Honda Civic Hybrid Tire/Wheel Questions

ddfreetddfreet Member Posts: 5
in Honda
Love my 06HCH, but don't like the looks of the factory alloy wheels. Factory wheels weigh only 11.7 pounds! Anyone have any luck finding a good looking 15" wheel that weighs 11.7 or less and doesn't break the bank?
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Comments

  • tagmantagman Member Posts: 8,441
    Any luck yet finding yourself an alternative to the factory light-alloy wheels? I've been wondering if their large surface area is deliberate in order to provide some sort of protection to the regenerative brakes, or something to that effect . . . as opposed to traditional alloy wheels that have more of a spoked or star effect, with greater amounts of open space on the surface of the wheel...???????

    Interesting how some don't like the look and others just LOVE them. They do seem very well machined, however, with great precision I might add.
  • whethermanwhetherman Member Posts: 1
    I'm interested in putting the 06HCH wheels on my 06 Civic LX coupe. How did you find out that they were 11.7 pounds? I'm interested in knowing as I'm shopping all over for lightweight, aerodynamic wheels. Thanks for the info.
  • jim314jim314 Member Posts: 491
    Since the HCH uses dynamic braking it's friction brakes generate less heat than brakes on a conventional vehicle. Therefore, the HCH wheels can be designed to improve aerodynamics at the expense of airflow for cooling. It's possible that HCH wheels would not have enough airflow to properly cool the brakes on an 06 Civic LX.

    However, it might just be that the more open appearance of most alloy wheels are for visual effect and are not necessary for ventilation. I've heard of people wanting to replace the stock wheels on a Prius or HCH, but never the reverse until now. Maybe you could get someone to switch with you.
  • sfcivichybridsfcivichybrid Member Posts: 3
    Did anyone else notice some unusual wear on the rear tires? The outsides of both rear tires are worn where there are no threads - about an inch in. When I talked to Honda Service, they said the car could be out of alignment but it's a commuter car (45 miles round trip-mostly freeway) with little to no rough road driving. Another tire dealer said Hybrids are heavier cars and the tires wear quicker. I have 33,000 miles on the car and expected the tires to last between 40-50K. Is there a specific brand/make of tires I should get that will last longer than the factory Bridgestone tires?
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    did you get your tires rotated every 5,000 miles? That's important for even tire wear.

    Also, what have you been running your PSI in the tires?

    Also, the Bridgestone are "low rolling resistance" tires which are designed to milk every mile per gallon they can out of your gas money. Buying a different tire will cost you in extra gas.
  • sfcivichybridsfcivichybrid Member Posts: 3
    The tires were rotated at 10K, 20K, and 30K during their regular service. My 30K service was done in May. I noticed the unusual wear on the treads around Mid May, after the service, and only one tire was low on air (rear right). The Honda Dealer wants to charge me $99 per tire, another $100 to install and another $180 to align=$679. A Tire Store will install and align with Toyo Ultra800 for $69 each including installation and $68 to align. $344 vs $679 is $355 (almost HALF!!). I might be willing to experiment or try to find cheaper Bridgestones somewhere else!! And to answer your other question, I don't know the PSI on the tires; since they were just serviced, I didn't check. I guess I should check for myself and not assume the service really checked it since they didn't even notice the significant wear on the tires. This is Marin Honda whom I used to think was really on top of it.

    I didn't think I needed to rotate every 5,000 since I haven't had to on any other car I've owned, but now that I've experienced this w/the Hybrid, I will keep a closer eye on the treads and rotate when I see the unusual wear again (but won't let it get this bad).

    Is there another tire other than the factory Bridgestones that are "low rolling resistance" that you could recommend? I plan to start pricing around on Monday. THANKS!!
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    The B381s are available at Tirerack.com for $75 each. I don't know of any other low rolling resistance tire for that car.

    I bought 4 from tirerack.com back when they were $65 each and had them installed by a local mom and pop tire store which did the install, rotate and balance for $10 per tire, so I paid $360 for the whole kabang.

    Good Luck...
  • ricardogricardog Member Posts: 2
    whetherman,

    I put the standard 5 spoke alloy wheels on my 06 HCH and am trying to unload my 4 hybrid wheels and tires. if you're interested we can move this discussion to an appropriate forum.

    Ricardo
  • orientexpressorientexpress Member Posts: 8
    I want to replace my 07 HCH 15" pie pan wheels with the 5 Spoke 16" HC wheels. Is there any clearance issues putting the 16" wheels on the HCH?
  • hch2floridahch2florida Member Posts: 1
    Has that change affected your mileage much?
  • hch2005hch2005 Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone used tire chains on their 2005 HCH?

