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have been upgraded from the stock 205/60-R16
Touring Energy tires to Michelin Pilot 225/55-R16
(Ultra High Performance All-Season)... I like the
stock wheels. The performance difference,
handling, dry/wet grip is phenomenal. In fact, I
am just using what is already present in the TL - a wonderful suspension (4 wheel independant double wishbones with rear multi-link) and a fantastic chassis... The only reason Acura chose the OEM Energy Michelins, IMO, is to cut costs...
If I were to add the same tires (Ultra High
performance Pilots) to say, the Lexus ES300
(which also incidentally carries the stock tires of the TL), I would overwhelm the suspension/chassis, and the benefits I probably might get would be fairly minimal ....since the entire car is designed more for comfort and straight line cruising alone, unlike the TL....
(I mean, is the distance from the bottom of the rim to the ground noticeably greater from the profile view of the car?)
You could check out the link below for photos that have mounted 225/55-R16 tires on the stock rims:
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/einsteintl?d&.flabel=fld4&.src=ph
Some additional photos of the 225/55-R16 tires on the stock TL rims:
http://www.geocities.com/brighttl2000/Image91.jpg http://www.geocities.com/brighttl2000/Image31.jpg http://www.geocities.com/brighttl2000/Image21.jpg www.geocities.com/brighttl2000/2.html www.geocities.com/brighttl2000/3.html www.geocities.com/brighttl2000/4.html www.geocities.com/brighttl2000/5.html www.geocities.com/brighttl2000/6.html
The Gold one (Naples Gold Metallic) has "Bridgestone RE730 225/55ZR-16" tires and the Gray looking one (Laguna Green Metallic) has on "Bridgestone Potenza SO-2 Pole Position 225/55ZR-16".
Basically both of them are exactly the same size as my tire - Michelin Pilot 225/55ZR-16.
I provided those links for having an idea of how the tires of that size would look on the TL with the stock rims.
I will also be posting pictures of my car with the Michelins on after I am able to take some photos of them...
Later...AH
Later...AH
I took the car to the dealer to have it checked, and they said everything was fine. I asked the head service consultant if others had complained about this and indirectly she told me yes, that others had. She told me that the antennas mounted in the glass are weaker than free standing ones are.
The service consultant called Acura's tech line to see if there was a "fix" for this and she also spoke with the service manager. She was told that there are no faults with the radio or antenna and that you can't compare reception among different cars (or even two identical cars).
I also ran into the sales manager while I was waiting and asked him if this was normal. He confirmed that the aerial antennas are stronger than those in the glass. {FYI: I asked him why Acura put them in the glass, and he said it was for cost reasons. He said that the power motors for the aerial antennas kept needing to be replaced (which was expensive), and this was a better option). I asked him if there was a way to remedy this situation and he said I could check with a local car stereo installer to see if something could be done.
Has anyone else experienced this problem with their FM reception? Any ideas on how to remedy this problem?
BTW - you have one of my long time favorite car, the Stealth. I used to want one really bad many years ago. Then they stopped making them.
I never had big problems with glass mounted antennas, I can get Z100 almost from New Haven, CT.
hunter - I like the Michelin XGT V4 on my 300M a lot.
In the reviews of the Michelin Pilot XGT V4 in www.tirerack.com, one poster who owns an Acura Integra GSR has commented:
"Car originally had normal XGT-V4s, after changing to the Pilots it's like driving a new, more nimble version of the same car. Handling is crisper, the tires are much quieter and don't squeal unnecessarily"
Incidentally, the Dodge Stealth is the twin of the Mitsubishi 3000 GT. Both of them are built by Mitsubishi in Japan but Dodge has re-badged its version and called it the "Stealth" with some slight styling changes. Even I kind of liked the aggressive stance of the 3000GT/Stealth twins.
Later...AH
1. The dealer told me if I took the survey to him without fulfilling anything, he could give me two oil changes free. I noticed that a lady posted similar issue on this forum. And was suggested to deliever the original copy (fulfilled??) to dealer to get free tank of oil, and make a copy to manufacturer. How do you guys think about this?
