Time for new tires for our Ridgeline–but which ones?

After six years and 125,000 miles of service, our 2018 Honda Ridgeline has only needed regular maintenance–and one transmission that, fortunately, was replaced under warranty.

Recently, though, it was time for new tires–this would be the fourth set.

We actually replaced them early because we blew out a Yokohama while towing back from an event. To be fair, we were …

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I put Falken Wildpeak AT Trails on my 06 Ridgeline. They have been outstanding tires both off and on the road. I run Falkens on just about everything. Tell the Falken guys to keep up the good work.

If you keep it, it probably has plenty of life left in it. My eldest is driving mine now and it just crossed 280k. 

Fallen 201s were the tire of choice for my Prius fleet.  I've bought more than 5 full sets over the years. Long wear, quiet and comfortable. 

I'm a big fan of the Michelin Defender LTX's for this type of use case. They're a great tire, I've run them on our Rav4, Odyssey, and Pilot for years.

In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :

I had good success with Michelin Defender LTX on the family hauler (Yukon XL), but the last set only went 45,000 miles. I was pretty disappointed given the premium price of the tire. 

We stick with highway terrains because that vehicle never does any serious off-roading, and we prefer the quiet ride when taking the family on vacation.

We put on a set of Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 which have good reviews and were a good price at Sams. 

Any compare/contrast with JG's Conti equipped trucklet?

2017 Owner here. Went with the Defender LTX since the contis equivalent had just come out and not much feedback was available yet.

In reply to JMcD :

JG actually has Maxxis Razr AT tires on his Toyota Tundra. 

Where Chris has the Falken Rubitrek A/T on his Nissan Frontier. 

Only 2 choices:

All Terrains - BFG All Terrain KO2 (or KO3), white letters out

Highway - Michelin Defender LTX

I have a designated offroad vehicle... Miata based of course.

The Ridgeline is a highway, tow vehicle, so I went as quiet as I could.

Despite what Margie tells me, my hearing is still quite good and I hate noisy all-terrain tires.

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Ah, thanks for the update. 
 

here's what I was trying to reference:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/too-good-to-be-true-tire-rack/193460/page1/#post3455962

The newer soft-road (On Road All Terrain) tires, like the Falken Wildpeak AT Trail, are actually pretty great. They have nearly as good of road manners as 'highway' all seasons, but have noticeably better inclement weather and off-pavement capabilities. Think of them as a useful blend of BFG KO and Defender LTX.

If using a CUV-like vehicle for more utilitarian purposes than commuting and school runs, like substantial towing on a semi-regular basis, I'm still a fan of sticking with a more utilitarian (truck) biased tires... Again, like the Defender LTX.

For the interested. The Wildpeak AT Trails I ran on the Ridgeline are a cross between an all-season and a true AT. They are as quiet as most all seasons and quieter than many of them. 

The Rubitrek are mid-way between the AT Trails and the Wildpeak AT3W. Quieter than the AT3W with a lighter carcass and better ride. Better off-road capability and stronger sidewalls than the AT Trail but not quite as rugged as the AT3W. I run the Rubitrek tires on the Touareg and love them. A little road noise is worth the ability to get off the main roads and see where the gravel leads. 

For better off-road performance, at the cost of a little road noise, the Wildpeaks AT3W is the tire to beat in the AT market. They are head and shoulders above the BFGs KO3. Better ride, quieter, and better off-road performance. I ran the AT3W tires on the Silverado, Suburban, and the XJ. I still have them on the Samurai and will be ordering a set for the Hummer as soon as I get tired of listening to the crap Generals that are on it now. 

None of these are necessary for a vehicle that never sees slick conditions but they can be a good option for vehicles that see mixed duty.  

In case you didn't notice, I am a firm believer in the Falken brand. I started using them because they were a cheap alternative. They aren't as cheap, but their quality and performance is still top-notch. 

Falken has been one of our longest and most loyal tire partners

The LTX is the go-to. I went with an alternative on my truck (some Kumho with a weird name) after wearing out two sets of LTXes and it's not as stable when towing. Should have spent the money for Michelins like I knew I should.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I gave up on Michelins when I was in my early 30s. That would have been around 1999 or so. Every tire in the last set I bought separated about halfway through the tread life. They haven't been on my shopping list since.                                                                                                                            

I ran Kuhmo tires for a while but like you didn't find them to be very confidence-inspiring. 

The best heavy-duty LT tire I've found is the Sumitomo Encounter HT2. In the proper size, they are rated at 3400 pounds. I ran them on the motorhome and they handled the loads extremely well even when towing a car trailer. Unsurprisingly, Sumitomo owns Falken. 

I've heard that Vitour Tempestatraasaateadas have the highest load ratings but without being so high that they would be considered a transport truck tire and they wear the best (but not suspiciously so) smell good and restore world peace.