Is Honda CR-V good enough to get you to most objectives?

Whatever you get, drop some money on decent AT tires. You'll gain clearance and off-road performance. Having a flat tire on a recreation trip really sucks.

Yes, to paying for better tires, for typical BLM stuff, but also snow. 2016 CR-V, AWD, has done anything I've asked it too. It has more clearance than many "SUVs". The "U" has been bred out of many, sadly.

Older versions of many rigs, the backseat folds down flat. Not so in my newer one, but I didn't want a higher mileage vehicle. I just put a small piece of thin plywood across the bend, then fold out my bouldering pad and bedding. Park nose down, and I'm golden, good enough otherwise. I had them put the seats down when I was shopping, and climbed in to check for fit. 

Any specific roads that are more of a problem, you will likely have some beta out there, if it's someplace people go to regularly. Here, sand and certain dirt roads after a rain, head into 4WD territory. But also creek crossings, super steep, etc Unless you're really out in the wilds, the CR-V should do fine.

Old lady H wrote:

Yes, to paying for better tires, for typical BLM stuff, but also snow. 2016 CR-V, AWD, has done anything I've asked it too. It has more clearance than many "SUVs". The "U" has been bred out of many, sadly.

Older versions of many rigs, the backseat folds down flat. Not so in my newer one, but I didn't want a higher mileage vehicle. I just put a small piece of thin plywood across the bend, then fold out my bouldering pad and bedding. Park nose down, and I'm golden, good enough otherwise. I had them put the seats down when I was shopping, and climbed in to check for fit. 

Any specific roads that are more of a problem, you will likely have some beta out there, if it's someplace people go to regularly. Here, sand and certain dirt roads after a rain, head into 4WD territory. But also creek crossings, super steep, etc Unless you're really out in the wilds, the CR-V should do fine.

I have had mine door deep in creek crossings and she does good. Just keep the pedal down! 

Maybe I am missing something but my first gen does not lay seat flat...

Also anyone got recommendations on tires? Mine are coming due for new shoes and I want to switch to a AT set.

Used 2climb wrote:

Also anyone got recommendations on tires? Mine are coming due for new shoes and I want to switch to a AT set.

Generally speaking, go with a P rated mild AT tire. Anything more will be heavier and start to ruin the on road characteristics of the car

What is a P rating? Tires are rated by load A-E the lowest being A and E being the highest A-C are not worth owning & if you are going on unimproved roads E is the only rating you should be using. Tread ratings like M/S (mud&snow) are about traction. 

Mark Frumkin wrote:

What is a P rating? Tires are rated by load A-E the lowest being A and E being the highest A-C are not worth owning & if you are going on unimproved roads E is the only rating you should be using. Tread ratings like M/S (mud&snow) are about traction. 

P means passenger rated tire, as opposed to LT for light truck rated tires.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=55

And no, an E load rating should only be used for heavy duty on road trucks or serious rock crawling. Because of their stiff sidewalls and drastically increased mass, they are not well suited for lighter duty trucks. For example, i have LT C load rated tire on my xterra and they are perfect (truck came from the factory with passenger rates tires).

I have E rated tires on everything I own. A passenger car tire should never go off road period. 

Mark Frumkin wrote:

I have E rated tires on everything I own. A passenger car tire should never go off road period. 

they don't even make E tires in sizes that fit CRVs.....so CRV owners who wish to cruise forest service roads don't really have a choice. 

Again, for people who do some dirt road driving in their CRV and want a tire update, a mild P rated AT tire is best. here is a list for refernece based on our '08s stock tire size:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?width=225%2F&ratio=65&diameter=17&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&RunFlat=All

Edit: @Mark - Using your experience, what tire would you recommend for an 08 CRV that sees about 20% dirt roads? Please provide a link if you can. Thanks!

Really tire rack! What can I say you are right and my 45 years of history in the industry means nothing my 10 years of tire testing for Uniroyal & Goodyear mean nothing all the years I cut my treat on race tires means nothing. 

Hah! You guys and your tires! You’d think we were discussing brake-assisted versus non-brake-assisted belay devices. ;)

Mark. totally respect your knowledge.  However, I live 4.5 miles out  rough dirt road and  needless to say  I have put a shit ton of dirt miles on whatever tires were on whatever rig I was driveing at the time.  my experience is that worn winter tires on their last legs( I leave them on after the 2nd winter and run them through the summer to get the last bit of life out of them) tend to puncture the easiest. I would guess its the softer rubber? On another note I just put expensive E rated Continentals on my sprinter a month ago and allready it looks like two tires have broken bands? ripple in the sidewall?  our roads are really rough but that is not happened to me very often on my other rigs even when buying the cheapest tires...   any suggestions? 

