[Danny]

I have a new 2020 with 20 inch wheels.

20s look good, especially the black elite wheels.
20s have better handling.
Coming from a Tahoe with 22's, price doesn't seem to be an issue. Blizzaks were $315 each for the 22s... OUCH.
18s still look good, but I already own the 20s. (free)
If I go to 18s, Do I want Ridgeline wheels on my Passport? (cheaper) Custom wheels (expensive)
Off-road? 2 inches is 1 on each side... I do not go anywhere that 1 inch of extra sidewall is going to save the day...
ride? My 20s are still a better ride than the Tahoe and I don't want it to feel like an Accord.
Tire selection? I work at home, so if I look out and see snow, I just stay home.
Is it a wheel width thing? I can get some 18 tires, I can not get it 20 that fill the wheel whole better?

Please convince me... I'm not against it, but I guess I do not see the point, and everyone seems to want to switch to 18s. I guess I am on Team 20, at least for now... so far I like them.

thanks,
Dan

 

[mtrapuzz]

The point is offroading/overlanding, that's all. If you aren't doing either of those just keep the 20".

 

[14v6]

The only problem I have with the 20's is the cost for replacement tires and if you hit a curb with those low profile tires it's a scratched wheel which will be obvious on a dark wheel. Not the case with 18's, there's a margin of forgiveness there.. Of course it's not worth switching but would have been preferable to have 18's upon purchase. It's interesting how Honda went to a wider/lower profile tire for the upper trims instead of differentiation based on rim size.

 

[storm303]

From what you describe of your needs and wants, I wouldn't change a thing. But since you asked for other perspectives:

Many people it seems bought the Passport as a light off roader, as it has better clearance and angles than some of the other similar SUV/crossover types while having better comfort than some. I think many of us are changing the wheels because the stocks are a bit limiting for anything but fair weather city and highway driving.

For going off road or protecting against curb and pot hole damage to wheels, or for having a softer ride, more sidewall and tougher tires is the only technical solution, and 20" cannot provide that. It is almost a certainty that if you take a rough enough road and hit a pot hole or rock, a 20" wheel (that is ~30" diameter like this vehicle) will eventually take damage and so will the tire. While the small amount of extra sidewall may seem trivial, it does quite a bit in my experience.

The rest is somewhat subjective for each of us. While none of the below may apply for you, this is how I see things for the passport:

1. 20" are a weird look on this vehicle (to me). I find there is a good ratio for each vehicle between a balloon look and bike tire look. I personally am not a fan of the trend of many new cars coming with impractical rough riding large wheels and tires for "looks" that I don't even personally think look good. There are some cars that look good with such tires, such as sedans and coupes and sports cars. In my opinion crossovers and SUV are not in that category. Many people love the look apparently, or so many brands wouldn't be using these large wheels as the offering. So it could be me that is odd on my preference for a larger sidewall tire for both performance and looks.
2. Taller wheels make less noise and in general are better in the snow. They ride better all around. Handling in an absolute sense is a little better with 20" than 18" with a good road tire due to the firmer sidewall response. Ride is noticeably better on more sidewall, as is road noise, but still firm and nothing like a car with the right tire. I'd actually argue that the very slightly looser handling of less wheel offset from an aftermarket wheel, like a 35-45mm wheel instead of the stock 55mm is more pleasant and less effort to steer, which is a subjective improvement to handling for the Passport. I like a quick steering feel that still has feedback as opposed to a more laborious and stiff one with too much feedback.
3. Stock wheel styles are often kind of boring and sometimes ugly. The passport wheels are not hideous by any means, but not that great to me- some of the Ridgelines stocks look better to me.
4. Tire selection goes WAY up with 18", and price goes down. Same thing if something happens to a wheel, price to replace is much lower. You can get a decent set of 18" wheels for anywhere from $500 and up that are almost paid for by the price offset of your first 18" tires, depending on the tires. One OEM wheel would be something over $300 if damaged.
5. Towing. I would never tow with the stock 20" except on totally flat ground and perfect roads. Towing puts a lot more stress on the wheel and tire. The stock wheels are easily up to the weight needs, but the stock tires are not.

