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Bridgestone Dueler Alanza @$800 vs. Conti LX 20 @$950.

38K views 77 replies 16 participants last post by  skinny2 
#1 ·
Bridgestone Dueler Alenza @$800 is the price I can get from Costco near Christmas when they have both $70 rebate and free installation. Conti LX 20 @$950 is the price at Discount/America Tire now. No promotion. All of them are out of door prices including everything.

Price-wise, I like Alenza, but Conti has a 70k vs. 40k warranty. Also I heard a lot of good comments about Conti, only some positive feedback for Alenza. So I am kind of hesitant here so I'd like to hear you guys comments on which one is a better value.

Thanks a lot.
 
#2 ·
These are both very good tires. Similar, equally good tires also include the new Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport AS, the Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia, and the Continental CrossContact LX Sport. The 422 Ecopia and the LX20 both claim to be "ecologically designed" for better fuel economy through reduced tire rolling resistance. All five of these are great all-around choices for an MDX, with a nice balance of price, performance, treadwear, ride, noise, etc. The treadwear warranty is 65K miles for the 422 Ecopia and the 235/65-17 size of the Alenza, 40K miles for the 255/55-18 size of the Alenza, and 70K miles for the LX20. There is no treadwear warranty for the H/P Sport AS or LX Sport.

I've got the Dueler H/L Alenza on my MDX and I like them a lot. Excellent performance (dry roads and wet roads), good ride and noise characteristics, terrific treadlife (the ones on the rear have been on the longest, around 16K miles and only wore 1.5/32" of tread; the ones on the front haven't been on all that long and of course will wear a bit faster than the rear, haven't rotated them yet). From what I've heard (including from the folks at Tire Rack), the others are equally good choices. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. (You can find side-by-side comparison tests and survey results on the Tire Rack website; overall, four of these are rated among the top 6 of the 17 tires in their category, with the LX20 and the 422 Ecopia topping the category, while the new Bridgestone is not yet included.)

Personally, I don't worry all that much about treadwear warranties, just because I check my pressures and I've always gotten enough miles that I've never needed to get a treadwear warranty honored. Also the treadwear warranty is usually prorated on a purchase of the exact same tire, so it's not going to do anything for you if you want to replace it with a different tire. And it's not necessarily an indication of how many miles you'll get on the tire; it's quite possible you'll get as many miles on a tire with a 65-70K warranty as you will on one with a 40K warranty or no warranty.

If I were buying new tires for an MDX today, I'd get the 422 Ecopia or the LX20 if I had 18" wheels, and the LX20 or the Alenza if I had 17" wheels.

You may be able to do much better than the prices you mention by buying over the internet and having them mounted and installed locally. Here are current prices via the internet (you won't have to pay sales tax in most states, which may save you almost $20 per tire, but you'll have to pay for mounting and balancing, typically $10-20 per tire; Tire Rack shipping is typically $13-20 per tire).

Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza
235/65-17 $137 plus shipping from Tire Rack, $144 with free shipping from Discount Tire Direct, less $70 rebate on a purchase of four through the end of this month
255/55-18 $186 plus shipping from Tire Rack, $199 with free shipping from Discount Tire Direct, less $70 rebate on a purchase of four through the end of this month

Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia
235/65-17 $157 plus shipping from Tire Rack, less $70 rebate on a purchase of four through the end of this month
255/55-18 $186 plus shipping from Tire Rack, less $70 rebate on a purchase of four through the end of this month

Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport AS
235/65-17 $151 plus shipping from Tire Rack, less $70 rebate on a purchase of four through the end of this month
255/55-18 $183 plus shipping from Tire Rack, less $70 rebate on a purchase of four through the end of this month

CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology
235/65-17 $145-147 plus shipping from Tire Rack
255/55-18 $188 plus shipping from Tire Rack, $192 with free shipping from Discount Tire Direct

Continental CrossContact LX Sport
235/65-17 $176-177 plus shipping from Tire Rack
255/55-18 $211-215 plus shipping from Tire Rack

HTH
 
#3 ·
Thanks a lot for the help. The link is very educational. Really appreciate it. Costco does not carry Ecopia for 18'', so it looks that I should go with your choice. They have this free installation last year. Hopefully they have the same thing this year too. Otherwise, I shall get the LX20 from America's Tire.
 
