Older Acura TLs

marquis2

Were the tires hot or cold when you took the tire pressure? When hot, the tire pressure will read 4-6 psi more than cold. And it doesn't take long for the tires to heat up.

Anyway, recommended tire pressure for automatics is 32/32 (front/rear). It's slightly higher in the front for manuals. This is also for stock tires only. I don't know what the pressures are for the HPT's or larger rimmed tires.

vinceb81

Tires were cold. I changed the pressure to 32.

mitchflorida

Where are the fog lights located on this model?
Or are they optional

dulnev

Inside the main lights cluster. The switch is on the same control stick that controls low/high beams.

ls8

for those who compared the new TL to other vehicles, how rigid or firm is the ride? I had a 1999 TL - how would new version compare in ride quality? Just looking for some points of reference or comparisons from someone who has done more than drive the TL around the block in a too-brief test ride as I did. Also, I have seen a couple of negative comments about the stock tires - any comment there?

chuckvair

as been running 23 mpg. The trip computer shows my average speed to be around 40 mph. If I watch my right foot, I can get the mileage up to 25 mpg.

gregory28

Consumer Reports just did a comparison of 15 "near luxury" vehicles and rated the '04 TL #1. This is going to increase the sales figures of our car and increase the resale price.

They are THE most respected reviewer of automobiles. The reason they are is because they don't accept any advertising. I realize that many people here rely on Road & Track, Car & Driver and others, but one has to ask one's self a question. If the car manufacturer has advertising contracts with the magazine that is reviewing their product certain biases are going to come into the review. The owners of the magazine are going to be well aware of this relationship. The other biases aren't as obvious, such as car review writers being wined and dined by automobile manufacturers.

This is a hugely positive article and really gives a large audience some terrific information about our car. If you don't own the car buy the current issue of CR.

Edmunds had a very good on-line article- first I saw anywhere- and I read many other well-done articles. The only negative review I've ever read was the Car & Driver review last month and I couldn't help noticing the Large BMW ads everywhere. C&D had a problem with the front wheel drive and just couldn't get past that.

Consumer Reports loves the new TL! For the enthusiasts out there, Road and Track has a much better article on the new TL than C&D.

hunter001

Somebody had mentioned a while back about the system not "recalculating" in-spite of the message atop the screen.

Check your settings and make sure that the "recalculate" is set in the "Auto" mode. Without that, the system will not automatically recalculate from the route it originally chose. Just a thought, since I had an older 2000 TL with Nav which had such a setting.

Later...AH

achadha

Anyone having luck finding dvd audios seems like there is not much of a selection yet I found some on Amazon.com any ideas where i can find the best selection of dvd-audios..thanks

prophet2

Reminds me of the time one of the magazines (C&D, R&T, or MT) was reviewing top-line coupes and invented a new category called CACHET, which favored the European marquees over the Japanese and American brands. That allowed the BMW 6-series to tie the Acura Legend for first place.

Everyone's got their biases and will pronounce their judgments accordingly.

mdhauke

Unfortunately there isn't much of a selection out there, a couple hundred titles at the most. And good luck finding any new music on there. And there is no mad rush to put out more titles out there. Maybe a few a month will come out, and again, they are old and or obscure bands. So it’s going to be a long time (years) if at all when we’ll see any decent selection on DVD-As. I am really disappointed in the selection and really makes the DVD-A feature on the TL a non factor when considering if I will purchase the vehicle or not. What good is it to have DVD-A on a vehicle when the selection is so horrible?

achadha

yeah i didn't find much out there either the only good thing i found was blue man group and Metallica...This is all based on future not now but slowly i think it will happen maybe this year it will take off

dulnev

Can you PLEASE, start putting periods between your sentences and capitalizing first word of each new sentence? This is not an AOL chat room; please, be curteous to other readers.

As far as your question, the best selection of DVD-A disks is at www.dvdplanet.com. Just click on Music/Audio Only category.

flipper6

"That said, this is what he felt about TL's handling. Is there any validity on that from the current owners?"

The closest I can come to any element of truth (and this is a stretch) is that if you are accelerating hard on uneven/bumpy pavement the car can tend to pull to one side or the other. This has been discussed at length in this forum under torque steer. It does not happen that often to me and is not much of a problem on my 6 speed. It certainly does not happen while your are just driving along without heavy acceleration. That would probably bring up the entire front wheel drive vs. rear wheel drive again which has been pretty well beat to death in this forum.

raher

achadha can start using punctuation and capitals about the same time you learn to spell..try courteous not curteous. You are correct, it is not an AOL chat room but it is also not an English grammar or punctuation room either. It's a discussion on cars. Perhaps you need to relax your personal standards a little.

