Stock wheels are the best

[GurinderM]

Am I the only person in the world that the stock wheel and tire set up on the R is the best?

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[princeRS]

whats great about a 30lb 20” wheel and a mediocre tire?

 

[GraphiteAZ]

Are the best.....

At bending from a slight bump.

At being overly narrow with being giant.

 

[GurinderM]

The way that Honda set up this vehicle was on stock rims and tires and it’s definitely a part of why it’s so good

 

[GraphiteAZ]

The way that Honda set up this vehicle was on stock rims and tires and it’s definitely a part of why it’s so good

Then why use different tyres to set the Suzuka and Nurburgring records?

 

[chattanoogaR]

Sexiest 20's on the market.

 

[princeRS]

Sexiest 20's on the market.

debatable

 

[TheCanadian]

I've hit some nuclear bone jarring potholes and mine are fine. I'm keeping them as a daily tire for sure. I love the look of them and the feel that comes with it.

If I ever start tracking the car through I'll get a second set of 18"'s to avoid the sidewall rollover/chunking + $$$$$$$ of 20 inch rubber.

 

[jlamb30]

whats great about a 30lb 20’ wheel and a mediocre tire?

I didn’t know production vehicles came with 20 foot wheels. ??‍

 

[dwag0588]

I get the criticism of the factory wheel size. It just isn’t practical in places where the roads aren’t perfect. The factory tire itself is actually a pretty great street tire. High grip levels, fantastic wet grip, low road noise. Only downsides are the wear rate and the cost.

 

[haltamer]

I do feel like the standard Conti6's get unfairly bashed.

They are very bad in the cold (esp. cold & wet), and they don't last long.

But dynamically, and in dry grip, they're fantastic. - There's scientific evidence to back the fact, all carried out on the CTR too: https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2019-Sport-Auto-20-Inch-UHP-Tyre-Test.htm

I went to a set of 255/35/20 PS4S, and although they lasted well and were vastly better in the cold, they were very understeer balanced and left the handling feeling rather boring -The car lost its enjoyable neutrality and lift-off turn in (And oversteer )

Now on a set of Cup2's in 255/35/20, and they're much better than the PS4S - They've got the same character as the Conti6's, which is saying rather a lot for the Conti6's performance, considering the focus of the Cup2s.

As for the factory wheels; They're chocolate. I do wish there was an aftermarket ET60 option, as I'm a bit of a stickler for the standard offset. I've got 5, out of that 3 are bent. They look nice enough though, so no complaints there.

It's a shame the LE wheels are rocking horse droppings,if those were offered as an option set I'd be all over them.

 

[CTSteve]

Here we are again, the perpetual discussion about OEM wheels and tires:

I daily drive about 7500 miles or so per year. If you are going to track the car or do something else with it you want to put whatever wheels and tires on it that you think will be the best for what you want to do. At some point if you modify the car enough it becomes not a type R, but a type R platform. That’s an entirely different thing and this discussion becomes moot. In daily driving it’s hard to beat the OEM wheel and tire set up. If you just think it makes you look cool to have something different even though it may negatively affect performance, again, that’s your choice.

The issues:

Tire wear: It’s clearly stated on the window sticker that you should not expect more than about 10,000 miles from the Continental summer tires. If that’s a problem for you maybe should have looked at another car. There are alternatives in the 20-inch size that allegedly will give better wear and hopefully equal performance, but I like the way the Continentals feel. Once you get beyond the first set of tires if you stay with the 20-inch wheels, it becomes a matter of personal choice.

Appearance: I have never seen an aftermarket set up that looks better on the car, in person, or in the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of photographs that appear on the Civic X forum. The Honda designers knew what they were doing in that respect. Glitzy 18-inch wheels with a huge fat set of tractor tires on it for the winter, give me a break. I spent some bucks for a set of Pirelli winter tires of the OEM size, and they are doing well for me in terms of wear. Will I be able to afford that again after another, fourth, winter season? That remains to be seen. If you are in a year-round warm weather area it’s not an issue.

Unsprung weight: I assume that for the car as we normally daily drive it, the Honda engineers were smart enough to consider that even when they were cutting weight everywhere else in the car there was a reason for the relatively heavy wheels and that the total weight of the wheels and tires has something to do with getting the power to the ground, and with the way that the suspension is designed to function. Note that even with the recent improvements in the dampers, which I would dearly like to have, they have stuck with the original wheel/tire configuration, Maybe you’re smarter than they are, but I’m not, feels really good to me.

Wheel and tire damage and cost: The skinny tires don’t protect the wheels well, however if you live in a civilized area where the roads are properly maintained, and you keep your eyes open that’s not going to be an issue. I lost one winter tire to a pothole, sliced the side wall, but it didn’t damage the wheel. For me, the solution to wheel damage, if it ever happens, is to own multiple sets of wheels. Others remove their OEM wheels and tires and sell them off at low prices to cover the cost of doing something else. I now have three sets of wheels and three sets of summer tires that I got on the Internet at less than the cost of the tires alone. If I bung a wheel, not very likely, I have replacements , and I also have relatively low-cost tire replacements to deal with the wear issue. Someday when I go through those, I might go with something like a set of Michelin’s, which are reputed to give better wear and equal performance, however, not for now.

 

[NapalmEnema]

I love the stock setup myself as well, though I did take the plunge and got a set of the Pilo Super SPort 4s and I really like them better than the Conti's and I push the car hard. I just got them a few days ago so may change my mind but so far I really like the change - Try them for a set after your next conti's wear out I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[CWNole95]

I would agree with you if you’re referring to the LE OEM wheels/Sport Cup 2 tires. Setup is ridiculous in a 20”. (Obviously, neither the Conti or Mich OEM rubber is a great choice for the winter.)

 

[gaara46]

i have 2 sets of stock wheels (one with oem contis still on) besides the 19s im rolling on. i love the big wheel/thin tire look that the stock setup has. its just the offset that kills me. wish they stuck out more stock, then i wouldnt have even switched em out.

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