Sport Tire Issues - Recommendations

jkohl613

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I have a 2018 Civic Sport Hatchback. First, I love this car but since I've owned it (summer of '19) I've blown at least one tire every six months on a pothole in my pothole-ridden city. My Sport came with 18-inch wheels and I have Continental SureContact tires (I think they came from the factory with this brand). I've even tried babying and driving extra carefully, and despite only leaving the house on average two times a week (I work from home) this is still happening. This week I popped two tires (both drivers side) on yet another pothole. I can not continue spending upwards of $300+ every time this happens, I'm exhausted. I'm looking for recommendations or advice.

The way I see it I have three options:

1) The tire brand is crap and maybe I need to try a different brand. Recommendations on good brands?

2) To deal with potholes I need more sidewall (Like my trusty '12 Mazda3) so I should look at getting wheels that would allow for a tire with more sidewall. From what I've heard more sidewall helps when it comes to potholes, I'll sacrifice handling and/or sportiness. I've also heard that I need the same bolt pattern, brake clearance, and (to not mess up my sensors) the same overall circumference. All of that hopefully with more common-sized/less expensive tires. Recommendations on wheels, tires, compatible sizes, or easy ways to figure out what will/won't work?

3) Fix the two tires and sell the car.
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casper

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I have a 2018 Civic Sport Hatchback. First, I love this car but since I've owned it (summer of '19) I've blown at least one tire every six months on a pothole in my pothole-ridden city. My Sport came with 18-inch wheels and I have Continental SureContact tires (I think they came from the factory with this brand). I've even tried babying and driving extra carefully, and despite only leaving the house on average two times a week (I work from home) this is still happening. This week I popped two tires (both drivers side) on yet another pothole. I can not continue spending upwards of $300+ every time this happens, I'm exhausted. I'm looking for recommendations or advice.

The way I see it I have three options:

1) The tire brand is crap and maybe I need to try a different brand. Recommendations on good brands?

2) To deal with potholes I need more sidewall (Like my trusty '12 Mazda3) so I should look at getting wheels that would allow for a tire with more sidewall. From what I've heard more sidewall helps when it comes to potholes, I'll sacrifice handling and/or sportiness. I've also heard that I need the same bolt pattern, brake clearance, and (to not mess up my sensors) the same overall circumference. All of that hopefully with more common-sized/less expensive tires. Recommendations on wheels, tires, compatible sizes, or easy ways to figure out what will/won't work?

3) Fix the two tires and sell the car.
Wow you have crap luck. I feel like the stock 18s are pretty low profile, but shouldn’t be making you pop a tire every 6 months. I’ve gone a whole year and have no issues. Maybe it’s the specific tire model, since mine came with ContiProContacts from the factory.

You can definitely downsize the wheel and increase the sidewall. Look at the dims for the stock EX wheel, since they come with 17” wheels. The rolling diameter should be equal, but I think they are 7.5” wide versus 8”. You can either find a used set of OEM 17x7.5or8s or find an aftermarket 17x8s that fits, up to you. Look for offsets as close to stock as possible to keep the suspension settings within spec.

Also do you check your tire pressure regularly? Non-properly inflated tires increase chances of blowout too.
 
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jkohl613

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Wow you have crap luck. I feel like the stock 18s are pretty low profile, but shouldn’t be making you pop a tire every 6 months. I’ve gone a whole year and have no issues. Maybe it’s the specific tire model, since mine came with ContiProContacts from the factory.

Also do you check your tire pressure regularly? Non-properly inflated tires increase chances of blowout too.
I do check my tire pressure regularly, I keep them at the recommended psi according to the sticker, I believe 35 upfront and 33 in the rear. And yeah I'm thinking it might be as simple as trying a different tire brand.
 

casper

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I do check my tire pressure regularly, I keep them at the recommended psi according to the sticker, I believe 35 upfront and 33 in the rear. And yeah I'm thinking it might be as simple as trying a different tire brand.
Yeah that would be my first thought. I know the Type R guys commonly downsize to 18” for practicality so I feel like it’s not outrageously low-profile. Also added some notes in my original reply about downsizing to 17” wheels.
 
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jkohl613

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Yeah that would be my first thought. I know the Type R guys commonly downsize to 18” for practicality so I feel like it’s not outrageously low-profile. Also added some notes in my original reply about downsizing to 17” wheels.
Thank you! Very helpful.
 

casper

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Thank you! Very helpful.
Sure thing. There are tons of posts on wheel set ups on here so people may not reply to this thread lol. Not that many threads specifically about downsizing to 17” though. Brake clearance is the only thing that *might* cause an issue, but I bet likely not, especially with stock brakes.

Also, Continental has some good tires too, despite your bad experience. A lot of folks here laud the Continental DWS-06+ for a great all-season tire choice for decent value.
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