Acura TL Tires and Wheels

upstatedoc · December 2007

There are many previous posts regarding this issue, however it won't matter what kind of snow tires you get for the TL, it won't handle nearly as well as a G35x in the snow. My buddy had one and it could climb Mt. Everest (Well, he lived on one of the biggest hills in town and had no troubles). He upgraded to an X5 because he needed the room.

laurasdada · December 2007

Received an email from Tire Rack last night announcing that my snows have been shipped. So this morning, with a fresh inch of snow on the driveway my TL with the all season Toyos pulls up the hill like a champ. No TC, no wheel spin, no drama. They know the snows are coming and are trying to prove their worth...

Maybe I should cancel the snow tire order??? Just kiddding, I've thrown in the towel.

armand · December 2007

The Contis are better than the OEM bridgestones in ride handling and noise but the TL is still (and I think always will be ) a hard riding car with pretty good handling. Noise is OK but not great.

laurasdada · December 2007

Dunlop Wintersport M3 snows mounted on silver Sport Edition wheels are now mounted on my TL. The first snow tires I've ever owned. Current temp: ~50 degrees. The two feet+ of snow received this month is almost all gone (except for the drifts/piles). Likelihood of more snow in New England this winter: exponentially lowered by my purchase of snow tires!!! :sick:

Actually looking forward to next snow to, of course, test the snows...

Ride home: tires seem smooth/quiet enough. Car feels a little more like it's "perched" as the snows are taller and narrower. Also, have to brake a little earlier...

upstatedoc · December 2007

Watch out for the torque steer as well, I had Blizzaks on those S.E. rims and the TS is much more pronounced. In one of my previous posts I mentioned that it was strong enough to pull me into the other lane under hard acceleration.

laurasdada · December 2007

Thanks, I'll keep an eye (hands?) out for the TS. Strange feeling, driving on the narrower/tallers... Possible snow Monday/Tuesday, so we'll see...

laurasdada · December 2007

As I had my Tire Rack-purchased Dunlops drop-shipped to my local store for installation, I didn't actually see them until they were on the car. I checked the DOT label and my "new" snow tires were produced in the summer of 2005! I called Tire Rack to query them, basically I could return 'em but they said they're warrantied from the date of my purchase and the way the Rack stores 'em should have kept 'em in good shape. They had no more to replace 'em, I need snows so I'll just keep an eye on 'em. Tire RAck was apologetic, and I'm on record as having been less than satisfied with the age of the tires, so while I hope I never have an issue, if I do hopefully the Rack will be accommodating...

westiethewilly · January 2008

just about to close on a TL-S. Buy for $ 34,800 with season mats and trunk mat. Also, free oil changes. Is it worth it for the tire warranty ? they are asking for $ 149. I have read some tire issues here. I'm sure I can knock the price down another $ 20. The warranty is only for the orginal set of tires.

upstatedoc · January 2008

Did the "finance manager" suggest the tire warranty? Or did you ask for it? I never got the tire warranty on any of my Acuras. The big question would be what does it cover. If only "structural defects" then I would stay away. If it covers road hazards then it might be worthwhile. I dented a rim and damaged the side wall of a tire shortly after buying my '03 TLS and had to cough up the dough. It was actually my wife who was driving, she didn't see the huge pothole in the road. :shades:

westiethewilly · January 2008

It is a Road Hazard Program. Covers my tires for 36 months from date of purchase.
From what I have read, the tires won't last me 3 years. I would do around 12k to 15k a yr. Tire repairs are covered up to $ 25 per occurrence and tires that are unrepairable will be replaced with no proration within 36 months from date of purchase. I assume that this does not cover the rims. The $25 max for repair seems low ! if unrepairable that seems right, but $ 25 does not get much these day, especially in a dealer service dept. I know the tires are around $ 200 each.
to replace. What do you guys think ?

laurasdada · January 2008

Hi: How long have you been driving? What is your experience with tires/road hazards? Have you ever wished you had this kind of protection? Given my 30 years of driving, for me, no thanks. It's $149 for 36 months, not $149/yr for 3 years, right? YMMV.