#4 ·
I had a bad experience with the Bridgestone Alenza tires. I bought a set for my wife's 2006 Honda Pilot. They were great for about the first 30k miles and then got increasing louder to the point where both my wife and I couldn't take them anyone. The still had over half the tread life left when we went to tire rack and traded them on a new set of Michelins. Just sharing my experience, but I would not recommend them.
 
#7 ·
How many miles have you got on your Michelins? The OEM tires in my X are Michelins. And they have 45k+ miles now. The warranty covers 55k miles. They are pretty loud by my standard now. Sometimes I feel that I am riding on a train. Of course, I have no comparison. Maybe all tires get loud when they are old? The Conti LX20 is a new tire. I do not know how it sounds after the first 30k miles.
 
#10 ·
My 4 year old Alenzas have about 46k miles on them and they are almost at the wear bars. Tbh I was hoping it would last a bit longer. With the winter coming up here I am going to get new tires and am thinking about the Michelin latitude tour (not hp). At Costco they are $9 more each than the Alenzas and that is before the 70 instant rebate. Gotta think about it :)

Btw I just checked sears and the lx20 was about 670 pretax. This includes installation but u have to enter car60 code. Most places will price match so u can print that out if u don't want to get it done at sears. This is the 108t owl tires or 108h bw
 
#11 ·
Maybe you are looking at a different size. For 255/55/18, Sears charges 851-60. = 790. Then they charge 64 for installation and life time balance, 16 for valve stem, 102 for road hazard insurance, which are included in both Costco and America's Tires. The end result is that it will cost you 1037-60+tax. Sears is a very expensive place and I am not surprised.
 
#12 ·
Prices can vary from dealer to dealer, by brand and size and model. For example, in 235/65-17, the Bridgestone Alenza that the Tire Rack sells for $137, Costco sells for $153 - but the Bridgestone 422 Ecopia that the Tire Rack sells for $157, Costco sells for $137. Go figure!

So shop around for the tire(s) you want, in the size you need, and make sure to look at the bottom line total, including sales tax (which you'll usually pay at local stores but not when ordering over the internet), shipping (which you'll sometimes pay when ordering over the internet, not usually in local stores), mounting/balancing (which you'll pay locally when ordering over the internet, and sometimes but not always when buying locally), disposal fee, and road hazard insurance (which in my experience is not worth it but is sometimes included, sometimes extra). Then make your decision.
 
#15 ·
Here's a kudos for the Bridgestone Ecopia 422 on my 04 MDX. I've had them for about 7k now and I like the quiet ride, but am most impressed with an improvement in MPG. Just took a trip last weekend of about 900 miles round trip. I've had my 04 MDX since 2010 and the best MPG I've every been able to achieve on highway driving has been at 20.8 mpg. I got 21.6 mpg outbound and 23.0 mpg returning! I ran at 70 to 75 mph the whole way. I have gotten better mpg with city/highway mixed driving also getting .5 to 1.0 mpg around town. (18.6 mpg). I can't attribute these kind of increases to anything else. I'll see how the mileage life runs, but so far I like to better gas mileage.
I've also had good experiences with the Alenza tires on my other vehicles, but they are a little noisy and do not improve MPG, but have superior handling/traction in dry or wet weather.
 
#16 ·
This is an update. I finally pulled the trigger 20 minutes ago and bought 4 LX20 at $836.60 OTD from Americas Tire. I am in CA. It is a good price as the typical price is $950. There is a 50 dollars online discount today and the price itself is lower than usual. If anybody is interested, it is probably a good price.
 
#17 ·
Today I went to AT to pay for it so that they can special order the tires.

(1) They charged 16 dollars for rebuild TPMS. So the total is now 854. Still about $100 cheaper.

(2) They actually tried to talk me out of LX20. I was hesitating but in the end I decided to give LX a try. So online review won and professional advice lost this time for me.

I really hope that the advice I learned here is correct. If I am not satisfied in 30 days, I can buy other tires from them. So we will see how it goes.
 
