The Honda Pilot has everything to be everyone’s favorite three-row SUV. It has a roomy and thoughtfully designed interior, easy to use infotainment system, and better-than-average fuel economy. A powerful V6 engine and a smooth ride also give it a head start over rivals.
Simply put, the Pilot has all the features to be your family SUV for years to come, provided you pair it with the right set of aftermarket tires. That is because the OEM tires on the Pilot don’t last very long. Even if you’re lucky, the OE tires will need replacement within 2-3 years.
Once that time comes, our selection of the ten best tires for Honda Pilot will come in handy for you. All the models you see below are recommended by this SUV’s drivers. Yet, not all might be suitable for your driving conditions, the way you drive, and the climate in your area.
In order to understand which of the below tires will work best for you, check out the buying guide section that follows the list of tires. In case you still have any unanswered questions, the FAQ section right at the end might be able to answer your queries about the Pilot’s tires.
#1. Michelin Defender LTX M/S – Best Overall
The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is our top tire pick for Honda Pilot. Mainly because this all-season touring tire has excellent road manners, consumes less fuel than its rivals, and offers superb hydroplaning resistance. But also because it’s made for three-row SUVs.
Just like the Pilot, the Defender LTX M/S rides comfortably on the highway and around the town. Small bumps are taken care of without issue. In addition, this tire produces very little growl, even at speeds at which its rivals roar. So you won’t hear much tire noise inside the cabin.
Independent tests have shown that the Pilot Elite can go from 0 – 60 mph in only 7 seconds. As good as this number is, the Defender LTX M/S has the ability to improve it. This tire’s low rolling resistance will ensure that you get the most out of the Pilot’s powerful V6 engine.
MaxTouch construction widens the tire’s contact patch upon connection with the surface. This results in a bigger contact area which, in turn, translates into even wear and improved fuel economy. You can thus count on the LTX M/S to not hurt the Pilot’s already average fuel economy.
A 70,000-mile treadwear warranty means you can easily get 5, 6 years out of this tire. But to do that, you’d first have to meet its asking price, which is anything but cheap. In fact, of all the tires recommended in this review, the Defender LTX M/S is by far one of the most expensive.
Pros
- Available in a large number of sizes
- Backed with an excellent 70,000-mile treadwear warranty
- Superb hydroplaning resistance
- Excellent levels of grip in dry and wet conditions
Cons
- Doesn’t come cheap
#2. Continental CrossContact LX25 – Best Runner Up
The Continental CrossContact LX25 is an incredibly capable highway tire. Its higher load rating than rival touring tires means you can use this model to tow or haul heavy loads. That is something you cannot possibly do with rival touring or all-season tires.
This tire also features several improvements over its predecessor. Compared with the LX20, it comes with a longer treadwear warranty (70,000-mile vs 60,000-mile). The LX25 also features wet traction grooves. These channels improve the tire’s aquaplaning resistance.
Comfort Ride Technology is yet another feature the LX20 lacked. This technology sees to it that every LX25 tire comes with an extra layer of rubber underneath its tread area. The added cushioning absorbs and dissipates road vibrations to improve the tire’s ride quality.
An Alignment Verification System (AVS) means you’d no longer have to second guess the alignment status of your Pilot’s wheels. The AVS comprises two rubber bars on the opposite shoulders of this tire. As long as both are aligned, so are your Pilot’s wheels.
Unlike most of its competitors, this all-season touring tire is reliable on light snow and ice. Moreover, its 70,000-mile treadwear warranty is the same as you get on our top pick. Still, when it comes to high-spirited performance driving, the LX25 could have done better.
Pros
- Generous 70,000-mile treadwear warranty
- Excellent ride quality and road manners
- Best-in-class wet traction and hydroplaning resistance
- Can help you haul and tow heavy loads with the Pilot
Cons
- Not the best for spirited driving
#3. Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus – Best Highway Tire
The Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus ticks several boxes for the average Honda Pilot driver. This model is competitively priced for a premium highway tire. Despite that, it is backed with an extended warranty and performs reliably in dry and wet conditions.
A symmetric tread pattern helps this tire offer a hushed driving experience. The tread pattern’s design ensures that all the vibrations and noises that get to this tire’s rubber are dissipated before they could reach the cabin, resulting in improved ride quality.
