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Old 02-24-2015, 09:23 AM   #1
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TV tires?

Hello!
I own a Honda Pilot and it will be my primary TV for my (new to me) 19" FC. My curret tires are getting to the point where I have to replace them and I am wondering if I should get a more heavy duty tire if it is available. My current tires are 235 60 18 . In the past I have had heavy duty trucks that had heavy duty tires so I have never been worried. I want to make the best decision on the tires so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Rich
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Old 02-24-2015, 09:59 AM   #2
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Old 02-24-2015, 07:31 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tobutton View Post
Hello!

I own a Honda Pilot and it will be my primary TV for my (new to me) 19" FC. My curret tires are getting to the point where I have to replace them and I am wondering if I should get a more heavy duty tire if it is available. My current tires are 235 60 18 . In the past I have had heavy duty trucks that had heavy duty tires so I have never been worried. I want to make the best decision on the tires so any help would be appreciated.



Thanks, Rich

Just got the Michelin Pilot AS3 in 235/55x18s, replaced the OEM Michelin 235/60x18s on the Lexus. We're towing a FC20


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Old 02-25-2015, 04:19 AM   #4
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Thanks TC. Do you know the load rating difference?
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Old 02-25-2015, 05:00 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tobutton View Post
Hello!
I own a Honda Pilot and it will be my primary TV for my (new to me) 19" FC. My curret tires are getting to the point where I have to replace them and I am wondering if I should get a more heavy duty tire if it is available. My current tires are 235 60 18 . In the past I have had heavy duty trucks that had heavy duty tires so I have never been worried. I want to make the best decision on the tires so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Rich
Going up a ply rating would be good for towing.
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Old 02-25-2015, 05:38 AM   #6
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I think TCwheels going from a 235/60R18 to a 235/55R18 is the wrong direction. That is going down in load carrying capacity, unless you also go from an SL to an XL AND increase the inflation pressure.

I think a better solution is to go to a larger tire. According to Continental's web site, a Honda Pilot could use a 255/55R18, a 245/50R18 XL, and a 245/60R18 - all have larger load carrying capacities.
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Old 02-25-2015, 06:12 AM   #7
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Thanks for the responses. I have been looking at tire web sites and trying to figure out how to compare apples to oranges . It seems like every manufacturer has there own way of putting tire info on the site. I went to Contenintal's site and they do have the +0 options but their load ratings are in letters (XL, SL etc) while other mfgs have numbers (103, 104, etc) I guess I will have to go to the local tire store(s) for some better info. Very confusing but I do appreciate the input.
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Old 02-25-2015, 06:56 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by tobutton View Post
Thanks for the responses. I have been looking at tire web sites and trying to figure out how to compare apples to oranges . It seems like every manufacturer has there own way of putting tire info on the site. I went to Contenintal's site and they do have the +0 options but their load ratings are in letters (XL, SL etc) while other mfgs have numbers (103, 104, etc) I guess I will have to go to the local tire store(s) for some better info. Very confusing but I do appreciate the input.
Please don't go to a tire store to get educated, because you're more likely to be misinformed by the person behind the counter.

I have attached a screen shot here for your reference from Tirerack, finding the load ratings online is simple. XL/SL.103 etc are all industry standards, just like Load Range E tires. They're not trying to confuse you.

Tirerack has an education section on this to help you clearly understand it: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret....jsp?techid=55

PS, I just randomly picked a tire.

A lot of folks love Michelins, like hard core love them. Not just on this forum either. Get what makes you the most happy and secure in your decision.
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Old 02-25-2015, 08:13 AM   #9
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On my Ridgeline I went from the Michy's to Cooper Truck tires and have been very happy with them. They do tend to ride just a bit harsher but seem to tow better than the OEM's.
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Old 02-25-2015, 01:27 PM   #10
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Thanks for the good input. I went to the tire stores, got some ideas and came back to research. My current Michilen tires have a load rating of 102 with a 60k tread. I found that Mastercraft (made by Cooper) made a 255 15 18 tire (HSX) that is basically the same diameter but just a bit wider and is also a 60K tread. The load rating on that tire is 109 giving me a fair amount of increase. I think this should work. 102= 1874 lbs, 109=2271
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Old 02-25-2015, 03:12 PM   #11
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The load carrying capacity of the tires is not really an issue here. The GVWR of the Pilot should be about 6,100 lbs, while the total capacity of the stock tires is about 7,500. You don't want to reduce this margin to any great degree, but in my opinion increasing it is not necessarily going to get you the result you want, which is optimum stability.

