Top 10 Best Tires For Honda CR-V: 2024 Tire Test

Honda CR-V has proven to be a stellar representative of the brand’s long-standing legacy, with numerous back-to-back updates and redesigns that aim for year-round traction across most terrains. Nevertheless, their handling characteristics might be dramatically compromised when paired with incompetent tire models – all the more reasons to up your games when browsing options for the best tires for Honda CR-V.

This inclusive list will recommend the market’s current ten best performers based on our actual performance tests. Keep scrolling!

A. How to Choose The Best Honda CR-V Tires

1. Understanding The Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V is a compact crossover, which means it aims to combine SUVs and traditional sedans by offering blended-in versatility and slightly better adaptability to varied driving purposes. As such, you should look for stable yet flexible tires that can handle various road trip types, from long family journeys to short/moderate daily commuting. 

As an SUV hybrid, this crossover also inherits a decent towing capacity besides its quite spacious cargo space, usually coupled with foldable rear seats to give room for sports equipment, groceries, etc. Hence, if your loading demand is high, seeking capable tires with a load index from 100 is a must.

On another note, thanks to its pretty generous ground clearance (especially compared to sedans), the Honda CR-V can handle occasional off-road terrains and slightly rough/uneven surfaces. Under such circumstances, its handling characteristics can only be maximized to the fullest when paired with strong performance/all-terrain tires with well-combined grooves and rugged sidewalls.

Furthermore, the crossover is also equipped with an optional AWD (all-wheel drive system), which offers heightened stability and traction for snowy conditions. You should seek durable, well-composed tires that can withstand cold temperature extremes while providing good clawing actions (with or without snow chains) to ensure riding safety for all winter months.

2. Choosing The Right Tire For Your Honda CR-V

a. Touring Tires

Do you mostly engage in casual on-road riding, such as everyday commuting and highway driving? In that case, touring tires will be the most solid choice without eating too much into your financial budget. 

However, note that touring tires continue to be divided into smaller categories. Consider your niche preferences carefully to settle on the best option.

Standard touring tire: A reliable choice if you prioritize longevity and comfort over sporty road manners. They handle basic driving situations well, generate very little tread noise, and have decent composure against moderate weather.

Grand touring tire: Grand touring tires are better in case you wish for higher-speed turns and crisper cornering. They retain the most highlighted features from standard tires (comfortable rides, low noises, etc.) while introducing better steering responsiveness and cornering stability thanks to the aggressive tread compounds. 

Crossover/SUV touring all-season tire: With their sturdier constructions and reinforced sidewalls, you can load moderate cargos or even perform light towing tasks without sacrificing your riding comfort. They are the best picks for camping, family trips, or being used as taxis.

b. Performance/Summer Tires

Are you into spirited and adventurous driving? Given that you live in a region with year-round warm temperatures, performance/summer tires will do. They are considered a significant upgrade of grand touring tires for summer dry conditions, delivering excellent steering feedback and sporty handling to quench your thirst for dynamic rides and adventurous leans. 

c. All-Terrain Tires

All-terrain (AT tires) can handle both on-road and off-road driving situations – though, to choose the most suitable option, you should question which one of the two is your ultimate priority:

On-road AT tire: Opt for this option if you still travel mostly on-road, with only some occasional off-road trips/ light-off-road ventures thrown in between.

Off-road AT tire: If you are a construction worker, frequent off-road traveler, or simply an adventurous soul who wants to tackle rough terrains, these tires will be the right choice for your Honda C-RV. Note that their on-road comfort will inevitably be sacrificed during the process, however.

d. Winter Tire

You should definitely opt for winter tires if you have to travel through severe winter conditions on the Honda CR-V on a very frequent basis. Premium tire models usually work very well with the CR-V’s steering and handling characteristics by offering impressive braking performances, deep grooves/sipes for the best traction, and robust sidewalls to tackle icy roads.

B. How Did We Pick and Test Honda CR-V Tires

After picking out notable performers from more than 196 best-seller tires for the 2023 COR Wheels Tire Test, we tested their 235/60R18 tire size versions on our Honda CR-V 2022 EX to narrow the competition to only 10 contenders. 

