Acura CL Tires and Wheels

bodble2

Yea, I never got stuck with the stock all-seasons either. And we had a couple of pretty good dumps this year. You just have to be gentle with the throttle.

95gt

Yeah i would have to say this is more driver error than car error. I went through a damn blizzard a-okay. Just have to take it nice and easy. Gentle on the throttle and away you go.

rick27513

Wow... I guess I need to check my snow boots for lead in the soles! Honestly, I don't know how I could have babied the gas any more than I did... but to each his own. I live on a pretty decent grade hill, and it would literally slide backwards in D5, idling! The accord & camry would chug right out. The CL now does much better with the AS tires. Oh well!

scottmsimpson

I finally replaced the OEM Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus tires on our 99 2.3 CL after 71,600 miles with BFGoodrich Traction T/A H. Wow! what a difference! The new tires are quieter in both road and impact noise, corner better, and are much better in the rain. I wish I had replaced them long ago. I'm such a cheapskate, however, I ran the Michelins down to the wear bars. I can't complain about the tread life, but nothing else is above average in the OEM tires.

ibmindless

I would wager that you could have mounted new retreads on your CL and had the same favorable impressions. When tires are worn, the ride is harder/harsher, the handling is more skittish, road noise generally increases, braking distances increase, and you are a menace if the roads are wet or icy. Being a cheapskate can actually end up costing you (and the other poor slobs driving near you) more in the end - especially if you needed to stop sooner...

scottmsimpson

Sorry if my message was misunderstood.
We bought the CL new, and I have not been thrilled with the OEM tires from day one.
Yes, they got worse as they wore, but I remember how they were when new. I was mostly stating that with better tires, this is a much better car.
I have put new tires on many cars over the years, and yes these were probably more worn than others, but I have never experienced such a dramatic improvement in the car with a tire replacement.

ibmindless

Thanks for clarifying that - sorry if I misunderstood, too. I just have a "thing" about folks not maintaining their vehicles safely. I've seen the results...

maxillo

Hey CL owners,

How many miles are you getting on the OEM Michelin tires before they need replacing?

I'm guessing 60K miles?

The reason I ask is I'm looking at buying a used CL type S and figure that it will have upto 50K miles on it. So do I need to figure on changing the tires fairly soon after that.

Also, tire wear is a good way to tell whether the car has been driven hard or whether the odometer had been roled back.

cheers!!

scottmsimpson

See previous messages 1827 & 1831.
We got 71,600 miles on the OEM Michelins on our 99 2.3 5 spd, rotated every 6k. I can't comment on the 2001+ models. I can say there are much better tires out there than the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus.

ibmindless

I have a 2001 CL-S. I got 23,500 miles on the OEM's. For about the last 3500 miles, they rode very harshly and the handling became sloppy. My friend got 25K out of his first set. I'm now up to 31K total miles. So far the 2nd set of OEM's are doing fine, but I'm planning that they'll go soon after passing 20K.

Good thing I only drive 7500 miles a year, otherwise I'd find a cheaper alternative for the tires. Actually, I did some research and couldn't find a suitable replacement other than the OEM tires. And they're pretty pricey, at least $850 a set.

rick27513

I wouldn't expect 60k on the original CL-S tires. I drive an '01 type-S... don't baby it, but also don't abuse it. By 30k I hated the originals, and at 35K they HAD to go. Tread was shallow... ride was very harsh and wet traction was terrible. If you buy a used Type-S with 50k on it, i'd fully expect the tires to have been replaced... and not consider that a sign of abuse. You might just be buying from someone who did you a favor!

drcitrus

I replaced mine at 45K. There still was some tread left, but I decided not to cut things so close to the bone. Easily could have gotten 50K.

q.10K tire rotations kept the wear consistent.

jsl1

I just found this board while looking to see if others had the same problem we just had last night, so I'm sorry if this has already been discussed. Last night, my teenage daughter was driving our 2003 CL on a highway at about 60 mph when she heard a strange sound. As she was pulling onto the shoulder, she saw one of the tires rolling down the hill on the side of the highway. The tire came completely off the right rear wheel. Luckily she had a friend with her who could put the donut on & they got home okay. I'm just so grateful that she still wasn't going 60 mph when it happened. I've never seen anything like this -- the only rubber on the wheel was around the edges. The main part of the tire just totally dropped off the wheel. There was no damage to the right front wheel, which I assume would have had a problem if she had run over something. She said it did sound like she hit something, but in retrospect (since there was no damage to the front tire) I'm thinking that what she first heard was the tire beginning to rip off. I'm assuming there was a defect in the tire, and the rest of those Michelins are making me very nervous. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Thanks for any input you can give me.

rick27513

So most of us have owned our CLs for a while now... and experienced at least one set of replacement tires. I did NOT like the OEM Michelin HX-MXM4's. I loved the Michelin Pilot Sport-AS on the car now, but they are quite expensive.