2. Since the wood trim is installed, it's almost impossible to get the cup holder out. Does anyone have this problem?
3. I know rattle is essentially subjective issue. While I do test drive, I ask the dealer about this. He says that it's normal. 'you could compare this with the noise from by-pasing car'. I agree with him about this. But still not comfortable. What do you experts suggest?
Thanks a lot
Boomoo
1) What you do is upto you but I think what the dealer is suggesting is un-ethical and I would not go along with such suggestions.
2) Can't answer that since I donot have the wood trim installed.
3) My car is tight as a drum (after 5 months of ownership) and that is how a new car ought to be. I have tried out quite a few TLs of various friends and found all of them to be exceptional with respect to fit and finish - no rattles at all. If your car rattles, then you should buttonhole the dealer and ask him to resolve it to your satisfaction; since when you pay 30 + large for a car, you expect it to be perfect - especially when it is a car built by Acura. I would not settle for less.
Later...AH
no I have regular Michelin XGT V4. But they are quite good. The Pilot XGT V4 must be even better. If my XGT V4s wear out soon, I will make sure to replace them with the Pilots.
3000GT has evolved into some kind of Samurai styling, plus they can't figure out what to do with the rear wing. Stealth had a more fluid styling.
Since he was very helpful in every other regard, I had no qualms about giving him the perfect score (and bonus).
The way boomoo described it does sound sort of sleazy and unethical. You might question why he wants you to do this and see if he comes clean about the bonus. (Or ask his sales manager if this is standard policy.)
Then again, you might just take the two free oil changes and run... it's no skin off your nose!
On the other hand, I like having the in-glass antenna. I felt that the motorized antenna on my last car was a pain in the butt.
www.hondabeat.com/acura/tltech.cfm
This section is 26 pages of good information on your 3.2TL.
my 2000TL in Nov. They will deal with you + gave
me a higher than expected allowance on my trade in.
The Service Dept is very friendly and helpful.
The car has been great.
http://www.acura.com/engineering/eng_navigation_intro.asp?pop=dvd
How much of a difference is there in the update as compared to what was available in the car in June 2000 ? Have they improved the detailed coverage extensively ? If not, then I prefer to wait for maybe another year or so before going in for my update.
Later...AH
California -- Fresno, Sin Luis Obispo
Massachusetts -- Cape Cod
Nebraska -- Lincoln
New York – Buffalo, Rochester
Oregon -- Eugene
Pennsylvania -- State College
Rhode Island – All
South Carolina –Greenville/Spartanburg
Virginia – Winchester
Wisconsin – Kenosha, Milwaukee
I was hoping my home state of Minnesota would include street detail for cities like Duluth, St. Cloud and Rochester, but they are not listed and looking at the map I did not see any detail other than major streets running through these cities. I was told by someone at Acura that the first DVD was only about one third filled so I was expecting a lot of cities to be added to the detailed street list with this next DVD.
I talked with an Acura customer service guy. He indicated that some of the cities and metro areas have street detail extending further out. I did not really verify this because it would be difficult to do so. I assume the business and road database was updated but again I did not check anything in particular. The Acura guy agreed with me that the Acura web site should indicate what the upgrade contains over the previous version. Perhaps Acura might provide some information in the future. Without this information is hard to determine if you should upgrade for 152 dollars or wait a year or two.
Of all the bugs and data base errors I found and reported, none of them seem to be fixed. I reported these over this last summer which I expect was probably too late to get included in this version. For example, the system will still try to navigate me through a dead end street (it thinks it’s a through street) to get to my home. In a couple of other cases the system does not speak or otherwise indicate a turn even though “blue” route does show a turn. I am guessing it might take several months for changes to get completely processed.
I did seem to notice that on the highest zoom-in setting the car icon does not seem to lag slightly like it did with the previous version. Otherwise, the upgraded system looks exactly the same, same menus, same map appearance, same female voice.
http://www.acura-tl.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000089.html
This is a large file, takes a while on a modem...
