Honda Civic Tires and Wheels

zikol

I own a 2001 Honda Civic Lx and I was going to replace the brake pads on it, but when I went to take off the front drivers-side wheel, as I was untightening the lug nuts, instead of them coming off, they tore the entire stud clean in two about halfway down its length. this happened not once, but on three of the four lugs I tried to take off. apparently, somebody got a little overzealous with tightening them the last time i took it in to fix a flat, and they stripped the nuts onto the studs, or something.

Anyway, the point is: i need instructions on how to take off the hub and knock out the studs and replace them. the manual i have, for some reason, doesn't have specific instructions on that.

i already have the brake roter and caliper off, but i can't figure the rest out. if anyone can help, i would greatly appreciate it.

scgramma

We were on vacation (in Canada) when we noticed tire noise. Guess what we found? Very little tread on the rear tires. The car was NEW and had less than 8,000 miles on it at the time. We were finally able to get back to the US and took it to a Honda dealer, who sent us to the Firestone people. The rear end was almost 4 points out of alignment - on both sides. There were bald spots on the rear tires. Front tires were good and had very even wear patterns. Needless to say we had to purchase two new tires (on the spot). We have been told by our dealer that Honda is aware of the rear alignment problem and that there is no way to make the adjustment. I suppose these new tires will be partially worn down before we finally make it back home. Has anyone been successful in getting the tires replaced by Honda? Has anyone added the after-market adjustment are so they can actually adjust the camber of their rear wheels?

kiawah

Which year and model/trim vehicle are you referencing?

scgramma

We have a 2007 Civic EX - four door

scgramma

We have returned from our vacation and stopped at our dealer on the way home today. They are not sure what Honda will do for us, but suspect that Honda will reimburse our expenses on the trip - which included an alignment and two tires - and replace the tires.

Now we need to determine if the after-market adjustable arm is something we need to have installed and what brand of tires we want as replacements. Any thoughts?

kiawah

Is the Honda dealer telling you that they cannot align the vehicle?

I'm going from memory here, but I thought I remembered reading somewhere, that there was a TSB out which corrected an assembly problem. Had something to do with the strut assembly spring piece was erroneously assembled 90 degrees out, which resulted in a vehicle wheel alignment being out and not able to be aligned with normal dealer alignment procedures. The fix was to disassemble the whole strut, rotate the spring 90 degress (I visually remember seeing the pictures with instructions on rotating the spring), and then reassembling the strut.

I think you need to push your dealer further for the permanent fix.

mpan20

Sure they're not warranted by the dealer, but that's your best bet. When you call bridgestone they flat out tell you they DO NOT warranty OEM tires. I already tried that route. The bridgestone turanza's that come standard on the civic's suck anyway. I wouldn't replace them with the same unless Honda is paying for it.

scgramma

Well, here is that latest. Our dealer called this afternoon and said they were cutting a check for our expenses while on vacation. (Alignment and two tires, etc.) Honda is working on a service bulletin regarding the camber alignment problem. As soon as they have this written, they will repair our car - and replace the tires. Might be August before this happens.

The camber can not be adjusted - without an after-market part. My assumption is Honda is finally going to make this part and allow adjustment of the camber. The toe was also out of alignment. We did have the car re-aligned, but the camber is still off and there is no way - at this time - to adjust that.

At this point, we are satisfied that the car will be fixed and will not continue to EAT tires.

mpan20

If you could find any information on that TSB and post it, it would be of great help to a lot of people on this thread. As soon as I read that I started looking for it and still can't find anything. If you know where it is can you please post a link? Thanks.

scgramma

Honda has not yet written the bulletin about this problem. It will probably not be written until August - according to what I learned today from my dealer.

kiawah

I did a search and found the TSB that I had read earlier. Here is is for your reference:

Honda Strut TSB

After reading this, I don't believe that it is your problem as this is written for a CRV. However, this manufacturing defect is why the dealer really needs to take a very active role in investigating/resolving your situation.

