Photography by Tim Suddard
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 travelling through hurricane-ravished Perry, Florida. We think we hit some debris while driving in the rain.
All we could find locally was a Landsail replacement. It got us home but, as the fronts were nearing the end of their lifespan, we opted for a whole new set of tires upon our return.
The Ridgeline originally came with Firestones. We then ran Falkens before going to the Yokohamas. While happy with the Yokohamas, we decided to go back to the Falkens as we work closely with the company.
A friend at Falken suggested the ZIEX CT60 A/S. The tire seemed reasonably priced at $197 each at Tire Rack while getting good reviews. This model is designed for crossover SUVs, which our Ridgleine could be loosely categorized as.
This model comes in 16-to-22-inch rim diameters, with Falken noting that it covers many popular applications: Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Edge, Honda CR-V, Kia Sorento, Subaru Outback, Toyota RAV4 and others.
We found the ZIEX CT60 A/S tire to offer good handling and, perhaps more importantly, a smooth and quiet ride, making it perfect for the long road trips.
Also on the recent to-do list: We replaced the timing belt and did a second brake job.
After six years, our Ridgeline looks and drive like a nearly new vehicle. Still, we are wondering when the new generation Ridgeline will be released. If we like it, we will buy one, and if not, we might pick up a newer version of the current mode–or just soldier on with the one that we currently have.
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
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