I have received the update and confirmed that only a limited number of cities have detailed coverage. In the case of New York, only Buffalo, Rochester, New York City and Cooperstown are covered. (Many small towns that surround these cities are covered as can be seen in the FAX in the previous post.)
The update is actually only a modest update. Last year's DVD covered a little more than 100 cities with eight states having no detailed coverage. The flyer that came with the DVD lists only about 130 cities and eight states have no detailed coverage. (It appears that the FAX in the previous post lists many small towns in the metropolitan areas surrounding the listed cities.)
Prospective buyers - make sure you know what you are getting. I am glad that my local area is covered, but since I do a lot of traveling, am disappointed in the update overall.
Joel
Later...AH
Here you go...
http://www.acura-tl.com/images/Inspire_Steering_Wheel.jpg
Later...AH
None of the custom shops around St Louis have anything off the shelf & I'd have to go to body shop for something hand built.
If you are considering buying the DVD system or the upgrade, you may want to check whether your area and the areas you intend to travel to have detailed coverage.
IMHO, it is a pretty weak offering since you can buy several PC based applications that cover every street in the country on a CD for less than $50.00 and, as pointed out in a previous post, adds only a small number of new areas compared to the previous version.
Joel
Alabama
None
Arizona
Phoenix Metropolitan area
Arkansas
None
California
Fresno
Los Angeles/San Diego Metropolitan area
Sacramento Metropolitan area San Francisco Bay area(Approximately Monterey to Sonoma)
San Luis Obispo
Colorado
Denver/Boulder/Colorado Springs Metropolitan area
Connecticut
Bridgeport
Danbury
Hartford Metropolitan area
New Haven Metropolitan area
Norwalk
Stamford
Delaware
Wilmington Metropolitan area
Florida
Fort Myers Metropolitan area
Jacksonville Metropolitan area
Miami/Fort Lauderdale
West Palm Beach Metropolitan Areas
Orlando Metropolitan area
Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg Metropolitan area
Georgia
Atlanta Metropolitan area
Idaho
Sun Valley Ski Resorts
Illinois
Chicago Metropolitan area
(to Wisconsin border)
East St Louis Metropolitan area
Indiana
Gary/Hammond Metropolitan Area Indianapolis Metropolitan area Kokomo Metropolitan area
Iowa
None
Kansas
Kansas City/Leavenworth Metropolitan area
Kentucky
None
Louisiana
New Orleans Metropolitan Area
Maine
None
Maryland
Baltimore/Washington D.C. Metropolitan area
Ocean City
Massachusetts
Boston Metropolitan area
Cape Cod
Springfield Metropolitan area
Michigan
Boyne City
Charlevoix
Detroit Metropolitan area (including Ann Arbor,
Pontiac, and Flint)
Elk Rapids
Grand Rapids Metropolitan area
Harbor Springs
Lansing Metropolitan area
Petoskey
Traverse City Metropolitan area
Minnesota
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Metropolitan area
Moorehead
Mississippi
None
Missouri
Kansas City Metropolitan area St. Louis Metropolitan area
Montana
None
Nebraska
Lincoln
Nevada
Las Vegas Metropolitan area
Reno/Lake Tahoe
New Hampshire
Manchester
Nashua
New Jersey
Atlantic City/Cape May
Metropolitan area
Camden Metropolitan area
Trenton Metropolitan area
Northern New Jersey
New Mexico
Albuquerque
Santa Fe
Taos Ski Resorts
New York
Buffalo
Cooperstown
New York City Metropolitan Area
Rochester
North Carolina
Charlotte Metropolitan Area
Raleigh-Durham Metropolitan Area
Wrnston-Salem Greensboro Metropolitan area
North Dakota
Fargo Metropolitan area
Ohio
Columbus/Marysville
Metropolitan area
Cincinnati Metropolitan area Cleveland Metropolitan area
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City
Oregon
Eugene
Portland/Salem Metropolitan Area
Pennsylvania
Gettysburg
Philadelphia Metropolitan area
Pittsburgh Metropolitan area
State College
Rhode Island
All
South Carolina
Greenville/Spartansburg
Myrtle Beach Metropolitan area Rock Hill Metropolitan area
South Dakota
None
Tennessee
Knoxville/Farragut
Metropolitan area
Memphis Metropolitan Area Nashville
Austin Metropolitan area
Dallas/Fort Worth Metropolitan area
Houston Metropolitan area
San Antonio Metropolitan area
South Padre Island
Utah
Park City
Salt Lake City Metropolitan area
Vermont
None
Virginia
Alexandria
Arlington
Charlottesville
Fairfax
Falls Church
Fredricksburg
Manassas
Manassas Park
Richmond Metropolitan area
Williamsburg/Norfolk/
Virginia Beach Metropolitan area Winchester
Washington
Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia
Metropolitan area
West Virginia
Harpers Ferry Metropolitan Area
Wisconsin
Kenosha
Milwaukee
Wyoming
Jackson Ski Resorts
Whatever the reason, I would check carefully to see if it meets your geographical needs before purchasing.