Along with our test result, gathered American customer feedback was also factored in to ensure the most inclusive and consistent results. 

C. Best All-Season Tires for Honda CRV

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1. Michelin CrossClimate2

Best uses: highway curves, regular roads, tight corners, snow and light ice

Michelin CrossClimate2 is undoubtedly the star on dry roads, pairing well with most Honda sedans and crossovers (not just the CR-V series). The adaptive compounds worked excellently against paved roads and bonded even better with slightly rugged terrains, so we could strike in impressive aggression through roadblocks and grooves without losing major streaks. 

The tire also does a spectacular job taming the common wavers around corners with its sturdy ribs and well-placed sidewalls, which leaves almost no margin for any downright plummet or panic chokes. As a result, even beginners should have no problems engaging in intentional oversteer, low-angled leans, and even very late brakings midway.

Steering responses also left positive impressions, especially through extended curves and long graded surfaces; better yet, they seemed unaffected by our higher speeds (60 MPH onwards) or ambient temperatures, which translated well from dry to wet conditions. Indeed, minus the very faint hydroplaning that only occurs few and far between through spirited rides, you are unlikely to experience any significant drag in shallow and deep water alike. 

Tight angles need to be approached with slightly more caution but are by no means dangerous; if desired, you can totally dive into deep chisels or flick the steering wheel a little without sending the car into a series of violent wet coughs.

For a non-winter tire, CrossClimate2’s performance in snow and icy conditions is truly incredible; judging by the stable 3D Sipelocks and very capable grooveless patterns, your Honda CR-V will handle snow packs well at moderate speeds without relying on snow chains. The tire admittedly falters a little on ice terrains, but even those minor shudders could easily be handled using constant and punctual downshifts while keeping passengers at a minimum.

All in all, Michelin CrossClimate 2 deserves all the accolades. Except for minor steering delays after 5 hours of driving, it is hard to find anything to complain about.

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2. Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady

Best uses: High-speed maneuvers, angled curves, deep water, moderate winter

With stable and confident bites that gum onto the roads right after the start, Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady will settle all your worries minutes into the street. 

The tire knows how to utilize its powerful 3D TredLock Blades and asymmetric tread designs to choke out extra traction around corners, and the way its internal integrity withstands additional steering force with the help of soy-based layers blended into the rubber is also very worth noting. You should encounter no difficulties overtaking vehicles, changing lanes, handling decently angled curves, or even applying very abrupt accelerations through correction skids or sharp turns.

The tire’s wet performances might lack some instant edges compared to its dry traction, but they are stable enough to land on CR-V’s general favor. You can trust the Sweeping Tread Grooves to handle and redistribute moderate water quite well under the contact patch without disrupting momentums; even in deeper stagnant water, the worst you experience is only some minor (yet expected) shudders around corners that stay within the lines most of the time in casual rides. 

While the tire’s grip on icy terrains needs some refinements at driving rates 35 MPH onwards, its snow manners are fortunately very decent for a touring tire. It does not suffer from as much hesitation on textured roads as some critics predict – and given strong snow chains, WeatherReady can totally function as a winter tire for long trips on light snow and shorter distances on deep snow.

Some drivers might wish for better noise control on highways and through zigzag turns. But other than that, the tire is mostly well-behaved, aided by great riding quality and pretty good tread wear rates.

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3. Michelin Defender2

Best uses: rugged on-road terrains, smooth highways, wet traveling below 55 MPH, mild snow

Another notable representative from Michelin, Defender2 will impress you with aggressive, almost striking confidence around roadblocks and rugged, dry cobblestones, seemingly unfazed by any type of steering input (or lack thereof). 

There were no noticeable chokes or panics during our speed changes and even hard brakings, which manifested very smooth transitions from regular roads to highways; you should be able to maintain seamless, consistent cuts within the lanes and encounter no significant issues leaning at low angles or entering curves from deep dive approaches. Better yet, for a standard touring tire, the way Defender2 only shows minor symptoms of burnout after almost an entire day of driving is very competitive. 

