Honda says HCH II's wheel weight is proprietary
#1
Honda says HCH II's wheel weight is proprietary
I just discovered this forum yesterday. I've read through the threads on replacing the stock HCH II's alloy wheels. I couldn't seem to find a definative wheel weight in any of them. I had called Honda of America to find out the wheel weight, hoping that if I could duplicate it that I could shop for replacements that wouldn't adversely effect MPG and power regeneration.
They told me they didn't have the information easily at hand, but would call me back within 24 hrs. It took two weeks and I was told that they wouldn't tell me what the wheel weighed as that was 'proprietory information'. Further, they suggested that changing the wheel on any Honda product was not encouraged and 'might' have an adverse effect on future warranty claims. I was stunned.
Perhaps I missed a thread that had the actual wheel weight for the HCH II?
They told me they didn't have the information easily at hand, but would call me back within 24 hrs. It took two weeks and I was told that they wouldn't tell me what the wheel weighed as that was 'proprietory information'. Further, they suggested that changing the wheel on any Honda product was not encouraged and 'might' have an adverse effect on future warranty claims. I was stunned.
Perhaps I missed a thread that had the actual wheel weight for the HCH II?
#2
Re: Honda says HCH II's wheel weight is proprietary
Honda says the weight of their rims is proprietary?
How absurd!
All you have to do is weigh one.
How absurd!
All you have to do is weigh one.
Last edited by kenny; 02-08-2006 at 11:12 AM.
#6
Re: Honda says HCH II's wheel weight is proprietary
I think Honda would have a hard time proving that putting different tires and rims on the standard Civic frame would void the warranty. There are laws that cover putting aftermarket products on a car, which states that the manufacturer must still honor the warranty.
I'm not sure about the details. However, I do know that I have put new tires and rims on almost every car I have owned ever since the mid-seventies, and I have never had an issue with warranty work.
I'm not sure about the details. However, I do know that I have put new tires and rims on almost every car I have owned ever since the mid-seventies, and I have never had an issue with warranty work.
#7
Re: Honda says HCH II's wheel weight is proprietary
The tone of the Honda phone representative was that not only will we not tell you the weight but that Honda discourages wheel replacement. She said that somewhere in the owner's manual Honda addresses 'possible' warranty problems that could arise from straying from stock condition. It seemed as if she was trying to cover the unreasonableness of Honda's refusal to answer a simple question by saying that I should have already known that I shouldn't be messing with their already perfect product.
Yes, I could remove a mounted wheel, dismount it from the tire and weigh each of them, but it seems ridiculous to have to. I asked the representative if she knew where the 06 Civic concept car was introduced- the SEMA show. The show celebrates the thousands of aftermarket parts available to modify these cars- ESPECIALLY wheels and tires.
This all reminds me of the military adage that if the Army (or service of your choice) wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one....
I thought I'd called Honda, not Volkswagon.
Yes, I could remove a mounted wheel, dismount it from the tire and weigh each of them, but it seems ridiculous to have to. I asked the representative if she knew where the 06 Civic concept car was introduced- the SEMA show. The show celebrates the thousands of aftermarket parts available to modify these cars- ESPECIALLY wheels and tires.
This all reminds me of the military adage that if the Army (or service of your choice) wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one....
I thought I'd called Honda, not Volkswagon.
#8
Re: Honda says HCH II's wheel weight is proprietary
Originally Posted by Z71
I just bought a set of EX rims and tires on Ebay. Hate those pie plates. I hope my warranty isn't void.
Rick
Rick
In your case, I wouldn't worry... You are using another set of rims that are OEM to another version of the same car. Now, if your mpg suffers and you want Honda to fix the problem, well you are out of luck on that one.... but common sense would have told you that.
#9
Re: Honda says HCH II's wheel weight is proprietary
Sad, isn't it ? As a company grows larger, they grow more cautious, especially if they think there might be legal ramifications down the line.
That being said... I was looking for the specs for the Bridgstones on my car at Tire Rack a day or two ago - I believe it was listed at 14lbs /tire, if I'm not mistaken. You'd have to deflate the tire, but by standing on a scale with the tire / wheel, recording that weight, then weighing just yourself, and then finally subtracting 14 lbs (or whatever) from that amount, you'd know what the wheel weighs. A pain, admittedly - but it's better than having the tire removed from the wheel, then remounting / rebalancing it.
I have a feeling it's going to be fairly lightweight. Probably < 15lbs, as I believe the EX rims weigh that much, so these pie plates better weigh less than that. They're cast aluminum (alloy ?), so they're going to have *some* weight.
Incidentally, my issue with them isn't so much the looks (I'll deal with that, for tangible FE improvement) - it's the tight space between the valve stem and the wheel. Very hard to get a chuck on the stem.
Another option for checking, if you're registered with OwnerLink, would be to try the 'eStore' . Unfortunately, the last two times I've tried to access the 'parts' section of 'eStore', I've gotten an errormsg - this is with two diferent computers / browsers. So I wouldn't hold my breath, but I'd check that out - maybe it will work for you.
That being said... I was looking for the specs for the Bridgstones on my car at Tire Rack a day or two ago - I believe it was listed at 14lbs /tire, if I'm not mistaken. You'd have to deflate the tire, but by standing on a scale with the tire / wheel, recording that weight, then weighing just yourself, and then finally subtracting 14 lbs (or whatever) from that amount, you'd know what the wheel weighs. A pain, admittedly - but it's better than having the tire removed from the wheel, then remounting / rebalancing it.
I have a feeling it's going to be fairly lightweight. Probably < 15lbs, as I believe the EX rims weigh that much, so these pie plates better weigh less than that. They're cast aluminum (alloy ?), so they're going to have *some* weight.
Incidentally, my issue with them isn't so much the looks (I'll deal with that, for tangible FE improvement) - it's the tight space between the valve stem and the wheel. Very hard to get a chuck on the stem.
Another option for checking, if you're registered with OwnerLink, would be to try the 'eStore' . Unfortunately, the last two times I've tried to access the 'parts' section of 'eStore', I've gotten an errormsg - this is with two diferent computers / browsers. So I wouldn't hold my breath, but I'd check that out - maybe it will work for you.
#10
Re: Honda says HCH II's wheel weight is proprietary
Originally Posted by coyote
I'm not sure about the details. However, I do know that I have put new tires and rims on almost every car I have owned ever since the mid-seventies, and I have never had an issue with warranty work.
You just never know when you might want to pull a cow out of a peat bog with your Honda..... just don't try to get any warranty service done the next day