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I don't like not having a spare tire and was wondering if anyone has installed the spare tire kit with a full size tire on a MDX 2017. I have asked different dealers and have gotten different answers. Some say you can put a full size spare tire in the place where the donut is kept others say no. I would like to know if anyone that has a 2017 MDX has a full size spare tire. My tire size is 245/50R/20
The spare tire kit includes the key pieces you need - the cable/ratchet mechanism to hold the tire, and then the jack/tools to jack up the car. The kit has the temp spare wheel, and you need to buy the tire separately. If you want a full sized spare you need to source your own wheel and tire (eBay maybe).
Both my '17 and '19 were SH-AWD and had the spare tire already. But having spent time under the car to mount trailer hitches, I know that a full sized spare will fit with no problems. The diameter has plenty of room (as long as you stick to an OEM size tire/wheel), and the depth will have the tire lower so you an slightly see it from behind, but still high enough.
The issue you may have is if you have a trailer hitch. The OEM hitch seems like there's enough room to handle the full sized spare. Aftermarket hitches will state that a full sized spare may have issues as these tend to provide less space in the spare tire area.
In the last 25 years I have exactly ZERO flat tires. My last car the spare tire that came new is still there after 12 years. I juat dont see a real need for anything but a temp spare.
In the last 25 years I have exactly ZERO flat tires. My last car the spare tire that came new is still there after 12 years. I juat dont see a real need for anything but a temp spare.
I tend to agree. About the only situation I'd consider a full sized one is if I was towing something and had a flat that really needed a similar-load-rated tire, or if I was on the road a lot and would be impacted by having to wait for a tire repair/replacement away from my local area. I will require, however, my cars at least have a temp spare to get going again. I've had a couple of times over the decades of driving when I had sidewall damage that the tire sealing kit wouldn't help with. So with the wife's RLX I did get the spare tire kit for that reason......
I live out west with posted interstate speeds of 75 to 80 mph. I usually keep my vehicles +150,000 miles with several aftermarket tires (love the Conti DWS 06). Very difficult to maintain hwy speeds with a donut spare if I'm +4 hours from home. Depending on the time of year, it can take days to months for replacement tire(s) because of availability. Ordered 4 replacement Conti DWS 06 for my 08 RDX in Oct and they arrived in Dec. Life is way easier having a full size spare either under my 11 and 19 MDX or in my garage for my 06 TSX or 08 RDX.
The first thing I did with my 19 MDX was order the spare tire kit, order a 20" rim on ebay, and get an OEM tire (no TPMS sensor). Everything fit perfectly and I feel a lot better knowing I'm ready for what usually causes me issues on my travels in and out of town.
This might be a dumb question, but I've never had to deal with a spare tire mounted underneath a car before (lots of sedans for me!). Is that cable hoist the only thing supporting the spare tire when it's mounted underneath? Are there any additional brackets that get installed that help support the spare? I really need to finally get a spare with the amount of road trips we take, but I'm just trying to make sure I know what I'm doing come installation time.
It is just a single cable hoist securing the spare tire against the underside of the MDX. You use the tools for the jack to lower/raise the spare tire from inside the hatch storage area. I've have a full size spare on my 11 MDX since 2014 (put +120,000 miles with full size spare) and added the full size spare to my 19 MDX. I've had zero issues with cable hoist or needing to re-tq the cable over time. I also have air compressor, 6X8 tarp, gloves, flashlight, and tq wrench I toss in the rear if I need them to change a flat.
Having dealt with a flat on my 2014 MDX over Thanksgiving on I-295 north of Richmond VA, I can tell you the full size (flat) fits neatly in the spare tire well, by design, so a full-size spare is almost certainly a viable option. And I certainly pondered that because the donut did not make me feel all that stable at highway speeds, since I had to drive another several hours to get to my NC destination so I could get the tire patched the next day. I plan to keep the car for a number of additional years (only has 65K miles) so I am considering the full size spare.
We purchased a 2017 MDX two years ago. My wife hit a pot hole in the city recently, and it pierced the side wall of the tire. I went to put spare on and noticed that her MDX didn't have one. I drive a Honda Pilot (2010). I tried putting my spare onto her car and thankfully it worked. However, for instances like this in the future...we need a spare. Dealer is trying to charge $650 for the spare tire kit, which includes the donut rim and tire. However, I would prefer a full spare. We have an extra 20 inch tire at home that came when we purchased the car that is fairly new. I was thinking of getting a 20in rim + the spare tire kit. But, everywhere I call (except the dealer) says that the part is back-ordered. Any wisdom on how to get this ASAP?
We purchased a 2017 MDX two years ago. My wife hit a pot hole in the city recently, and it pierced the side wall of the tire. I went to put spare on and noticed that her MDX didn't have one. I drive a Honda Pilot (2010). I tried putting my spare onto her car and thankfully it worked. However, for instances like this in the future...we need a spare. Dealer is trying to charge $650 for the spare tire kit, which includes the donut rim and tire. However, I would prefer a full spare. We have an extra 20 inch tire at home that came when we purchased the car that is fairly new. I was thinking of getting a 20in rim + the spare tire kit. But, everywhere I call (except the dealer) says that the part is back-ordered. Any wisdom on how to get this ASAP?