raher

I replaced the stock 04 TL tires after 400 miles because I found them much too harsh and noisy. They also received one of the very lowest ratings in all categories on the Tiremarket.com survey. I purchased Bridgestone LS-Z tires as they were rated the highest in every category on the Tiremarket survey. They are expensive but I believe you get what you pay for. I bought them through Costco. The difference is very noticeable in noise reduction. I have 400 miles on them and have driven them in dry and wet conditions. There is snow on the ground where I live but my TL is safe in the garage as I have an SUV also.

rayainsw

Do you still have the tires?
If so (or if you remember) what were the precise tire model designations on the tires?
Thanks,
- Ray
Who found the ride during a brief test drive a couple of months ago to be surprisingly harsh over small, sharp bumps and surfaces that were coarse . . .

pat

Punctuation, appropriate caps, spell check, etc. are all good. So is recognizing that we are here to talk about the car and not each other.

No need to dis our fellow members ... if we don't like something we read, all we have to do is skip it.

And happy new year!!

:-)

raher

The original tires are still in my garage. I will get the exact designators when I go home later today and send another message with the info.

achadha

i just like getting to the point...

marquis2

The original 17" tires on the TL are Bridgestone Turanza EL42. The size is 235-45-17.

The tires get terrible ratings on sites like tirerack.com. There are lots of complaints about flatspotting and vibration problems and generally poor overall handling in rain and snow. There are also unconfirmed reports that dealerships are starting to get authorized to replace the tires with Michelin Pilot Sport tires, although no official TSB has been issued by Acura yet (but they've fielded tons of complaints from TL owners about these tires). There is also apparently a "Technical Advisory" from Acura about the tires, but that's not as strong as a TSB.

I've only had my TL for 2 days, so I haven't had enough time behind the wheel yet to experience the problems firsthand. I'm hoping Acura steps up to the plate soon and elects to do something rather than my having to resort to try and coerce my dealer to replace the tires.

gkoff

I have a '03 TL. Of course in Canada they come with DRL's. I bought an aftermarket controller that normally is wired to the headlights, but with HID light, I know that won't work. So, I know I can hook it up to the foglights. It will then run them at about 70% power unless I turn them on. My problem is to make this DRL controller work you have to wrap a sensor wire around a spark plug wire. That way it knows the car is running and to turn on or off the foglights at low power. The only problem is with all the engine covers, I'm not sure where the the spark plug wires are. Can someone tell me where I can get to one easily? Thank

raher

The data on the tires is as follows:
Bridgestone Turanza EL42
235-45-R17 93W M&S EL42SZ
Treadware 260 ( probably why they ride so hard )
Traction A
Temperature A

aciampi

I believe I am the one who you are refering to about the recalculating problem.

I do have my system set for auto recalculate and it normally does. It must have been that it was a fluke or something. Or possibly dust on the DVD but I haven't had a problem since so that is my best guess.

Thanks

rayainsw

Thanks all!
- Ray
Thinking again what a wonderful "place" the Internet can be . . .

stlgasman

We should consider a new thread on 04 tires. Where can one find a copy of the "Technical Advisory"?

jmw4

Just my 2 cents from one of the original owners of a 99 TL and recently an 02 RL. When looking to trade my RL for a TL, test drove both the 03 TL and an 04 TL. Actually liked the 03 much better, given the softer ride, and a near $8000 price difference when purchased new in October. I don't like the near low profile tires of the 04, especially given pot holes of Chicago in February, and the terrible performance ratings of these tires on various web sites. If one is looking for performance, the 04 is the better selection, but for touring and comfortable driving, the 03 in my subjective experience is the way to go, especially coming from an RL. Hopefully on the 04, they will solve the vibration issue mentioned frequently from early owners on this site. In the meantime, I will enjoy the ride and comfort of the 03 and invest the $8000 saved.

paulg54

Let me know raher how the LS-Z's work for you. I mentioned the performance rating on these tires back in post 4706 and will put them on when I get the TL. I am particularly interested in their rain handling ability. Good luck and keep us posted.

bear64

A couple of weeks ago, I took delivery of an '04 TL. The car has been pulling to the right since driving it off the lot. I took the car in to the dealer on Friday to have an alignment done and the car still pulls to the right! Checked the air pressure on all tires and they are all at 32psi.

I've got a new appointment this week to have the dealer look at the car again. Anyone have any suggestions on a reason for the pull to the right? With all of the discussions about the standard tires, could a tire be the problem? I just want to get this fixed. I really enjoy driving the car, but this "pulling to the right" issue is driving me nuts on such a new car.

dulnev

Yes, 2004 TL has a slightly firmer ride than the 03, but the car is in somewhat different category than the 03 TL. It's gone a lot more towards sports sedan and is more comparable to 03 TL-S.