In rainy seasons, Michelin Defender 2 continued to carry its confident edges into the rides, though we still spotted occasional traction losses or slippage beyond 55 MPH, but that was the only instance where the tire was clearly at a loss. Other than that, Defender 2 will work its way quite well into slippery surfaces, punching strongly through thick water thanks to the combination of pass-through/circumferential grooves. 

The best part is that Michelin Defender 2 does not have to sacrifice treadwear or riding comfort to achieve such a feat: jostles and noises are very scarce, almost non-existent if you travel on paved roads. We do wish some of these features could carry on in wintertime – but in its defense, Michelin Defender 2 still does quite a decent job on snow and ice for a touring tire standard. 

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4. Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive

Best uses: textured roads, tight corners, water below 9 inches, most snow and ice terrains

One of Pirelli’s most recognized crossover touring models, Scorpion WeatherActive navigates around dry roads easily when installed on the Honda CR-V. The tire owes most of its powerful traction to the long (and very narrow) footprint that settles well into the road textures aided by the innovative three-rib designs to deliver even more stability when diving into tight corners. 

Its accurate and quick steering is another huge bonus, responding to general inputs well without significant delays or stalls. Beginners might find its feedback to get slightly more distant after long rides or through steep climbs, but that is easy to handle through consistent push-pull and gentler accelerations down to the exit points.

WeatherActive also shines with its consistent wet performance; unless you are sensitive to the mild tire flexes on deeper water beyond 9 inches, it is hard to notice any major variations between the tire’s wet manners and its performance on dry roads. 

This competency is further boosted by the inclusion of trumpet-shaped and zigzag grooves, whose combined channels create such a flexible and open evacuation channel that only very thin water layers manage to cling onto the sidewalls throughout most of the trip.

Pirelli WeatherActive is also among the few touring tires that truly balance winter traction. Indeed, traveling on deep snow and ice with the Honda CR-V results in the same tire feel and grip – which proves to be a significant advantage for drivers on inconsistently textured snowy roads. 

Not to mention, when equipped with snow chains, its shoulder notches get twice as aggressive, to the point that you can easily get out of sticky thick buildups in minutes – not that much different from an actual winter tire!

Riding quality and treadwear rates also check most of the boxes. All in all, except for harmless shudders on slightly larger road bumps, this tire will be your best assistant on any on-road terrain.

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5. Continental CrossContact LX25

Best uses: tightly-spaced curves, graded surfaces, all wet surfaces below 75 MPH, well-paved snowy roads

We hardly feel unsettled with Continental CrossContact LX25 regardless of your driving style and steering inputs; thanks to the intricate interplay between the sipes and grooves, CrossContact could withstand most of our driving rates from 35 MPH to 70 MPH, directional changes, and even one-hand control over graded surfaces in little to no drama. 

The continuous center rib delivers even better support when navigating chisels or tight-spaced toll plaza curves; as such, it allows you to slacken their steering wheels and pedals without constant fear of long slippage or, worse, control loss around roadblocks.

Just like some of the abovementioned tires on the list, CrossContact LX25 also retains excellent wet performance (compared to dry; there is hardly any difference between its dry and wet traction). In our test track, the tire swallowed up and distributed moderate water nicely through the sipes and water, while its optimized footprint and thick sidewall layers ensured hydroplaning could not get deeper than 1-2 inches. 

Actual slippage only started to lurk around as we revved up to extreme speed ratings (75 MPH) – and given that not many crossovers travel at such a high rate, you can let this oversight slide.

CrossContact controls noise quite well at moderate speeds (only squeaking a bit louder from 50 MPH) and does not seem to struggle much with temperature extremes. Like most touring tires, its winter traction could be better – but is still very much decent/acceptable when equipped with snow chains and used in casual rides.

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6. Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax

Best uses: Regular roads, smooth asphalts, low-speed wet traveling in moderate water depth, light snow

This Cooper model is clearly best friends with dry, regular roads, evident in the stable, unwavering footings (even around tight curves) and the pleasant lack of jostles when the Honda CR-V rolls onto slightly larger bumps. You can also use intentional oversteer or engage in early apex throughout chisels and off-camber bends at high speeds (beyond 55 MPH) – quite an impressive feat given the lack of on-center rib support. 

