Tires for Honda Insight II

msirach · #1 05-31-2011, 09:43 AM

The original Dunlop SP31 tires on my daughters car are SHOT at 20k miles. The same set that came on our 07 HCH II lasted the same. I attributed that to the rear control arm issue on the HCH II.

I need to get a new set and was going to put the new Bridgestone Ecopia tires on it. They were scheduled for release on 5/25 and now that is moved back to 6/17. The tire selection in the 175/65/15 size is poor.

I may go with the Yokohama AVID ENVigor. We have over 47,000 on our Gen III Prius with the Yokohama Avid S33D and they are lasting very well and get good mpg.

I thought about putting 165/70/15 on it, but no tires were available in that size.

Here is the page from Tire Rack with what is available.

Any thoughts or ideas?

FSUspectra · #2 05-31-2011, 10:31 AM

Man, that's a tough call... absolutely no way to wait for the Ecopias? If you can find the ENVigors, I'm sure they'll do well, but the Ecopias are my choice by far. Would it be possible to go to a skinny 185, or is the rim too skinny?

msirach · #3 05-31-2011, 11:16 AM

Nothing available in the 185's that is close.

No. They are too bad for even me. I run past the wear bars on what I drive. I sure don't want my 18yr. old daughter driving on them. My wife wants me to take it to the dealer and put the oem's on it. I would rather put Blizzaks.

MaxxMPG · #4 05-31-2011, 11:34 AM

Mike,
I have to wonder if the Insight II has enough clearance in the wheel area to go a bit wider or taller or both.
The stock SP31s in 175-65-15 is 7" wide, 24" tall, and rolls 872rpm at 60mph.
In 185-60-15 (wider, a bit shorter), the Goodyear FuelMax and Conti Pro Contact with EcoPlus are both 7.4" wide, 23.7" tall, and roll 877-880rpm at 60mph.
If wider and taller is ok, the 185-65-15 size has 12 LRR options including the Michelin Energy Saver A/S, at 7.4" wide, 24.5" tall, and 851rpm (speedometer theoretically 1.4 mph low at 60).

Check around a little on google and see if others have had any luck with 185-xx-xx tires on the Insight without the tire rubbing on body or suspension components. If you want to avoid the SP31's, you have many more options in 185-width sizes. The 185-60 is almost a guaranteed fit since the extra .4" width is equally spread on either side of the tire centerline. And even Honda wouldn't design a car with less than 0.2" clearance betwen tire and fender, spring cup, tie rod end, etc.

msirach · #5 06-09-2011, 09:45 AM

I had looked at the 185's but didn't want to go any wider. I ordered the Ecopia EP 100 locally last week in the 185/65-15 size since the Insight is geared low and could stand to be geared up. I ordered locally since it was $4 cheaper than Tire Rack with shipping and installation by their installer that was 30 miles away. Also the manager of the local tire place lives 3 doors away and I drive by his house every day. They told me it would take about a week. I called today and they said they couldn't get them.

They gave me a line about Bridgestone is not making them yet, didn't know when they would etc.

SO..... in 10 minutes I had them on their way from Tire Rack. They were in stock and will be delivered within a couple of days. When I get them, I will give the local store the option of installing them.

I almost ordered the Goodyear Fuel Max. They were more expensive, but Goodyear has a $40 mail in rebate which would put the price very close to the Ecopia. The reviews on the EP 100's helped me to decide.

diamondlarry · #6 06-09-2011, 10:08 AM

Haha! I'd love to see their faces when you ask if they can install a tire that they say isn't being manufactured yet.

msirach · #7 06-09-2011, 01:41 PM

It's irritating that I have waited a week for them to call and they never did. They are the same shop that I called when we were in Phoenix on the F-150 drive.

They wouldn't rotate the tires front to back on the Insight. They said the tire manufacturers mandate that the bad tires be put on front and the better tires on the rear. Has anyone else ever heard that?

Where is CapriRacer?

msirach · #8 06-11-2011, 04:24 AM

Tire Rack rocks on shipping! Ordered the tires (that are not manufactured) Thursday and they were sitting on my porch when I got home last night. One day delivery is outstanding. Installation somewhere on Tuesday.

CapriRacer · #9 06-11-2011, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msirach

It's irritating that I have waited a week for them to call and they never did. They are the same shop that I called when we were in Phoenix on the F-150 drive.

They wouldn't rotate the tires front to back on the Insight. They said the tire manufacturers mandate that the bad tires be put on front and the better tires on the rear. Has anyone else ever heard that?

Where is CapriRacer?

Sorry, I was a little slow on the uiptake.

Yes, there is a lot of talk about tires of differing states of wear. usually it is expresed as "Put new tires on the rear." However, it has also been expressed this way: "Best tires go on the rear. and they leave it to you to determine what "best" means.

This is not a "mandate", more of an advisory However, certain tire shops may have operating rules to that effect - you know, "follow the rules, or you will be terminated" sort of thing.

I'm hoping I don't have to explain the rationale behind the "rule of thumb", so I am going to concentrate on some of the nuances.

Let's take a scenario where the vehicle is a FWD - those wear the front tires much more rapidly than the rears. If the tires are rotated every 5K to 8K, the difference in tread depth front to rear is not enough to worry about.

But if the tires aren't rotated until about the 20K mark, there's enough of a difference in wear than the front and rear tires are going to behave different. Perahaps this was what the tire shop was talking about?

But what if the tires are different speed ratings? Well, higher speed ratings are "better" so they would go on the rear.

What if the higher speed rated tires have more tread? Ah, this is where I fall back on the "You need to rotate your tires regularly to avoid this situation".

Is that helpful?

EdwinTheMagnificent · #10 06-11-2011, 07:43 AM

I was coming down from the mountains in Flagstaff in the rain when I discovered my front tires were badly worn. Why didn't I inspect them before leaving Illinois ? Youth, I guess.
Anyway, it was a scary greasy rollercoaster ride at 55 mph with 18-wheelers following way too closely and my knuckles white on the wheel. When I stopped in Kingman I asked a tire shop to rotate them front to rear and they gave me the same line. "Do it anyway", I told them. I think I understand their reasoning: in an emergency braking situation the bad rear tires may cause the car to spin (not a good thing). However, the other 99.99% of the time, the bad tires in the front are WAY more dangerous. Does anyone here agree with that ? These days,I inspect and rotate frequently , having learned the hard way.