phlore

I also have a 2006 honda civic dx w/ navigation that I have owned since march 07. It developed a bad vibration so i thought that the ballance had gone. Took it to my normal tire shop and there was very bad wear on the rear tires, cupping/scalloped on the inside edge. They said to take it to honda. Honda said it was probably just alligment, but it was dead on. So they said I must have skidded very hard and flat spotted a tire. No drastic breaking or skidding has happened. They say there is nothing wrong but i need to replace all four tires due to excessive wear at 17000 miles. Any help or other suggestions?

phlore

Have you had any luck? my 06 civic dx has vary bad tire wear mostly in the rear and the local honda dealer says there is nothing wrong. With only around 17k mile it should not need a new set of tires. do i need to get honda involved or sell the car since they say there is nothing wrong? Any advise would be great because i am getting no where with the dealer.

eldaino

you dont have a dx. There is no such thing as a dx with nav.

phlore

sorry about that i should have been sleeping. it is a ex with the nav.

rperreau

Just purchased a new 2007 Honda Civic LX. The car seems to be well built and rides very well. However, when I took the car on the highway, I notice a great deal of road noise. Could it be the OEM tires, Goodyear Eagles RS?? Anyone else experiencing the same problem?

jet10000

Will 18" Honda Factory Perforamnce wheels work on an EX Sedan?

This link at College Hills Honda states that they are only for the Si.

http://www.collegehillshonda.com/honda_civic_4dr_accessories/06_07_civic_wheels.- htm

However, here's a link from someone in the photo gallery that shows an EX coupe with the 18" HFP wheels:

kenlw, "Honda Civic Owners: Photo Gallery" #22, 17 Apr 2007 6:38 pm!keywords=allin%3Amsgtext%20limit%3AHonda%3ACivic%20HFP

kenlw

yes, that's mine, and yes they will fit....however....
note that the HFP kit includes several things other than just the wheels and part of that is the suspension changes that lower the car a bit (iirc ~1").

you can fit 18" IF you do the suspension mods as well. But I don't think you can just swap the wheels. Obviously I could be wrong but that's my understanding (the dealer did the mod prior to me buying it).

btw, here's my gallery in CarSpace:
http://www.carspace.com/kenlw/Albums/kenlw%27s%20Album/

jet10000

Great! Thanks for the info. I will try to verify with the dealer to see if the suspension mods are necessary.

I'm assuming your happy with the performance of the wheels and suspension?

kenlw

Yes, I am happy. realize that the package is more about looks on the EX since there really isn't much performance to enhance......

downs are slightly worse MPG, a lot more tire noise and a slightly rougher ride. not biggies for me, but could be for some.

Ups are: it looks great and sticks like velcro on back roads with virtually zero body roll.

What you are looking for specifically is the EX-HFP kit. it includes the suspension mods necessary.

nerokwan

do you have an update on the case?
has honda advised you anything on the tsb?

my brand new 2007 canadian made civic lx sedan has exhibited weired shake/bounce at low speed and excessive highway speed vibration/noise + sensation of slight wheel grinding road at low speed. it tracks straight though...also, there were 3 incident of lound popping sound from the driver's rear. i have taken the car back to dealer 3 times already and now the car is with the dealer again.......

many tks

phlore

my local honda dealer said there was nothing wrong with the car and refused to look into it. They said it was my driving still and that i flat spotted only one of my tires by braking hard (car has anti lock brakes?) or a sever skid which you think would be quite memorable. My driving consists of getting in the car driving 40 miles with cruise on to and from work. No mention of a TSB or anything. So i sold the car asap and bought a new toyota, so i would not have to deal with a very unsatisfactory dealership. Hope they will help you, my feeling was they were trying to avoid saying there might be a problem so they would not have to try and fix it. Ditch it if you can.

mpan20

Just like the last post said, I'm ditching the car. I'm not spending the money on tires twice a year for a problem that Honda won't acknowledge. So if anyone in the Cleveland, OH vicinity wants a 2006 silver EX sedan with 37,000 miles for $15,500 just let me know. I'll even replace the two tires it needs!!

kenlw

for an-almost 2 year old car with 37k miles (37k=no factory warranty)?