    If so, what was your experience?
    Did they work well, or were there problems?
    Which brand did you use?

    Dave
  • orientexpressorientexpress Member Posts: 8
    I have a 07 civic Hybrid that I have changed out the wheel & tire combination from 15" to a 16" tire wheel combo from a Civic EX. The 2 tire sets are just about the same outside tire diameter, with the 15" tires being slightly taller. The 15" tires on on the top.

    image

    The EX 5 spoke rims do not have any interference issues with the front brake calipers, but the lug nuts should be changed from the 15" nuts to the nuts for the alloys. These nuts are longer and have a cap on them.

    Here is what the car looks like with the new rims

    image
    image

    We are averaging about 45 mpg with the new tire combination set at 36 psi. The new tires are very quiet, and seem to have a bit better handling. There does not appear to be any issues with the CVT or any other system on the car with the new rims and tires.

    We found a set of take off rims and tires with 300 miles on them by looking through the Craigslist postings. These seller of these rims let them go for $300, and they were in perfect condition.

    I think that it really makes the car look less goofy with these rims.
  • hybridblueshybridblues Member Posts: 13
    My 2006 Civic Hybrid has 21K miles and the rear tires were toast at 15K (very unusual rear tire wear...cupping, feathering, and severe inside wear...progressively loud rhythmic noise). The dealer kindly replaced them but problem has persisted and another new set of Dunlop tires have been ordered.

    Since the front tires wear evenly, I'm convinced that something is awry with alignment or suspension. The dealer says everything is fine and blames the Dunlop tires. While the tires may well suck that doesn't explain the difference between front and rear tire wear.

    Anyone with a similar experience?
  • kbike1kbike1 Member Posts: 1
    My 2006 Civic LX has the same problem, cupping and feathering, which caused a very rough ride after I rotated the tires. And on mine as well, the fronts wear evenly. And I have exactly the same kind of noise. Honda Service said this was because I did not rotate the tires, but how could a lack of rotation produce the several "cups" away from the edges of the tire??? This seems like a suspension issue perhaps?
  • hybridblueshybridblues Member Posts: 13
    Indeed...I got the same dealer song and dance...my fault for not rotating. I told them that I wasn't about to rotate good tires to the rear and wear them out prematurely. I'd buy the rotation argument if the front (drive) tires were wearing funny and after the dealer rotated and checked the alignment at 15K, the rear tires are again shot at 21K. Now I'm told that the Dunlop OEM tires are crap and that I should replace them after the warranty runs out. I say fix the damn problem which must be suspension related for cupping and loud rhythmic noises to develop. Or alternatively Mr. Dealer, prove your point by putting good tires on the car and we'll see what develops (at your expense before the warranty runs out).

    I have another round with the service manager this week but I foresee the beginning of a letter/web writing campaign.
  • peraltaperalta Member Posts: 94
    195-65-15
    Dunlop sp all season
    3000 miles

    I am disposing my OEM tires since I am using winter tires all year round. My HCH2 has 3000 miles before I changed it to winter tires. This sounds counter productive to FE but my wife is driving car and my priority is safety over anything else.

    Email me at
    [email]drmperalta@yahoo.com[/email]
  • rab48rab48 Member Posts: 8
    The 'Tire Rack' online has a number of different wheels that look good, are reasonably priced, and are in the 10 to 15 pound range. I personally am going to purchase some Chrome alloys from 'Discount Tire Direct' They don't tell you the weight online, but perhaps you can find out by calling.
  • rab48rab48 Member Posts: 8
    If the 'Tire Rack" sells you a set of wheels/tires you can be pretty well assured they will fit. Be aware that the type of tire you put on can greatly affect fuel economy. I use Yokahama Avid Touring on my Insight hybrid. They give good fuel economy and last more than twice as long.
  • rab48rab48 Member Posts: 8
    Yokohama Avid TRZ@ Tire Rack
  • dharvey1dharvey1 Member Posts: 2
    I know this thread is quite old, but I'm looking for a set of 06-07 HCH rims. Do you still have yours for sale?