Not sure which tires are on your TL or where you're located, but my Bridgestone Turanzas lasted ~33,000 miles in New England driving. Two were basically done at 33k, might have gotten a few more miles out of the other two. But I replaced 'em mid-summer during a local sale. New Toyos came with a lifetime warranty for free! (Yeah, I know I paid for it...!).

hky · January 2008

Someone mentioned to me you can purchase road harzard from NTB (though I never verified myself), you may want to check with them (if it is available in your region) what their coverage looks like.

I brought mine for them to fix flats couple of times and they never charged me though I only purchased a 5 yrs tire-balance/rotations from them for $60 (manager says its just good will so that customer will come back for new set of tires later). If yours is michelin pilot, then it is 255-265 a piece.

westiethewilly · January 2008

I will ask about the tire rotations program instead of the tire warranty. I'm going to spent enough buying the 08 TL-S. In the end, it just more ways for the dealer to make money. They are hurting a bit with sales and everything are being sold at invoice or lower. I did notice that the car had Michelin tires.

new2cars · January 2008

I have a 2007 TL. Ever since the arrival of cold weather, my tire pressure warning flashes just about every morning. I live in So. Cal., so it doesn't get colder than 40 degrees. Sometimes, when I start driving, the tire pressure readings will vary and usually once my car has traveled some miles, the warning will stop flashing.

Is this something that I need to get checked out? Does this require a visit to the Acura dealership? Will they charge me if I get just the tires inflated again?

Thanks for your input!

buckber · January 2008

May I ask where you were able to purchase a 2008 TL-S for $34,800. The two dealers in my area only want to start at List price. Thx

westiethewilly · January 2008

I am in NJ. Their # is 732 776-5200, Ocean Acura. If you want details, email me directly at jwfinancialservices@comcast.net. I know you can do better than my price. Between $ 33,800 and $ 34,500. I settle because it was already under invoice and already was there for 2 hours. I made them throw in the all seasons matts and truck matt. They are nice ! Also, free oil changes for 2 years. Acura 's dealers are slow !! and there is a $ 2000 incentive for the dealer on buying, not leases. There is a seperate deal for that.

Good luck. Stick to your guns !! Go with $ 2000 under invoice !

delmar1 · January 2008

Just changed my tires to the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. First morning driving to work....looks like my MPG is about 3MPG less ( :mad: ) than normal on my 30 mile commute compared to my original stock Bridgestones.

For other users of the Michelin A/S....what feedback can you offer regarding the tires. Performance, treadlife, mpg, etc.

My initial impression of the tires is that it is a fine ride. It isn't noisy. Rides smooth and firm. Responsive. Didn't feel any deadspots in the morning. Definitely has more traction.

mikey38 · January 2008

I wouldn't think one 30 mile drive would be a reliable indication of MPG changes due to tires since there are so many variables to figure....did traffic stop on the road, did you hit more red lights than usual, etc, etc.

delmar1 · January 2008

True that one single 30 mile drive would not be the benchmark of all.

However...my commute to work is rather consistent as I drive on the highway with no traffic as I get to the office before 7am. And for all my commutes to work...my commute MPG has been 29 to 30 to 31mpg (that is another sign that my commute trip is consistent as it is primarily highway with only a few stops with little duration at the lights). Deviation is not where I get to 26mpg.

