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Honda Element Tires and Wheels

rquinn45rquinn45 Member Posts: 2
Hey, like many I am about to replace my stock Goodyear Wranglers that gave me less than 30k miles before going bald. Any suggestions for ALL WEATHER tires. I am in the mid-atlantic and want a good tire for wet roads and one that is fairly quiet. Some help would be appreciated.
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Comments

  • bigfurbigfur Member Posts: 649
    Although if they come in the size for the element i have had very good luck with Bridgestone Dualer ATs. quiet, a lil aggressive tread, but long life and great grip in the wet snow mud and whatever else you may hit. I use mine in minnesota so i have seen just about everything there is as far as weather.
  • rquinn45rquinn45 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you for the information, I am going to look into the Bridgestones.
  • toad3toad3 Member Posts: 3
    I switched to Mastercraft P794 made by cooper, I love them and car handles much better than my old tires which I got 36,000 miles out of.
    LT
  • rtremontrtremont Member Posts: 2
    michelin M&S 225 x 70 x 16

    sam's club on-online ($137) each.

    just did it and like em.

    nice tread pattern
  • si06n924ssi06n924s Member Posts: 3
    I recently replaced the tires on the element with Goodyear Forteras. Great tire. I bought them thru www.914wheels.com.

    They are great in the snow/wet/dry. I used to buy snow tires but no more, I'm tired of paying for storage.
  • greg_nygreg_ny Member Posts: 8
    try this link :)http://www.safercar.gov/tires/pages/tireratings.cfm

    probably the best place to buy tires is www.tirerack.com
  • gsridergsrider Member Posts: 1
    I am ready to buy the new Fit but I need to know if it can be towed. Honda says no but they say that about many models that do get towed. Help please

    Thanks
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Try the Honda Fit discussion; this one is for the Element. :shades:

    Steve, Host
  • matko71matko71 Member Posts: 1
    I got an 05 .. well same tires on all.. aaah as almost like all at 30K i'm shopping for new tiers... what side is good to get.. I was looking at 225/70 or 235/65..
    Thanx Martin.
  • artnsoul3artnsoul3 Member Posts: 2
    Has anyone else had problems with the original (Goodyear) tires on their Element? I bought my '05 Element in September. I obviously haven't hit a year yet, and have only 10,100 miles on it. Almost half of those miles are cross-country miles, which according to my mechanic, is better for tire wear than city driving. But they apparently need replacing now. He's seen the same tire on other SUV's that needed replacing at 20,000 - but not at just 10,000. As much as I can't stand the thought of dealing with the scums at the dealership, I am planning to complain to them, but don't know if I'll get anywhere since it's technically a maintenance issue. Has anyone had this problem at such low mileage? Were you able to do anything about it - or did you just have to suck it up and get new tires on your own?

    janis
  • 1racefan1racefan Member Posts: 932
    My in-laws had tire wear issues on their CR-V. They didn't get anywhere with their dealer, so they wrote a letter to Honda's corporate office, and ended up getting reimbursed for the cost of the new tires.
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    artnsoul3:
    We need some more information about your "tire wear problem"! It is normal wear, or is the vehicle "out of alignment"? If the vehicle is "out of alignment", with only 10,000 miles on the vehicle, I think you have an issue with Honda Corp., and the dealer. I would think that the "alignment" should be one of the things that would be checked as part of the "dealer get ready process" prior to delivery.
    One of the vehicles that I am looking at for 2007 is the Honda Element. Should I decide to purchase the new "up-scale Element" that is going to be available for 2007, I will make an "alignment check" part of the sales contract!
    The problem might also be the quality of the original tires. I would complain, in a professional manner, to both the selling dealer, and Honda Corp..
    Best regards. ----- Dwayne ;)
  • artnsoul3artnsoul3 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the responses. I just went to the dealership today for the dome light, and brought up the tire issue.

    In college I briefly worked as a temp on the service drive of a dealership, so I'm familiar with their "tactics". Like I predicted, the service technician and manager denied there was anything wrong with the tires and that they had "another 30,000 miles to go" - which is such bull. Even though I don't know much about tires, I can even tell there's no way they'd come anywhere close to "another 30,000 miles". There is no alignment problem, and the tires have been rotated three times since I bought it. The wear is even on the tires - it's just low (you can see top of Lincoln's head with the penny test).

    I stopped by my mechanic's on the way back and told him what they said, and of course, he said they're full of it (showing me that the wear is down to the tread bar). He said he'd go only another 500-1000 miles, definitely replacing them before winter - which I will anyway, since I'm going on another cross-country trip in November.