Its continuous center frame will serve as a perfect companion to the Pilot’s muscular V6 engine. The frame has the ruggedness needed to ensure stability during rapid acceleration. Plus, its stiffness means you’ll get decent but not overpowering feel for the road.
Just like the Pilot, the Dueler H/L Alenza Plus is a competent performer on the road. Many drivers who have tested this tire report that it improved their vehicle’s ability to make quick passes on the highway. Its panic-stopping distance is also short for a highway tire.
An 80,000-mile treadwear warranty means this tire is backed for a longer period than either of our top two picks. However, unlike the Defender LTX MS and CrossContact LX25, this model isn’t reliable in wintry conditions, even the mild ones.
Pros
- 80,000-mile treadwear warranty
- Offers reliable year-round traction
- Is a competent performer on the highway
- Has short stopping distances in wet conditions
Cons
- Not designed for snow driving
#4. Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus II – Best Fuel Efficient
According to independent estimates, the Honda Pilot does 20 miles per gallon (mpg) city and 27 mpg highway (23.5 mpg combined). No matter how you slice them, these numbers are average for a three-seater SUV. That means there is still room for improvement.
Enter Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus II. This tire’s unique tread compound and optimized pitch sequence have improved its contact with the surface. This results in better transfer of braking and steering maneuvers to the tarmac, reducing rolling resistance and improving fuel economy.
Just like the CrossContact LX25, the Verde All-Season Plus II also features an additional layer of rubber inside its tread. This rubber patch is there to absorb road vibrations and noises. Together with the pitch sequence, it will surely elevate your Pilot’s driving refinement.
A combination of four longitudinal grooves and high lateral siping density ensures quick water expulsion for improved wet traction. Plus, the use of silica functionalized polymer in this tire’s tread compound has improved its wet and wintry performance.
There is, however, one area where the Verde All-Season Plus II disappoints. The first is that it comes with an average (65,000-mile) treadwear warranty, especially when compared with the above tires. Which is an indication that this tire might wear out relatively quickly.
Pros
- Will improve your Pilot’s fuel economy
- Offers decent wet and wintry traction
- Extremely refined driving experience
Cons
- Average treadwear warranty
#5. Cooper Discoverer SRX – Best for Summer
The Cooper Discoverer SRX is a budget-friendly alternative to premium touring tires. Unlike its counterparts from Michelin and Bridgestone, the SRX doesn’t cost a fortune. But you cannot accurately guess its true asking price from its performance and treadlife.
Start with the performance. A high-silica tread compound made with competition-grade resin has given the SRX reliable gripping power for summer roads. No matter how high the temperatures are, this tire would stay glued to the road, ensuring your SUV’s stability.
As with most tires with a summer-specific tread compound, the SRX has been equipped with a stiff sidewall. So you should be ready for higher feedback at the steering. This isn’t bad news, given that the Pilot’s steering offers little feel for the road on its own.
The StabiliEdge Technology further lays bare this tire’s high-speed credentials. This technology locks the SRX’s tread blocks during aggressive braking, cornering and acceleration. The result? Added traction and grip just when this tire needs them the most.
Given that the SRX has put all its eggs in the dry performance basket, it shouldn’t be surprising that this tire struggles on snow. Even the zigzag sipes on its tread area (there are a few) seem unable to give it the biting power needed to plow through snow and ice.
Pros
- Exceptional responsiveness and straight-line tracking
- Ensures superb high-speed stability
- Comes with wear square indicators
Cons
- Not for wintry conditions
#6. Michelin Premier LTX – Best Premium Touring
The Michelin Premier LTX is the poster child for premium touring tires, thanks to its exceptional dry and wet performance, an unbelievably long tread life, and plush driving experience. Unfortunately, it’s also premium in its asking price, meaning this model doesn’t come cheap.
A silica and sunflower oil tread helps the Premier LTX balance both ends. Silica gives this tire the strength needed to offer stability at higher speeds in summer conditions. The sunflower oil, meanwhile, gives the rubber the flexibility needed for reliable winter driving.
