ChrisnTammy

Hi All,

I need to put new tires on our RDX as we just hit 40k miles and winter is coming. At the same time we are thinking about changing out the stock rims to change things up a little bit.

It's my understanding the stock RDX wheels and tires are 18x8.5 and 235/55/18

I have a vague understanding of what this means but I don't understand if I'm limited to choices that exactly match these specs or not?

For instance I sort of like this wheel http://advantiwheel.com/specs/denaro-black.html but noticed it doesn't come in an 18.8.5 only 18 x 8 with different specs I'm not familiar with. They also make a 19x8.5 and 19x9.5 with different specs.

So is there one of these wheels that I should look at or discount this rim altogether? Can someone help me make sense of what I'm looking at and how I should think about this? I'm not against going to 19" wheel but I want the car to perform as intended and safety is of paramount importance as this vehicle transports 2 little ones

If it matters I want Conti DWS tires but they backordered so I'm honing in on the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza tires.

Thanks guys!

Chris

737 Jock

Chris, you might want to give more thought to what you are trying to accomplish with new wheels and tires.

A local shop or online store will be quite happy to show you a catalogue of what "fits" the RDX, and overjoyed to sell you something visually appealing. Then $1500 later, this approach may have a less than satisfactory outcome, when applied to the mission of family vehicle driven by the female marriage unit, with kids in back.

Wheels and tires are an integral part of suspension tuning and suspension tuning is a Rubik's Cube -- change orange and you have changed blue, yellow, etc. Size is only one consideration. In the RDX, you will definitely feel a change if you increase unsprung weight (bad) or decrease unsprung weight (good). It's also important to consider:

tire pressure sensor compatability
bolt pattern
center-bore size
hub centric rings
offset
back-spacing
caliper clearance
and wheel quality (gravity cast = poor, spun cast = good, forged = excellent).

I would suggest you do some research. This is a good place to start:

TireRack Tech Center

It's true; we see big chrome dubs on a '94 Impala and it seems to go OK, but those drivers have no safety and performance expectations at all. Conversely, the suspension tuning in the RDX is tight, performance focused and sensitive to changes . But there are great wheel and tire choices for it. Read up. Have fun

Acura604

2007-09 Acura RDX OEM 18" wheel specs:

18x7.5
+45 offset
5x114.3
center bore: 64.1

stock oem tire 235/55/18

ChrisnTammy

Thanks guys, looks like I had the numbers wrong of the stock wheels.

That is a lot to think about. This is our only car as we have the unique situation of both working from home, but my wife is the main driver of the car is she does most of the child transporting.

The wheel thing is definitely just for the looks, but I am definitely not wanting to adversely affect the performance of the car as we've been every happy with every aspect of it so far. I'll check out that link and try to get educated.

Any thoughts on the specific wheel I posted with a general performance all season tire (DWS. Alenza, etc)?

Thanks again!

Acura604

i played it safe as I was in a similar situation. I wasn't a big fan of the stock 18" rims..BUT i wasn't too sure about aftermarket rims either...SOOOO.. i stuck with genuine OEM rim options.

If i were to stay with the 18" size, i decided i would source out a set of TL a-spec 18" ebony chrome rims. They are perfect specs for rdx (might weigh a bit more)...and this ensured perfect fit.

Instead, i went with the oem 19" size...again, since they were an oem wheel upgrade option, they bolted on perfectly with absolutely no concerns of improper fitment / no need for hubcentric rings, etc.

ALso, i had the Dueler H/L Alenza 18" and they were very good.. fairly quiet, better than the michelin a/s...but not sure on snow performance as I sold them and equipped my 18" stockies with dedicated winter tires for the winter season.


check out a few of my posts:

18" a-spec inquiry:
https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-rdx-tires-wheels-suspension-362/18-spec-rims-rdx-834715/

19" oem rim upgrade photo gallery:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...2#post13360822

mrgold35

I went with the Conti DWS tires and RonJon Liquid Graphite Legend 18" rims. We don't get a lot of rain/snow weather in ABQ, NM. I went with the Conti for the long tread life, quiet ride, and when I do travel to rain/snow country for vacations.

http://ronjonwheels.com/wheels.html

I still had the OEM Michelin on for this pic...

ChrisnTammy

Thanks for the comments all! I'm so confused about what to do I may just get new tires and forget the wheels,lol

BigHatch

... Noooo!!! Don't forget the wheels!!!!

kenaki

I have had a lot of luck with tire rack for all of my cars. They also have a wheel/tire fitment section for your car in addition to reviews for all types of tires depending on your needs...EG dedicated Winter, Summer, All-Seasons, etc...Just keep in mind that All-Seasons are ok for any season but master of none.

ChrisnTammy

Back again

So I think I've decided that since the Conti DWS tires are out of stock everywhere I will most likely be going with the Pirelli Zero Nero All Season. They got the highest rating of any Ultra High Performance All Season on Consumer Reports this year.

But I'm still stuck on the wheels and had a question. How big of a deal is offset? If I go with 18" wheels do I need 18x7.5 with 45 offset in order to use the same sized tires I currently have? It's my understanding the stock 19" rims are 19x8 with 45 offset so same question there? Am I wrong in thinking I should ignore 18x8 rims wtih a 40 offset or even 19x8 rims with a 40 offset?

I understand what the numbers mean but when they aren't the same as what's on the car now or what's available stock I get confused as to whether or not things will fit

Thanks!

Chris

Mr Marco

The main reason for upgrading the wheels and tires should be weight. Less un-sprung weight mean a faster, better handling vehicle. You could run a hundred different wheels on the RDX, but if you choose one that weights 35lbs you will loose speed.

ChrisnTammy

Well order placed. Continental DWS 245/45/19 on TSW Mallory 5 19x8 40. Should get it all installed next week sometime hopefully.

rondog

iTrader: (1)

We are the ONLY company that makes wheels specifically for Honda and Acura, down to the perfect offset (32mm) and the hub centric center bore (64.1mm) to provide a vibration free ride and fender / brake clearance without the need for any special accessories like hub rings, spacers, adapters, etc. And the TPMS sensors work with our wheels same way they would with OEM wheels. Our wheels weights are consistently lighter than comparable OEM wheels while maintaining the same needed strength. Contact me for all your options and check out these links to see what's available for your car:

http://ronjonwheels.com/suv-gallery.html

http://ronjonwheels.com/wheels.html

http://ronjonwheels.com/discounts.html

ChrisnTammy

Thanks for everyone's advice in this thread it helped lead me to a good decision all around.

mrgold35

Looks pretty good with the rim and tire combo you have.

One thing I like about the DWS is you can rotate them front to back and left to right to increase the life of the tires. I've been very happy with this tire for both my TSX and RDX.

The only thing I've noticed is TPMS always shows about 3psi less than what a tire gauge or the air station at Discount Tire. I didn't pay that much attention when I had the Michelins, I just relied on TPMS. I don’t think the DWS has anything to do with that.

ChrisnTammy

Thanks! I asked them to put the RDX center caps on but they said they wouldn't fit, not sure if they even really tried. They all told me to black out the grill though,lol.

Fightnpuma

ChrisnTammy - Do you have an side shots of the vehicle? I would like to see what they look like regarding a complete side shot of your setup.