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Acura RL Tires and Wheels

ross16ross16 Member Posts: 5
in Acura
Planning on purchasing a new RL with Tech Pkg. I was also thinking about the Pax tire pkg. Today I was reading a forum about them on the Honda Odyssey page. Owners claim they last less than 25,000 miles, dealers don't have the machinery to mount new Pax tires on the rims. Many were forced to purchase new tire and rim combos already mounted for exorbitant costs. Wondering if Acura owners/dealers are having the same problems?
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Comments

  • spicymikeyspicymikey Member Posts: 100
    Ross I'm in the same boat. Looking at RL's. Love teh CMBS package but hate the PAX. Not sure where you are but I did research in Orlando and here's what I found.
    - None of the 3 Acura dealers have the equipment
    - 2 Honda dealers have the changer but they don't carry Acura RL tires (245/680's)
    - 1 Tire Kingdom has tires and the machine
    - All want about $300 per tire plus about $100 to install

    Bottom line; I don't think it's as bad as it has been in the last couple years (be careful a lot of postings you read on the web might be old). However, it's definitely not a good situation. Honda/Acura is being stupid to not make the PAX an option by itself. I'm sure they're loosing sales. In fact a class action suit was just filed in March against Honda and Michelin over these tires. It's a mess. I've decided to stay away until I see if the '08 models get "de-paxed". if so, I'll buy the CMBS package.
  • carfan28carfan28 Member Posts: 43
    The other problem is that there aren't that many RL CMBS/PAX models being produced. If you want the RL TECH package you could easily find the color exterior/interior you want, if you want the CMBS/PAX model you'll have to settle for whatever color they happen to have. At my NJ dealer they receive 5 RL techs for every CMBS/PAX they receive.

    I've used the CMBS on the RL and the M35- not impressed. The M sales rep was very specific on how to turn it off- apparently Infiniti receives many complaints about all the false warnings.
  • frank52frank52 Member Posts: 1
    My 2005 Honda Touring Odyssey with PAX tires is the worst purchase I have ever made. This is the most costly vehicle I have ever owned. What a problem getting the tires and the cost is huge. No spare came with this vehicle. At the time of purchasing, I was told the tires would not cost much more that regular tire and the cost would come down because more vehicles would have them, I have spent a lot of money on tire replacement. This will be my last HONDA. Will probably bite the bullet and trade soon.
  • bc2005rlbc2005rl Member Posts: 10
    I have a 2005 Acura RL with 41000 miles on it and I am looking to replace my tires. I don't see many choices other than Michelins and they want $275 dollars a tire. Does anyone have any recommendations on a good replacement?
  • cstilescstiles Member Posts: 465
    The OEM Michelin HX MXM4 tires cost $238 each on Tire Rack. Two better choices would be the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S at $223 or the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Asymmetrical at $180. Any of these can be shipped by Tire Rack to a reputable intaller and you can save at least $100 or more.
  • bc2005rlbc2005rl Member Posts: 10
    I heard that the Dunlops aren't any good. Most say to get the Pilot Sport A/S. I talked to a guy at Sears and he stated that Dunlops have been discontinued. I guess I'll be looking at the Michelins. Thanks for the response.
  • georgeoneilgeorgeoneil Member Posts: 1
    Love my 2005 RL, hate the road noise - ( I have 120,000 miles on it!) Looking for new tires, but hoping to find something to reduce the horrible road noise. Any suggestions out there?
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,721
    I purchased Toyo Versados for my '05 TL. Smoother, quieter than the Bridgestone Turnaza OEM. But, appear to be worse in the snow, so for the first time in my 30 years of driving FWD cars, I bought snow tires.