I'll report back after a weeks time on the mpg. Who knows...maybe it is a fluke and when the tires haven't been broken in.

chirocat · January 2008

I have the stock pilot's and I love them. I would also say there there is basically NO chance that the tires get 3mph worse. It is more likely that the shop let the car idle or even drove the car. Top off your tank, zero the trip meter and drive for a few days and see what it says.

delmar1 · January 2008

I am using the MPG display on the dashboard. Mine has been rather reliable and consistent compared to the actual trip miles/gallons. Also it has been consistent on my day to day commute where I had 29-31mpg in the past. Today...I got 26mpg again on a direct dry traffic free drive into work....with no pit stops to Starbucks or anything like that.

btw...day one calc of 26mpg was where I already refreshed my trip meter. Also for day two where I also got 26mpg.

And yes....I plan to recalculate my MPG with a fresh topped off tank.

If there is a 3mpg difference....if my annual mileage is $15k...I would consume 60 gal more a year....translating into $209 more for fuel. That stinks.

kkrtrek · January 2008

I do remember reading on a tire manufacturer's website that new tires cause a significant decrease in mileage compared with one's with 50% of tread gone. While I don't remember the exact figure, I think it was 8-10%. Also, do you have the same pressure in your new Michelins as your former tires? I think the new tire mileage hit might explain your decrease in MPG.

delmar1 · January 2008

Interesting that you brought up the concept that tread has an impact on mileage.

My previous stock EL42 Brigestones were where the treads were much less...even when they were new they weren't that deep. And the Michelins are pretty darn deep with the 400 treadware index. Perhaps it is the aerodynamics of the tires.

And yes...I have the tire pressure the same as before.

I wonder...perhaps beyond the aerodynamics...could it be that the tires grip the road more so therefore more traction = less mileage. Or is it the rolling resistance.

Either way...they are nice responsive tires. Just again...stinks to lose 3mpg = $200+ a year.

chirocat · January 2008

We also forget that the new tire is actually larger in diameter. This will affect the speed and mileage readings but I don't know how much it would actually affect mileage. Maybe if you drive the same "speed" as before, you are actually going faster with the larger tire? They say every 5 MPH over 65 drops economy 20% (or something like that) Maybe you could try to calibrate the speedo with a stopwatch and some mile posts?? But then again, we don't have the old tires to compare it to. Interesting ideas, maybe we need an engineer to crunch the numbers. :confuse:

scottm123 · January 2008

Yeah, but it's getting warmer here in MA too.
Most days are in the 40's now.

I'm thinking, maybe one more week with the winter rubber, and then it's back to the summer sneakers. Any longer and we're gonna just burn unnecessary miles off of our winter setups.

And BTW... it's getting to be full-on Zaino weather now!!!
7 months of midnight waxings in the moonlight... Whoo Hooooo! :P

coreyw · February 2008

Hi All,

I've got a Canadian '04 TL with Dynamic package (6-speed, etc). Last summer, I noticed the car started pulling in a specific direction. Not badly, but enough to notice.

By coincidence, it was due to a tire rotation, so I took it in. When I got it back, the pull was gone, but the road noise was horendous! I took it back to the dealer and they said the Turanza tires were 'cupped'. So, they put the tires back where they were.

I have only 36K km on the car. I live in Alberta, which means that I'm running winters 5-6 months of the year anyway - meaning there's less than 18K kms on my summers.

Of course, the dealer gave me an 'option' to spend $1000+ to replace, but I'm rather miffed that the tires only lasted this long. I didn't think Turanza's were _that_ soft (or _that_ wide).

I've seen the discussions about the crappy Turanza's, and I'm wondering what other people have done. Of course, I can buy new rubber, but if there's a precident for some replacement help, I'd like to know about it.

Thanks for any advice.
Corey.

chirocat · February 2008

Not sure on those tires, the Acuras now have Michelin Pilots for the AS and Potenzas as the HPT.

astro13 · March 2008

I am thinking about purchasing a 08 TL this summer, but I am a little concerned with the winter driving in Michigan. I have read a lot of posts and it appears as though most people prefer to put winter tires on their TL's. I don't want the hassle of switching tires every winter, having to store another set of tire and/or rims, nor the expense of another set of tires. So my question is, has anyone really had a good experience with finding a set of tires that will truely make it through a tough winter and still perform decent in the summer? I don't need a Z rated tire because comfort and longevity are more important to me right now than speed and cornering. I noticed that Discount Tire had some good reviews from TL owners that used the Yokohama YK520's. Any suggestions??? If I have to go to two sets of tires to drive this car all year round, as much as I hate to say it, I may just have to choose another more practical car.

coreyw · March 2008

Hey Astro.