    Thanks,

    Daniel

    harveyd@gorge.net
  • buddyo31buddyo31 Member Posts: 3
    i was just wondering if anyone figured out what the problem was with the tire's belts snapping. i have a 06 honda and i just broke 30k and the vibration has been happening for about 6k but has recently gotten worse. i took my car in to get the tires rotated and an inspection on them for the vibration. they rotated and sent me on my way. the vibration continued and i took it to farm and fleet, they took one look at the tires and told me both (what were) rear tires had broken belts. seems odd that both tires happened at the same time with only 30K on them. i am going to the dealership tommorrow to raise hell and i didn't know if anyone had any luck with warrantys and such. :mad:
  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    "i am going to the dealership tommorrow to raise hell and i didn't know if anyone had any luck with warrantys and such. "

    The tires are warranted by the tire manufacturer, not the dealer.

    You should be able to get a pro-rated refund if the warranty is still in effect. Check the paperwork that came with the car.
  • mjhokiemjhokie Member Posts: 1
    Hi, Was wondering if anyone has heard this or has experience with this? I just purchased four new tires for my 04 Civic Hybrid and gas mileage has gone down by 10mpg. I took the car to dealer on Sat. and they stated their are special tires for the Hybrid and that is states that in the owner's manual, looked and saw absolutely nothing. Does anyone know anything about this? I got four Yokohama AVID T4 tires for all season performance.
    Thanks,
  • hybridblueshybridblues Member Posts: 13
    I've got 2006 HCH with 25K on it and just had my third set of rear tires installed a month ago (dealer has been replacing them gratis but only 11K until the warranty runs out). For some reason, which the dealer had yet to figure out, the rear tires wear out strangely and fast (gradually gets flat spots and loud rhythmic tire noise). The new set already has feathering on the inner edges and the tires look splayed inward by eye (wrong toe-in and camber is my guess). But Mr. Dealer has blamed me and the tires but the alignment was off and reset when the tires were recently installed.

    I see 3 possibilities:

    - dealer doesn't know how to align the vehicle;
    - the alignment machine is misaligned;
    - the alignment does not hold; or
    - a major suspension part is screwed up.

    Given that the front tires have been fine, I'm leaning toward the 3rd and 4th hypotheses. Another round with the dealer soon.....
  • drewpierosdrewpieros Member Posts: 2
    Looking to do the same on an '06 HCH - any advice?
  • hchybridhchybrid Member Posts: 12
    I just replaced the factory Dunlops with Yoko AVIDs from Tirerack.com

    OMG - if you are still driving those Dunlops - RUN RUN RUN to Tirerack and order the AVIDs.

    Night and day difference in handling, road comfort, braking, noise - and best of all - I have NOT noticed a drop in my average MPG - in fact since I had 55K on the Dunlops - I'm actually getting better miles by about 1 or 2 mpg than the old Dunlops.
  • bigpappybigpappy Member Posts: 2
    Your experience is much like mine. The dealer and American Honda claim that the abnormal wear on the rear tires are caused by 1. The mediocre tires insstalled on the new car, or 2. tne result of an "aggressive suspension". The wheels are in perfect alignment and yet I've chewed up 4 rear tires in 29,000 miles. I filed a Lemon Law complaint because I suspect that there is a potentially dangerous flaw (in snow)in the rear suspension. As a partial compromise, AH and the dealer have agreed to rotate the tires and align the car (I replaced the tires at 29.000)every 5,000 miles during the next 20,000 miles. I still think that early rotation only masks the problem, but I have preserved my right for future action with the complaint.

    Certainly Honda's claim to me that no other cases of this anomaly has occurred is bunk!
  • krishi2001krishi2001 Member Posts: 6
    I started hear excessive tire noise coming from the from of my 06 HCH that had about 20K mile on it. I took it to the dealership to get is checked out and they told me the factory did not align the front tire properly. The re-aligned it in addition to adding a Cam? bolt plus gave me 4 new tires. Well 10K miles later I am having the same problem. I took it back to the dealship and they said everything checks out Ok and the rotate the tires more often. Has anyone else experienced this?
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    If you went 20,000 miles without rotating tires the first time, and then 10,000 the next, I'd have to say you aren't rotatating them often enough. I have a buddy who owns a tire store/garage and 6,000 miles is the standard rotation interval he suggests to pretty much everyone. (there may be some special cases for specific vehicles, but a Civic would fall under "normal")

    Going THAT far without rotating tires generally WILL cause problems withthetires and can cause what appear to be alignment symptoms.