EverGrip Technology does the same. This technology improves the LTX’s dry and wet traction with an arsenal of hidden grooves that only bare their teeth once the tire’s built-in grooves have worn down. In doing so, these grooves save you from a dangerous loss of traction.
The LTX breaks away from touring tires on two counts. First, it has a tough sidewall for tires in this class. This enables this tire to offer better puncture resistance. Plus, this model’s rolling resistance is much lower than rival touring or all-season touring tires.
All of this is not to say that this model is faultless. One of its major shortcomings is the inflated asking price. The amount written on the price tag would turn most people way even before they could turn their attention to its features, a huge shame for such a high-quality tire.
Pros
- Best-in-class steering responsiveness
- Low rolling resistance for improved acceleration
- Tough sidewall offers better protection against punctures
Cons
- Astronomically expensive
#7. General Grabber HTS 60 – Best Budget Tire
The General Grabber HTS 60 offers ample proof that you don’t necessarily have to break the bank to land one of the best tires for Honda Pilot. This model offers most of the features people usually expect from premium models. That too at half the price.
A cut- and chip-resistant tread compound makes it pretty clear that this model can handle rough and uneven road conditions. The tread compound’s extreme toughness also makes the HTS 60 a reliable option for light off-roading, such as for gravel driving.
At the same time, a vehicle-tuned tread pattern doesn’t let this tire forget its road manners. The tread pattern’s unique design allows it to absorb road vibrations and dissipate road noise. Having said that, you’d do well not to expect plush ride quality from the HTS 60.
General offers the HTS 60 in two versions. The heavier version has what it takes to haul or tow heavy loads and is thus more suited to the base Pilot trims. That isn’t the case with the lighter version, which delivers the kind of aggression better suited to sportier versions of the Pilot.
Don’t expect this model to do wonders on snow, though. It doesn’t have the unique siping detail, flexible tread compound or the biting edges needed to stay stable in wintry conditions. The HTS 60 performs at its best either on the highway or on mildly challenging off-roads.
Pros
- Competitively priced for a highway tire
- Backed with a decent 65,000-mile treadwear warranty
- Heavier models are great for towing and hauling heavy loads
Cons
- Isn’t a reliable performer on snow
#8.Continental CrossContact UHP – Best Ultra-High-Performance
Unlike most other three-row SUVs, the Pilot is a surprisingly able performer on the highway. Its excellent braking power, rapid acceleration, and the way it handles twisty mountain roads indicate that this SUV can make do with a set of ultra-high-performance tires.
Enter CrossContact UHP. This tire’s advanced formula silica tread compound has lowered its rolling resistance to help it take your Pilot’s acceleration to the next level. With the CrossContact UHP, you won’t have any trouble making quick passes on the highway.
High-speed stability is also on offer to help you make the most of rapid acceleration. A continuous center rib and multiple outer tread blocks keep vibrations at bay at higher speeds. The partnership is also to credit for the UHP’s excellent cornering grip and steering response.
This tire won’t skid or slip on wet roads either. Four circumferential and multiple lateral grooves perform an excellent job of evacuating water before it could accumulate inside the tread area. As you might guess, such quick water evacuation improves the tire’s wet traction.
However, all these features come at the cost of this tire’s treadlife. Like other high-performance tires, the CrossContact UHP also wears pretty quickly. As a result, if your touring tires last 5 to 6 years, you’d be lucky to get half as much road life out of this model.
Pros
- Comes with Continental’s limited treadwear warranty
- Remarkably short distances on wet and dry roads
- Delivers excellent cornering performance
Cons
- Wears out pretty quickly
#9. Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady – Best All-Weather
The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady checks many boxes. Firstly, it delivers a reliable year-round performance without costing as much as premium tires. Secondly, its tread compound has the flexibility needed to safely carry you from point A to point B on snowy roads.
Goodyear’s Evolving Traction Grooves ensure that this tire doesn’t suffer the same loss of traction that is the fate of most tires in their final days on the road. These grooves do that by replacing the tire’s built-in grooves as the latter start showing signs of wear and abuse.
A Three Peak Snowflake Mountain (3PMSF) emblem shows why we’re bullish about this tire’s snow driving credentials. This symbol is an indication that the WeatherReady has met the rater’s strict criteria for reliable performance in inclement weather conditions.