As far as tires "issue", I consider it a non-issue. Yes, Acura could've put different tires on this car, but these tires are also an OEM choice for a number of other performance sedans, including Infinity G35. If one doesn't like them, one can spend $400-600 to get highest rated high performance tires instead of EL42's. Continental ContiExtremeContact can be purchased for $109 per tire installed, for example.

raher

"Let me know raher how the LS-Z's work for you. I mentioned the performance rating on these tires back in post 4706 and will put them on when I get the TL. I am particularly interested in their rain handling ability. Good luck and keep us posted."

I live in Seattle so I get lots of opportunity to drive in the rain. I pushed the tires fairly hard in the rain when I first got them and drove them at speed in the rain on the freeway to see if I could feel any hydro planing. My opinion so far is they are very good rain tires. My wife drives the car most of the time so her safety is my main concern and that's why I paid a premium price for a very good tire.

msf2

Just read the Car and Driver review about the TL and it mentioned concern about "torque steer". First of all-what is it, and would I know it if it was happening?
Have any of you folks who own this car honestly had this problem?
I don't own the car yet BTW.
Thanks in advance!

habitat1

is the virtually unavoidable consequence of mating a reasonably powerful engine to a FWD car. The front wheels are trying to do two duties at the same time - directing the car and driving the car. Under hard acceleration, the steering component can be overpowered by the acceleration forces such that it feels like the steering wheel is pulling in a different direction than you intend.

I have a 1995 Nissan Maxima rated at 190hp and 205 ft-lbs of torque. It was/is capable of 0-60 mph in 6.7 seconds, a very respectable number. It exhibits some, but not overpowering torque steer. By contrast, the new Maxima at 265 hp and 250+ ft-lbs of torque exhibits considerably more torque steer and only manages 0-60 times in the 6.2 second range. Quicker than than the 1995 model, but a lot of that additional power is being lost in a FWD setup.

I have yet to drive the new 2004 TL, but suspect it's not quite as bad as the 2004 Maxima, since it is lower torque (horsepower is less of a factor with "torque" steer). But if you are looking to completely eliminate torque steer, you need to go RWD (e.g. G35 or BMW 3 series) The other benefit of RWD is close to 50/50 weight balance for much better handling characteristics.

grri03

I've had my TL a week and love EVERYTHING about it; what a great car.

Has anyone tried to play a DVD-V disc in the TL yet? I have a few music DVD-V's already. All the information I can find about DVD-A is that the hardware is "universal" and so can play CD's and DVD-V's (of course not showing the image from DVD-V's). The owner's manual and promotion disc Acura provides, however, specifically say to not use DVD-V's. I'm slowly working up the courage to try one since it's unlikely to do any harm, but wondered if anyone had already given it a shot.

kennyg5

Hey, we definitively don't mind volunteers who want to be "guinea pigs" :-) Please post promptly after you try playing your DVD-Vs. Honestly, I don't think they will work for safety concerns -- too much distraction to the driver.

kahunah

Already tried it. After reading the disc the word "FORMAT" is displayed on the screen and the disc is ejected. No harm is done to the unit.

aciampi

First of all bear64, the car pulling to the right may be a torque steer situation. I have found personally that at times my TL will pull to the right a little during heavy acceleration and once in a while when slowing down when approaching a red light. These situations are both a result of torque steer not alignment problems. Also from what I have read from Car And Driver as well as Motor Trend if you have the 6 speed manuale tranny then the torque steer is much more noticable than the automatic. One of those magazines even said that you are better off with the automatic than the manuale because there isn't much torque steer in automatic, and auto magazines almost never recomend automatics over the manuales.

From my expierences so far, and I have only had my TL for about 2 weeks now is that for as much power the TL has the torque steer is very minimal. I have even compared it to my brothers 03 Chevy Montecarlo and I found that even though it has less power, it has more torque steer. In my own opinion this is one of the best riding and handeling vehicles for the price. Now if Acura would just make it RWD, torque steer will no longer be an issue and greatly enhance what is already an awesome car

richardgold

According to Consumer Reports, the best rated tire is Falken. It reads like they will give a better ride than the Bridgestone's. I never head of this brand but according to the web site they are sold at Sears. Anyone have any thoughts?

ruski

it does not take a very powerful engine to produce torque steer. I had an '89 Ford Probe that had some torque steer.

A good design of the front suspension and drive shafts can significantly reduce torque steer. Case in point - Pontiac Grand Prix GTP produces 260HP and 280 lbs*ft torque, yet torque steer is almost not present.

bodble2

My first car, a '75 Honda Civic with only 52 HP, had torque steer.

