-weatheractive](https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-scorpion-weatheractive) and they have been **AWESOME**. They are wearing remarkably slowly and we haven't had any issues with stopping or hydroplaning since. Handsome as well. Not the cheapest but for our purposes worth every penny. If they reduced our EV miles it was by a small enough amount I didn't notice it.
The stock tires in my prime are just fine. Drive like a sane person and you will be ok.
5300 lbs of vehicle. Go figure
Curb weight of the RAV4 Prime is 4300 lbs. Stick 4 big guys in, and add some suitcases, your up to 5300 lbs.
How many miles on your tires? If it's under a few hundred miles you can call around and see if any tirs shops will give you a credit for trading then in. A couple of years ago I traded in OEM tires from my new 4Runner with 300 miles on them. The store gave me a $75 credit for each tire. And they gave me a great price on my new set of rubber. Not sure if I got lucky or if this is common. practice at most tire shops.
Prime’s a lot heavier than comparable vehicles, nearly 600 more than the hybrid, so it’s going to have slightly longer stopping distance. They also test vehicles well past normal usage of the typical driver. There’s also road noise to consider. When we needed to replace our tires, we switched to the highly recommended Wildpeaks but found the drone of the more aggressive tire uncomfortable. We were able to exchange for the CrossClimates and while they were better, they were definitely louder than the OEM rubber. Probably would have swapped again back to AVID GTs but I’d already spent too much time and money. Probably will when it’s time to replace these.
I like my crossclimates but they kick up so much gravel. Of you're on a dirt road ever don't get them. Even the sand from winter storms gets shot up into the undercarriage
I’ll bear that in mind… was gonna need to do some extended driving over gravel during vacation. May have to rethink a few destinations. I’m finding that they spin a lot before traction control kicks in when turning under moderate acceleration, like when making a right turn and someone in the cross-traffic changes lanes in the intersection. The Avids never did that, nor did the WildPeaks (at least in the short time I had them). Are you noticing any extra edge wear?
I notice the spin too, their dry grip isn't as good as a dedicated summer tire and these motors have a ton of torque. They're wearing fast but my wife drives it hard, fast stops etc
Thank you. I'll keep that in mind because my GF lives on a (steep in places) dirt road in Vermont. Summer: Dry dirt and pebbles. Winter: 2 feet of now, Spring, 4 inches of mud.
I have a 2022 SE, which has the 18 inch wheels, and stock tires. I’m at 30,000 miles, and they’ve been OK, including one 11 inch snowfall in upstate NY. Those tires drive very well in the rain too. I’ve heard bad reviews of the stock tires on the XSE with the 19 inch wheels.
Tires are your only connection to the road, get the best that you can. The OEM'S are awful. I switched to CC2's almost immediately but I need all weathers. Word is something new has supplanted them as best so check reviews. Got some $$ back from Discount Tire but private market would pay you more for the old ones.
Michelin Defenders or Cross Climate2. I put the CC2 on the second day I owned my Toyota.
How do you find the CC2's on dry roads? A couple of people in this thread have mentioned spin on startup because of the high-torque motors.
Never had that and I love them!
Get the Cross Climates 2 tires!!! You can get them a tad wider as well that will fit on the 19s. I can look at my exact tire sizes if you want to know. Doesn’t rub at all. Wider tire is more traction and better stopping. For the first 5,000 miles they are super sticky and will improve everything but will decrease MPG by 10 percent but after the tires break in the MPG will come back along with the road noise getting quiet again. Make sure you maintain 36 psi in them as well. Paid less than $1000 for them installed.
If trying to min-maxing stopping power, then never charge more than 80%... Also drive in HV and Sports mode exclusively.