Excerpt from Gary Flint Interview

[NotaChevy]

I was seriously considering aftermarket wheels and tires until I saw this, yesterday....
"The Ridgeline’s tires and wheels were specifically designed to meet the load rating, handling, and crash performance of this vehicle. Any aftermarket wheel will not meet the strength requirements these wheels have been subjected to. Therefore it is an exceedingly bad idea to replace them with ANYTHING other than the Honda accessory wheel. Additionally, you should be aware making this type of modification voids any warranty claim relating to the suspension, brakes or drivetrain. "

[Nick]

I replaced my wheels with factory size. I wanted some chrome, but I did not want to change the wheel size. So, I searched and found some nice looking wheels. I replaced my wheels with 17 x 7.5. 42mm offset (I understand the 45mm is factory, but, I did not think 3mm would make that much of a difference) 5 x 120mm bolt circle. Pay attention to the front calipers, they are larger than others.

[Lingered_I]

At the dealer where I bought my truck, they had another brand new Ridgeline for sale already fitted with black Zinik Z9 Sabini's 20 x 8.5 rims. These have a 40mm offset. They wanted just over $3000 extra for the rims & tires, compared with about $1800 that you would pay at Tirerack (the wheels are $289 ea).
So, what about the warranty on that truck? Would the dealer be stuck with the costs if Honda say it's void?

The truck spec, at $40k is here. I bought mine on August 1st, so they haven't moved this truck in at least two months. I guess that's what you get for sticker shock.

[zero]

Lingered, you pose an interesting question. The dealer that I was going to purchase my Ridgeline from had also sold one with 20 inch BMW wheels and different tires. One would expect the dealer to honor any warranty since they made the modification.

I guess the question would be whether or not Honda honored the warranty.

[milehigh]

I wasn't surprised by Gary's very detailed comment about aftermarket wheels. He was very adamant about it when it got brought up in the focus group they had in Denver this Spring. I've mentioned this issue a couple times here;
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...=9679#post9679

and here; http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...9617#post29617

Very nice guy, by the way and he was quite passionate about this truck.

If it were me, I'd contact Honda directly about warranty coverage on aftermarket items installed by a dealer.

[jeffiam]

Originally Posted by milehigh

I wasn't surprised by Gary's very detailed comment about aftermarket wheels. He was very adamant about it when it got brought up in the focus group they had in Denver this Spring. I've mentioned this issue a couple times here;
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...=9679#post9679

and here; http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...9617#post29617

Very nice guy, by the way and he was quite passionate about this truck.

If it were me, I'd contact Honda directly about warranty coverage on aftermarket items installed by a dealer.

EXCELLENT idea milhigh. if any of you folks have aftermarket wheels placed by the dealer, i would contact honda immediately. Flint was clear on voided warranty for more than just the wheels..........made a big deal of it so if you have different wheels, better make a big deal of it too.

[Nick]

Who is Gary Flint?

[swampler]

Originally Posted by Nick

Who is Gary Flint?

Chief Engineer over designing the Ridgeline.

[Whaleya]

Gary Flint is incorrect (overstating) the voiding of the warranty if you use aftermarket rims - at least under US Law

The only way new rims could void the warranty is if there was something about the rims that caused another part of the truck to fail.

For example if you have wider rims and it causes the wheel bearings to fail - your fault. But if the new rims/tires are the same diameter as stock and and the engine blows a gasket - Honda has to cover it.

[milehigh]

Gary Flint is incorrect (overstating) the voiding of the warranty if you use aftermarket rims - at least under US Law

The only way new rims could void the warranty is if there was something about the rims that caused another part of the truck to fail.

For example if you have wider rims and it causes the wheel bearings to fail - your fault. But if the new rims/tires are the same diameter as stock and and the engine blows a gasket - Honda has to cover it.

My understanding of what he said in the interview and what he said in the focus group in May was if aftermarket wheels caused something like wheelbearing failure and such, it would void the warranty on the parts that were directly affected by the aftermarket wheels. It would not void the entire warranty on every part - your engine, electrical systems and such would still be covered. The customer rep that was with Gary in the focus group confirmed that in a discussion about an aftermarket exhaust system another owner put on his RL. If the exhaust system caused a heat problem under the vehicle like warping the rear bumper covering, Honda wouldn't cover that. But, the warranty would remain intact for the rest of the vehicle.