    I did get kinda' bitchy with them, but I pretty much knew going in I wasn't going to get anywhere - and though my original plan was to go to the dealership manager if necessary - I've since decided it's not worth my aggravation. The only other thing I may do is send an email to the dealership manager and/or Honda and see what happens. Beyond that, I just don't want to deal with them (which I'm sure is what they're counting on). There's just too many other things to stress about lately!!

    I wouldn't think the tires are necessarily defective - I just think they put crappy tires on it. I haven't heard many positive things about Goodyear tires, and I guess this only confirms that. I'll stick with Bridgestone's, which I've had good luck with in the past.

    Aside from this tire thing, I LOVE the Element - and I just have the basic automatic AWD. Everything else has been fine. You just might want to check the type of tire that comes on your new Element. Maybe you can get better tires in the deal!!

    Thanks again - and good luck with your purchase!

    Janis :-)
  • rprossilrprossil Member Posts: 62
    The OEM Goodyears are crappy tires. I bought an '03 Element EX back in Oct. '05 with 32k miles and the first thing I did was replace the tires. I went with Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenzas from Costco. Nice all season highway tread pattern and very quiet, major improvement over the originals. Price was good too, and they had a $75 rebate for the set of 4 then. If you watch their coupon offers, they do this type of thing pretty regularly on tires. Good luck.
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    artnsoul3: -----------If I purchase an "Element" I will be purchasing a 2WD version of the vehicle. The AWD version of the Element could be part of the problem. There might be a "on-going drag" on the tires with the AWD. In any case, I will not accept the Element with "Goodyear tires" on the vehicle. If they want to sell the vehicle, they will have to put Michelin tires on the vehicle, and in the "get ready process", they will have to perform a four wheel alignment prior to delivery! I have done this before with other vehicles.-------- Best regards. ---- Dwayne ;)
  • wamba2000wamba2000 Member Posts: 146
    My 2004 EX AWD went 20,000 on the OEM tires. They were are 3/32 when I switched them out, due to a planned vacation. I have heard few cases where owners got "normal" mileage from these tires, beside being noisy and easy break traction.

    I went with a slightly wider tire while staying close to original specs (235/60X16) using the yokohama Avide TRZ. It is a passenger tire, but since 98% of my driving is in city, they work great. They have an 80,000 mile tread warranty (UTOG rated at 700), I just returned from a trip to Wyoming and used the Element on back roads and in rain and the TRZs were great.

    Good luck, consider it a case of the manufacturer spec being designed for the lowest cost tire possible. Seems like OEM tires don't last like regular stock tires, even Michelins, on other vehicles i've owned. 30,000 seems t be the max I get
  • 151ranch151ranch Member Posts: 109
    MUCH quieter now. We have a 04 EX-S 4wd MT and just put on our second set at 58k miles, but probably should have switched a little earlier.
  • balticjetta18tbalticjetta18t Member Posts: 146
    BOO-YAAHH!!! I ALSO had B-stone Dueler H/L Alenza's installed on my 04 EX... Factory OEM size of 215/70TR-16. Goodyears were "S" rated where the "T" rating gives a slighty higher speed rating. Got them from the Tire Rack @113 each less the 75 rebate. Local Honda dealer did the mounting and balancing for $46 total. Tire rack shipping was like $41/42. So the rebate covered the mounting and shipping for the most part.

    The best part is that these tires have terrific rating's for all categories as posted on the tire rack. My experience with them so far is that they are nice and quiet, handle great, look terrific with the black raised letters out.

    I bought this Element used with 26k miles in April 06. The prior owner did all the Honda Maint. per book. OEM Goodyears rotated and balanced every 5k. All was evenly worn right to last 1/8" of tread. New TIREs were a priority.