Many of today's low profile tires are not performance tires; they are designed for looks and a comfortable ride. I'm guessing that you currently have Michelin MXV4s or MXM4s, which are "touring" tires - quiet, decent riding, not very sticky. (I've owned both.)

A performance tire, as suggested by TCWheels, is worth considering. To get the size you need, you might consider something from the Michelin Latitude series which were developed specifically for SUVs. This should give you a stiffer sidewall and better steering response than the current tires, and there is a range of choices in the Latitude series.

The downside is that true high performance tires don't last long - maybe 20,000 miles - and are most expensive. Therefore, most people will end up trading performance for durability.

A lower profile will tend to give you a stiffer sidewall, but if you go this route you will need to buy 255/55/18s to maintain speedometer accuracy. The stock wheels are 8" wide at the rim, and you will want an opinion on whether they will be too narrow for the 255s. You don't want the rims to be "hunting" inside the tires. Another way of looking at this - the 55% sidewall may give you a stiffer tire, but you may be giving up the stability you gain because the 255 mm section width is too much for the stock wheel. I'm not sure if a tire shop can give you a straight answer, but it can't hurt to ask.

This is not a simple decision. You might prefer the look and feel of an LT tire, but you might struggle to find the right size and you may not like what it does to the quiet and comfortable ride of the Pilot for daily driving.

FWIW, I too am a Michelin fan. I have owned 9 sets of various types, and haven't had a problem with any of them. I particularly like how they stay in balance - something that I have found to be a problem with most brands, at least in the past.
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Old 02-25-2015, 05:17 PM   #12
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Michelin consistently makes the best tires, but it can be hard finding one for a particular vehicle. The have very good traction, even when worn, last a long time and ride smoothly. You could stick with the OEM tires if they are Michelins. You could see if the same tire is available with a better load rating. I think you already checked this.

Instead of passenger tires for a SUV which may be a passenger car underneath, try to find an LT tire that fits. If you research tire sites don't enter your vehicle because it will give you OEM type tires rather than upgrades to LT tires. A true snow tire is better for winter traction, so avoid all season tires. Check Michelin LTX tires and see what fits on your Pilot. Load Range C may be fine for your Pilot, but you could try Load Range D or E. Now they are using numbers for load range, but that is, I think, mainly for passenger tires. C used to be 6 ply, D, 8, and E, 10 ply. Plies meant nothing after a while because they could make tires with fewer plies that had the same capacities as the old tires, so they went to letters. Passenger tires are now using X, XL or whatever and they make no sense to me.

Michelin LTX also has an all terrain version, but you probably don't need it. Look up LTX M+S (mud + snow) and see if you can match the size or come close. Keep in mind what CapriRacer said about size (post #6).

I looked on the Michelin site and came up with Latitude by just entering tire size. I tried by entering LTX M/S and got stuck. It used to be easier to do this by tire size regardless of the vehicle, but they have made that harder; probably misguided liability concerns. Keep at it. Perhaps you can do better fooling the website.

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Old 02-25-2015, 06:01 PM   #13
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The 55s will actual fit my wheels better than the stock 60s, therefore gaining stability two ways. Load rating is easily over what I need for my 20' - even wet.
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Old 02-25-2015, 06:04 PM   #14
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Oh, and I'm not concerned about the 1.2 mph inaccuracy of my speedo at 60 moving from 60s to 55s...
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Old 02-25-2015, 07:01 PM   #15
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The 55s will actual fit my wheels better than the stock 60s, therefore gaining stability two ways. Load rating is easily over what I need for my 20' - even wet.

Right - I noticed you stayed with the same section width, and just went down in profile.