I really feel ripped off.
When I first got my TL, I complained in a letter to Acura's president about the poor level of detailed. I received a phone call from a Customer Service Manager who, among other things told me that Acura's coverage would be a year behind Alpine's because Acura require them to remove information about other manufacturer's dealer locations from the DVD. Whether you believe this or not, the evidence supports if you compare the amount of coverage you get with the Apline DVD with that from Acura.
The Alpine document is listed as "SmartMap Pro DVD Version 1.10 (NVD-A111) Detailed Coverage by State". If you want to see it, I will be happy to send you the PDF document if you send me a note at joelhel@geocities.com .
When I first got my TL, I complained in a letter to Acura's president about the poor level of detailed coverage. I received a phone call from a Customer Service Manager who, among other things told me that Acura's coverage would be a year behind Alpine's because Acura requires them to remove information about other manufacturer's dealer locations from the DVD. Whether you believe this or not, the evidence supports it if you compare the amount of coverage you get with the Alpine DVD with that from Acura.
The Alpine document is listed as "SmartMap Pro DVD Version 1.10 (NVD-A111) Detailed Coverage by State". If you want to see it, I will be happy to send you the PDF document if you send me a note at joelhel@geocities.com .
Moreover I donot know why Acura needs to be one year behind the Alpine detail coverage areas..since conventional logic states that it does not take more than a couple of days/weeks to take off the other manufacturers data from the database... definitely not ONE YEAR...
I would like to write to Acura about this since we have paid quite a lot for this item and would not want to be left with something that is less than perfect... would you know where to write to ?
Later...AH
:-)
To find contact information on where to write a letter, go to the acura web site (www.acura.com), click on "My Acura", then on "Acura Client Services". There is also an online request form.
---------------------
(By the way, I'm not really looking to start a flame war; that was just a friendly dig. I've already read all the posts about what a wonder of technology the Nav is and how you all use it far more than you ever expected; no need to re-post.)
Koichi Amemiya, President
American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501
You won't hear from him, but you will get to a higher level manager than you would get by calling their customer service number.
Acura advertises that the GPS system will get you 'door-to-door, virtually anywhere'. Based on my experience, that is just not true and they should be held accountable for their promises.
If you feel as I do, please write.
Joel
No flaming here just pointing out the obvious!
Now if only the NAV system can get me to Shea Stadium if I can get tickets to the Subway Series!
Updates will happen in due course of time....maybe in a couple of years the coverage should be truly comprehensive...but the point is that the basic NAV hardware is in place to accomodate any future updates....and luckily Acura employs cutting edge technology (DVD based systems) unlike some of its competitors who still soldier on with lower capacity and slower CD-based NAV systems...
Bottomline ? Everything else being equal, I will not buy a future car if it does not offer NAV.....
Later...AH
I will be happy to view the Met's winning on TV.
I doubt highly I'll get tickets, but I am determined to try. I was at the seventh game of the 1986 World Series, so watching it on TV won't be the worst thing I can think of. I refuse to pay the ridiculous premiums. I am going to try the phone # on Saturday for Shea. My fingers are crossed.