#21 ·
I have had LX20s on mine since August and I haven't found any faults with them so far.
They cost me $830 installed w/ TPMS and installation & taxes. This was after a $90 prepaid MC that I actually received from Continental Tires.
We got some snowfall last night and the MDX with LX20s handled it pretty well this morning during a short drive.
 
#23 ·
Just called my local Acura dealer. They can get me the LX20's for 193. plus 119. to install.
I guess you need to rebuild/replace the TPMS system with new tires...
I called Mavis too but don't really like the unprofessional staff there.
 
#25 ·
So got 4 LX20's installed. The dealer phoned me while installing the tires telling me one didn't balance properly. They put it on the back and ordered another to be installed next week. Pretty cool they told me about it but you can tell at about 30 mph it's out of round.
Gave me a loner car. It was snowing real bad. The car was a new ILX. Almost didn't make out of the dealer lot. I couldn't wait to get the AWD back. Wow what a difference!
 
#26 ·
It is quite unnerving that we often hear that conti tires are not round. I thought this is tire making 101

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#29 ·
I have put about 2000 miles on the LX20. Overall, I am satisfied. There is nothing striking or refreshing. I cannot feel any significant difference from the old Michelin Tour HP. It is slightly quieter, but that is not surprising. Given the price difference, it is a good buy as long as it can last 40k miles. Given the rated 70k miles, I am optimistic on that.

BTW, the gas mileage did not improve. Also it is more likely to screech when I made turns at stop signs. I guess the rubber is a little harder than Tour HP, which is also understandable.
 
#31 ·
One thing I noticed about the Michelin Latitude HP and Bridgestone HL 422 is that the new tread depth is only 9.5 and 10/32nds respectively. Both the Conti LX20 and Bridgestone Alenza start out at 12/32nd which is more typical of a truck tire.

That low starting tread depth will catch up to you as the miles pile on. We are down to 7-8/32nds on our OEM Latitude HP's at 35k miles and they were crap this winter in slush or wet snow. We typically don't take the MDX if we know the weather is going to be really bad because my other SUV's have much more appropriate tires. But we were caught out of town a couple times on long trips and it was miserable trying to run at any speed with these. I think if I stick to a touring tire I'll go with the LX20. It doesn't appear to be a terrific snow tire (tirerack test, owner reviews, etc) but looks to be quite a bit better than the Michelin. Just starting out with more tread should do wonders.
 
#32 ·
With LX20 Eco Plus, my tire pressure is 33/34 psi cold. After I drive it for 30 minutes highway, it will become 37/38 psi. The temperature here in CA is about 60F now. Today I talked to a mechanic he told me that that specification on the door jam is often too low, which will lead to more comfort but shorter life. So he would inflate it to about 36 cold. I guess this will lead to hot psi to be around 40/41. I am not sure about this, so I am asking around whether it is a good advice or not? Maybe I should inflate it to 34/35 psi? But with summer coming, maybe I should not do anything? Any suggestion would be great. Thanks.
 
#33 ·
With LX20 Eco Plus, my tire pressure is 33/34 psi cold. After I drive it for 30 minutes highway, it will become 37/38 psi. The temperature here in CA is about 60F now. Today I talked to a mechanic he told me that that specification on the door jam is often too low, which will lead to more comfort but shorter life. So he would inflate it to about 36 cold. I guess this will lead to hot psi to be around 40/41. I am not sure about this, so I am asking around whether it is a good advice or not? Maybe I should inflate it to 34/35 psi?
The advice is okay in general, but I wouldn't follow it for the MDX. But it's really up to you. Here's why.

When you're in the normal range of tire pressures (not substantially over or under the recommended pressure), the lower the pressure, the better the ride comfort; the higher the pressure, the better the handling and fuel economy. Manufacturers try to meet that "happy medium" based on their design objectives for the car. Sports cars are often recommended for higher pressures which will give better handling at the expense of ride comfort; family sedans and minivans are often recommended for lower pressures which will give better ride comfort at the expense of handling. When your mechanic says that the factory recommendation is "often too low", he's referring to ALL cars, not just the MDX. And with regard to those family sedans and minivans, for drivers who want a little better handling and aren't overly concerned with ride comfort, he's probably right. In general, for most cars, but not necessarily for the MDX.