Good to know that the 235s fit your wheels well; Lexus seems to use 7.5 inch wide wheels, so that bodes well for using 255s on the 8" wide wheels on the Pilot. I raised this concern because I once had snow tires that were a bit wide for a set of aftermarket steel wheels, and I didn't like the way the car felt in crosswinds at highway speeds.

I'm coming up with a 3.2% speedometer error, but math isn't my strong suit. In any event it's a small error; what might matter more to the OP is the loss of load rating. The GVWR of the RX is about 5,600 lbs, or about 500 lbs less than the Pilot.
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Old 02-25-2015, 09:53 PM   #16
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Need to get your facts straight

Load Range basically replaces the old Ply Rating
Load Range for LT and ST type tires start at "C" and move up to D then E.
As you move to Commercial or Truck tires it continues to F G etc.

Load Index is a number such as 102 or 114 that can be converted to a range of pounds load capacity for the tire under consideration.
Here is the table courtesy of Tire Rack

Since load is carried by the air and not the tire structure the more air volume and more air pressure you have the greater the load capacity.
This means that with the same section and rim diameter the higher the Aspect Ratio the greater the air volume which means more load capacity.

Alternately holding Aspect constant but increasing the Section width will increase the air volume and also the load capacity.
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Old 02-26-2015, 05:26 AM   #17
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That logic makes sense but there must be something else besides the air volume to the equation. The Michelin Primacy tires that were on the Pilot had pretty poor traction in the snow and their load rating was 102 for the 235 60 18s. The same size in the Mastercraft HSX had a load rating of 107. I picked up the Mastercraft 255 55 18 yesterday as I heading north to my cabin today and really did not want to make another trip on my old tires. I was tempted to go with thee the Michelin LTX in 245 60 but had a hard time pulling the trigger on the extra $300+ dollars. We'll see how my decision holds up. Thanks for all the advice!
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Old 02-26-2015, 12:59 PM   #18
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That logic makes sense but there must be something else besides the air volume to the equation. The Michelin Primacy tires that were on the Pilot had pretty poor traction in the snow and their load rating was 102 for the 235 60 18s. The same size in the Mastercraft HSX had a load rating of 107. I picked up the Mastercraft 255 55 18 yesterday as I heading north to my cabin today and really did not want to make another trip on my old tires. I was tempted to go with thee the Michelin LTX in 245 60 but had a hard time pulling the trigger on the extra $300+ dollars. We'll see how my decision holds up. Thanks for all the advice!
Would help if complete info was provided. i.e. the actual size and inflation you were looking at when you thought you found the associated Load Index.
Also if we are talking about Load Capacity I don't understand why people are introducing Snow Traction. The is not part of the Load Calculations.

Michelin Primacy MXM4 P235/60R18 has a Load Index of 102 according to Tire Rack. This is a standard load (35 psi) rated tire.

The Mastercraft HSX in a "Euro-Metric" i.e. non-P type tire and is rated XL for 50 psi not the 35 psi standard load passenger tire. Mastercraft is playing games telling people that the metric size and P-Metric size are the same. When pressed the rep will admit their tires are not identical in size to P type tires.

You made to common mistake of not looking at the complete tire size nomenclature.
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Old 02-27-2015, 04:59 AM   #19
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That logic makes sense but there must be something else besides the air volume to the equation. The Michelin Primacy tires that were on the Pilot had pretty poor traction in the snow and their load rating was 102 for the 235 60 18s. The same size in the Mastercraft HSX had a load rating of 107........
Ah, but the 102 Michelin was a Standard Load (SL) which has its max load carrying capacity rated at 35 psi, and the 107 Mastercraft was an Extra Load (XL) which has its max load rated at 41 psi - ergo, the air volumes are different.
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Old 03-01-2015, 06:04 PM   #20
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Capri', I know what is in the tires carries the load whether it is air, nitrogen or beer (what a waste unless you like to drink hot beer as you let it out of the valve stem). But don't Michelin Rib tires have steel belts in the sidewall and will carry some of the load? I don't think they are appropriate for anything but what they are designed for—trucks that stay in urban areas and never go very fast and are made to be recapped once the tread wears. Some people use them on their trailers and are happy with them, though I think the ride is too hard for a trailer or a tow vehicle.

This doesn't really matter in the real world, but I'm curious about it.

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