Hey All,
I've got an '08 EXL-V6 so it's on 235/45/18" rims. I'm getting some nasty friggin quotes when I'm driving around for pricing on a set of winter tires. Apparently it's an oddball sized tire, and not a lot of selection unless I drop to a 17" for example, but even then with 4 tires, 4 rims, 4 tpms sensors and all the taxes and such.... $2,200 CDN!! I went to both Kal Tire and Fountain Tire here in British Columbia and their quotes were within $100 of eachother so I know one of them didn't make a mistake.

Is that right? Am I gonna get hosed becuase of tpms sensors and some funky tire size?

:thumbsdow

Get 16" winter tires man. 215/60-16
I got my set for $880 Michelin X-Ice Xi2 with 4 steel rims Tax in, balance in, everything included. I am in Toronto Canada
Don't get TPMS not worth it for winter wheels... each time you switch back to your summer wheels you need to reprogram the TPMS sensors and it's around $80 each time...

I didn't think 16's will fit on a V6 because of the larger (by 1") brake setup? :dunno: I would go 17 and try to find a size that will keep your speedo for the most part accurate. 18's will kill you in price for any tire, winter or not.

It will work, www.tirerack.com check for yourself

It will work, www.tirerack.com check for yourselfGood call. $600 for a set of 4 including some steelies. That's a great deal!

No TPMS will lock on the VSA and you can't switch it off. The VSA will prevent you from rocking out of the snow. You need TPMS in the winter tires.

No TPMS will lock on the VSA and you can't switch it off. The VSA will prevent you from rocking out of the snow. You need TPMS in the winter tires.

An excellent point. Read through the various posts regarding TPMS sensors. You'll find varying opinions about them. In the end, I opted to go with the sensors for the reason as letoo mentioned. I want the freedom of turning my VSA off if I am ever stuck. Get the sensors!

I am going with Nokian Hakka Rs on my 08 to get through the harsh Saskatchewan winter.

4 16x6.5 rims with TPMS sensors $500
4 tires mounted and balanced $900

Total investment is $1400. Tires are from Kal Tire and the rims and TPMS sensors from Honda factory.

I'll be darned if there are any decent 18" winter tires for the harsh Canadian climate. 16" gives you more sidewall and better ride quality and to some extent, I would argue the grip would be better.

An excellent point. Read through the various posts regarding TPMS sensors. You'll find varying opinions about them. In the end, I opted to go with the sensors for the reason as letoo mentioned. I want the freedom of turning my VSA off if I am ever stuck. Get the sensors!

I am going with Nokian Hakka Rs on my 08 to get through the harsh Saskatchewan winter.

4 16x6.5 rims with TPMS sensors $500
4 tires mounted and balanced $900

Total investment is $1400. Tires are from Kal Tire and the rims and TPMS sensors from Honda factory.

I'll be darned if there are any decent 18" winter tires for the harsh Canadian climate. 16" gives you more sidewall and better ride quality and to some extent, I would argue the grip would be better.


Yes you can't turn off the VSA if there is no TPMS sensors, but with Winter tires you shouldn't be stucking in the snow. Just remeber each time you reprogram your sensors are about $80, and you need to do it everytime you switch to another set of sensors. Honda only allowed to have 4 sensors register on the car, that's why you need to reprogram it. 2 times in a year, switch between summer and winter. Or you can take your existing ones to the winter tires, and leave the summer ones without tpms

How easy / difficult is it to replace the TPMS?

I have Infiniti winter's (from my last G) I am planning to use on the coupe and they have TPMS in them but as mentioned I will have to drop $80 to reprogram them for Honda to recognize them and again in the spring. Is there another option or am I stuck.

How easy / difficult is it to replace the TPMS?

I have Infiniti winter's (from my last G) I am planning to use on the coupe and they have TPMS in them but as mentioned I will have to drop $80 to reprogram them for Honda to recognize them and again in the spring. Is there another option or am I stuck.

One option you can do is buy the TPMS tool and reprogram them yourself, other than that you will need Honda to do it. You can get the tool here:

TECH400
http://www.bartecusa.com/

I think they are priced in $500-1200 depends on the model, and yes they are easy to use.

I don't know what to do I have to move to Buffalo NY for 2 years.....This all sounds like a head ache. I have a EXL V6 Coupe. I hope I can just get bye with what came on it then move back to Florida.

To be honest, I survived using the ALL-season tires OEM on the last winter in Toronto... biggest snow storm and I drove from Toronto to Oshawa with no problem, and during the time I didn't know how to turn off the VSA.... and I still managed to get out of the snow, I change it to Gear 2 and keeps turning my steering wheel left and right while stepping on the gas, and I was able to get out of stuck.. and I know with snow tires like Michelin X-ice Xi2 I can do a lot better. Will let you know how it goes when the snow comes this year, lol

BUFFALO??