That even you claim to be a lemon?

That can be bought new for under $20k?

good luck with that.

scgramma

Sorry, no more news at this time. I'm still waiting to hear from my dealer, who is still waiting to hear from Honda. It is strictly an alignment problem and from what I've been told, Honda is obviously aware of the problem.

You might want to have the alignment checked by an independent repair shop. That is how we found the problem - as the dealer in MT wouldn't even look at the car (while we were on vacation). Our SD dealer has been very helpful and supportive.

tacman1

Scgramma, I called American Honda today after several "go arounds" with my dealer. They seemed more positive and willing to investigate the problem. I did refer her to this website especially your post since you seemed to have gotten the furthest. My question is, would you mind emailing me the name of your Service rep or Manager so I could get my rep on the same page with them? I'm at Airventures@verizon.net Thanks and good luck!!!

dhn121

I'm also having the same problems. Can I also get the info too, Scgramma.

tacman1...if you get the info, please post and share with the rest of us. Thanks!

tacman1

No new developments other than I paid $400.00 yesterday for new tires at 28000 mi. I had to give in due to the flat spots on the originals which were causing the steering wheel to shake and a loud thumping noise in the rear. My Civic feels normal again which is the way it should be! Since the My local Honda Service Manager didn't take my word that I rotated my tires, I'm going to have my tires rotated at a shop from now on for purposes of documentation. I'm waiting on a call back from Honda of America. I did save the old tires for inspection by them.

k5ldb

I've been considering new wheels for my 07 LX to replace the steelies and covers. I'd use my stock tires until they're worn out and then maybe go wider... if they'd fit. A 225/50-16 is almost identical in revs/mile to the stock 205/55-16. Would those be enough wider to have problems with rubbing?

sandman46

I got on EBAY a set of EP3's off an '05 Civic Si and the fitment is perfect...and they look very sharp. Was told that we can do a plus 0 by going up to 215/55/16's on our Civic's. Not quite sure what added benefit they'd give, but they'd still fit. As it is, the space is limited between the tire and the car, the 205/55/16's fill out the wheel well very nicely.
Any thoughts?

The Sandman

k5ldb

That could work but the 215/55-16 is going to be 1.7% off with a 1.3" circumference difference while the 225/50-16 is basically spot on with only a 0.1" circumference difference. Personally, I think the 225/50 is going to have a sharper, somewhat more aggressive look than the 215/55 as well. I just don't know if they will clear or rub.

sandman46

This size will also have a smaller sidewall which will result in a harsher ride I'd suspect. I'm personally gonna keep the stock tire size when the time comes for replacements. With 9500 on the car now, the tires have a signifigant amount of tread left. I'm pleased as when I priced tires for the wife's 3s, which also has the same size sneaker, the prices were all around $100.00 give or take for decent tires. The cheaper tires were the Falkens and the Kumhos, and I have no idea how good these brands are.
Like Bridgestone and that new Toyo Versado(?) looks really nice. Have read up on the Goodyear Response Edge and the reviews only seemed luke warm for such an expensive tire. Really like the Goodrich traction T/A's we got for the Mazda 3s...very grippy and very good in the wet stuff which we have frequently in South Florida now that the drought is loosening it's grip on the area.

The Sandman

surferwood

I too am in the middle of go 'rounds with the dealer. My alignment from an independent was fine, but still bad tire wear on the inside rear and lots of road noise. Was yours resolved yet?

tacman1

Well, I'll just say this, If I wasn't on the verge of building a house and concerned as much as I am about keeping my good credit score, I'd be vehicle shopping right now!