The tire’s performance on highways is even more of a delight: all occasional overreactions during regular-road lane merges disappear almost instantly as the crossover moves onto the smooth highway asphalts. 

Jostles and vibrations occur even less here – and thanks to the pretty responsive steering that remains aligned throughout most of the ride, you can afford some harmless sharp skids from deeper dive approaches without notable tire drags.

Wet traction could be slightly better at higher speeds and deep flowing water (6 inches onwards), but overall, is still very much favorable. You will also be pleased with the EnduraMax’s capable notch-groove hybrid design -whose integrity against water and cold temperature is so impressively unshaken that it persists even in wintertime. 

Indeed, you could retain the same traction on light snow as on regular wet roads with only minor fluctuations on thicker snow buildups. On ice terrains, the Honda CR-V will still be rideable at 30 to 35 MPH on tamed, non-twisty roads.

EnduraMax does not disappoint with its treadwear rates, either, though we do believe the loud and unpredictable skiddings upon speed changes and wide-degree turns need to be addressed. Sharp debris and gravel also sent our car into back-to-back jitters that still echoed long after we had passed that particular road section.

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7. Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus

Best uses: Common roads, mountain passes, most wet surfaces, very light snow

With so much investment effort into tread block designs and 3D sipes, DWS’s excellent confidence on regular roads is a given. We had no problems revving straight to beyond 55 MPH after a few minutes; and even if you are a beginner, starters at 40-45 MPH still feel tamed regardless. 

Needless to say, overtaking vehicles and sidestepping roadblocks remain quite breezy throughout most of the ride, and traction losses on slightly slippery patches (not enough to be considered wet roads) are refilled very fast.

This ultra-high-performance tire also performs its designated purposes very well on highways and even occasional mountain passes. The macro-blocks offer extra bites through texture transitions and adventurous leans without sacrificing spirited momentums on faster-paced rides. 

At the same time, the ribs combine well with DWS’s stable sidewalls to keep the crossover on track when navigating through banked, long entries. Even blind curves (notably a nightmare for inexperienced drivers) turned out not to be that much of a challenge for us thanks to the tire’s nice responses to hard braking inputs. 

In deep water, DWS also does not disappoint. Combining X-sipes and 3D-sipes is clearly one of Continental’s smartest moves, judging by the tire’s amazing self-control around corners and particularly slippery bumps at 55-60 MPH. Hydroplaning issues were either non-existent (particularly if you travel on straight-line roads) or very weak – and hence, allowing us to pack our crossover to full capacity on wet bridges, sticky slopes, or flooded carousels.

On another note, you might not particularly pleased with DWS’s snow performance; it was decent on light snow, stuttering every 1-2 miles on deep snow, and barely rideable when moving to icy roads at below 25 MPH. Road noises on these terrains are also horrendous.

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D. Best All Terrain Tire For Honda CR-V

8. Falken WildPeak A/T Trail

Best uses: off-road dirt/rock, loose sand/mud, water below 9 inches, regular streets, all winter terrains

On-road drivers traveling occasionally into light off-road terrains will be very pleased with Falken WildPeak A/T Trail. Its rugged sidewalls and over-shoulder ribs manifest excellent puncture resistance against sharp landscapes (e.g., rocks and debris), coupled with the wide shoulders to breeze the Honda CR-V non-dramatically through dirt and rock traction. 

Better yet, despite the lack of features for loose terrains, WildPeak rarely shows any real burnout symptoms on mud and sand, if not retaining even better traction here than its own wet performance in deep on-road water (beyond 9 inches). Thicker, damp soil on inconsistent textured roads is also very well within the tire’s scope, only resulting in brief, minor chokes that powerful steering push-pulls could easily handle.

With such a powerful performance on off-beaten paths, there is little double about WildPeak’s footings once the crossover returns to regular streets. The independent blocks, notches and edges combine with competitive steering/cornering stability to manifest one of the most stable contact patches we have ever seen in on-road AT tires, punching well onto the road patterns even when rainy seasons come. 

