Do you use winter tires?

[kokerj]

Tire rack has a number of 17 x7.5 and 17x8 wheels with the correct bolt pattern and offset. If you specify the vehicle and the winter tire and wheel package, the website will identify the -1 sizing options. I went with 245/65R17 tires.

Originally Posted by adr5

What rim did you end up getting? I was about to trade in our 07 MDX, but I may end up keeping it for another year. If I do keep it I want to get winter tires as our original tires, about 38K, are starting to wear thin.

Living in NYC we don't get lots of snow, but we do get hit with deep snow every so often. I've relied on the SH-AWD and the stock all seaons tires with good tread depth to keep me going, and stopping. I've only had to drive in deep snow, over 6" deep, on one occasion. The MDX did ok. On an unplowed road with a slight incline I had to get a running start and feather the throttle to keep the car moving. That is the only time I wished I had winter tires.

[kokerj]

Yes, I assume that my current floor jack won't lift high enough. Not to mention that it leaks, so every season I add motor oil as the working fluid. OK to lift my wife's passat a few inches off the ground until I can get jack stands under it, but probably not so great for the weight of the MDX. I will check HD and Harbor Freight this weekend.

Originally Posted by nsxtasy

I had to do the same thing. I assume it's because the floor jack you already have, doesn't give you enough height to get the MDX tire off the ground. On my 2004 MDX, I found that I needed a jack with at least 17" lift height. That figure is probably true for the 2007+, but if you want to check, you can always use the stock jack (the one that comes in the back of the car) to jack up a wheel/tire, and measure the height needed to lift it off the ground.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money, since I'm not going to use it very often (mostly for swapping winter tires on and off). Unfortunately, none of the $20-30 floor jacks have enough lift height. I found two jacks at Home Depot with a maximum lift height of 21" and that, at the time were $50. The first one is still $50 and should be available in stores as well as online (click on photo for more info):



The second one is now $60 and is available online only. This is the one I got. It works okay, but it has two downsides: a very short throw on the handle (so you have to pump it a lot), which is probably true of the green one too since it has a similar handle mechanism, and a place where it's easy to pinch the palm of your hand and hurt yourself if you're not careful (BTDT):

[Teg2Xer]

I do not, only because I have my "beater" RX300 which actually has Michelin tires on them to do my snow running. The OEM Duelers on the MDX are crap in my opinion. I had them as replacement tires on my RX at some point and they were the worse, so I went back to Michelins. Once the Duelers wear out on the MDX, I will do the same.

If I only had the MDX for snow duty, then I would get good rated all season tires rather than snow specific tires as good tires on AWD should do the trick for probably 80% of the population. If you're driving in 2' of snow all the time, then maybe not so much.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by kokerj

Yes, I assume that my current floor jack won't lift high enough. Not to mention that it leaks, so every season I add motor oil as the working fluid. OK to lift my wife's passat a few inches off the ground until I can get jack stands under it, but probably not so great for the weight of the MDX. I will check HD and Harbor Freight this weekend.

Just so you know - you won't find anything at Harbor Freight anywhere near as cheap as the two at Home Depot. Not with a height high enough for the MDX, anyway.

If you want to spend more for a higher-quality jack than those, then Harbor Freight is probably a good place to check too.

[carguy07]

I have coupons to get this one for $59.99



Racing Jack with Rapid Pump®, Compact, 1.5 Ton, Aluminum

or this one for $69.99



Floor Jack with Rapid Pump®, 3 Ton Heavy Duty

PM me your address if you want one. They come in the news paper and magazines all the time around here.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by carguy07

I have coupons to get this one for $59.99

That one doesn't have enough lift height for an MDX. You need 17" of lift to get the tire off the ground on a 2001-2006 MDX, and the 2007+ is probably similar. That one only has a maximum lift height of 14 3/4".

Originally Posted by carguy07

or this one for $69.99

That one can do the job, but it's going to be close, with just a little bit of clearance (maximum lift height of 18 1/8").

Originally Posted by carguy07

PM me your address if you want one. They come in the news paper and magazines all the time around here.

Thanks for the kind offer - very nice of you! (I already have the red one from Home Depot, though, so I don't need another.)

[carguy07]

Do you mean 17" without putting a block of wood on the saddle or 17" of throw?

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by carguy07

Do you mean 17" without putting a block of wood on the saddle or 17" of throw?

I mean 17" of throw without putting a block of wood on the saddle. I get nervous using a block of wood that's really thick, which you would need to do on a jack with only 14 3/4" lift. Especially since the lift height is already high, it's not like a low profile car and jack which tends to be sturdy just because the lift is low.

[Bill_de]

I've never taken a good look at it, but would the jack that came with the car be adequate if your just doing this twice a year?

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by Bill_de

I've never taken a good look at it, but would the jack that came with the car be adequate if your just doing this twice a year?

Could it be used? Yes, absolutely. But a scissors jack, especially one that is designed as much for compact storage as for utility, is not as easy to use as a conventional floor jack. And the MDX's high clearance and high weight means that there is a lot more effort and a lot more pumping/turning than a sedan, let alone a low lightweight sports car.

Under the general rule of "try the cheapest thing first", the nice thing about the stock jack is that any MDX owner already has it, so he/she can try it out and see how easy it is to use.* If a better jack is desired, you can then go out and buy one.

*Even for those who don't have winter tires, it's a good idea to do a test run with the jack, so you know where the jack is stored and how to use it. That way, if you ever get a flat somewhere out on the road, you won't have to figure it all out for the first time. (If you've never removed/remounted a wheel before, have a knowledeable friend show you what to do.) This is a good idea on any car, except for those with run-flats and no spare.

[kokerj]

A floor jack is a lot faster and a lot more stable. And while it is only twice per year, it is 4 times up and 4 times down through the whole process. That is more than most emergency scissor jacks work in a lifetime.

Originally Posted by Bill_de

I've never taken a good look at it, but would the jack that came with the car be adequate if your just doing this twice a year?

[carguy07]

Originally Posted by kokerj

A floor jack is a lot faster and a lot more stable. And while it is only twice per year, it is 4 times up and 4 times down through the whole process. That is more than most emergency scissor jacks work in a lifetime.

Only 2 up 2 down with a floor jack. These cars have excellent jack points in the middle.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by carguy07

Only 2 up 2 down with a floor jack. These cars have excellent jack points in the middle.

The MDX does not have jacking points in the middle on the sides, only in the front and the back. Which means you'll need enough space in front of, or behind, your car in your garage for the jack, which I don't have.

How much lift do you need to lift two wheels/tires off the ground using those lift points? 17" or some other figure?

[kokerj]

I was able to get the first jack at HD today for $50. The sales guy said they had others like that one for $20 on black friday - I can only hope it was a different cheapo that did not have the same 21" of lift.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by kokerj

The sales guy said they had others like that one for $20 on black friday - I can only hope it was a different cheapo that did not have the same 21" of lift.

That would be my guess as well.