I've got an '04 TL MT in Alberta, so our weather situation is similar. I highly suggest two sets of wheels (rims and rubber). Hunt around on the internet and you'll see that all-seasons simply are not as effective in all weather conditions. And they definately will not perform as well as summers. And the car will look less striking if you put more mainstream rims/rubber, for sure. Sure I have to jack it up and change the wheels twice a year, but that's better than one set of rims and two sets of rubber.

TL aside, man, I really suggest you consider winter tires. It's an investment. In 6" of loose snow and ice, winters MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Cars of this class are expensive, why not have that extra confidence (and safely)?

The TL is a _performance_ sedan. It's made for speed and cornering, which by definition doesn't make it the most practical car. Why 'tame' it down with average wheels? If you are looking more for practicality, maybe you are looking at the wrong car.

Hope this helps.
Corey.

coreyw · March 2008

A correction to my previous posting about the cupping problem on my summer wheels. Right now, my summer wheels are in storage and I'm pretty sure now I have Potenza's and not Turanzas on my '04 TL MT.

So, can anyone comment on premature cupping on Potenza's? I'm really ticked thta I can't rotate my tires without the excessive road noice - and after only 18000 kms.

Thanks!
Corey.

astro13 · March 2008

Thanks Cory,

I was looking into an Accord, but since they are not offering much back on them right now, for a little bit more I can get a base TL. Besides, the TL looks a lot better. I have been through the whole sports car in the snow sinerio before and I definitely don't want to go through that again, nor do I want to be replacing tires every 15,000 miles either. I might just have to see what else is out there. Thanks again for the input.

laurasdada · March 2008

From my experience with my '05 TL, if you will be driving in snow with any regularity, get snow tires. I survived two winters with the OEM Bridgestone's but I replaced those last summer with Toyos. Even worse in the snow :sick: . I got Dunlop Wintersports mounted on decent alloy wheels. A small price to pay, safety-wise.

coreyw · March 2008

Yeah, I agree. It's not only driving regularly in snow but ice, as well. The chemistry of the rubber in winters are completely different to allow the tires to stick a LOT more.

I remember once I got caught once with my summers on. It was late fall, the car was in the garage, and we got ice on the driveway. Darn car slid right down to the street when I backed it out.

All-seasons wouldv'e worked better, but putting the winters on worked wonderfully.

I was lucky. I managed to get an extra set of Acura TL rims and winter rubber when I bought the car. Having nice wheels all year round is nice since I wasn't partial to driving a nice car with scabby 'winter' rims for 6 months/year - like you see on the road sometimes.

Corey.

laurasdada · March 2008

I bought my winters from Tire Rack. The nice Alloys were only $25 more each ove the steel wheel/plastic cover combo. So, I splurged. Just wish I had more opportunity to drive in the snow! Well, even though today is the first day of spring, I'm in New England. So, we're good for possible snow storms for another month...

astro13 · March 2008

Thanks everyone, I might have to start checking into winter tire/rim setups. Would it be more feasable to buy an aftermarket set of rims, or do you think I can pick up a good set of new or used TL rims? How many miles can I expect out of the first set of tires? I believe they are putting Michelins on the 08's now. I drive about 75% highway.

laurasdada · March 2008

Ah, yes. Spring, when a young man's fancy turns to Zaino! And, of course, the automobile to which said Zaino shall be applied. And applied. And applied...

scottm123 · March 2008

I went through tirerack and got a set of Blizzaks on 5 Spoke sport rims for $800.
Not a bad deal at all.

