I have a 2006 HCH-II and got my first flat tire. I'm a little past 50,000 km and was told by my Honda Parts & Service Dept to get two replacements. It's been over three weeks now and still my replacement Dunlops (SP 31) are not in. They keep telling me, "One more week..." I was told that if I wanted to switch tire brands I would have to get all four tires replaced. Is this true?! Can't I get, say, two Michelins with the same tire size as the OEM Dunlops as long as all four tires are all-season and have roughly the same traction specs? Sorry if this is a dumb question... I'm no tire expert.

For Canadian HCH-II owners with OEM Dunlops, has anyone else had problems getting replacement Dunlops? Any recommendations for A/S tires that are available in Canada and are fuel efficient / low RR?

 

First off: is it impossible to fix the flat?

If so, with 50,000 km, you've still likely got some mileage in those. What's your current tread depth? You can extrapolate: new they were likely 9/32" The wear bars are at 2/32" I think, but you really don't want to go below 4/32".

We've got Bridgestone Insignia SE200, the other OEM used by Honda. We're at 72,000 km and showing 5~6/32" fwiw.

I gather you're getting your tires through the Part Department. Maybe comparison shop? You might very well be able to get 4 replacement for not that much more, through a tire store.

The Bridgestone Insignia SE200 are an alternative that are reasonably priced, and maybe more readily available. KAL tire is one source. I've used the one on Lougheed near Cape Horn to get snows, and it went well. Also there's a Bridgestone/Firestone dealer on Falcon (Coq, near Pomo). They gave me a reasonable estimate, haven't used them yet.

 

Yes, I was told the tire cannot be fixed; sorry, should have mentioned that. I'm not sure what my current tread depth is; the last time it was checked by Honda was my last B service in December '08, at which point I was at 39,000 km and had 7/32 for the rear tires and 6/32 for the front.

I wanted to just keep it simple and deal with my Honda service centre, but I think I will definitely be comparison shopping now - thanks for the suggestions!

 

Just dug up my quote: it was Yanko Tire & Automotive (just google the name) I was thinking about, on Falcon. On Oct17/08 they quoted $513.20 (for set of four), everything but tax (valve stem, mount/balance/install, disposal fee, etc, etc), for Bridgestone Insignia SE200.

I believe they're associated with 1010tire in some way, and have their (Richmond?) warehouse at their disposal.

There's some discussion regarding the SE200 vs the OEM SE200. The latter is slightly different, maybe 1/32" less tread depth, slightly different profile. The OEM's can be id'd by a tiny "02" after SE200.

I've heard the RR of the regular SE200's is not as good. But I do know from recent experience with a loaner with reg. SE200's, they seem to roll very well: it seem like I could roll a long ways to red lights without gas, and needed to lean on the brake more.