Hi all,
I've been recently searching for a set of summer wheels in my off-time. I've seen a lot of people running square setups whether it be 19x9.5 or even 20x10 but I was wondering if anyone has ever ran a staggered setup such as 19x8.5/9.5? Being from the Golden Era of Hondas, I've found myself gravitating towards that style of wheel. I've found a lot of used staggered setups and was wondering if there's any cons to running this type of setup and if there are any pros especially with the SH-AWD system.

 

You can run staggered wheels, however, you're going to want to run the same size tire all around, which tends to look funky on staggered setups. Most AWD systems don't play nicely with staggered fitment, unless they came that way from the factory (like the GT-R). I come from a 90s Honda background as well (I think we follow each other if you have the same name on IG), and I had a hell of a time finding used sets of square fitment wheels that I liked and that fit the RDX. I ended up buying new, because I couldn't find anything suitable used. Definitely a different beast than hunting down golden era Honda wheels lol.

 

Yeah, we do follow each other on IG, haha. I figured there wouldn't be very many pros to running a staggered setup with the AWD system in the RDX. I've been finding staggered setups from the late 90's/early 00's like Work VS-XX and Volk GTC's but unfortunately they're usually an 8.5/9.5 setup. It definitely is a different beast finding wheels for this platform as opposed to golden era hondas. Luckily, winter is just setting in here in the PNW and I've got some time to try and find something that will give me the look that I'm going for. I appreciate your input!

 

if you have a reputable wheel shop you trust, try looking at Audi/VW wheels as well. They have a good amount of AWD models, and with their bolt pattern of 5x112, its super close to 5x114, and a good wheel shop can machine new inserts for the conversion and you'll hardly be able to tell.

When I was first looking, I had found a set of 19x9/10 GT-Ps for sale, but just couldn't justify the additional cost of doing a 3-piece conversion to make them 19x10 square. The fronts were high disc for bbk clearance as well.

I do like the lighter wheels I went with however, since this car is a bit hefty already.

 

Yeah, going with a lighter set of wheels was one of the main points in my search. I'll be keeping the stock wheels for winter duties. I guess I'll keep looking for a square setup in the 19-20 range.

 

Are you thinking wider wheel/rim combo in the rear or front? The RDX is mostly fwd and having wider tires on the rear might only add to the look compared to handling/performance benefits. It might look a little off with the wider wheel/rim on the fronts. I picked the same size of non-directional ultra high performance all seasons (Conti DWS 06) on my 08 RDX tech so I can rotate/X-rotate to get +35,000 miles of treadwear over +3 years. I stopped using directional tires starting with my 06 TSX Aspec because of rear camber issues all Acura's seemed to have and excessive wear/less tread life when hitting the curves pretty hard on the driver's side wall edges.

 

I was thinking the rear for the wider wheel, but I think I'm just going to search for a square setup. I used to have the DWS 06+ on my FK8 and they were a great daily tire. As the wheels that I'm looking for will be for the spring/summer time, I'll probably go with a summer performance tire as opposed to an all-season performance. While I won't be driving the car aggressively in the curves, it'll be nice to have more grip with a summer performance tire.

 

I had the OEM size 18" Conti DWS 06, Eibach lowering springs, and Progress RSB on my 08 RDX (ETS intercooler, Hondata reflash, heat shield gasket, K/N air filter), . I really liked that combo for a good balance of performance, all weather handling for up to 3 winters, excellent rain traction, long tread life, and lower road noise. Just wasn't worth it for me having a summer/winter set living in the southwest with warmer temps +45 degrees F avg in winter and only 7-9 inches of rain/snow all year.

I would still compare the summer performance to the Conti DWS 06+ for:
- tread life (lower tread life might cost more $$ overall if you drive +10,000 miles a year)
- wet traction
- road noise
- if summer tire is directional or non-directional (non-directional works best with rotation/X-rotation for reduced road noise, more even tire wear, and lasting longer)
- braking performance
- replacement tire for non-repairable flats (it sometimes took a week or more for a replacement Conti DWS 06 during fall/winter)

Side Note: I had aftermarket RonJon Legacy liquid graphite rims. Most aftermarket rims come with taper/conical lugs and Acura uses ball (rounded) lugs. I had to keep a set of Acura ball lug in the hatch with my OEM spare tire.

 

I live in the PNW, so a set of winter wheels is needed. Being that we only get around 3.5 months of pure sunshine up here, a set of dedicated wheels for the spring summer months will be a nice change during that time. I am quite familiar with taper/conical vs ball lugs. I switch wheels quite frequently on my golden era Em1, as I have 7 sets of wheels lol.

 

I lived in Tacoma for +5 years and my kids live there now (son Vancouver/WA, daughter in Portland). Plenty of trips in summer or winter and it can get pretty bad with summer rain and winter snow in that area. Traffic is so congested and usually bumper-to-bumper at all hours every time I'm in Portland, Vancouver, or in Tacoma/Seattle (Going to be in Portland/Vancouver this weekend). Not sure I would get much benefit from a summer tire if I had my RLX Sport Hybrid or MDX Sport Hybrid there the entire summer with that traffic?

 

Traffic is usually bad in any major city, so I guess I can see your reasoning regarding a summer tire. While traffic can be bad in the Tacoma area, it's definitely not to the scale of Portland since they've completed a lot of work in the past few years. Plus, I have reverse commute (south in the am/north in the pm) and I mostly stick to a 30 mile radius of my house so it isn't terrible. Having a dedicated spring/summer set of wheels will allow me to put winter tires on the OEM wheels and use those when the weather turns. While I initially mentioned a summer performance tire, a performance all-season is probably more logical since Spring & Fall can bring a lot of rain and having something like a Michelin Pilot Sport or Bridgestone Potenza will not be beneficial in the wet weather. Maybe the DWS 06+ is the way to go.

 

I currently have a performance all season on my RDX, and recently hit up The Tail of the Dragon (I'm in East TN). Even though I'm running pretty wide 275/40R19s, I definitely could have used the extra grip a summer tire has to offer, as I was squealing tires the whole way up. Gonna stick with the all seasons through winter, and then come spring swap out to a Summer tire. Will probably continue to swap them yearly....I can run summer rubber from about April-November, then swap over to my all seasons in late fall/winter. Another thing, all seasons have much softer sidewalls than summer tires, so not only is the grip level affected, but the handling feel and feedback through the steering wheel is definitely noticeable. I will always swap to summer tire if possible whenever the weather permits.

I've also driven on 200tw summer tires in heavy rain without issue when I lived in CA (which also has terrible designed roads for rain). As long as its not super cold, many summer tires are still decent in the wet. Just know their limits and drive accordingly. Below 40 degrees is where the summer rubber gets hard and a bit sketchy.


Your tire options obviously differ based on wheel sizing, but I'm planning on getting Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric in 285/40R19 for summer. Fairly affordable, and they are one of the best tires in their category (on par or better than Pilot Sport 4S), both in the wet and dry. And at 240tw its grippy, but not a full 200tw more track oriented tire. Hopefully should make a huge improvement when hit up the Dragon next year again.