Replacing tires on Honda Element
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Don't know the answer to your question but it peaked my curiosity. I have a FWD Element.
If you do a search "replacing tires Honda Element AWD" there are a number of replies to the question. You might check on the Honda Element Owners Forum, lot's of informed members. The owner's manual is likely to have some information on the question. I looked for mine but I can't locate mine at the moment. You can download the owners manual from the web if you can't locate yours.
If you do a search "replacing tires Honda Element AWD" there are a number of replies to the question. You might check on the Honda Element Owners Forum, lot's of informed members. The owner's manual is likely to have some information on the question. I looked for mine but I can't locate mine at the moment. You can download the owners manual from the web if you can't locate yours.
It depends on how much of a difference there is. In general, keeping all the tread depths the same is best, and if you need to replace one tire, many tire stores can shave the new tire down to get the overall diameter the same.
Regardless, DT/DTD will have a good sale for Memorial Day, so if you can wait a month, you can get all four tires for not more than two would cost
Not just Elements, but AWD vehicles in general should have all tires replaced at once. The reason is a worn tire is slightly smaller in diameter and circumference than a new tire. So if you have two worn tires and two new tires on the same car, it's almost like having two different size tires. Different size tires spin at different RPMs at a given speed. If you always have your front wheels spinning at a slightly different RPM than the rear tires, it can damage the AWD system. All four wheels should more or less always spin at the same speed, except for very short periods of time, such as when you're going around a corner.
Buy Michelin tires. They are the greatest tires in the world!
Seriously-
You need to do a little more research. On a Subaru all tires have to be within 2/32 (I think) or damage can occur to the full time AWD system.
It all depends on how the AWD system is engineered.
Seriously-
You need to do a little more research. On a Subaru all tires have to be within 2/32 (I think) or damage can occur to the full time AWD system.
It all depends on how the AWD system is engineered.
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Subaru, AUDI and other FULL TIME AWD in witch all tires are driving ALL the time, suggest strongly that a circumference difference of 1/4 inch is the max allowed. For common tires sises that equates to a max of 2 to 3/32 inch difference in tread dept. I thought HONDA only uses a 2+2 set up, which means the front wheels drive until slipping is noticed and only then does any power transfer to the rear. Get HONAs recommendation for your vehicle. Ed
This is true BUT tire dealers exaggerate this to sell more tires.
Ask them how they handle a road hazard under warranty where one tire needs pro-rated fixing halfway through its wear. Will they give you one, two, or all four?
And they would happily sell you another brand of the same nominal size, or a redesign of the same brand that has a different revs per mile rating, to fix said road hazard.
Ask them how they handle a road hazard under warranty where one tire needs pro-rated fixing halfway through its wear. Will they give you one, two, or all four?
And they would happily sell you another brand of the same nominal size, or a redesign of the same brand that has a different revs per mile rating, to fix said road hazard.
On an element, no. That uses a "part time"system. Unless it detects slip, the rear end isn't coupled up
Originally Posted By: eljefino
This is true BUT tire dealers exaggerate this to sell more tires.
Ask them how they handle a road hazard under warranty where one tire needs pro-rated fixing halfway through its wear. Will they give you one, two, or all four?
And they would happily sell you another brand of the same nominal size, or a redesign of the same brand that has a different revs per mile rating, to fix said road hazard.
True-I bought 4 tires at a national tire chain for my wife's Subaru (which I will be getting rid of shortly). And they asked if I wanted the road hazard warranty. I explained to them I thought it was pretty much useless since all 4 tires would need to be replaced in the event of a total tire failure. To address your concerns don't have a plan for replacing all 4 so I declined their warranty. If they had such a plan for replacing all 4 tires on an AWD Subaru it would probably be cost prohibitive.
This is true BUT tire dealers exaggerate this to sell more tires.
Ask them how they handle a road hazard under warranty where one tire needs pro-rated fixing halfway through its wear. Will they give you one, two, or all four?
And they would happily sell you another brand of the same nominal size, or a redesign of the same brand that has a different revs per mile rating, to fix said road hazard.
True-I bought 4 tires at a national tire chain for my wife's Subaru (which I will be getting rid of shortly). And they asked if I wanted the road hazard warranty. I explained to them I thought it was pretty much useless since all 4 tires would need to be replaced in the event of a total tire failure. To address your concerns don't have a plan for replacing all 4 so I declined their warranty. If they had such a plan for replacing all 4 tires on an AWD Subaru it would probably be cost prohibitive.
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