2003 Honda Civic LX - suggestions

[y_p_w]

Wife's car. Right now she's on some worn down OEM Dunlop SP20 tires on one axle and crappola Nankang tires on another (replacement for two blown tires). Thinking maybe Pirelli P4 if on a budget or maybe Goodyear Assurance TripleTred if we splurge. These will be going on the factory steel wheels with covers.

For certain, the offerings aren't anything like what I find for my 2004 WRX. It's almost all touring style tires in the stock size.

 

[oilnoob425]

He he, welcome to the club. You got 185/70-14 size? If so I feel your pain there is absolutely nothing good out there in this size! You may try Firestone Affinity LH-30, I belive they come in your size. They were decent tire and very good in slush, but I guess it's not what you need in SF. Sumimoto HTR200 is what I have on now. They are not great but ok I guess. Ok wet and decent dry traction, bad hydroplaning when slightly worn. Not worst choice for the money, but get something better if you have a better alternative because they are not as performance as they claim, combination of mediocre sidewall and decent dry traction. I was able to take round ramps on 50 MPH in summer, but that was the limit. What do you expect for 40 bucks a tire?

 

[CharBaby]

195-65-14(23.98 overall diameter) will give the car some performance edge and a better looking tire over the 184-70-14(24.19 overall diameter). This size will fit comfortably on your Civic without changing the wheel size and will only change the speedometer reading about 1%. Every 2/10's of an inch change in overall diameter(either up or down) only effects the speedometer about 1% and this is called plus sizing. 1% at 60 mph is only .6 mph speedometer error and that nothing. In the case of your Civics', you both will be plus sizing the width of the tire and not the wheel as is usually the case. There are quite a few tire manufactures listing this size tire. A search will find both of you a reasonable choice. Realize though, that in all size tires, that some do run a bit wider than others(like shoes and jeans) and others run narrower. Look for the ones that look great on your ride. I like tires that run wider. It just looks better.

 

[oilnoob425]

What difference does it make how they look? It's all about function and not about looks. I noticed a lot of people, so called "car enthusiasts", concerened with looks a lot more(oversized wheels-skinny tires), than with actual function and performance. I once seen Camaro on 22's, that was degrading. Besides it's a Civic, not a Ferrari.

 

[The Critic]

Skips Tire and Auto Centers in the Bay Area are currently running a promo. Buy three, get one free Michelin tires. Free installation as well.


Costco also has a 60 off per set of Michelins or BFGs. They stock a BFG Premier Touring tire for $62.99/each for your car. With the 60-off special, you can get a new set of tires for about $200 out-the-door. Costco includes install costs in all of their prices.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
195-65-14(23.98 overall diameter) will give the car some performance edge and a better looking tire over the 184-70-14(24.19 overall diameter). This size will fit comfortably on your Civic without changing the wheel size and will only change the speedometer reading about 1%. Every 2/10's of an inch change in overall diameter(either up or down) only effects the speedometer about 1% and this is called plus sizing. 1% at 60 mph is only .6 mph speedometer error and that nothing. In the case of your Civics', you both will be plus sizing the width of the tire and not the wheel as is usually the case. There are quite a few tire manufactures listing this size tire. A search will find both of you a reasonable choice. Realize though, that in all size tires, that some do run a bit wider than others(like shoes and jeans) and others run narrower. Look for the ones that look great on your ride. I like tires that run wider. It just looks better.


Agreed. My 91 BMW 318i has 195/65/14 tires, and I run 185/70/14 snow tires on there with no issues and great success.

There are quite a few decent 195/65/14 tires.

JMH

 

[CharBaby]

y_p_w

Hope this information was of some use to you.

 

[Brett Miller]

I would recommend Michelin Harmony.

 

[y_p_w]

Thanks a bunch guys.

May just end up going to Costco and seeing if they have a better price than Big-O. Right now the BFG Traction-T/A seems like a decent option. Not sure about the Premier Touring. My dad got that on his Buick, and I think it's a Costco exclusive.

I'm probably not going to plus size. I remember when I had a lot more choices for a 1989 Acura Integra. That 195/60R14 size had a lot of choices from OK to downright awesome. The Dunlop D60M2 was an incredible tire for its time.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I have BFGoodrich Touring 195-65-14s on my Civic. They're great so far. They seem to be quieter than the OEM Dunlops that were replaced.

 

[Finklejag]

What about the Kumho Power Star 758? They have a Treadwear grade of 400, an A for traction and temp, plus a 50,000 mile warrenty. They been getting good reviews on the a couple tire sites.

 

[Mr Nice]

Finklejag,

I bought 4 Kumho Power Star 758 tires from Tire Rack about 6 months ago and had them installed on my mom's 2001 Civic LX at a local tire shop. They are really great tires for the money and are MUCH better than the original OEM Firestone tires.

I think I paid $35 per tire for her Honda. I won't allow my mom to take her car to any tire shop cause they will sell her the most expensive tire.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Try these: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Hankook&model=Mileage+Plus+GT+H707

I had them on my old Altima, plus they have a 100,000 mile warranty. Extremely long tread life. Not the greatest grip in the world but it's good for a daily driver. They're rated as all-season but I found them kinda poor in the snow. But since you live in San Francisco you won't have to worry about that. They have them in your size and on closeout too.