    The tread pattern on the new ALENZA's were a strong selling point for me too. Vehicle ride's with more class now...
  • fantazmickbfantazmickb Member Posts: 2
    I had the same problem with my Ford Focus (the only problem I have had). Right at about 18,000 I had to get new tires on my car. The dealer said that these light cars just eat up tires. Bad answer. My Mom drives a plastic Saturn and it has never had this problem.
    I took my car to Firestone and bought a lifetime Alignment and 2 new tires (same that the car came with from the manufacturer). I experimented with getting the car checked and/or aligned once a month along with having the tires rotated once a month. This does not fix the problem either.
    If you replace your tires, replace all 4 at once and do NOT put the same crappy tires that your car had on it when you bought it. But don't think the more expensive tires are better. I have since put on the cheapest set of tires available at Discount Tire Company and the car runs smoothly and I have not had to replace the tires, rotate them or have the car aligned to keep from having the problem.
    The issue is cheap tires used by the car manufacturers and having the car dealer and the tire companies all say it's the other's fault.
    I would write letters to the car manufacturer and tire company and complain to the dealer....you might get somewhere or you might not, but it won't hurt to see what you can get them to say....probably all rubbish, but if you are lucky, they will buy you a new set of tires which will get you another 10,000 - 20,000 miles which is what the original tires should yield. By the way, My next car will more than likely be the 2006 or 2007 Element, with a better tire than the manufacturer supplies if I can get the dealer to upgrade them.
  • dbernathdbernath Member Posts: 1
    Did you find the ride unusually hard with the Alenzas? I couldn't stand the bumpy ride and the fact that they got caught in every groove on the freeway (southern California). I'm still looking for a replacement for the Wranglers, but every tire I've tried so far has WAY too rough a ride for me.
  • balticjetta18tbalticjetta18t Member Posts: 146
    I have found the ride to be terrific, comfy, quiet and responsive handling with the "HL-Alenza's". The HL version is for Highway Luxury. It is a major improvement when riding over the expansion strips vs the GY Wranglers. I do find the ELEMENT itself will give you more bounce from the rear on certain surfaces.
    I can understand the Cali-Freeway and experienced it on a recent trip out there in particular between Brentwood and LAX Southbound on the 405.
  • extech2extech2 Member Posts: 120
    A service manager told me a few years ago that Honda pays less than $ 20 per tire on the cheaper cars - no Michelins here - so obviusly they don't last.
  • hbhawaiihbhawaii Member Posts: 8
    Sort of a related question.

    I'm approaching 30K, so fully expect to replace the tires soon.

    The lack of clearance on the E is driving me crazy -- yesterday I pranged the gas tank guard but good on a not-very-big rock. I'd love to raise the car a couple inches, but I understand that's more trouble than it's worth. Has anyone had any luck installing bigger tires? How much bigger have you gone? Even a half inch extra height would help, but a full inch would be groovy.

    This has gotten to the point where I'm seriously thinking of trading the car in for a truck, much as I love it.
  • phily99phily99 Member Posts: 8
    05 element my oem gyears lasted 12m miles. I am VERY hard on tires but 12m ?? Anyway I purch 4 Bridgestone Duelers AT 215's. I up tire pressure to 40 (I haul weight)and @ 28k (40k total) so far tire wear is minimal. I used same tire on Chevy Tahoe (225's) and got 50-60k rotating @ 15k and then turning inside out 30k. You can turn Duelers inside out with no problem, this compensates for uneven outside tire wear. Yes slightly rougher ride but hardly noticable and probably due more to the 40 psi than the tire. Excellent tread for snow by the way. If your easy on tires these things should last 60k easy.
  • bft4x4bft4x4 Member Posts: 12
    I have a 05 EX AWD and 19,500 miles and of course the tires need replacing. I rotated them at 10k. I am not an aggressive driver (not in the E anyway) Most of my driving is Freeway and local. A little disappointing from Goodyear. As tires are only under warranty for one year for manufacturer's defect, it is now a wear issue. Of all the vehicles I have ever owned, this is the soonest that I have had to replace tires.
  • mjp06mjp06 Member Posts: 4
    I too am in the Mid-Atlantic area and just put Yokohama Geolander H/T-S's on and I'm thrilled with them. My original OEM tires lasted 19,500 miles, pathetic. The Geolanders have handled the rain and snow with ease and highway noise is quieter than the original tires.
    Mike
  • freqmanfreqman Member Posts: 1
    Also from the mid-atlantic region. The OEM tires went 27K. Just got the Yokohama Geolander H/T-S's. Clear difference. Ride is better and less noise. The $99.95 price was well below OEM and others.
  • westoakswestoaks Member Posts: 1
    I have 2004 element ex want to put michelin m&s 225x70x16 sams club on it. How does yours ride on highway now, corner, brake. and look? They say michelin tires are smaller so the 225 part should be ok to replace 215 ? Main concern is the ride. Sams has two types of michelin225s which ones did you buy? I love michelin they cost more but last so much longer than others. Thanks!
  • elemental1elemental1 Member Posts: 1
    At the 55k service on my '04 AWD EX, the dealership told me I have approx. 1000 miles left on the OEM tires. I'm now at nearly 58,000miles, and searching for replacements. I've pushed these Goodyears about as far as possible, and would like to get a quieter riding tire. Any suggestions?
  • ragetsragets Member Posts: 63
    Has anyone used the Goodyear Fortera TripleTred Tires?

    If so, did they decrease MPG?
  • no_clutterno_clutter Member Posts: 8
    I'm not sure whether you have already made your choice and have purchased a new set of tire or not, but here is what I did and am very satisfied with.