You'd better get dedicated winter tires, Buffalo gets a tonne of snow every winter!

I had a friend who went to school there for a couple of years, he moved to California afterwards and swears never to go back to Buffalo again, mostly due to the amount of lake-effect snow fall!!!

Is it strange that I like driving in the snow? :nuts:

Nope, not strange at all, I like driving in the snow too, I just don't like driving in the snow with OTHER PEOPLE also on the road!

:)

Yes you can't turn off the VSA if there is no TPMS sensors, but with Winter tires you shouldn't be stucking in the snow. Just remeber each time you reprogram your sensors are about $80, and you need to do it everytime you switch to another set of sensors. Honda only allowed to have 4 sensors register on the car, that's why you need to reprogram it. 2 times in a year, switch between summer and winter. Or you can take your existing ones to the winter tires, and leave the summer ones without tpms

Yes, you shouldn't be stuck with winter tires on, but in deep snow, it is still possible. The spin on tires based on VSA versus spinning of tires with VSA turned off may be the difference between getting stuck and getting out. While I concur that the chances of turning VSA off during the winter is rare at best, it is an option that would be nice to have nonetheless.

I acknowledge the cost to reprogram the sensors, a cost that one dislikes (i'd like to spend $80 on something other than at the dealership :)) and I don't disagree with perhaps taking the sensors off for the summer tires/rims as there really is no real reason to need to turn VSA off at anytime anyway. It's a good cost saving measure that's for sure.

An excellent point. Read through the various posts regarding TPMS sensors. You'll find varying opinions about them. In the end, I opted to go with the sensors for the reason as letoo mentioned. I want the freedom of turning my VSA off if I am ever stuck. Get the sensors!

Total investment is $1400. Tires are from Kal Tire and the rims and TPMS sensors from Honda factory.


Thanks for the input guys. Say I go with the standad 16" tires, steel rims, but forego the TPMS sensors... when springtime comes around and I want to get my all-season's back on, do I need to buy another set of 4 x TPMS sensors, or does the dealership use the original ones that came with my car? Costs?

I keep TPMS sensors to the winter tires, and leave the summer tires without the sensors in order to avoid the on-going cost of reprograming the TPMS between seasons. I can live with the TPMS warning indicator at the panel. The specific VSA off pushbutton is solely for getting you out the trouble in deep snow. Without the VSA off option, you are taking chance of getting stuck in Winter.

I keep TPMS sensors to the winter tires, and leave the summer tires without the sensors in order to avoid the on-going cost of reprograming the TPMS between seasons. I can live with the TPMS warning indicator at the panel. The specific VSA off pushbutton is solely for getting you out the trouble in deep snow. Without the VSA off option, you are taking chance of getting stuck in Winter.

.. but when I get my regular Michelin's put back in, do I need to buy 4 new sensors then, or do they save the ones from taking them off when I do my winter changeover?

And 2ndly, how messed will it look to go from stock 18's, down to winter 16's on flat black honda rims. Will I have huge gaps in the wheel wells going down 2 inches?

Go to Walmart get rims for around $60 each and nexen snows for about $84 each and go with 215/60/16 should be around the 700 with tax.Forget about the tps.The215s will be the same size about 26.2-26.3 inch diameter

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Forget about the tps.


Why?

I just called a Honda dealer in Toronto and they said 9 out of 10 times you don't need to reprogram the TPMS when doing a tire switch over. Does anybody have any real life experience?

Why?


I think I can live without them for the winter just enore the light on the dash.

I just called a Honda dealer in Toronto and they said 9 out of 10 times you don't need to reprogram the TPMS when doing a tire switch over. Does anybody have any real life experience?

If you use the sensors that comes from stock tires to the new tires, then you dont' need to reprogram them 9/10 of times. It's different than having two sets of sensors.

Get 16" winter tires man. 215/60-16
I got my set for $880 Michelin X-Ice Xi2 with 4 steel rims Tax in, balance in, everything included. I am in Toronto Canada
Don't get TPMS not worth it for winter wheels... each time you switch back to your summer wheels you need to reprogram the TPMS sensors and it's around $80 each time...

Takumi, how goofy does it look with the 16" compared to the stock 18"? That's the only thing I'm fearing, like a huge fender gap for example.

You make up for that by having more sidewall.

I should add, I went from a 17" stock to a 16" steel on my 08 sedan.

Hardly any difference in wheel gap. As mentioned in the previous post, a smaller rim = more sidewall. I should take a couple of pictures and post them on here for those who are interested. It seems to be a concern for some when going to a smaller rim.

BUFFALO??

You'd better get dedicated winter tires, Buffalo gets a tonne of snow every winter!

I had a friend who went to school there for a couple of years, he moved to California afterwards and swears never to go back to Buffalo again, mostly due to the amount of lake-effect snow fall!!!

