I replaced mine after getting soaked in the rain last year changing a flat. The 2012 Pilot only had minor exterior changes. I'm sure the spare tire location/specs stayed the same from the '09. IMO, it's a waste of money if you're going to replace the spare with the same OEM touring wheels. For the price of the OEM wheel, you can get the steel wheel and Michellin tires together for less. The steel wheel is Made in Japan, which is also important. You can also order the TPMS sensor for the steel wheel. This will prevent your TPMS warning from popping up. Not necessary, but a matter of personal preference. I chose not to install it so I don't lag on having the bad wheel/tire fixed in a timely manner. I bought mine at College Hills Honda which was slightly cheaper than Bernardi Honda. Check with your dealer to see if they can match the price first before ordering online.

 

Check your owner's manual to be sure (there is a paragraph or two about a full-size spare, recommend when towing, in the spare tire section), but I'm fairly certain babymsv is correct.

You have to remove a spacer that is held in by a couple of bolts. It's a 10 minute affair, tops. I picked up a used Ridgeline steel wheel and had one of my older Goodyear Forteras mounted to it. I'm very glad I did - the Pilot handles like a pig on the donut.

 

the Pilot handles like a pig on the donut.

It sure does! Makes me wonder how Honda got away with this considering the potential hazards presented with the donut.

 

Great Source for OEM Wheels

I recently purchased a reconditioned Honda OEM steel wheel from autopartsfair.com.

Search Parts For 2009 Honda Pilot In Wheels / Rims / Covers Store - Auto Parts Fair

They only list steel wheels for the 2009 Pilot, however this wheel will also fit 2010-2011. It's a 17" wheel so it won't fit a '12 Pilot.

Total price shipped was $66. I highly recommend autopartsfair.com; great prices, quality product and fast shipping (arrived 3 days after placing order)!:29:

 

I recently purchased a reconditioned Honda OEM steel wheel from autopartsfair.com.

Search Parts For 2009 Honda Pilot In Wheels / Rims / Covers Store - Auto Parts Fair

They only list steel wheels for the 2009 Pilot, however this wheel will also fit 2010-2011. It's a 17" wheel so it won't fit a '12 Pilot.

Are you sure about not fitting the 2012? The LX comes with 17" steel rims.

 

As rocky was saying the the important aspect of a spare tire is the diameter. It is quite easy to have wheels 1 or 2 inches different in size and still match tire diameter close enough.

(Sent from my PC with a full keyboard)

 

Just looked at Stock tire sizes for 17" & 18", the 18" combo diameter is .1" greater than the 17" combo so thats close enough as N Jay said.

 

___.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit
Smaller spare= more ground clearance.

 

Upgraded my wheels on my lx so I decided to use one of the factory wheel as a full size spare. It does stick down below the rear bumper but I'm ok with it.

013 by _Fitting, on Flickr

 

Looks good, my spare hangs down about the same distance on my 2011 Pilot.

BTW, when are you going to post some pictures of the new wheels??? :29:

 

Inexpensive Enhancement

One of my goals during this modification was to keep overall costs down. As I mentioned in a previous post, I purchased my reconditioned OEM steel wheel for $66 (including shipping). I also got a great deal on my spare tire, GoodYear currently has our OEM tire--Fortera HL on sale for $138; with balance/tire stem/mounting total cost for tire was $166. Bringing my overall cost to only $232 for this mod!

On a related note, Honda now sells Pilot OEM steel wheels on their accessories website. In the description they state, "Recommended when towing."

 

One of my goals during this modification was to keep overall costs down. As I mentioned in a previous post, I purchased my reconditioned OEM steel wheel for $66 (including shipping). I also got a great deal on my spare tire, GoodYear currently has our OEM tire--Fortera HL on sale for $138; with balance/tire stem/mounting total cost for tire was $166. Bringing my overall cost to only $232 for this mod!

On a related note, Honda now sells Pilot OEM steel wheels on their accessories website. In the description they state, "Recommended when towing."

Good. I spent a little less on mine though
New 18" Stock alloy from Ebay shipped - $100+
Used like new Michelin Primacy local pickup from tiredepot $25
Mounting balancing with rubber Stems $15

 

I finally got around to putting full spare tire on my LX. What spacers do I have to remove? It looks like it fit okay without removing anything?
I have a extra set of OEM steel wheels 17" that came with the 2011 Pilot and I save 2 tires with 6k worth of tread left. The remaining 3 17" steel wheels with Tire sensors are up for sale

 

There's a spacer close to the VTM4 unit, it's made out of plastic and held in with 2 10mm bolts (if I remember correctly). Just pull the two bolts and it drops out, making room for the full size to snug up tight to the bottom of the vehicle.

This should be covered in the owner's manual.