I received a call from Julie, the "Honda of America" Rep. The one my Service Manager "Jim" told me to talk to since apparently he didn't have the energy to do so himself. Anyway, after very good documentation of this problem from begining to end, Not to mention investigating this problem all by my self, I was told I get a whopping 25% of my new tire purchase back. Sounds like an admission of guilt to me. Well, 25% of it anyway.

Mind you this problem began at 17000 mi. Was introduced to my local Certified Honda Garage at 20000 mi with negative results. It was reintroduced at 28000 mi with the tires totally shot. When I picked up my Civic at 28000, I was presented with a 39.00 bill for balancing my front two tires! Exact words on the invoice were: Customer states shake at 60 mph Balanced front tires-shake in steering wheel is gone but the back end can be felt thumping. Both rear tires have flat spots and are at 3/32. Talk about putting a band aid on a gaping wound! I refused to pay and explained that I intended on purchasing new tires anyhow so a balance job on bad tires wasn't going to cut it. I'm sorry but I really value my wife and kid's lives and don't want them to die on their morning commute!

So after an initial call to "Honda Of America", I was told by Julie that a "Countermeasure" is in the works but it could take 1 month maybe two or three until she knows anymore. She went on to explain that this fix has to go through state and federal approval before it is implemented. What BS! That's another set of tires I have to purchase! She went on to tell me since they couldn't really prove that I rotated my tires, I was not eligible to receive 50% pro rate on my new tires. She requested I have an alignment done to see if the car is within specs (at my cost) She said that would help them determine any future claims on my tire wear.

I'm sick of being Honda's guinea pig! Worst "NEW" car I've ever purchased! I am personally going on a Campaign against Honda. I will Keep the car until I go through my NEW tires. In the mean time I will let everyone that asks me about my Civic know that it is a Tire Eating Machine!!!!

Oh by the way, Julie told me that she is familiar with this problem and that customers who regularly rotate their tires get 40,000 mi out of them. She's telling this to a guy who has access to an automotive lift and who enjoys changing his Own oil and rotating his OWN tires. Did I mention the fact that I'm a Police Officer and that I make a living documenting every action I take???? Whew! Lemme take a breath here...

To all who have this problem and I know this forum contains a small percentage. Honda is dropping the ball and letting their customers down. They are half admitting their faults but denying them at the same time. I am totally shocked at the obtuse attitude Honda has towards a very serious problem with the New Honda Civic. Like I said, The public in my area will know NOT to buy a new Honda Civic because the camber "IS NOT ADJUSTABLE" (julie's exact words) and that "IT NEEDS A COUNTERMEASURE" (see above) ^ Thanks for letting me rant and good luck to you new Honda Civic owners.

k5ldb

When my original 205-55's wear out I'd like to go to a 225-50 but don't know if it will fit without rubbing. The diameter is fine at only about 0.1% difference. I don't know if the width would be too big a change. I'd like to get some nice wheels and use my factory tires till they're worn out and then put on the more aggressive looking tires.

sandman46

I know that this size will definitely fit but the 225/50's might rub a bit, check on the online fitment guide. Can't find that web site right now, but have seen it in the past. I know that the stock 205/55's fill out the wheel well pretty much. Check with that fitment chart to be absolutely sure. Did something similar years ago with a Datsun 210 and the tires that I wanted and bought would hit the top of the wheel well whenever going over any speed bump or large dip in the road. Dealer took them back and put the standard size back on and all was fine again. Been very leary of changing tire size since then.
Good luck. Let me know what happens, as I might want to try the 215/55 set up when i eventually purchase new tires.

The Sandman

k5ldb

With a 215 you have your choice of 1.7% larger circumference and 1.7% slow speedo at /55 or you have 1.7% smaller and 1.7% fast speedo at /50. I've read a fitment guide that says the 225/50 is too wide so I guess it's either go 1.7% off with 215's, use the stock size, or go to 215/45-17 and be off 1%.

cheever

I have a similar problem. I just put the second set of rear tires on my HCH at 28,000. I go to the dealer for all service, and have rotated the tires every 5000 miles, and have them aligned with scheduled basic service. The dealer paid for the first two rear tires that went bad at 11,000, and now I had to pay $246 for two more rear tires that were badly feathered and cupped. The worn tires affect the mileage, contribute to road noise and a bumpy ride. What recourse do we have?

scgramma

Sorry to be so slow in responding to your request. I don't check the site as often as I should.