    Of course, here in Boston, prior to buying the snows: Almost 2.5 feet of snow. Since buying the snow tires: less than an inch of snow. Now that I've made the large, unexpected purchase it may never snow in Boston again... :sick: ;)

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • 10sfan10sfan Member Posts: 136
    Living in the upper Midwest, have over 20K with these tires on my RL. Quieter, good handling on wet pavement and on snow covered roads. Last winter had a tremendous amount of snow and they did well.
  • TheWopTheWop Member Posts: 5
    We bought a "new" RL--an 06 bought in 07 from the dealer, a "demo" with all the bells and whistles (It had 5,000 miles on it, but we got it for a "steal" compared to the sticker price. OOOOO--PAX tires, whatever that is--the f'ing car has no spare tire...ehem, there is a lawsuit pending over the whole PAX tire system (only on RLs and Honda Odysseys)
    No spare tire kits are available at the dealers here in the San Joaquin Valley--they don't even have a part number to order it...America's Tire Company has four tires available mounted, balanced, etc., for $1875. Hell, the Car is barely worth more than that.
    "Run flat" tires are supposed to be able to carry the vehicle up to 100 miles on a flat tire. Gee, some shortsighted emngineer somewhere seems to think that there is a PAX tire busting station within 100 miles of anywhere.

    Anyhow, some wiseguy lawyer firm has gotten Honda Acura to agree to the following tentative settlement (after you have put out the money, it's a maybe): $110.00 if you show proof that you paid $108.00 for a spare tire kit for the PAX. $300 to $400 if you purchased another Honda Acura vehicle.

    Such a deal! I wanna buy another RL....
  • TheWopTheWop Member Posts: 5
    My suggestion--get regular tires--you'll save quite a bit...however, the problem--same as before--NO SPARE...(:--((

    I will NEVER again buy a run flat tire system in my life--more because of lack of a spare than the higher price--I always picture myself out in the middle of nowhere--with--a flat tire and no spare. BOO on Acura and Honda for this boondoggle.
  • cbrosecbrose Member Posts: 6
    OK, I'm new to the forum because I picked up an '06 RL last week. Love the car! The technology is great, it has only 25,000 miles and is in fantastic condition. Before I bought it, I had test driven this car around some local roads and did take it on the highway, which, at that time, didn't cause me any concern. However, after driving from the Philly suburbs to Long Island and back this weekend, my ears are killing me! The road noise on various surfaces was, frankly, unbearable. My '05 MDX is as quiet as a cathedral compared to the RL! What gives? All the review spoke about how quiet this car was and that it has the active Bose noise dampening. Not mine: I think the noise was actually echoing around the inside of the car. I could barely hear the radio. So, I'm guessing that it's not the car's sound-proofing but the Michelin tires that are the culprit. From all that I've read here, these tires basically suck for road noise once they get some miles on them. Sadly, my tires are in great shape.
    But, I'm so disgusted with the road noise, I'm ready to shell out >$500 for some quite driving. Here are my questions:
    1. Are the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus the tires of choice on this car as a replacement (I will be driving in a little winter snow)?
    2. What else will give me a quite and fairly responsive ride without breaking the bank?
    3. Lastly, has anyone tried to add more sound dampening materials to either the outer wheel wells or inner wheel wells (trunk space and/or behind rear seat carpeting)? I did a search for sound dampening and it looks like there are a number of people who are into audio sound that have experimented with increasing the sound dampening in the wheel wells and trunk with some success. Should this be necessary on a $50,000 (new) car?
  • nebraskaguynebraskaguy Member Posts: 341
    At JJAcura's recommendation, I replaced the tires on my 2005 RL with Bridgestone Turanza Serenity. Immediately afterwards I took a 500-mile drive. They are far quieter than the Michelins that came on my RL. Since most of the trip was freeway driving in good weather, I can't attest to his comments regarding handling, but on most of the surfaces during the trip, the tires were nearly totally silent. A big improvement! They are not cheap, though, unless you order them over the internet.
  • cbrosecbrose Member Posts: 6
    nebraskaguy,

    Thanks for the reply. As you can tell, I'm looking for peace and quiet in a performance tire. The reviews at tirerack.com (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Turanza+- Serenity&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&partnum=45VR7TS) give it very good ratings on ride and noise comfort, with decent snow capabilities. Tread design doesn't look as aggressive as the Pilots but that might be a good thing regarding road noise.
  • cmhsec1cmhsec1 Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a 06 RL with 50K miles on it, with some miles left on the Michelins. The highway road noise coming off of the tires is unbearable in all but newly paved highways. Now that you have had the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires for a couple of months, how is the noise? Thanks.
    Chris
  • cbrosecbrose Member Posts: 6
    cmhsec1,