There are plenty of disadvantages to changing wheels too:

1. Factory performance/handling and safety can be adversely affected by bad wheel or tire choices. You can usually count on manufacturers to provide safe wheels and tires that match the way the suspension and transmission is tuned, have the right ratings for the vehicle weight, etc. While they usually provide a cheaper but not terrible performing tire often with poor tread wear, it should be reliable and safe for basic driving. It takes some pretty poor choices to really screw up when selecting aftermarket though, especially if you work with a good shop.
2. Cost of that first swap sucks. Why spend if you don't need or want to. However, if you keep the car to the 2nd tire change, you will make the money back on the wheels since 20" are so over priced.
3. Resale of some vehicles is slightly reduced when not with OEM wheels. I don't expect much change on this car. My last similar SUV sold with aftermarket wheels with no penalty at a dealer and was resold as is fairly quickly.
4. It is a pain to research and find a good combo of wheel and tire that gets the handling, ride, and capabilities you want. Again, the stock will give you a nice functional setup but often boring setup that has limitations.

If you are happy with your wheels, I'd stick with them for sure and not give it another thought. Looks are totally subjective, and so is ride to a degree. If you don't need any of the benefits of 18", no reason to switch.

 

[Danny]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the input.

 

[larryd]

My sole reason was for the improvement in the ride quality...I went with new OE Ridgeline wheels and Bridgestone 245/60R18 tires... larryd

 

[Zero62]

Only reason to get 18's with bigger tires if you don't go offroading, driving on the beach, or overlanding is for pure looks. If you got the cash, by all means... buy what you like. It won't really benefit you in any other way. If you do go overlanding or to the beach or anywhere that is not paved, 18's would be nicer but not always necessary, just depends on the activity. I want them so that when I do go to the beach or camping with my friends and nephews, I can take the PP instead of my Ram. 18's offer more cushion and margin of error when driving off pavement. As for the ride quality, I don't think there is enough difference between 18 and 20 for me to make that change if you're just driving around town.

 

[stevenD]

Only reason to get 18's with bigger tires if you don't go offroading, driving on the beach, or overlanding is for pure looks.

There are people here that would disagree. There is one huge point you left out and that is the damage to the OEM 20" Wheels from hitting curbs (aka Curb Rash)! In the 16 months I (and my wife) drove with the OEM 20" set up, we did severe damage to 3 or the 4 wheels, some of the wheels have multiple curb rash areas. It's just a matter of time before most all of the OEM wheels have some amount of damage to them. I hated showing off my car to friends, family and associates and having to explain away the damage. Since switching to the 18"-ers with A/T tires: ZERO damage (the tires stick out just enough to hit before the wheel)!

Thanks again Honda!

 

[Zero62]

There are people here that would disagree. There is one huge point you left out and that is the damage to the OEM 20" Wheels from hitting curbs (aka Curb Rash)! In the 16 months I (and my wife) drove with the OEM 20" set up, we did severe damage to 3 or the 4 wheels, some of the wheels have multiple curb rash areas. It's just a matter of time before most all of the OEM wheels have some amount of damage to them. I hated showing off my car to friends, family and associates and having to explain away the damage. Since switching to the 18"-ers with A/T tires: ZERO damage (the tires stick out just enough to hit before the wheel)!

Thanks again Honda!

True, but I guess it depends on where you live.. I live out in the suburbs and don't have much issues with curbs. In the city, i could see that considering how dense they are. Like DC, with their crappy roads and tight spaces, I could see that.

 

[SONSON52]

Just install Ridgeline 18" on my PP. Absolutely love them. What others are saying in this forum is true.

 

[futurelegend]

Just install Ridgeline 18" on my PP. Absolutely love them. What others are saying in this forum is true.

Did you swap them with the dealer? Buy new?

 

[SONSON52]

Found them on this forum. He had brought new wheels for his ridgeline.

 

[Zero62]

Just install Ridgeline 18" on my PP. Absolutely love them. What others are saying in this forum is true.

Any photos? would love to see what they look like on your vehicle.

 

[SONSON52]

 

[Yankeezone]

I vote to keep the 20’s.

 

[JonThor]

Just hitting potholes now I don’t flinch anymore. Ride is a lot nicer in my opinion.

 

[pshadoa]

Just hitting potholes now I don’t flinch anymore. Ride is a lot nicer in my opinion.

Nice looking wheels! Do the tires rub the fender wells at all?

 

[JonThor]

Nice looking wheels! Do the tires rub the fender wells at all?

No rubbing at all. I’m guessing about 1/2” clearance at full lock.

 

[kbp]

@JonThor What’s the brand/model on those wheels of your's?

@SONSON52 If you don’t mind me asking, what’s the ballpark you paid for those Ridgeline wheels and did they come with TPMS sensors? It looks like I can get them for about $250/each online, so I wanted to get your take.

 

[SONSON52]

$1000.00, Came with everything. He said that he put about 5000 miles on them. They ride great and had them up 85 mph, with no problem. Good luck.