    I'll be moving this discussion into theHonda Civic Hybrid Suspension/Steering Problems discussion inthenext day or so. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you thought it disappeared! ;)
  • gobears75gobears75 Member Posts: 5
    Which AVIDs did you get?
  • bigpappybigpappy Member Posts: 2
    I didn't get Avids for my '06. They are great tires and I have them on my Odyssey but Tire Rack consumers rated Kuhmo Ventures highly and they were CHEAP. In view of how the car chews up tires, I think they were a good choice. They are noisy but after 7500 miles, they appear to be surviving better than the OEM Dunlops that came on the car.
  • hondacrabhondacrab Member Posts: 1
    We have 2 HCH 2006 on the first HCH NAVI 2006 they did free alignment and gave me 2 new tires Dealer not Honda.
    On the 2nd i had to replace all 4 tires at 18000 miles with every oil change which is about every 6ooo miles I let them rotate the tires. On this car i mentionet at 12000 miles the outside is badly worn Dealer said its ok.So this week i went for oilchange, $ 100 Brake inspection and told them the tires are very worn and also I had a horrible Roadnoise coming from the back.And told them to do a alignment wchich cost me add. 90 bucks when I picked up the car they tires were not rotatet when I asked why they said because the back tires are as bad then front.So I replaced all 4 tires with new Bridgestone Insignia and gues what the car has no roadnoise.All the 2007 HCH have the bridgestones which are much better than the Dunlop SP31.I called Customer Service
    which was very arrogant a Lady Name maryann C.They are not even willing to pay for the allignment or the new tires. And I too think there is a problem in the back alignement well Honda Customer Service does not care.Its all my doing
    and the tire company the dont take any blame for there misalignement. And arent willing to pay for anything so I am at point were I dont care about the money and will file
    a Lemom Law complent in the state of Ohio. Oh by the way I had to call 10 times before I could get a hold of my Case Manager.So here I am upset with Honda Had a Infinity FX and Toyota Avalon before no problems Just switched to this schitty little Hondas spent $ 53000 and thats the service I get. I will trade both cars in in 2 months for Lexus I really dont care anymore about Gas price.EOS
  • blufz1blufz1 Member Posts: 2,045
    Come on,man. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water! Get some Goodyear Assurance Comfort treads for $400 at discount tire. 80k warranty. Free rotation and balancing. If they just go 30K then you get a 5/8 pro ration on 80k and get a new set. Hope this helps.
  • alundstromalundstrom Member Posts: 1
    I have just begun the long journey that you have traveled. I started to hear excessive roadnoise on my 2006 Civic EX and took it to the dealership. They saw excessive wear on only one spot on the tire. I replaced both rear tires and found that there are bald spots throughout the tire. It seems to be related to a suspension issue. Have you had any luck with Honda or with the Lemon Law? I dont want to just spin my wheels looking for answers. No pun intended.
  • surferwoodsurferwood Member Posts: 3
    Had a 4-wheel alignment done at 3,000 miles, all ok. Around 20,000 road noise began. Had alignment re-checked and it was still right on. Back tires were badly cupped at inside edges. Honda says fronts are starting to show the same wear and rotating would avoid the problem. I fail to see how rotating would help if both front and back wear in the same manner. They said everything is fine in suspension. Wondered if any of you have replaced the shocks (they call them dampners). Maybe that would help. Any other ideas welcome -- obviously Honda isn't going to fix it, I have found many instances through out the internet with the same problem on the 2006 Civic.
  • cheevercheever Member Posts: 8
    I have 28,000 miles on my 2006 HCH, and I just bought the second set of rear tires, which were feathered and cupped. My dealer said it was a tire problem, and the tire manufacturer said it was the result of rear aligment problem. I take my car to the dealer for all service, and have rotated every 5000 miles, and aligned them with the basic service intervals. Any suggestions on how to resolve this problem?
  • paisan1paisan1 Member Posts: 11
    i have had similar rear tire problems.at 14,500 miles rear tires cupping,dealer replaced right rear knuckle,and rear tires.
    ran vibration clean for 3-4k miles.rear vibration started again at higher (80) speeds then gradually moved down to lower speeds (50).at first dealer said nothing wrong,could not feel it...at 28k miles while on a long trip decided to recheck wheel balance and found l rear worn on inside down to belt in a large spot.both rear showed lots of uneven wear.i replaced rear tires,at 30k miles dealer rechecked alignment.found it out a little.at 33k miles vibration is starting up again.i am due to see HONDA REP this week will post any results.
  • cheevercheever Member Posts: 8
    Thanks for the info. I know there are more problems out there. I haven't gotten anywhere with my local dealer. I'm thinking I need to contact Honda of America, but I'm not optimistic. Let me know what you find out.