upstatedoc · March 2008

It's too bad you didn't post this message before the winter, I just sold the blizzak/sport rim combos I had left over from my '05 TL for $500. They only had about 3k miles on 'em. The guy up the street put them on his '07 TL-S. However, the other day I noticed when he drove by that he had switched the blizzaks back over to his stock rims.....no doubt selling the "sport" rims on e-bay for a nice profit! Oh well, they probably would still be gathering dust in my basement.

pashi · March 2008

Anyone tried them yet? Have an '06 Auto that came with Michelin HX MXM4's and got almost 36K out of them, may be able to go another 2-3K, but not worth it. Have heard seem great things about the Yokohama S.drive tires, and they are considerably less expensive.

Thanks in advance!

upstatedoc · March 2008

You might have better luck going to tirerack.com and searching the customer reviews for TL owners.....

jjg4519 · March 2008

After 33,000 miles, I just put 4 new Versados on my '05 TL. They were about $300 less than the MXM4. After 750 miles, I have been pleased with them.

Unfortunately, they found that one of my rims was bent....$322.

Overall, I love my car. The most disappointing thing to me has been the tires/wheels. I did a lot of research when I bought this car in 2005, but I don't remember anything about the low profile tire (susceptible to bent rims), more expensive tires, and shorter mileage expectations for the tires.

laurasdada · March 2008

Hi, Josh:

I also put Versados on my '05 last summer. Don't know if you're anywhere with snow, but beware! I swapped the Toyos for Dunlop Wintersports in December as the early/plentiful New England snow was rather challenging driving w/the Versados!!! Worse for me than the OEM Turanzas which just depressed the heck out of me...

The Toyos will go back on my TL in 3 or 4 weeks. Look forward to the quieter ride, although the Dunlops aren't too bad.

mustang67gta · April 2008

I just bought a 2002 Acura TL Type S and it needs tires. I keep hearing horror stories about the OEM Michelin Pilot tires. Can anyone recommend really good all season high performance tires for this car. Yokohama, Bridgestone, Goodyear, BFGoodrich......?
Thank you.

upstatedoc · April 2008

I had an '03 TLS and the OEM Michelins lasted about 19k (?) Replaced them with Dunlop sport a2's. Bad decision, it felt like I was riding on marshmallows. Sold the car before I found suitable replacements. You have to make sure that what ever you get has sufficient side wall stiffness or it will seriously affect performance.

xrunner2 · April 2008

The Toyos will go back on my TL in 3 or 4 weeks. Look forward to the quieter ride, although the Dunlops aren't too bad.

How many miles on those Toyos? Are they as quiet as OEM Turanza EL42? How about handling, turn-in, responsiveness, comfort compared to EL42?

Lauras, Thank you in advance for any info.

Have an 04 TL with winter Dunlops mounted now. Have to take off soon. Am way, way overdue to get summer replacements for the EL42's. Close to wear bars.

Of course don't know how good or bad these EL42's are with respect to handling, never had anything other than Dunlop snows on the car. Of course, the EL42's are terrible with flat spotting, but after a couple of miles they smooth out. Do like that EL42's are quiet and I guess comfortable.

Checked Tirerack website yesterday and read many reviews for Michelin Pilot PS2, A/S, and other models as well as Turanza Serenity (these superceded LS-H, V). Also, talked to one of their reps. My take is that perf Michelins will be noisier than OEM EL42's. Serenity does not have crisp handling according to reviews and Tirerack rep. Read one review of a person saying they are getting 1 MPG less when he put on Michelin A/S.

Anybody out there with experiences willing to share, such as have been posted already, who pulled off EL42's and is happy with replacements? Has anybody replaced worn-out EL42's with "New" EL42's rather than venture to another brand/model?

Thank you.

mustang67gta · April 2008

Thank you.

laurasdada · April 2008

Hello, X:

Only a few k (~5k) miles on the Toyos. IIRC I bought em in July and the snows went on in mid-December.