    I'm like you. I had pushed my OEM to the end. At about 58K, however, I had decided to go ahead and change them even though I believed I could squeeze out another 5-10K. I purchased BF Goodrich Long Trails from Costo. For a set of four, including all mounting, life time balancing, etc the price came out to $343. I absolutely love these tires. These are much quieter than the OEMs and I average 25 miles/gallon. I plan to squeeze out at least 60K out of these tires. It is noticeablly better in all conditions than the OEMs. I didn't have any problems with the OEMs but they were more than $100 a piece excluding all other charges that tire shop typically charges, which would make the total cost difference more than $100 between the two brands. Also,having driven on both brands, I would still buy the BF G's over the GY's even if there is no price advantage. I hope this helps.
  • venona7venona7 Member Posts: 1
    Sorry for the post above..wrong key pushed. I purchased Long Trails from Costco for less than 350 bucks installed including tax. This is a much better tire that the Wrangler HP that is stock on the 2005 EX. HP was pretty well shot by 18,000 miles and yes I do rotate tires. Much better ride and durability from the BFG..handles better too.
  • vetter1vetter1 Member Posts: 1
    I'm about to purchase an '08 Element EX for my wife. I generally lean toward larger wheels when available. The EX comes with 16" alloy wheels - the SC comes with 18". I don't want the SC (carpet in the back and small styling points) but am thinking of getting the dealer to add the 18" SC wheels and tires. Also everybody here seems to think the OEM tires on the 16" stink. Anybody got experience with the 18" wheels and tires? Any reason these won't work on the EX?
  • ldharris1ldharris1 Member Posts: 1
    I actually just bought an EX and put the SC wheels on. I love them. Yeah, they ride a little rougher, but no rougher than a mid-level car with 55 series 18s. Go for it!
  • laniesdeblaniesdeb Member Posts: 1
    Came with 16X6.5" Alloy Wheels. AWD, it has the wrangler tires and I can't wait to replace them. I've got 10,000 mi on them, soon to be rotated and I think they will never make it to the expected wear. I thought the noise went along with the car. I do love the car. I want the SC 18" tires because it looks real nice. I have read a lot of useful information here and found there is much to consider when purchasing a new set of tires. Do I have to change the rims to accommodate a larger tire? I would rather not deal with the Dealer in this matter.
  • 07hondabox07hondabox Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2007 Element EX. I've been wanting to replace my OEM wheels with 18's. What have you notice for difference in ride quality when going from 16's to 18's on Elements?
  • djdaledjdale Member Posts: 1
    I am also about to buy an EX and I want to put the 18" wheels on it. Any problems with this idea?
  • sbaraneksbaranek Member Posts: 4
    I'm at a 70K mark at my 04 Element. Just about to replace my OEM tires. Yes, 70K. I can't believe reading posts people are replacing tires at 30K. OK, I exceeded my expectations too, I planned 60K. What do you guys do with those OEM's? Drive deflated? I rotate every 15,ooo and keep them at recommended PSI +5%. That's all. Now - any advise on the tires?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Why not another set of the OEM tires? You had great luck with the first set.
  • snomtnsnomtn Member Posts: 2
    Can you use 225 70 16 tires on the Element?
  • snomtnsnomtn Member Posts: 2
    I,m new to this, my question is, can you use 225 70 16 tires on a Element?
  • bigfurbigfur Member Posts: 649
    Had to replace mine this week after almost 46K miles. I ordered Michelin LTX 215 70 16s and ill let you know how they do.
  • ChasboyChasboy Member Posts: 186
    I've got about 43k on mine now, but I think they have a lot left. I prefer the off-road look, so I thought I would replace them with something with white letters. Anyone have any ideas?
  • bigfurbigfur Member Posts: 649
    The Michelins i put on look alot more aggressive and have a quieter smoother ride, plus i plan on these lasting me about 100K so ill have to see how that goes. So far i love them.
  • ChasboyChasboy Member Posts: 186
    I checked the Costco website last nite and the Long Trails were priced at about $110 each. How did the other guys get 4 for under $350?
  • bigfurbigfur Member Posts: 649
    Best guess would be the "specials" that are in the tire adds every few weeks. Cheap price for tires that usually dont last too long.
  • ChasboyChasboy Member Posts: 186
    I did some research and CU rated the Grabbers higher than any other tire. I also found similar rating results at TireRack and others.
  • morin2morin2 Member Posts: 399
    The warehouse clubs often have instant rebates for sets of 4 tires. They almost always have $60 - $100 off a set of 4 depending on brand.
  • ChasboyChasboy Member Posts: 186
    Thanks Mo, I got my Grabbers today, $135/tire out the door.
  • spinninjimspinninjim Member Posts: 1
    Bought '08 element with 18" Acura wheels. Need to replace tires and have been advised that i can improve ride and handleing by going back to 16" wheels, plus save $ on repacement tires. What do u recommend?
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