I'm still waiting to hear from my dealer about the expected service bulletin.

I bought my car from Vern Eide Motorcars in Sioux Falls, South Dakota The service manager is Tim McVay.

I hope this is some help.

I'm beginning to wonder if Honda is actually going to do anything. I was told it "might" be August before they got the service bulletin written - this was in July. Well, it's now September and I'm still waiting. I'm getting ready to do a lot of traveling. Sure hope my tires hold together.

Actually the tires I got in Missoula, MT seem to be holding up better than the original ones.

sandman46

Is this tire problem only with the Hybrid model or does it go across the board...DX, LX & EX? Just curious as with less than 10k miles on my LX with the EP3 rims from a '05 Civic Si, there seems to be almost no wear on the treads and the Honda guy mentioned nothing last week at my 10k service. I asked that they put 35 psi all around and all he did was question me about why the higher pressure. Personal preference I just told him. When we settled up, he mentioned nothing about any premature tire wear either.
Just curious, as I won't be going with the RS-A's next time. Want something with excellent wet traction,a meatier tread pattern and low noise. My wife has the Goodrich Traction T/A's on her Mazda 3 and eventhough they ride very well, the noise level is a bit more than I'd like on a daily basis.

The Sandman

mpan20

Tim McVay?? Good thing that dealer isn't in Oklahoma City.

mpan20

I have an EX and it's got the problem.

tiredog98x

Greetings.

The clearance between the tire and wheel well is too small to allow the use of standard snow chains. You can only use the cable chains. I bought a set from Auto Zone for $50.

mpan20

Gotta thank you, kenlw, for wishing me good luck in selling my car. Just got it sold this weekend. Hopefully the Corolla I'm getting won't eat tires like the Civic. Maybe if Honda issues a fix I can go back and get the money I spent on tires back.

eldaino

the problem here is not if its a ex or not. the issue is if its the coupe or the sedan. even the hfp kit for the sedan only features 17's. and honda only reccomends up to that size.

kenlw

The latest version of the Honda website only has 17" on either Coupe or Sedan, 18" aren't listed (that i can find) for either.

However....I do recall being able to "preview" them via the website just prior to buying mine.

I guess for good or bad, mine (07 EX w/HFP 18") is now a "collectible"....any offers?

I guess the extra suspension changes required to use the 18" on the non-si just made them too hard to sell, so they just dicontinued the EX-HFP kit.

jet10000

I guess the extra suspension changes required to use the 18" on the non-si just made them too hard to sell, so they just dicontinued the EX-HFP kit.

Well they still sell the kit, but it says it includes the 17" rims.

See:

http://www.collegehillshonda.com/honda_civic_4dr_accessories/06_07_civic_factory- _performance.htm

They sell the 18" wheels separately, so I could just buy them and put them on there and see what happens. I know Honda doesn't recommend it, but Honda probably doesn't "recommend" a lot of after-market wheels that people slap on there.

kenlw

the suspension mod is listed further down on that same page "HFP Suspension Kit" (not ..."for Si"). It lists at $600 and includes new struts.

jet10000

You're right, I see that. I'm going to talk to a dealer about getting the suspension mod and the 18"s. Especially since I know it worked on your car. It shouldn't be a big deal. Thanks for your info!

joebt

Just bought a 94 Civic DX Sedan. It came with Mohave R/S tires, the ones of the front need to be replaced, the back ones look real good, old owner says they have about 28,000 miles on them, never rotated them. Was thinking about getting two new Mohaves for the front, but would like to know what people think about them, who makes them? Or should I by four of something else. Thanks for the help.