| kblehman |
I think I'm gonna have to give in to new tires soon, so I've been reading through some of these tire-related threads. The OEM Integrity tires on my '04 Pilot have 55.7k miles on them and I'm not sure I want my wife milking them through another Michigan weather. There's some tread left in the middle, but the edges are looking very much like a baby's butt.
I was never thrilled with the Integritys--I always thought a wider footprint would've been better--so I'm looking at replacing my stock 235/70's with a 255/65 size. That'll get a bit more rubber on the road while keeping the specs similar.
What I'm looking for is a tire that will last, provide a smooth ride, and is quiet on the highway. It needs to be sturdy too, because I tow a camper with my Pilot.
My first choice is the Michelin LTX M/S. From what I've read in various posts, it's a great all-around tire--quiet in the summer, great in raind and snow.
Any tire advice from you Pilot-masters will certainly be appreciated!
BTW, anyone familiar with Kumho tires? I.e., the Kumho Ecsta STX? |
|
|
| CMH-OHIO-Pilot |
We have a lot in common. My '04 had 55k on it and I didn't want to go through another Ohio winter with the I-tires. I put the LTX M/S on two weeks ago, standard size, and so far so good. They are definitely better on wet roads. The Integrities were just plain dangerous with a little rain. Haven't had any snow yet, but looking at the tread, I say bring it on! Handling has been fine, and the noise is probably a little bit quieter, but at a different pitch (if that makes sense.) The pattern is more aggressive, so I think I "feel" that in the car, but I don't notice it as much now. If you read the reviews at discounttire.com, I don't think we can go wrong. Consumer Reports says these are quieter than the Cross Terrains, and they are rated for more mileage. Those two factors put me over the edge.
By the way, I had no outside "baby bottom" effect, so you may want to check your alignment. Good luck and report back on what you do.
Brian |
|
|
| andyschneider |
I've run Mich LTX M/S on both of our Pilots. ON the '04, we had standard load rating 235-70R16's on it, put 39k on them before turning in the lease, and there was still 8/32" of tread on them. Did great thru 3 NH winters and were nice and quiet. On my current '06, I put on a set of the 107 Load Rating M/S 235-70R16 Michelin LTX's on it, mostly because that's what the tire dealer had in stock when I wanted the tires. I 've put 16K on them so far, and they've worn "down" to 11/32" so far - so great treadwear. But there are a couple of compromises I've seen. The upside of the higher load rating tires is that you can inflate them higher if you're going to tow/haul, which was great when I moved the oldest son between apartments at college this summer. The "downside" is that they ride a little rougher than the standard load ratings, the tread sound is a bit more noticible, and it's actually a slightly narrower tire than the standard load rating, so perhaps not as solid around long sweeping corners. If I had to do it again, I'd probably make sure I got the 104S load rating tires vs the 107S - either would do fine for normal towing, but the 104S is a better overall tire, IMHO.
If I got another Pilot, I'd put a set of Mich's on them again in a heartbeat - they're worth the money and make the Pilot a great vehicle to drive!
andy |
|
|
| jestmaty |
Yes, please keep us posted with whatever you decide.
I, too tow a camper and a bowrider boat with my Pilot and will probably need tires next summer.
No snow down here in Houston, but usually lots of rain. So far the OEM Integrities haven't let me down.
I also considered the 255/65 but will probably go 255/70 for a slightly taller tire. Not to thread drift here, but do you tow in D3?
I tow my pop up camper (+/- 1500 lbs ) approximately 70 miles each way to our favorite lake. About 1/2 of the route is flat as a pancake, then gets moderately hilly for the 2nd half. My boat/trailer weighs approx. 2400 lbs, and both it or the pop up cause the transmission to constantly gear hunt.
I'm hoping to get a taller overall tire diameter so that when I'm doing 60mph on the hwy, the rpms will go down slightly at that speed. I've convinced myself to just tow in D3 and keep the revs in the 3k to 3.5k range. A taller tire will effectively lower the # of tire revolutions per mile.
Don't really care about speedo changes of a few % if I do this.
Again, whatever you do, please let us know and take some pics if time allows. |
|
|
| kblehman |
quote:
Originally posted by jestmaty
I also considered the 255/65 but will probably go 255/70 for a slightly taller tire.
In a different thread someone mentioned that Honda recommends 235/70 or 255/65 tires and that Conner at Tire Rack also verified that the 255/65's are compatible. So I emailed Conner about it and he said the 255's are too wide for the Honda's stock wheel, which is only 6.5" wide. Can anyone verify?
quote:
Not to thread drift here, but do you tow in D3?
My Coleman Bayside popup weighs about 2700lbs empty, so I'm sure it's up around 3000-3200lbs loaded. Usually I just tow in drive and let the transmission decide; 65mph seems to work the best. If it starts moving between gears I'll slow down and use D3 until I get out of the hilly areas. On the flats it tows fine in OD, and sometimes will stay in 4th if necessary. I kind of wish there were a D4 selection instead of D3 so I could stay out of OD but also keep the RPMs a bit lower. |
|
|
| jestmaty |
kblehman-
yes, the stock rims are 6.5" wide. If you go to the tirerack.com website and pick the size tire you want, you will see the specs for each and every tire you're considering.
For instance, I put in the parameters a 255/70/16 and got a whole bunch of tires to choose from. Went down the list until I saw one I recognized which was the BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail. ( No, that tire is not one I'de buy)
If you click on the 'spec' button, you'll see tons o' information, including the size rim they used to get the info. such as tread width, revs per mile, overall tire height, etc... It also gives a recommended rim width for that size which is minimum 6.5" up to 8.5" in width.
So.... according to tirerack.com, the 255 would be a fit, altough at the far end of the skinny rim scale :2:
When the time comes, I'll probably just use discount tire, like I always do, and have them test fit the size I want on one rim b4 commiting to all 4 tires.
And, my Pilot can't even hold 5th or 4th gear when I tow my boat. Weighed it a few months ago, got 2350lbs for the boat/trailer. It sometimes does ok with the popup by staying in OD. I got to go 70mph to keep it locked in gear though.
Dissapointing that the Acura MDX got a lock for 4th seeing how back in '04 the Pilot and MDX shared about 70% of mechanical parts according to sources like consumer report and Honda/Acura literature. |
|
|
| kblehman |
quote:
Originally posted by jestmaty
yes, the stock rims are 6.5" wide. If you go to the tirerack.com website and pick the size tire you want, you will see the specs for each and every tire you're considering.
Yes, I found that info on the Tire Rack website--sorry for the confusion.
As luck would have it, I want to go to a 255/65 but it requires a 7" rim. Putting a 255 on the stock rims requires me to stay with a 70 sidewall, which will mess up the speedometer. Of course, if it's true that most speedos are factory-set slow, the 255/70 should offset it. The 70's also have a higher load rating as they go up in size, which I think would mean a harder ride as well.
quote:
And, my Pilot can't even hold 5th or 4th gear when I tow my boat. Weighed it a few months ago, got 2350lbs for the boat/trailer. It sometimes does ok with the popup by staying in OD. I got to go 70mph to keep it locked in gear though.
Dissapointing that the Acura MDX got a lock for 4th seeing how back in '04 the Pilot and MDX shared about 70% of mechanical parts according to sources like consumer report and Honda/Acura literature.
I agree. A 4th gear lockout would've been perfect for towing. That's one of the 4 things I've found I don't like about my Pilot. I guess 4 aint so bad though. |
|
|
|
