Best tires for the Honda Pilot
Top picks across four categories for the Honda Pilot, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 255/60R18. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class; no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
Michelin
CrossClimate 2
UTQG 640 with a 60,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Honda Pilot owners.
Bridgestone
Alenza AS ultra
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Bridgestone
Alenza AS ultra 255/60R18
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Bridgestone
Blizzak DM V2
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Continental
CrossContact LX25
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Falken
Ziex CT60 A/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Yokohama
Geolandar H/T G056
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Uniroyal
Tiger paw touring A/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Lowest cabin noise
Best quiet
Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season Michelin CrossClimate 2 | Best budget Continental CrossContact LX25 |
|
|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | 640 | 740 |
| Mileage warranty | 60,000 mi | - |
| Cabin noise | 70 dB | - |
| Season class | all-season | - |
| Type | touring | - |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the honda pilot use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–2008 | 235/70R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2009–2011 | 245/65R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2012–2015 | 235/60R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2016–2022 | 245/50R20 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2023 | 255/60R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2024–2026 | 265/60R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the honda pilot
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 255/60R18; and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches SUV segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile; the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
SUV-specific tire models (CrossClimate, CrossContact, Defender LTX) have reinforced sidewalls designed for the chassis mass and often a wider tread for better wet traction at higher curb weight. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving; highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for honda pilot
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (73) · Sidewall (11) · Tread / Belt (9) · TPMS (4) · Spare Tire (2)
Reported across: 2003 – 2025 (17 years)
What owners described
Sidewall failure appears in 23% of these reports; about 1.5× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 75 reports covering every model year of the Honda Pilot that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewall failure | 23% | 15% | 1.5× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 15% | 20% | 0.7× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 11% | 9% | 1.1× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 9% | 8% | 1.1× |
| Pressure-monitoring (TPMS) fault | 4% | 2% | 1.7× |
| Premature or uneven wear | 3% | 1% | 2.1× |
Mileage at failure
37 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 18,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 2,200 and 79,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Honda Pilot. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
MICHELIN LTX MS 245/65R17. 61,000 MILE, 4 MONTHS TO 5 YEARS AFTER INSTALLED. FOUND SMALL CRACKS ON TREAD AND SIDEWALL BECAUSE OF DRY ROT. AND TIRES LOST PRESSURE QUICKLY. REMAINED 4/32" TREAD, BUT FEAR TO POTENTIAL DANGER. I'M IN OHIO, THE RUBBER SUPPOSE NOT TO DRY ROT SO QUICKLY. I CALLED MICHELIN CUSTOMER CARE, THEY SAID TIRES PASSED 60K WARRANTY. I MENTIONED THEM THAT THIS PROBLEM IS NOT RELATED TO MILLAGE, BUT TIME. I BELIEVE THAT THE PROBLEM IS MATERIAL THAT DRY ROTS TOO QUICKLY.
THE CONTACT OWNED A 2007 HONDA PILOT EQUIPPED WITH TOYO OPEN COUNTRY AT TIRES. THE TIRE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMALLY LOUD NOISE. THE VEHICLE LOST CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO TREES AND THE MEDIAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE BLEW OUT. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG; DEPLOYED, HOWEVER THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE AND LATER DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000 AND THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AIR CONTINUOUSLY LEAKED OUT OF ALL FOUR TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO COMMONWEALTH HONDA (6 COMMONWEALTH DR, LAWRENCE, MA) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM IN EACH WHEEL WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.
THE FOUR GOOD YEAR TIRES ON MY 2011 HONDA PILOT ARE DEFECTIVE (PREMATURE WEAR). THE DEALER RECOMMENDED I DISCUSS THE PROBLEM WITH MY LOCAL GOOD YEAR DEALER WHICH I DID. I WAS INFORMED BY GOOD YEAR THAT THE TIRES ON MY PILOT WERE SUBSTANDARD AND SAID THE REASON WAS HONDA HAD REQUESTED TIRES WITHOUT LONG-WEAR CAPABILITIES. OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP HAS OFFERED TO SELL MY NEW TIRES FOR OUR PILOT AT $140,00 EACH. THIS SITUATION STINKS AND I BELIEVE WOULD MAKE A GREAT CLASS ACTION SUIT. HOW MANY OTHERS ARE FACING THE PROSPECT OF HAVING TO PURCHASE NEW TIRES FOR THEIR PILOT DUE TO PREMATURE WEAR? WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO PAY $35,000 FOR A NEW PILOT WITH SUBSTANDARD, DEFECTIVE TIRES?
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Honda Pilot →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Honda Pilot?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Honda Pilot?
Does the Honda Pilot need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Honda Pilot?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-10-07.