  • paisan1paisan1 Member Posts: 11
    so Honda rep looked at car/tires and concurs there is a problem....good news is there is a fix (service bulletin) that will replace rear upper A arms.it appears that early models were fitted with A arms that would not adjust completely for toe in.....bad news is fix will not be ready for another 2-3 months (dec- jan)..the rep was bending over so i would not file a lemon law.i am getting reimbursed for two tires i bought,they installed 2 new rear tires now,and will replace all4 tires when the service bulletin is performed....and i get to keep the 2 tires i bought.
    so Honda knows there is a problem and as soon as they have enough parts for the fix they will repair the problem.
    i don't think there will be a recall,just fixing the cars brought in.
  • cheevercheever Member Posts: 8
    Thanks for the update. It sounds like Honda is starting to respond. I'm sending a letter and will follow up with a phone call next week. I'll keep you posted on what happens.
  • dan11809dan11809 Member Posts: 8
    Will you please post the service bulletin number. My service writer says there are no bulletins for my 2006 HCH.
  • krishi2001krishi2001 Member Posts: 6
    Whew, I was worried that my car was the only one experiencing this problem. Thanks a lot for the information. Will the service bulletin also say for new tire to be installed?
  • paisan1paisan1 Member Posts: 11
    the service bulletin has not been issued yet.i was told it would be issued in 2-3 months..i don't know if tire replacement is part of the service bulletin or just what the dealer (with Honda America support) is doing.the indication I got was that HONDA AMERICA is supporting replacing the worn rear tires....
  • gailhgailh Member Posts: 1
    Ditto on the ongoing tire dilemma. Dealer wants to go for round 3 of new tires on a hybrid with 26,000. Same issues---cupping, loud rear noise. Honda knows there is a problem, but either isn't saying or doesn't know whether it is a suspension or tire issue (of course Honda really knows). Honda now wants to experiment on my time by trying a new brand of tire. By the time I go through another set of tires, my warranty will expire. And extending my warranty doesn't fix the real problem. Can Honda fix the problem or can I have free tires for the life of my car? While my local dealership isn't the issue...the problem rests with American Honda. Lemons, lemons...Toyota anyone?
  • dwadlingtondwadlington Member Posts: 8
    What is the best thing for me to do to get my concerns noted by Honda? Just before I moved out of Atlanta I had the alignment checked (dealer noted it was substantially out of alignment). I'm approaching 20k and notice some edge wear on rear tires. The Atlanta Honda dealer only had a 10k rotation schedule, so the tires have only been rotated once. 20k on one set of tires does not seem nearly enough to me.
  • paisan1paisan1 Member Posts: 11
    you did not say if the dealer did an alignment to your Honda.
    i would go to your nearest Honda dealer and tell them what is going on.the dealer should realign all four wheels at no cost to you,and replace the rear tires.this is at the very least.
    print out some of these letters to show your dealer,so they know what is happening elsewhere.keep reporting the trouble,especially any vibration you may be feeling...
  • dwadlingtondwadlington Member Posts: 8
    Sorry, I should have said that dealer "laser" aligned the car at a cost of approx $90; that is how they determined it was out of alignment. They gave me a copy of the printed results (which is around here somewhere...) showing me how off they were. I had asked to have it aligned because it felt a bit twitchy.
    Lately I have noticed the front left tire squealing a bit on slow, left hand turns, which is what got me concerned about the tires issue again.
    Car just got recalled and is approaching the 20k service; I will bring all this up when I take it in.
    Thanks for the info.
    Derek
  • orangehborangehb Member Posts: 8
    My wife and I are thinking about getting an 07 or 08 HCH and of course, this issue concerns us. Does anyone have any info as to whether this issue has been resolved on these models?

    thanks all!
    Sean
  • lakota24lakota24 Member Posts: 1
    I know that this is a forum for the Civic Hybrid, but I just wanted to let you know that I have a 2006 Civic Coupe EX, and I'm having the same tire issues as the rest of you. In fact there are others as well in the Civic forum. I had contacted my Honda dealership/service about my tire problem before I found this forum, and I got a response today from them that said that their Honda rep would give me 2 tires to replace the rear ones that were bad, but that this was just a "good will" offer because I was a good customer. Now that I've found all of you, I intend to do a little more research before commiting to anything. I wonder what other Honda models are having problems?
  • paisan1paisan1 Member Posts: 11
    hi Sean,,this alignment issue has been resolved in newer models.the Honda rep told me that this was just a problem with an early run of the Civic,and had already been corrected.this should only be a problem for early 2006 models...arthur
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