I'm looking for input about replacement tires for an '01-type S. What did you choose, and what do you like or dislike about them? Smooth ride and low tire noise are important factors to me.

scottmsimpson

see message 1827

Claires

Hi, rick27513! You might also want to ask the folks in the coincidentally named Tires, Tires, Tires discussion :-)

rick27513

Anyone tried the Michelin Exalto's???
Good reviews from the tire sites, but none specifically with a CL-S.

denouve2

I have an '03 6-speed, and the OEM Michelins have been great for me so far here in Chicago. Rain, sleet, or snow, I have found them to be grippy and providing a nice ride on the interstate.

I've had them rotated twice now at 7,500 miles. Interestingly, all my service was done by the dealership, but I've caught them twice now not rotating correctly as the owner's manual tells you (front to rear, then cross the front). I marked the tires with WhiteOut to see how they did it, and both times they screwed up. The service consultant tried to convince me otherwise... until I showed him the WhiteOut marks. Pretty sorry service for an Acura dealer.

My point to the story: make sure they're rotating correctly. I have almost 20,000 miles on these MXV4's, and they're still in great shape. I hope to get another 20K on them.

irish4013

first of all wheel alignments are suggested by all car manufacturers twice a year if you live in an area with really bad pot holed roads once a year is fine with good roads. the reason i say this is because alignment has a huge bearing on how your tires wear. firestone has lifetime alignment($150) this is a 4 wheel alignment caster camber and toe not just setting the toe like some hack shops will do. since a single alignment is $75.00 its definatly worth buying the lifetime which is worth it if you are going to hold onto the car a while . secondly if you have any suspension or steering issues tires will wear unevenly all tire makers suggest having the tires rotated every other oil change this will give you optimum tire wear and you can also take a look if they are wearing evenly, uneven wear points to alignment or worn out parts rotations religously will give an extended life to tires and longer life. 3rd check tire pressure once a month to make sure its on point under inflated tires reduce gas mileage and cause premature tire wear over inflated runs a risk of bubbles in the tire from impacts when buying tires from firestone as long as they are from firestone you get free rotations as well as tire protection plans they cover anything from someone slashing your tires to nails and any other road hazard you pay nothing for a new tire replacement the only thing you pay would be the new protection plan on the new tire and the cost of that is a percentage of the cost of the tire usually around 10% definatley worth buying. depending on how honest of a person you are they cover the tires down to 3/32nds of tread basiclly the wear bar in the tread. my suggestion would be to slash you tires before that point so you get another set of tires for nothing more than the cost of the protection plan so thenew tires arecovered. basicly you would pay around 40- 100 dollars for a new set of tires depending on how much eah tire costs worth it from anyones standpointthey do measure the tire from the lowest pointon the tread so if you are going to do this make sure if they are unevenly worn they are above 3/32nds lefton the more worn partof the tire. any questions i will reply back and i have a wealthof knowledge not only about tiresbut electronics as well i have a mobileelectronics certification and have been working in body shops since i was 14 so about 10 years please feel freeto ask questions i dont bite and i can usually give a great deal of good advice

irish4013

the tire protection plans from firestne cover anything and everything no questions asked if they do asktell them you know a member of your family working for firestone that says you hassling me over this is BS and i would like to speak to the manaer to them customer satsifaction is there biggest priority. tire protection doesnt cover uneven tire wear becaus tht is an issues with the car or truck not the tire. Firestone associates also have the authority to give you the lowest price down to $1.00 above what firestone pays for the tire so work them hard and youl get a steal. one last point would be anyone wishing to have a car checked out before buying. firestone does a compete vehicle inspection for $20.00 they go hrough the whole car topto bottome and check everrything from the steering rack to exxhaust and air filters. they will give you an itemized list of everything wrong with the car andi do mean everything they do this in hopes that youll have it fixed with them they will bring you out to the car and show you why a part needs to be replaced and let you see and feel for yourself why it needs to be fixed any other questions hit me up