Hydroplaning only lurks around in water beyond 9 inches and remains a very faint threat in almost any other wet-driving situation, so you needn’t worry about violent coughs upon hard braking or major slippage when accelerating.

To our surprise, WildPeak’s snow traction is even a tad better than its wet performance, seemingly owing most of its capability to the interlocking 3D canyon sipes that offer extra clawing actions than predecessors. Ice grip is also very impressive for a non-winter tire. 

Overall, our only complaints lie in the tire’s noise control, which is excellent for straight-line endeavors and gentle corners but grows increasingly distant at tight crooks, tight-spaced twists, and off-road braking distances.

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9. Toyo Open Country A/T III

Best uses: rugged textures, off-road rocks, thick mud and sand, highways, mountain passes

As the only off-road AT tire that makes it into the list, Toyo Open Country is a true performance on off-road terrains: its 3D multi-wave sipes and well-engineered void areas gripped so well onto the rugged textures that we easily reached 40-55 MPH without the constant lags and jostles often seen in tires from less-reputed tire manufacturers.

Even stacked rock beds turn out not to pose half of the problems we expected, bonding well with the rugged shoulders to smooth out the drifting panics around the flanks. Hence, although heavy towing is usually not really recommended for off-road paths, you can still tow 800 to 900 lbs at casual speeds here without major lag.

Toyo Open also composes itself very well in loose terrains; in fact, its sand traction does not differ from rock performances, if not getting slightly tamer around gentle curves due to the sand’s softer clusters. You will also have quite a blast with the tire’s stable footings on deep mud roads, only stumbling into minor stalls when the car rolls through a particularly difficult/sticky pit.

There is hardly anything to worry about regarding Toyo Open’s traction in dry/wet weather on-road. Minus a few overreactions (since its grooves are mostly tailored for off-road), the tire behaved very well at our regular driving rates (40-55 MPH) and easily afforded high-speed turns on highways/mountain passes; hydroplaning was hardly a significant issue. 

Its off-road dirt clawing also translates well into snow terrains, getting twice more reliable when bound by strong snow chains. Ice performances were not as deft but still played very much in our favor at 30-40 MPH, preferably with no tight corners.

On another note, such consistent traction is a trade-off for riding comfort and noise. Aside from straight-line endeavors or low-speed rates below 30 MPH, you should brace yourself for loud squeakings and pronounced thuds every 3-4 miles on both on- and off-road surfaces.

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E. Best Winter/Snow Tire For Honda CR-V

10. Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2

Best uses: all winter terrains, regular on-road rides

With hundreds of microscopic bites and sturdy hydrophilic coatings, Blizzak DM-V2 is clearly meant for snow performances. Its 3D sipes almost fling straight onto the snow packs the moment your Honda CR-V starts rolling, interlacing the contact patch and grooves in such an intimate, unbreakable bond that none of your slackening inputs or abrupt turns could break it apart. 

Its impressive liner-hugging abilities around tight corners and early apex also strike very strongly, ensuring enough margins to fall back on when you encounter unexpected roadblocks mid-corners.

Minus slightly longer stalls due to the increased snow volumes, Blizzak DM-V2 barely falters or hesitates when moving from light to deep snow roads. Ice terrains are also very much a delight due to the tamed, predictable stutters; you can totally give it a massive boost by reducing the passengers to 2-3 while approaching corners from a wider angle.

These anti-hydroplaning/anti-slippage designs also work very well on snowless slippery roads. In fact, we found the tire’s traction on wet roads to be even more stable than its dry performance – though the latter is also pretty good for most basic driving situations. 

Riding quality is also superb – with somewhat tolerable noises on rougher paths. Unfortunately, treadwear rates are a bit underwhelming.

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Conclusion

The best Honda CRV tires should meet your expectations regarding traction, riding comfort, and noise control without breaking the bank. 

Establish your priorities straight while researching the tire’s metrics properly through reliable sources. Our COR Wheels team also offers inclusive reports for each tire in the list on our official website for your cross-reference.