3D TredLock and Weather Reactive technologies make the tire slightly more flexible as the temperatures nosedive, making it a reliable performer in wet conditions. Plus, a single-ply polyester casing gives the tire the stiffness needed for an amazing handling response.
Unfortunately, there is one area where this tire disappoints. Its 60,000-mile treadwear warranty is bang average when compared with that of its rivals, most of which are backed for 70,000 miles or longer. Luckily, though, no such difference exists in tread lives.
Pros
- Comes with the 3PMSF emblem
- Offers supreme wet performance
- Delivers exciting high-speed handling
Cons
Treadwear warranty could have been better
#10. Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 – Best Winter Tire
One of the Pilot’s unique selling points is that it can handle snow brilliantly. That is especially the case with this SUV’s all-wheel-drive versions. The AWD models supply more power to the wheels than their FWD counterparts, helping them plow through snow and ice.
Still, even if you’re driving one of Pilot’s AWD trims, you’d need a set of dedicated winter tires for snow driving. That is where the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 will come to your aid. This studless winter tire has all the attributes to keep you safe when it’s poor visibility out there.
The MultiCell Technology is the reason behind this model’s superb snow performance. This technology makes sure that the tread area traps snow particles between its channels. This is done to invite snow-on-snow contact, which, in turn, leads to better winter traction.
The way it handles snow distinguishes DM-V2 from other winter tires, most of which count on their tread compound’s flexibility to go from point A to point B on icy roads. Another distinguishing factor between this tire and its rivals is that its price won’t blow a hole in your pocket.
Pros
- Has superb braking power
- Delivers great hydroplaning resistance
- Provides excellent snow and ice traction
Cons
- MultiCell structure covers the first 55% of tread depth
Best Tires for Honda Pilot
Touring Tires
Touring tires are ideal for anyone who uses the Pilot for everyday driving. These tires deliver the kind of fuel efficiency that would enhance and not reduce this SUV’s fuel mileage. In addition, their upfront asking prices are much lower than other tire categories, giving you another reason to go for them.
Touring tires are also backed with generous treadwear warranties. It’s fairly standard for premium models to be backed for as many as 70,000 miles. This means that if you cover 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, a set of touring tires will last you more than five years.
Highway Tires
Highway tires have higher load ratings than touring tires. They are thus an excellent pick for Honda Pilot drivers who use this SUV for towing and hauling heavy stuff. Another difference between highway and touring tires is that the former generally come with a cut- and chip-resistant tread compound.
This makes them a better option than touring tires for light off-roading. However, remember that even the best highway tires cannot rival their touring counterparts in terms of treadlife or warranty. This means that these tires don’t generally last as long.
High Performance
High-performance tires offer much less rolling resistance than highway or touring models. They also have aggressive tread patterns and stiff sidewalls, something you don’t get with the other two categories. Plus, highway tires are much more controllable at the limit.
All these features come at a cost though. It’s fairly uncommon if not downright impossible for high-performance tires to rival touring or highway models in price. These models are almost always budgeted at the higher end of the pricing spectrum, deterring the average buyer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should Honda Pilot tires last?
The length of time your Honda Pilot tires will last depends on your driving conditions, how much distance you cover in a year, your driving style, and which tires you’re using.
For instance, if you don’t drive aggressively and cover 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, a set of premium touring tires should last 5, 6 years.
What size tires go on a Honda Pilot?
Multiple size tires go on a Honda Pilot, including but not limited to P235/65R17, 245/65R17, P245/50HR20, P245/60HR18, or P235/60TR18.
Check out your Honda Pilot’s owner’s manual or the driver’s side of the door jamb to know more about the recommended tire size.
Where is the spare tire on Honda Pilot?
The spare tire is mounted underneath the Honda Pilot’s body. This is done to improve accessibility as well as enhance the cargo area.
Conclusion
Honda Pilot is one of the more capable three-row SUVs. To make the most of this vehicle’s features, make sure to install a set of premium tires. Cheap or mid-range tires won’t be able to do justice to the Pilot’s qualities, possibly hurting the driving experience.
