Best tires for the Honda Prelude
Top picks across four categories for the Honda Prelude, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 235/40R19. 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.
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
UTQG 800 with a 80,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Honda Prelude owners.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
UTQG 820 with a 85,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Honda Prelude 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 Prelude owners.
Michelin
Defender 2
UTQG 800 with a 80,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Honda Prelude owners.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
820 UTQG with a 85,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
800 UTQG with a 80,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Hankook
Kinergy PT
800 UTQG with a 90,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Michelin
Defender 2
800 UTQG with a 80,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
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.
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
68 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Michelin
Defender 2
68 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Michelin
Pilot sport all season 4
69 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
70 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Cold-weather grip
Best winter
Dedicated winter or all-weather compounds that stay pliable below 7 °C. Necessary for >5 snow days a year.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack | Best budget Goodyear Assurance MaxLife | Best winter Michelin X-Ice Snow |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | 800 | 820 | - |
| Mileage warranty | 80,000 mi | 85,000 mi | - |
| Cabin noise | 68 dB | 70 dB | 71 dB |
| Season class | all-season | all-season | winter |
| Type | touring | touring | passenger |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the honda prelude 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1979–1982 | 175/70R13 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1983–1987 | 185/70R13 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1988–1991 | 195/60R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1992–1996 | 205/55R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1997–2001 | 205/50R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2025–2026 | 235/40R19 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the honda prelude
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 235/40R19; 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 passenger car 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.
For sedans and compacts, the all-season touring tire below is the best default; long warranty, low cabin noise, reasonable cost per mile. Switch to the quiet pick if highway droning is a deal-breaker; switch to the winter pick if you see significant snow each year. 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 prelude
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (9) · Tread / Belt (8) · Sidewall (3) · Spare Tire (1)
Reported across: 1981 – 1999 (8 years)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation is the most common description, in 25% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 12 reports covering every model year of the Honda Prelude 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 25% | 20% | 1.2× |
| Sidewall failure | 25% | 15% | 1.7× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 25% | 8% | 3.0× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 8% | 6% | 1.4× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 8% | 9% | 0.9× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Honda Prelude. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
CONSUMER BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN GOOD FAITH. WHILE DRIVING SHE NOTICED A FUEL SMELL. CONSUMER DIDN'T KNOW FROM WHERE SMELL WAS COMING AT THAT TIME. BRAKES WERE 75% FRONT AND REAR. TIRES WERE 50% THREAD AND MIXMATCHED. *AK THE VEHICLE HAS A DAMAGE FROM PREVIOUS MAJOR ACCIDENT AND FUEL TAND WAS REPLACED INCORRECTLY.
BOTH FRONT TIRES HAD TREAD SEPERATE FROM SIDEWALL ON THE ENTIRE INNER SIDE OF TIRE, SHOWING STEEL BELT. THE AUTO SHOP HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. THE TIRES WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON THE HONDA PRELUDE. THE TIRES WERE CORRECTLY INFLATED AND WERE SUBJECT TO NORMAL USE. THE TREADS ON THE TIRES WERE STILL IN GOOD CONDITION.
BULGE DISCOVERED ON RIGHT FRONT ORIGINAL TIRE. STEEL BELTS PROTRUDING THROUGH SIDEWALL OF LEFT FRONT AND RIGHT REAR TIRES. ALL REQUIRE REPLACEMENT AS THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION UNDER MERE NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THESE TIRES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE.
I HAVE 1999 HONDA PRELUDE THAT CAME WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA P205/50 VR16 RE92 TIRES. THE LEFT REAR TIRE BROKE AWAY FROM THE SIDE WALL. THE CAR (TIRES) HAS ONLY 33,800 MILES ON IT. ALL TIRES SHOW CRACKS ON THE SIDE WALLS. THESE TIRES ARE DANGERIOUS, THE SIDE WALL SHOULD NOT FAIL APART.
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 Prelude →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Honda Prelude?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Honda Prelude?
Does the Honda Prelude need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Honda Prelude?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-10-07.