[carlahancock]

In other threads, several people have raised concerns about 20" wheels being standard on the Passport. I'd encourage anyone who is seriously interested in the Passport, and who feel that the 20" wheels won't meet their needs to reach out to Honda. It may not help, although if enough people complain, they might do something for a later model year (yes, I'm an optimist). It certainly can't hurt, though. You can reach out on https://automobiles.honda.com/information/customer-relations . The form asks for a VIN, but that's optional, you don't need to be a current owner.

If they respond to my inquiry, I'll update my post.

 

[daniellevazquez]

Have we been able to determine if there will be any issues in with fitment on smaller rims? I believe 2018 Pilot's had an 18' option.

 

[kristy75]

You will be able to put rims as small as 17”

 

[alananderson]

At best we might see this happen on a dealership level instead of from factory.

 

[kristy75]

Agreed ^^^^^^^
It would look tough with a big set of mud /offroad tires on 17" rims.

 

[carlahancock]

Hopefully anything that fits the Pilot will fit the Passport (waiting for someone else to try first ) -- but I'm hoping for a factory or at least dealership option to help reduce cost. Seems rather annoying to have pay a lot extra to "downgrade".

 

[josechaney]

Seems rather annoying to have pay a lot extra to "downgrade".

I agree.

 

[aliciabarnes]

The 20" wheel on the Passport just doesn't make any sense to me... unless Honda was going to put in some insanely large monster brake rotors that need the clearance - but they haven't done that.

I've inquired with Honda on other wheel size options but haven't received a response.

Wish someone at Honda would have read this article: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15130598/upsized-wheels-tires/

 

[josechaney]

I'm not going to pay extra for different wheels. Anyone find the perfect vehicle yet?

 

[dpatterson]

I'm not going to pay extra for different wheels. Anyone find the perfect vehicle yet?

I would imagine a dealer might be able to swap for smaller wheels off of another Pilot or Ridgeline on the lot. You get smaller wheels, they get a Pilot/Ridgline with the "fancy" 20" wheels that they can charge somebody extra for later.

 

[xschaefer]

I don’t see an issue with 20’s other than them putting crappy branded tires on it from factory like most new cars. My ‘17 CRV tires only lasted 23k.

Also, The Pilot Touring/Elite has 20’s too.

The look of the Passport would suffer if 18’s were put on I feel. Let’s see how it rides first too.

 

[josechaney]

I would imagine a dealer might be able to swap for smaller wheels off of another Pilot or Ridgeline on the lot. You get smaller wheels, they get a Pilot/Ridgline with the "fancy" 20" wheels that they can charge somebody extra for later.

This is something Honda should offer. I shouldn't have to negotiate for it at the dealership.

 

[carlahancock]

If they respond to my inquiry, I'll update my post.

Honda got back to me today after I submitted a question on the website (first post on this thread). Response pretty much as expected:

"Thank you for allowing Honda Automobile Customer Service the opportunity of responding to your message. Unfortunately, the 2019 Honda Passport will come standard with 20-inch alloy wheels and tires on all trims. This information is available at www.hondanews.com. We are sorry to hear that this may affect your decision to purchase a Honda passport. Thank you for contacting us and have a great rest of your day.

Kind regards,
Honda Automobile Customer Service"

I find it amusing that amusing that Honda itself states "Unfortunately, the 2019 Honda Passport will come standard with 20-inch alloy wheels."

 

[xschaefer]

Honda got back to me today after I submitted a question on the website (first post on this thread). Response pretty much as expected:

"Thank you for allowing Honda Automobile Customer Service the opportunity of responding to your message. Unfortunately, the 2019 Honda Passport will come standard with 20-inch alloy wheels and tires on all trims. This information is available at www.hondanews.com. We are sorry to hear that this may affect your decision to purchase a Honda passport. Thank you for contacting us and have a great rest of your day.

Kind regards,
Honda Automobile Customer Service"

I find it amusing that amusing that Honda itself states "Unfortunately, the 2019 Honda Passport will come standard with 20-inch alloy wheels."

Unfortunately, meaning to your dismay

 

[xschaefer]

Yep, just went on tirerack.com and according to them, the Continental Crosscontact LX SPORT is the stock tire.

What a POS tire! 480 treadwear. Why does Honda use these shitty tires all the time? You’d be lucky to get 20k on them.

 

[dpatterson]

As far as I know the only way Honda ever lets you choose a different wheel/tire than standard is as a dealer-installed accessory. That's the best case here, an official option in the build tool that lets you choose an 18" wheel as an accessory, but you'll be paying extra for those and then it's up to you to sell your 20" wheels or try to get the dealer to give you credit for them.

I think since most non-offroad people think of 20" wheels as an upgrade it won't be too hard to get a dealer to swap wheels as an even trade. I don't really see how this is any worse than being able to order it from Honda this way since basically every option on a modern Honda (other than trim and color) is dealer-installed anyway.

 

[josechaney]

Unfortunately, the 2019 Honda Passport will come standard with 20-inch alloy wheels and tires on all trims.

Well, they got the "Unfortunately" part right.

 

[blankenshiplaura]

I'm not happy about the weight and tire costs of 20" wheels. But I'm hoping that improvements in shock and suspension technology can help manage the detriments to ride quality. Big wheels improve vehicle appearance, which in turn drives sales and profits. So I'll go out on a limb and say that Honda (and other manufacturers) do take steps to counter the negative impact of low-profile-tire ride quality. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Lexus LS come with 50-series tires and I know I wouldn't have to kick them out of the garage for poor ride quality. I'm anxious for test drive reviews of the Passport.

 

[aarondixon]

I'll reserve judgement until I see the professional test drive reviews as well. I did have 20" tires/rims on our Venza and never took it off road and it drove like a bus, but I always attributed it to the fact that it was a big-heavy SUV mated to a Camry platform..

 

[barajasbarbara]

Hi Guys, Glad to see that others have the same concern. I just submitted the following letter to Henio Arcangeli (Senior Vice President, Automobile Sales Division General Manager, Honda Division American Honda Motor Co., Inc.). I should have also mentioned that it would be good if they offer the same 18" wheels as are available on the Pilot and Ridgeline, that they also be black aluminum alloys to match the OE wheels on the Passport. Anyhow, here's my letter. I'll let you know if I get an answer from Honda.
---

To: Henio Arcangeli, Jr.
Senior Vice President, Automobile Sales Division General Manager, Honda Division American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Dear Mr. Arcangeli,

We have been an all-Honda household for the past 15 years. I am very excited about your soon-to-be-released 2019 Honda Passport. However, one issue could be a dealbreaker for me. On the 2019 Passport, I see that the Sport and EX-L will have 245/55R-20 tires while the Touring and Elite will have 265/45R-20. These not at all suited for even mild offroading. It would be far preferable if you would offer the same wheels and tires as those that come with the 2019 Pilot and Ridgeline, namely 245/60R-18. Better yet, you could offer all-terrain tires as options on the 2019 Sport and EX-L models. If you did that, it would be a no-brainer purchase for me, and I believe this would also appeal to many other people.

Please let me know if you would consider making these wheel and tire choices available as factory-installed options on the 2019 Passport.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely, Curt K