GEE thanks I feel much better now. I can't help where the military sends me. If I would have known I was going to have to go to Buffalo when I got this car I might have got a Ridgeline. I can't wait to hit some ski slopes! It has been over 17 years since I have to I will have to take it slow. Also hope to get some salmon, small mouth bass, walleye, etc fishing in. Once I get there I will only have about 2 years left then I retire and head back to Florida to my house. Do you think it would be worth the new tires and rims for the time I will be there.

Do you think it would be worth the new tires and rims for the time I will be there.

YES. A dedicated set of winter tires will be helpful (regardless of how many winters you spend there -- all it takes is one winter). The grip, control and the ability to stop is far superior than that of an all season tire.

Went from a 17" to a 16" for winter.

Wheel gap is hardly any different from stock.

Went from a 17" to a 16" for winter.

Wheel gap is hardly any different from stock.


I looked at the picture and thought it was odd that the holes in the rim are bigger on one side then the other?The wheel would harder to balance ...no?

Went from a 17" to a 16" for winter.

Wheel gap is hardly any different from stock.

Are you planning to buy a center cap for the steel rims or just spray some rust protection liquid? I am not sure which center cap would fit those steel rims.

Are you planning to buy a center cap for the steel rims or just spray some rust protection liquid? I am not sure which center cap would fit those steel rims.

I am looking at perhaps getting a set of Honda factory hubcaps to cover things up.

I looked at the picture and thought it was odd that the holes in the rim are bigger on one side then the other?The wheel would harder to balance ...no?

You would think that, but Kal Tire did a great job with the balancing....no vibration whatsoever at highway speeds.

I heard from Costco that you need to get mag wheels in order to have TPMS sensors installed. Is this true? I wanted to switch the TPMS on my all seasons to the winter tires but I don't want to spend more for aluminum wheels.

Not true. You can install TPMS sensors on steel wheels. Just installed winter tires on steel wheels for my 08 EX-L sedan. Bought a separate set of TPMS sensors for them. Switching the sensors from one wheel to another is a PITA as the sensor is part of the valve. Just be sure you get the correct sensor as a Honda dealer said the sensor for the steel wheels is different from the one for alloy wheels. BTW if you decide to get sensors the dealer will have to scan and register them or else the TPMS light comes on. When the TPMS light is on you cannot manually disable VSA.

Good luck....not too crazy about TPMS....tire gauge worked fine for me.

Anybody know how much MPG's go down with winter tires? I'm also looking to get some snow tires. I have it down to Dunlop SP Winter sports 205/60/16 H-Rated. or Firestone Winterforce S-Rated. I'm not to sure about the S-rated Winterforces'. I think the Dunlops would handle better for the car. Or i was thinking about getting All Season General Altimax Hp but I think I would feel safer with snow tires. I'll be driving alot on the Highway here in Minnesota. Any advice. I drive about 35k a year and will have a summer set of rims and tires.

Forget the all Seasons since you're already getting another set of wheels & tires might as well get one that works best in the winter. I would stay away from the Winterforce unless you need to travel in deep snow - these are an older design and quite noisy on bare roads.

Not true. You can install TPMS sensors on steel wheels. Just installed winter tires on steel wheels for my 08 EX-L sedan. Bought a separate set of TPMS sensors for them. Switching the sensors from one wheel to another is a PITA as the sensor is part of the valve. Just be sure you get the correct sensor as a Honda dealer said the sensor for the steel wheels is different from the one for alloy wheels. BTW if you decide to get sensors the dealer will have to scan and register them or else the TPMS light comes on. When the TPMS light is on you cannot manually disable VSA.

Good luck....not too crazy about TPMS....tire gauge worked fine for me.

Thanks, I went to the Honda dealership and was told the same thing. I ended going with a set of 215/60/R 16s Michelin X-ICE 2 on steel rims with TPMS. Came up to about $1375 CAD$

Thanks, I went to the Honda dealership and was told the same thing. I ended going with a set of 215/60/R 16s Michelin X-ICE 2 on steel rims with TPMS. Came up to about $1375 CAD$



wow I paid around 640 @walmart and I can live without the tpms for the winter.Mind you my wheels are multi fit and I still like to find some used Honda alloy wheels for next winter.

Thanks, I went to the Honda dealership and was told the same thing. I ended going with a set of 215/60/R 16s Michelin X-ICE 2 on steel rims with TPMS. Came up to about $1375 CAD$

Let me know how you like that setup. I am looking at getting the same exact tire, wheels, etc. except without the TPMS. Winters are not extreme here, (Riding on plowed roads most of the time), so although I hear fantastic things about the Blizzak 50 and 60, they would wear out too fast and would not be ideal for freeway speeds. Also, is your stock Accord a V6 with 17" wheels? If so, I would also like to know if you see a significant improvement in ride quality (less harshness) with the smaller rims (although the X-ICE's in themselves should be more compliant than the stock Michelin Pilot MXM4 tires).