What is the difference between the front and rear oem wheels (MY'02)?

I recently had new tires shipped to me from Tire Rack. After instructing the installer several times to put the larger tires on the rear, they messed up and put them on the front wheels. To fix the problem, they simply put the rear wheels on the front. I asked the guy if there was a difference in the wheel size and he said that they measured and there was no difference.

I am not sure that I believe him, because front and rear oem wheels seem to be sold separately and for different prices. Should I be worried? Would it damage the tires to have them switched to the correct rims? Thanks.

 

THEY LIED! Get this fixed IMMEDIATELY!
The OEM front wheels of your model year is 1" narrower than the rears (6.5" vs 7.5"). Also, you can put a front wheel on the rear but you cannot put a rear wheel on the front as the center hole is a slightly different size. Honda did this so you can put a front wheel on the rear when you get a rear flat. The space saver spare can ONLY be put on the front. When you get a rear flat, you put the spare on the front and put that front on the rear.

Also, most tires for this car are "unidirectional". They can only go on one side of the car. Check to see if they put the tire on the wrong side of the car. They are not safe in the rain if they are spinning the wrong way.

If they put a larger rear tire on a front wheel, the tire will be "pinched" in. If they put a smaller front tire on a rear wheel, the tire will be "stretched" out. Not the best way to do things.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how little supposed "professionals" actually know about cars.

 

Thanks for the response. For the record, here is the installer so you can all avoid them:

Midas Auto Service
2054 M 139
BENTON HARBOR, MI 49022
(269) 927-2491

They are a tire rack recommended installer.

-Andrew

 

I guess you've been "touched" by Midas.
I hope TireRack sees this and gives them numbnuts the heave-ho.

 

This happened to me when having local Firestone dealer install the Blizzak's I bought from Tirerack.

I totally could tell there was something wrong. Once I hit the hwy ramp i knew something was not "balanced". I'd even go as far as saying it could cause damage and/or an accident.

2 days later I went to my trusty H dealer and had him re-balance and re-mount. Yep I actually have a good one here.

Tried to save a few bucks and that's what happened. I called Firestone to let them know that one of their tech's screwed up and they denied it. This is same place that told me "We know all about this car." when I showed salesperson the pb start & push-down reverse gear.

 

xViper, I never knew that the rear wheels would not fit on the front hubs. I was always concerned about a mix up so I took a sharpie and put an inconspicuous mark on the rear wheels so that I could verify they were in the proper place after getting tires mounted. I guess that I did not need to do that afterall. It is amazing how many things I do not know about this car even though I have been learning about it for 3 years. Thanks for the info.

 

They will "fit". They will feel odd going on, like they don't quite fit but they do? Then you put the nuts on and start turning them and wonder why it didn't quite feel like they usually feel. The guy at the tire shop uses an impact wrench, he won't know the difference. He'll just stress the center hole. You are still wise to mark them if you think you will ever have doubt.

 

As xviper suggested, have this fixed immediately! Running rear rims on the front, irrespective of the tires mounted on them, is very hazardous!

I've had approximately 12 sets (48 rims) of tire installations done (mostly race rubber) and have experienced 4 instances when tires were mounted improperly. This includes one time at the dealer.

Enkei, the manufacturer of the OEM rims has also molded rim size marks on the inside of one of the rim spokes. The rears indicate 16 x 6.5JJ and the fronts are marked 16 x 5.5JJ.

Other typical errors that I have encountered when tires are mounted and balanced include not match-mounting the tire to the rim, using stick-on weight on the inside of the wheel where clip-on weights should be used, and rim damage. All of these errors have occurred after I clearly explained my concerns with the service writer and left written instructions on how the tires are to be mounted .

I now make sure that the store manager inspects my rims with me (so he cannot claim that their shop didn't do damage) and acknowledges my written instructions. While this does not eliminate the hassle of repeated work, I have now had six (yes 6) rims replaced because of damage. Note that the damage replacements were for my street wheels only - I don't care about damage to the race rims.