 

We just bought a 2013 Pilot Touring 4wd that I too wanted a full size spare. We plan to tow our pop up camper and I do not want to have that tiny doughnut as my spare. I didn't like the idea of the 17" steel wheel that Honda sells as a full size spare. I found a remanufactured Alloy OEM Pilot rim on Ebay for $225 and free shipping. The Honda dealer told me a full size tire and rim (like that on the Pilot) would fit in the spare tire storage area. I am waiting for the rim to arrive and will let you know how it goes!

 

Here's a company that looks to have good prices on reconditioned and replica wheels for Honda Pilots (and other vehicles). One of these might be a good deal for a spare, especially considering the price on Honda's website for a steel wheel:

Honda Pilot Wheels Rims OEM Alloy Steel Wheel Rim

 

Nice prices, has anyone actually ordered from this company before or have any experience with them?

I still have not replaced my damaged rim so I am still looking to replace it and replace my current spare with a full size with the scratched rim. Obviously I'm not in a huge hurry though.

 

I will be looking for an older Pilot or Ridgeline wheel to replace my spare. TPMS are in a pressurized container so no need for me to add TPMS to the full spare. We plan on going skiing to Loveland Ski Resort this weekend (6 April 13) so I may go out and find one off of craigslist today.
Thanks for bringing this up. Another great reminder for me to get this done.

 

Has anyone noticed a change in your fuel consumption when swapping out to the full size spare? I can't image that it would really effect it that much. Thanks!

 

As one member posted, weight of fss tire is 60#. Imo that will have a minimal effect on fuel consumption, and of course, a little sagging of the rear maybe. But for me, the small decrease in mpg is well worth it during my long distance towing. It out-weighs my need for peace of mind having a fss tire when I need it. I'd swap back to my compact spare tire when not hauling my toy.

The weight difference between the compact spare tire and fss tire(lx steel wheel) is only 23.2 lbs.

 

i dont understand. i thought all came with full size tore once it gets out of the factory?

when i got my pilot i get the 5th wheel as full size goodyear fortera

 

I just got my full size spare from another member a couple of days ago and swapped out the temp spare. Exchange was easy and the full size does show some tread from behind, but knowing I don't have to use the donut in case of a flat is big piece of mind as I've been there done that on a 40 mile stretch of I-5 in another vehicle


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I'd appreciate some help from others. In particular, I am somewhat confused as I am not familiar with tire/wheel sizing and their differences.

I have a 2012 EX-L (no RES / no NAV). I am planning some very long distance road trips in the near future (though don't tow) and would very much prefer a full-size spare than the doughnut that the car comes with. I do not care about the looks of the spare (so if I can get it for a decent amount cheaper, I am happy with a plain looking wheel/rim and don't need anything that looks fancy or matches the other 3 (presumably, though, it would be good enough to feel good driving a decent distance until

From what I can deduce (from Honda's Certified Used Car database specifications), my 2012 EX-L uses the following tire:
P235/60 R18 102T. And, it uses a 18" alloy wheel.

First, "for dummies" question is: are all 18" alloy wheels the same? Or is it more complicated than that?

Second, as I look at Honda dealer sites (such as Bernardi), after I log in my Pilot's details, if I want the towing spare rim, it shows that I should get a 17" (Part # 08W17-SJC-103A) and a 17" tire (P235/65R17) (103T). Is that right? How come it doesn't list an 18" wheel/tire option? Is it because that size tire/wheel combo (ie, P235/65r17) is the equivalent of the OEM tire/wheel combo (ie, P235/60R18)? i.e., would it be safe to drive with that combination hundreds of miles if needed (as that would be the point of getting the full size spare rather than continuing on the 50-mile doughnut)?

Another option (more expensive) is to select the 18" alloy wheel, which then suggests a 245/60TR18 tire. Again, that size tire doesn't exactly match up to the original tires that are currently on my vehicle.

Thus, I'm confused. Can someone help me understand what I should get? Other than looks, is there any advantage of getting one tire/wheel over another?

Many thanks in advance.

 

To make things easier, the overall tire diameter of the 235/65R17 and the 235/60R18 are the same....that is what you are looking for. If you can find the 17in steel wheel and tire off an LX model, as I did for my spare, that would be your best bet. Look in Craigslist, talk to your nearby dealer for takeoffs, or junkyards for a 2009-2012 wheel and buy a used tire, but you need a wheel off a 2009-2013 Pilot or Ridgeline


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I just had to use a spare donut to drive back from the mountains (about 100 miles) and it wasn't horrible, but you can definitely feel the awkwardness of how it effects an all-wheel drive vehicle.

Thanks to everyone who shared information on this forum.

I just got a 17" Honda wheel off craigslist from a Honda Ridgeline vehicle, and threw a new tire on it.

I just swapped out the old donut spare and placed the new full-size. You do have to ensure when you are tightening up the spare cable, that you keep checking, or have someone assisting, to ensure the new wheel is going up straight into the spare cavity underneath the rear of the vehicle. A full size spare has only a bit of clearance from the muffler heat shields and from the rear of the bumper to the differential/axle.