    I actually didn't get new tires. I made some adjustments in the air pressure of my tires and that made a huge difference. Very bearable now. The manual says to run 30 psi in the fronts and 32 psi in the rear. I'm running about 32 all around and it's much quieter than before. I'm going to go as long as I can before I shell out $700.00 for tires. :) But when I do, it will most likely be either the Bridgestones or Toyos. I've heard good things about both on this car.
  • nebraskaguynebraskaguy Member Posts: 341
    I couldn't be happier with my Bridgestone Serenity tires. They are so much quieter than the Michelins.
  • jensadjensad Member Posts: 388
    Me too. I got rid of the Michelins and got the Bridgestone Serenity tires for my RL and I have much less noise and less harshness on the road. And many years ago, I only purchased Michelins on all of my cars but not today.

    Good luck to all and stay safe.

    jensad
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Interesting to note how quiet the various Acura RL forums are these days. This was the only forum that has recent posts. Maybe it's time for a new distinctive RL design to come forward and create some excitement!!! As it is the redesigns have given me pause thus far. I don't want to leave Acura after all these years but I will continue to drive the 2005 until they give us something to get excited about!!! I have a long time Acura friend who hasn't left the "fold" as yet but he too is very disappointed. I do however continue to be very happy with the 2005. Still love the design and the performance so far has been unequaled by any auto I have owned over the last 50 years. Like all good things however it won't last forever and I am looking forward to some better Acura designs. The Bridgestones were a good move. (Good to see Nebraskaguy as well)
    JJ
  • nebraskaguynebraskaguy Member Posts: 341
    Thanks, JJ, good to see you too. I too am still very happy with my 2005 RL and am awaiting the next generation, hopefully next year, before I make my next move. I must say, it'll have to be pretty good to keep me in the Acura family.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Keep in mind that as soon as you post in any discussion, it then has "recent posts" - feel free to wake any of them up at any time!
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    :) Thanks Pat
  • baker8baker8 Member Posts: 3
    We bought an RL new back in '06. The road noise was really bad on anything other than new pavement or a special blacktop WADOT is testing on roads. Forget about riding in the back seat. No way. The noise cancelling audio system is a joke.
    After the original stock tires that came on the new RL wore out, we replaced them with Bridgestone Turanza Serenity. I noticed just a little improvement, but mostly we both considered it almost as noisey as the 1996 Honda Accord we use a a backukp car.
    The Bridgestone tires are a bit more sensitive to road vibration. We took it back to dealership a couple of times for balancing. We're pretty sure now that the tires are more sensitive to road vibration. Increasing the tire pressure a little seemed to help some. Good tires otherwise.
    Bottom line, I don't think we'll buy another RL until the reports from other drivers indicate that Acura has really fixed the problem. It's such as easy thing to do; the technology is out there and at the price Acura asks for RL's, one would think noise would never be an issue.
    Maybe in other countries in the world, their highways don't have these awful grooves created by people who drive on studded tires ~6 months out of the year. So drivers there won't notice the road noise as much. In Washington, however, studded tires are used by a lot of drivers (not us) and within a few years, those tires can ruin a highway.
    We find ourselves driving on edge just outside of the grooves and just inside of the lane lines. It's a bit more precarious but quieter, so one has to be very alert.
    Hope this helps.
  • michael0137michael0137 Member Posts: 58
    Uggh...studded tires CAN ruin roads - they should be outlawed. NY allowed them years ago - don't think they do amy more. Odd to hear a car with them - mostly VT and NH cars visiting.

    As for road noise - an Acura will never be a Lexus - they simply aren't designed that way - same with BMW - you will hear road noise - it is part of the "driving experience" - not being wrapped in a cocoon like Lexus - which I call the Japanese Buick.
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