What tyres are fitted to the RAV4 Excel AWD?

[AnApeNamedJoe]

I'm curious which tyres are fitted to the RAV4 Excel AWD, can anyone confirm what theirs arrived with? Thanks.

[philip42h]

What is supplied OEN varies from time to time - it used to be Grandtrek but could well be different now. More importantly, possibly, is that Toyota always fit summer tyres that are geared for good fuel efficiency and lower wear - and they will last a very long time!

I had them replaced with all season tyres before I took delivery of the car ...

[ROCKETRON]

I have Bridgestone Alenza on mine but I am about to change the fronts or maybe all 4. 

[Flatcoat]

1 hour ago, philip42h said:

What is supplied OEN varies from time to time - it used to be Grandtrek but could well be different now. More importantly, possibly, is that Toyota always fit summer tyres that are geared for good fuel efficiency and lower wear - and they will last a very long time!

I had them replaced with all season tyres before I took delivery of the car ...

Which all season did you go for? 

[philip42h]

9 minutes ago, Flatcoat said:

Which all season did you go for? 

Michelin Cross Climate ... I'm a Michelin fan and was running Cross Climates on my 4.4 - they suit the car very well.

There are, of course, many alternatives these days - some that are better rated in recent tests - but I haven't tried them ... 😉

[Flatcoat]

Did the dealer give a credit for the factory tyres? 

[philip42h]

11 minutes ago, Flatcoat said:

Did the dealer give a credit for the factory tyres? 

Did they f ... 😞 ... but I did get the tyres I wanted ... 🙂

[Flatcoat]

Did you not ask for the ‘old’ tyres? You have paid for them when buying the car! Worth selling on eBay. 

[Saxacat]

Mine came with Toyo fitted.

 

[nlee]

Can't say for the HEV Excel but if it helps, my PHEV dynamic came with Yokohama Avid GT M+S (mud & snow rather than Marks and Spencer I hope)

Don't know if these are considered to be any good but have no plans to change them.

I've never seen such a variety of tyres across a manufacturers range of trims.

[Flatcoat]

Are they also ‘All Season’? 

[philip42h]

32 minutes ago, nlee said:

Can't say for the HEV Excel but if it helps, my PHEV dynamic came with Yokohama Avid GT M+S (mud & snow rather than Marks and Spencer I hope)

Don't know if these are considered to be any good but have no plans to change them.

I've never seen such a variety of tyres across a manufacturers range of trims.

It does help much - the PHEV is on 7.5" rims (235 tyres) while the HEV is on 7" rims (225 tyres) so the range of options is just different. Toyota simply fit a decent tyre (rather than necessarily a premium tyre) that they can get at a decent price.

The Yokohama Avids fit the general "chosen by Toyota" profile - they are once again a summer tyre that favours economy over grip. The M&S marking means very little - it suggest mild 'off road ability' with a more aggressive tread pattern than a purely 'road' tyre but is simply a marketing label and certifies nothing. That certainly doesn't make them a 'bad' tyre though ... 

[philip42h]

11 minutes ago, Flatcoat said:

Are they also ‘All Season’? 

No, they are a summer tyre - though might be described as all season in the US of A ...

Edit: I take it back - they may well be All Season tyres after all ... and they might be quite difficult to find in the UK

Edited December 3, 2021 by philip42h
I got it wrong!

[Yugguy1970]

I wonder if they even have a standard make or just whatever is easy/cheap to get at the time.  My 2021 2wd HEV design has Dunlop Grandtrek.

[philip42h]

3 minutes ago, Yugguy1970 said:

I wonder if they even have a standard make or just whatever is easy/cheap to get at the time.  My 2021 2wd HEV design has Dunlop Grandtrek.

They have a tendency to be Japanese (for obvious reasons) so Bridgestone, Yoko, Toyo etc. but otherwise are what meets the spec and that Toyota can source at a decent price. The challenge with the Grandtreks is that the tyres as fitted are/were NOT generally available in the UK (but Toyota dealers could source them).

[Yugguy1970]

That's a good point.  I have Grandtrek PT but I can only find ST on the usual UK sites.

[ernieb]

So far I’ve been impressed with the Avid tyres on the PHEV and have already commented that they do not seem to go hard when the temperature drops below 7oC. I’ve driven in some snow, 100 to 150mm deep and some that was iced over and rutted they coped well enough. So for a standard summer tyre they seems pretty good so far.

The M&S making is Mud and Snow but is based on the manufacturers testing not a recognised international spec as far as I can tell.  Not 3 peaks as the CrossClimates are marked.

[Flatcoat]

I need the 3 peaks mark so we are ok for going to Europe in winter. 

[ernieb]

Yokohama Press Release 2019:

https://www.y-yokohama.com/release/?id=3217&lang=en

[Flatcoat]

As an aside I like the white roof on the RAV in that press release. Doesn’t refer to the European 3 peak symbol though. 

[ernieb]

It does not have the 3 peak but gives some background about the development of the tyre and that it was dedicated for the RAV4 PHEV build.

[philip42h]

The description here (on Protyre) persuades me that it is designed as an All Season tyre:

• TriBLEND Compound- An all new TriBlend compound and an ultra-square contact patch produce long, even wear that retains its all-season traction.
• All-Season Traction- Grip on snowy roads is improved thanks to hundreds of 3D sipes and a notched block design.

But no mention of winter certification of any sort. And it seems only to be available in one size - to fit a PHEV ...

 

[Flatcoat]

Without the 3 peaks symbol it will almost certain not be recognised in EUlandia as a winter or all season tyre. Might be worth finding out what they fit on German/Austrian and Scandinavian bound cars and if the same if it is accepted for winter use. 

[ernieb]

Philip, I read somewhere when I was waiting for the car that the tyre had been developed from their all weather tyre brands specifically for the RAV4 PHEV but can not find the link where I read the details. It was one of those waiting for the car to be delivered moments when I was wondw]wing if I’d get away with the OEM tyre of needed to go out and fit some CrossClimtes. Having read that the OEM tyre might be more capable I decided to wait and see how it worked out. Fingers crossed it does not look too bad a tyre.

Adrian, understand your issue you need a properly tested and approved tyre for many parts of the EU

[TonyHSD]

If no snowflake in three peak mountain symbol on the tyre wall the tyre can be classed as all season by the us standard which is different from the eu and rest of the world and it’s not an all season eu (all weather tyre us). That’s the major difference, although as long as is all season will do better than purely summer tyre but yes illegal in Europe from November till April. 👍 The best all season- all weather tyres are usually the ones that look like Michelin cross climate or Goodyear vector 4 season, V-shaped thread pattern. 👌