Mark Frumkin wrote:

I have E rated tires on everything I own. A passenger car tire should never go off road period. 

I mean I have driven cheap passenger tires on every vehicle I have owned and I have a habit of thinking all cars can go on all roads... Never popped a tire yet. It is def not what passenger tires are made for but you can really push the limits. Just do not let sharp rocks get at your sidewall.

I will be looking for a mid tier AT tire since the vast majority of my driving is on roads. I think I will do some research on CRV forums before purchasing anything anyways.

I've thoroughly abused my 2008 CR-V in the last several years. Many rocky roads in Washington and Utah to visit old mines and other sites. I always wish I had more clearance but it's what I have and it gets me just about everywhere although sometimes I have kind of a permeant cringe just waiting to hear the next rock hit the bottom. I have hit many but haven't had a breakdown yet. Underside could be prettier. A/C compressor on certain years will go out it's only happened on mine once. Good tires have been essential. I've driven hard on bumpy roads and never gotten a flat when many others do. Note that if I'm ever on a normal FS road that sees any regular use it's usually a piece of cake. Seldom-used two tracks with brush on both sides are the hair-raising ones. Mine is the AWD version, which means that if your front tires start to slip, the vehicle stability assist engages and the rear tires with drive as well.

Yes, Goodyear Kevlar.

The older winter tires are probably puncturing easier 1 because there is less distance between the outer wall and the inner wall: 2 and probably the real reason is that the tires have become brittle. Both the tread and more importantly the carcass have worn out or outlived their life. Winter tires are by the design soft and built to stay flexible in cold weather when run on warm pavement the inner core tends to break down. 

I run Goodyear Silent Armor pro-grade on my truck that is mostly street but sees a lot of off-road & Duratracks on my wife's Nissan Xterra ( she needs them she thinks her truck is a tank and can go anywhere ) & on my truck that is mostly on the road but has to pull its self and a trailer on dirt roads. I also have Duratracks on the back of my 2wd because it sees a lot of off-road driving & Kevlar road tires on the front. 

It depends on your area too. I've done a lot of field work in the great basin where gravel roads are made of sharp limestone and will puncture even new, good street tires, even when roads appear smooth and can be traveled with a 2wd low clearance. I run hankook dynapro at tires on my 05 Honda pilot and haven't had a problem. Firestone destination at is another good tire I've used in the past. I have had problems with bigger, more aggressive MT style tires with large tread pattern--the big gaps between the treads can allow small rocks to puncture them. Firestone, hankook, BFG, and general grabbers are all fine, just get whatever fits and is cheap.

270 thou on 1998 so far. With 15" studded snow tires, AWD, stick and fully independent suspension, they drive like a little army jeep. (Cept way warmer). All 4 wheels crab in like the back of a VW bug. The only thing missing is a low range. Still getting around 25 mpg, but now uses a quart of oil every 500 miles. Be sure to change the timing belt every 100,000. Breaking one of those is one thing that will total an older one. Better ground clearance than most other mini SUVs.

Eric Chabot wrote:

It depends on your area too. I've done a lot of field work in the great basin where gravel roads are made of sharp limestone and will puncture even new, good street tires, even when roads appear smooth and can be traveled with a 2wd low clearance. I run hankook dynapro at tires on my 05 Honda pilot and haven't had a problem. Firestone destination at is another good tire I've used in the past. I have had problems with bigger, more aggressive MT style tires with large tread pattern--the big gaps between the treads can allow small rocks to puncture them. Firestone, hankook, BFG, and general grabbers are all fine, just get whatever fits and is cheap.

New tires on sharp rocks can collect the rocks in deep treads. Some nevada/california desert folks run near bald tires for that reason. They also carry spares, tire patch kit and bike pump. They are not dealing with snow, mud etc. tho. The curlicues of iron from the grader blades can be fearsome as well.

Other stuff to bring for the FS roads in the PNW to get you past blow downs. Shovel, bow saw, axe, come-a-long.

Some of my friends upgrade to chainsaws and winches. (add water or fire extinguisher if you bring the chainsaw). Springtime can have dozens of trees down across the roads.

Oh, forgot to mention the picnic table that comes with the old CRV's. And the ice chest underneath.

Dave Olsen wrote:

Oh, forgot to mention the picnic table that comes with the old CRV's. And the ice chest underneath.

Hold up theres a ice chest too???

When my 06 CRV dies, part of me will die with it.  I’ve taken that thing down every backroad in the West I needed it to and up every icy mountain pass, not to mention dozens and dozens of times across the entire country.  It’s a champ and still going strong.  If I could buy the same one again new, I’d do it in a heart beat.