Now, the question is, where does the MDX fall along that continuum? I find that the factory-recommended pressure for the MDX (32 psi on my 2004) gives very nice handling along with decent ride comfort. In fact, I find it's just perfect. I think they've optimized it for both handling and ride comfort.

However, the pressure is also something you can personalize to your taste. If YOU think the ride comfort on your MDX is too harsh, you could try lowering the pressures by 2 psi less than recommended (and, if you still feel that way, another 2 psi for a total of 4). And if YOU think the handling on your MDX is too mushy, you could try raising the pressures by 2 psi more than recommended (and, if you still feel that way, another 2 psi for a total of 4). See how you like it that way; if you don't, you can always change it back. However, I wouldn't change it more than 4 psi from the factory recommendation, because then you run into all kinds of other problems due to severe overinflation or underinflation.

Bottom line, though, IMHO the factory-recommended pressures will work well for most owners and drivers.

Oh, and I don't agree with your mechanic that tire treadlife is a consideration in this, BTW. Changes of 2 or 4 psi are not going to have any huge effect on how long your tires last.

But with summer coming, maybe I should not do anything?
Whoa! Temperatures change with the seasons, and tire pressure changes with temperature. The Tire Rack claims that pressures rise 1 psi for every 10 degrees F change in temperature, although I've found the change in pressure to be only about half that. You should be checking and adjusting your tire pressure regularly - at least once a month, and preferably more often - to take account of those temperature changes. (Also, to adjust for the loss of air; tires typically lose up to 1 psi per month, quite aside from the temperature variable.) Check your pressure regularly, and check it "cold", i.e. with the car out of the sun and not having been driven in several hours, and at approximately the same temperature as is normal for the season in your area. So you shouldn't be setting your pressure in March based on summer coming; you should be checking, and adjusting if necessary, your pressure several more times between now and summer.

HTH
 
#34 ·
continental's recommended PSI for the MDX with LX20's is 34 psi (COLD). your PSI will change as much as 4-5 PSI in the course of a day of driving pending ambient temps.

I find that 32 PSI makes the MDX ride feel mushy, 34 PSI seems ideal (per conti) and 36 would make the ride a bit harsher (as stated above). i have the LX20's on my MDX.

the OEM spec's are based on the OEM tires for the MDX as well as for "optimal" fuel economy. tire materials vary hence conti's slightly higher pressure setting.

as far as adjusting your PSI....YES adjust it according to the temps/season. as the temps warm up keep your COLD tire PSI within spec.
 
#35 ·
Update: I have been using the LX20 for the past 9300 miles. Nothing wrong with it and nothing really different from the old Michelin. (I am not very sensitive to tires.) But I got a little surprised today when I was told by an Acura service manager that the tread left is 9/32. The new tire's tread is 12/32. So 1/4 is gone in 9300 miles? In that case, the tire won't last 70k for sure. I hope that the Acura dealership was aggressive in their measurement :)
 
#36 ·
Sometimes published specs are not precisely accurate. And sometimes dealership measurements aren't precisely accurate, either.

The good news is, there's a 70K treadlife warranty, so if your tires wear out well before 70K, you'll get partial credit towards their replacement, under terms of the warranty. So that can be a very good deal for you!
 
#40 ·
The bad thing about the warranty is you usually have to run them all the way to 2/32nds to get them prorated. I don't usually like to go that low as most tires tend to hydroplane easily with such little tread.

As much as I dislike the OEM Latitude Tour HP's, they're easily going to exceed the 55k mile warranty. We're at 50k and have 6/32nds. I've decided to install Blizzaks for the winter. I may or may not put the Michelins back on for next summer. I think they could get us through summer and still have 4/32nds.
 
#41 ·
The bad thing about the warranty is you usually have to run them all the way to 2/32nds to get them prorated. I don't usually like to go that low as most tires tend to hydroplane easily with such little tread.
I think the point at which you get coverage under the warranty must vary with the dealer; after all, plenty of dealers advise replacing the tires before they reach 2/32" of tread depth. The Tire Rack generally advises replacing tires at 4/32" of tread depth for better performance in rain, and even at 6/32" if they're going to be used in snow. They did a test which showed that on wet pavement, compared with new tires with full tread depth, tires at 2/32" required twice the stopping distance, and tires at 4/32" required 50% more.
 
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