Note that I'm no tire expert, but I do find the Toyos to be smoother and quieter than the EL42s. A more comfortable ride. Also haven't noticed the flat spotting that I assume I was experiencing with the ELs. I do think that the ELs were a bit crisper at turn in, it seems to me a bit more understeer with the Toyos. But, I was looking for a bit smoother/quieter ride so I'm good with 'em.

I think I was prejudiced against the ELs due to the poor snow performance. But, the Toyos are worse, hence my first snow tires on a fwd car ever. 235/45 sizing and probably more of a summer bias to the materials in the all-seasons means for real snow, the TL should have snow shoes. And, of course, once the Dunlops were mounted, no real snow to drive in!

I bought the Toyos at a buy 3 get one free event, but I'm guessing there are better deals out there as I think I paid list for the three tires.

xrunner2 · April 2008

Note that I'm no tire expert, but I do find the Toyos to be smoother and quieter than the EL42s. A more comfortable ride. Also haven't noticed the flat spotting that I assume I was experiencing with the ELs. I do think that the ELs were a bit crisper at turn in, it seems to me a bit more understeer with the Toyos.

Lauras - Thank your for update. Perhaps I will not look into Toyos.

We had Toyo Proxes OEM on a 97 Maxima SE that were very good in retrospect. They were crisp handling, quiet and comfortable. The Proxes on the SE were a better handler than the the Proxes models put on the GLE and other Max cars.

I recall owners of Maximas dissing the Proxes on web sites. When time for replacement, I tried Bridgestone Potenza RE950 and Turanza LS-H for a few days each and did not like compared to Proxes. Bridgestone dealer took them off and put Proxes back on. Went to another dealer and tried Pirelli P6000 and they were terrible. This dealer then suggested Eagle RSA which I bought and kept. The RSAs were not as crisp in handling as Proxes and started making noise maybe at 10K miles.

So, very cautious about buying next set of tires for 04 TL. A number of 04-06 TL owners on Tirerack web site have said that handling of their TL improved when taking EL42's off and putting on such as Michelin Pilot PS2, Michelin A/S and other "performance" type tires. BUT, noise increased and ride was diminished. Is that extra dimension of performance worth the sacrifice of ride and noise. Maybe not for me.

Bridgestone Turanza LS-H and LS-V, discontinued and replaced by Serenity, might have been good choice a couple of years ago. Present owners of Serenity who previously owned LS-H or LS-V said that these older models provided crisper handling than the new Serenity. Perhaps Serenity is worse in handling than OEM EL42.

Except for flat spotting, perhaps brand new EL42's might be the best choice for fair amount of handling but quiet and comfortable ride. If this happens, will be first time in my life that I replaced OEMs with OEMs on a car.

laurasdada · April 2008

As Tire Rack doesn't sell Toyos (so no reviews), they were a leap of faith for me as my tire shop was very high on them (probably 'cuz Toyo was offering sales incentives! :surprise: ). I was looking at Conit Extreme Contacts, Bridgestone RE960, P Zero Nero, etc. as I was looking for a performance all-season that might be good-ish in the snow (and that might be a fruitless search?). But, given the more rapid wear and increased nvh from such a tire, given most of my daily driving, I opted for the Toyos. In my limited time on 'em, I'm pleased.

Maybe the other Versado owner here could review them for us?

I don't think I hated the EL42s (except in the snow), but I don't miss 'em either. Good luck, let us know what you end up buying.

jas8 · April 2008

Hello,

I have a 2006 Base TL and need to replace the Bridgestone's. I'm looking at either the General Exclaim UHP or the Falken 912's. Does anyone have experience with these? I'm interested in getting a tire with very little road noise, good handling and tread life. Can I run both of these tires all year round - i live in Dallas, no snow but we do get weather below 25.

Acura TL Tires and Wheels

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