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If it is as you say, maybe I'll just keep them through one winter (while the treads are still good) and then move on to something with a little more grip.
They're acceptable, but I wouldn't recommend them as replacement tires. Depending on driving style, some people might benefit from replacing brand new ones for better tires. (I'd make this suggestion on many cars, not just the CR-V)
Try to get the BF Goodrich tires instead, they're also available OE.
-juice
While I only did about two tankfuls on my CRV with the original Bridgestone duelers, I have noticed a milage improvement of about the same (2mpg) with the Toyo's. My in-town driving, a lot of it bumper to bumper here in Seattle, went from just over 23mpg to over 25 mpg. Last weekend, I put 150 miles on a freeway trip and calculated the fillup at 302 miles as giving 26.8 mpg in what was essentially a 50% in0town/50% highway. I don't drive much over 65 and drive conservatively for the most part. I calculated that with the $50 trade-in for the original Bridgestones, the Toyo z800's current sale price and the mileage imrovement, the Toyo's were costing me $50/yr over keeping the stock Bridgestones - in my mind well worth the quieter ride and better traction (A rated) vs the B-traction for the Bridgestones. I also paid $11/tire to have them "siped" for improved wet weather traction, an important consideration in the Seattle area.
I don't understand why people put larger tires on SUV's. They have a stability rollover issue any way and anything to keep the center of gravity low as the CRV engineers have done makes eminent sense. To compromise stability for looks is ....nuts.
I am definitely sold on the Toyo Z 800's (Toyo tires were top ranked in the survey I read at Tire Rack), and to have A traction and the highest mileage rating, 100,000 miles with 750 treadwear rating is great. I plan to lower my tire pressure to 32-33 for the winter months at hand.
I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between a "light truck highway tire" and a "passenger car highway tire". I went with the Yokohama Avid T4's, which are pretty much identical to the H4's and the S/T's (which are technically light truck tires). I don't see them being a problem for any light offroad duty that the OEM tires could handle.
I went away from the Bridgestone H/L's because they were significantly more expensive than the Yokohamas, which got good reviews at tirerack. And, the delamination of the HT's wasn't a shining endorsement for Bridgestone to me, though they were different tires.
I also don't agree with the statement that the CRV is only useful to those who take it offroad. There are a lot of people who use it for it's tall, large cargo area, and appreciate it's AWD, even if they only use it in winter weather and not doing all of the hardcore mudbogging the CRV is obviously capable of.
OEM Duelers replaced at 30k due to some delaminating at the edges.
Replaced with Yoko Avid S/T $60/tire installed including tax.
Avid ride much much better. Handling is a nonfactor since my wife drives the CR-V 95% of the time with our child in the car with her. But the few times i have driven the new tires, I could not find anything objetionable. with a 60k treadlife warranty I won't have to worry about new tires for quite a while....hopefully.
Oh the entire Avid line is rated very highly. I picked the S/T because it looked more trucky than the T4 ot S4.
2) If you plus-one size your tires (215/60-16), then you haven't raised your center of gravity at all, since they have the same overall diameter as the stock tires. I realize some go farther than that, and try to fill up the wheel wells, and I agree that I wouldn't want to compromise my handling that way.
regards,
kyfdx
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Just purchased a new CRV (see above). I got it at invoice (plus some accessories), but when we got to the financing phase, they offered the 7/10K warranty for ~$1,700 and dropped my APR to 3.25% (4-years).
I could have gotten a 7/10K warranty from my credit union (3.99% APR pre-approved) for $1,100, but it wouldn't have been from Honda.
Questions:
1. Was the Honda warranty a good deal? (I'm thinking "no". I've seen some cheaper ones in previous postings.)
2. Can I purchase a warranty on-line, directly from Honda? (I'm thinking "yes") If so, where?
3. If I cancel the warranty I signed at the dealership, how will that affect my APR (I'm thinking it won't, but I don't know)
My dilemma is this: I'd like to get a new warranty (read: "cheaper") 7/10K directly from Honda, but I have to cancel my current one. Am I being too greedy and should I just be happy with the deal I got, or should I try to look for a better price on the warranty?
Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated!
I was just researching the Texas auto lobby and found this link (Consumer's Union).
Steve, Host
(You did ask for advice, lol)
I would cancel ASAP if you paid $1700. And I believe its illegal to tie the APR of your financing to whether you buy a warranty. I would also stay away from the third party warranty sold by your credit union. Your credit union will not back it up, if the warranty company refuses to pay, or goes out of business. Its just a profit center for the credit union also.
regards,
kyfdx
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- Thanks for the info. That was an interesting article about the Texas regs.
I'm reading the fine print on the warranty to see if I can purchase a new (cheaper) warranty after I cancel the old one. I don't see why not, but there's a line in the warranty that says:
"V. Cancellation of contract.
- A refund shall terminate this contract. If canceled, coverages cannot be reinstated".
Technically, I won't be "reinstating". I'll be getting a new one.
I've sent e-mails to the other Honda dealers in town requesting a price quote on the warranty. I'll let you know what I find out.
Please help.
Have been driving up to 70 MPH with my 2004 civic which I bought 2 weeks ago.
Hope this helps.
Sounds like an "anti-shopping around" clause you found. I bet the ext. warranty is in a computer somewhere indexed by VIN and that you won't be able to get another Honda one if you cancel.