You can try one of several online parts stores. Lacking that call a local wrecking yard and ask them to do a net call for the parts from a wreck. Make sure you ask them to include a 20 inch wheel.
They are both 20" spare tire kit, why would one be designated for technology vs advance ?
Aren't their tire size and lug pattern (5x120) the same anyway?
I'm in the same situation trying to get the spare tire kit for my '19 hybrid advance. My dealership said it's backordered and I called Bernardi Acura, who said the same thing. However, they suggested I order it since if they're getting released slowly, I'll at least be on a waitlist to get mine. I went ahead and placed the order today (the part # ending in a61), so I'll post an update if/when I receive it! I'm not too worried about it taking a few weeks, but I really want to have it by the spring when we have some road trips planned.
I also don't see what could be the difference in those part numbers if they're all the same wheel size, but I didn't want to take any chances.
They are both 20" spare tire kit, why would one be designated for technology vs advance ?
Aren't their tire size and lug pattern (5x120) the same anyway?
The only difference between the two kits is the door sticker they provide with the tire information. The tech’s come with 8” wheels and the Advance models have 8 - 1/2” wheels with different size tires. The new sticker also includes information on the spare tire info.
So after all the talk from several dealers saying the spare tire kit (ending in a61) was on backorder, mine officially arrived today, just a week after ordering it. I ordered it through Bernardi. If anyone else is looking to purchase this kit, I'd say just go ahead and hope for the best.
Hi, question for mrgold35,
i am currently getting this done on my 16 mdx advance. I have the rim and i was debating to buy a tpms sensor and i see that you didn't, is it because is going to throw off the other ones? if no tpms sensor then just install a regular one? thank you.
I would add a TPMS sensor if I was planning to do a 5 tire rotation to have longer treadwear and even tire wear with sh-awd. Probably need to make sure the spare TPMS sensor is away from the rear tires (like position spare tire TPMS sensor near the rear hitch area). TPMS on the spare would come in handy if you travel a lot and might be out of town (or towing) and it might be a while before you can fix/replace the flat. I would keep a good hand gauge in the MDX for a double-check of the TPMS to ensure it is reading the right tires. I would also over inflate the spare to around +40 PSI so you don't have to check it monthly AND you would know right away if the M.I.D. is reading the wrong tire.
I decided against TPMS on my full size spare because the most I've gone waiting for a replacement tire was about 3-4 days with Discount Tires.
I never had an issue with my sh-awd Acura with a donut spare before switching to full size spares. I had to use my donut spare on my RLX hybrid 2 days after purchase and had traction, ACC, LKAS, and CMBS errors in the M.I.D. a few times when waiting for my replacement tire. I glad I went with a full size spare on the MDX hybrid to hopefully avoid the same issue I had with the RLX donut.
I would add a TPMS sensor if I was planning to do a 5 tire rotation to have longer treadwear and even tire wear with sh-awd. Probably need to make sure the spare TPMS sensor is away from the rear tires (like position spare tire TPMS sensor near the rear hitch area). TPMS on the spare would come in handy if you travel a lot and might be out of town (or towing) and it might be a while before you can fix/replace the flat. I would keep a good hand gauge in the MDX for a double-check of the TPMS to ensure it is reading the right tires. I would also over inflate the spare to around +40 PSI so you don't have to check it monthly AND you would know right away if the M.I.D. is reading the wrong tire.
I decided against TPMS on my full size spare because the most I've gone waiting for a replacement tire was about 3-4 days with Discount Tires.
Thanks i would just get it without it, i take mine to americas tire and it is fast there.
I live out west with posted interstate speeds of 75 to 80 mph. I usually keep my vehicles +150,000 miles with several aftermarket tires (love the Conti DWS 06). Very difficult to maintain hwy speeds with a donut spare if I'm +4 hours from home. Depending on the time of year, it can take days to months for replacement tire(s) because of availability. Ordered 4 replacement Conti DWS 06 for my 08 RDX in Oct and they arrived in Dec. Life is way easier having a full size spare either under my 11 and 19 MDX or in my garage for my 06 TSX or 08 RDX.
The first thing I did with my 19 MDX was order the spare tire kit, order a 20" rim on ebay, and get an OEM tire (no TPMS sensor). Everything fit perfectly and I feel a lot better knowing I'm ready for what usually causes me issues on my travels in and out of town.
So what did you do with the rim that came with the kit? Just to confirm, a normal size rim will work with the kit? Looking at doing this on my wife’s 2020 base model.
I am assuming those of you who have the full size spare did the kit installs yourselves? Degree of difficulty for someone who is somewhat of a do it yourselfer?
I am assuming those of you who have the full size spare did the kit installs yourselves? Degree of difficulty for someone who is somewhat of a do it yourselfer?
on a scale of 1-10 I'd rate it a 0. IIRC there are about 3 bolts to install to mount the carrier and jack. If you can check your oil you can install the spare tire assembly. You don't even need to raise the rear of the car, you can get access to the mounting points by sliding under the car.
09-20-2019, 07:56 AM