BTW, regarding what aciampi said in #4879, I don't think the car pulling to the right during DECELERATION is torque steer. I think that is just the fat tires following a goove or some imperfection in the road surface.

bear64

I don't believe the issue is related to torque steer. The car pulls to the right regardless of what I am doing; I can be accelerating, I can be decelerating and I can cruising along at a steady MPH. The pulling doesn't seem to be effected by the wind as regardless of the direction I am traveling or the direction of the wind, the car pulls to the right. The only the time the car doesn't pull to the right is when I am stopped at a red light!:-)

akirby

Best all season performance tire is the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S - period. It's also one of the most expensive. Check the tireack.com surveys. Kumho and Falken are almost as good and much less expensive.

kenm8

My wife's 2004 TL was pulling to the left during constant speed. We ascertained it was not a wind factor by driving in all compass directions on a number of different roads on a perfectly calm day. The Acura dealer rotated the tires and the car then tracked straight. Perhaps the problem was solved. We won't know for sure until the next tire rotation. Because of our winter season, the Bridgestones and wheels were pulled off recently (and positions marked) and replaced with Dunlop winter tires and new wheels (from Tire Rack).

In past conversations with tire dealers when putting new tires on previous vehicles, they said that a belt(s) on a "new" tire could cause a car to pull to one side. They said that a tire rotation (swap) to change rotation direction (ie-LF to RR, RF to LR) if done soon enough on new tires, could fix (set/reset?) the belt somehow. Will not know for a while if this is true for Acura TL Bridgestones.

raher

I am not sure what you are looking at on the Tire Rack site by saying the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is the best all season tire..period. The Tire Rack survey on the Ultra High Performance tires shows it as the third rated tire under that category. I bought Bridgestone Turanza LS-Z's based on the ratings in the Tire Rack survey ( I think they were rated higher in all categories under the same headings). The LS-Z's are categorized as Grand Touring all season tires. I am not sure what the actual technical differences in the two categories are but Ultra High Performance would seem to infer more sport oriented and Grand Touring would seem to infer a little more comfort and quiet. The LS-Z's are Z speed rated. Perhaps there is a difference in sidewall stiffness etc.
The LS-Z's are unfortunately also more expensive than the Pilot's but only by $10 a tire so it isn't enough to merit any discussion.
Do you have the Pilots on your car and how do they perform ?
The LS-Z's have been great so far ( 400 miles ) and have a 40,000 mile guarantee. I am very pleased with the performance in the wet and dry and the noise level. I feel I paid a lot but also got a lot for the money.

paulg54

I used to sell tires during the first Firestone exploding tire campaign in 1974. It taught me to put the best tire on my car regardless of price to get the wet traction and handling I was looking for in a tire. When Bridgestone bought Firestone, I was worried about their tires but stuck with them. The Turanza's with Uni-T AQ technology gave me what I wanted; great rain traction, not just in the beginning of the tread, but also when the tread became worn. I'm afraid I'm not willing to risk my life on Kumho or others for the sake of "good looking" tread and low price.

Since my Acura dealer buys and changes tires, I'm hoping they'll give me a little money to take the EL-... stock tires off in trade for the LS-Z's. They'll probably sell them to somebody who brings their car in for service regularly. We'll see.

akirby

I didn't mean it was #1 in the survey, just my overall opinion. The #1 tire (Pirelli) doesn't have enough surveys to accurately judge yet. The Continental and Michelin are virtually tied for 2nd. The other two are also relatively new. They may be just as good as the Pilot Sport A/S.

I, along with many other Lincoln LS owners, have the Pilot Sport A/S and I've heard no complaints whatsoever. Wet weather grip is amazing. Dry grip is better than some summer tires. And they're quiet. The only downside is they're expensive but I say you get what you pay for.

pg48477

Check your tire pressure, if it does not help have you wheel alignment checked out.

If nothing help, just simply over inflate tires on the right side, this should help for sure:)

raher

I saw a comment on one of the Acura sites where the person was saying they were told the Pirelli ( hope I have the right tire here ) wasn't a good tire for FWD. That is something that is sometimes forgotten when selecting tires. I am not sure what designates a tire as not suitable for FWD. Anybody know ?

strager

Just received the February issue of CR today and the TL was judged better than BMW 330i, Lexus ES and IS, MB C320, Infiniti G35 and a whole bunch of others.

1hopeck

Just received the brochure from Acura today in the mail. I noticed something interesting in the package.....it was a listing of available and soon to be available DVD-A's for future buyers to view. I thought I read some where on one of these posting that there was not many DVD-A available? By the list provided by Acura, there must be 600 to 700 listed in the card. Now I will admit some of the music I would not listen too........but maybe if it was a DVD-A system like the TL I would consider?

Also Acura list a website for one to view and keep up on what is available and to be released.
www.dvdinformation.com

Enjoy.......