Steve, Host
steve.. I bet you are right.. that would suck
regards,
kyfdx
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Tpanni
_____
"Yes, you can cancel your warranty and purchase another one. The clause in the contract refers to those situations where Honda Care cancels the contract, not if you cancel the contract.
Please be aware that if Honda Care was included in the loan agreement with the bank, the refund will go to the lienholder and not to you."
_____
I'll keep searching for better prices, but I'll probably wait until 24/24K before I purchase another warranty. Since I financed it, my monthly payments should drop . . . but I'll check w/ my lending institution to see how that works (I'll just apply the overpayment towards the principal on the vehicle).
Thanks for all the help! (and I'll post prices when I find them). So far, the best price I found on the internet was a little over $1,000 for 7/100.
Thanks,
tpanni
I can't think of anyone who would know better than the folks who design, build, and read warranty reports on these engines. So, if Honda recommends using a thin oil, use the thin oil.
The service person's stated reason was that the new engine needed to wear a little before using synthetic oil which causes very little wear. The owners manual says synthetic is OK and says nothing about a "wear-in" period.
Steve, Host
It should have a section on Break-In that suggests avoiding the following: full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration (for the first 600 miles), hard braking (200 miles), and don't change the oil before the first recommended oil change listed in the maintenance schedule (5,000/10,000 miles for newer Hondas).
I plan to take mine in around 7K for the first oil change.
We replaced them with new car tires -- we don't take the 'V offroading, unless you are talking about dirt roads & driveways. They are much more quiet, and seem to have decent wet handling.
Gary
My experience is that if you get the engine in the range of about 2500 RPM, it can require that you floor the accelerator before the engine will downshift and start moving. I find it most noticeable on the freeway at about 60 MPH when I want to pass.
I also notice that when on cruise control, the engine will allow a loss of 2 MPH before kicking into a lower gear.
There is one thing I don't understand though. The weight and drag ratio of 2003 CRV (3201 lb)is about the same as the new Accord (3113 lb), and they have the same engine. But the CRV doesn't nearly have as much pick up as the Accord (my girlfriend has one and I drive it occasionally)... any thought?
Brent
Kentmonk - The CR-V and Accord do, in fact, have different engines. The power curve for the Accord (and Element) is stronger through the lowest rpms. At around 2,700 rpms, the CR-V takes the lead, providing more oomph through the mid-range. Combine that with different transmission ratios and you get the reason for what you've felt.
We just bought a new 03 EX CRV and were told by the dealer that the ignition keys have sensors/chips inside them that an engine module reads and verifies before it will allow the engine to start.
My question: is a kill switch still a good idea or is it superfluous?
Thank you.
If you look in your manual it will recommend 7500 mile oil changes. It will say synthetic is OK
1st--
Honda engine break in period is not really a factor. Of course the engine sets itself in as it is used. But dont be afraid of going 80 mph on the freeway when it has 2 miles on the car. The only break-in period is to not have your first oil change before 4K miles due to an agent in the factory oil that should be kept in the engine just a little bit longer.
Honda is basically my life right now. I am dedicating all of my efforts and all of my desires and determinations into the product that I sell, so I spend a great deal of time in my shop, with my mechanics, and my cars.
NOW--
The way that I see it, Honda & Toyota are constantly battling over "bragging rights" for which vehicle has the best maintenance schedule, and that sometimes both are a little over zealous
The fact is however that the cars that they make nowadays can get by with 10K oil changes, but I know that would minimize the cars life by many years and many miles
(I get the feeling that I wish that you had a better salesman.)
My point is that aside from your first oil change (which should be done @ around the 4K mark) you should religiously change your oil @ 3000 to 3500 mile intervals. Ask any mechanic: the oil is much cleaner at 3000 than at 6K or 10K mile oil changes
As for synthetic, it is not recommended. The reason for that is...
Hondas are built specifically for regular oil (and you can always view the appropriate weight on you oil cap). Also you should not use a higher grade of gasoline - use the regular grade 87 octane. That is what they are specifically built for. If you do not like that recommendation, it is your car and you can do as you please with your investment. But I recommend that you trade in your Honda for an Acura or better yet a BMW. The only reason that you should use a higher octane with a current model Honda is if you are towing something (or if you own a S2000).
The point is just the point: Hondas have a lower cost of ownership. Keep the costs as low as possible, and take advantage of your investment. In my opinion, the CR-V is the best deal that we have available, for all that you get for what you spend, and the cost of ownership (which is what you should really be looking at no matter what you consider buying) is so much less than anything else that is close to it
My best wishes
Respectfully,
RS
regards,
kyfdx
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From my msg above, what do you think about the necessity of putting in a kill switch?
Or is the ignition key security accomplishing the same thing?
Thanks.
so it's ok to put synthetic in an Acura, but not a Honda? Honda designed the engine to operate with conventional oil as the baseline. That doesn't mean the engine wouldn't last longer or provide better gas mileage with synthetic oil.
There are advantages to synthetic oil, and there is the disadvantage that it costs more. If you do the math, it doesn't cost much more, though. I think it's well worth the money, though I agree with you to use 87 octane in the CRV.
My 96 Altima has been using Mobil 1 since 20k miles and it has 145k on it now. The CRV has ~30k, and I'll switch it over next change.
I generally drive company cars supplied by a lease company thet handles large numbers of a wide variety of vehicles. For them the rule is 5k miles when they pay for the changes.
Obviously they've determined that following the 7500mile recommendations costs them in the long run and that the 3000 miles costs in the short run and is overkill.