Crazy Bimmer

Dads 2002 RL is hurting for some new tires already. Not sure how he likes his stock tires but i figure there must be somthing nicer out there. Whats a good all season tire thats quiet and great in the snow?

Guessing a touring tire would be his best bet? As far as touring tires.. whats a good model to look at?

225/55/16 is the size we are looking for. Unless we can fit 235/55/16 but that might make the 16s look tiny

Ken1997TL

Comforttread (sp?) from Goodyear. They are VERY nice on my TL.

rocket44

I recently replaced my tires (michelin) for some kuhmo's and couldn't be happier. I was looking for a quiet yet responsive tire and these have definitely worked out. I got the ECSTA H94 series. They are nice looking and very affordable(54/tire), and most of all ,quiet.

(tirerack.com) was the site I got them from, but if you have a discount tire in your area, they'll usually match the price.

dallison

i have used kuhmos on most of my vehiclesl, just not the rl yet, and i will be buying the kuhmos for the rl when i do.
they are inexpensive and have decent tread wear and are quiet

Crazy Bimmer

The RL got a flat today so i figured it was a good time to get all new tires since i was putting itoff.

I called discount tire and they have the Kumo ASX in stock. Reviews seem pretty good on tirerack. $82

What ya think?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=3

Ken1997TL

I say go for it

flyfishindawg

I have a lot of experience in this area as my 1997 RL has 323,000 miles on it and still going strong.

I used to buy Michelin MXV-4s until they went insane on the prices. Since I did not feel like spending $800-$900 on a set of tires (although they were good tires), I tried Goodyears (bad mistake, worst tires I ever owned), Dunlop SP5000s, and Yokohama Avids. Hands down, the best tire for the money is the Yokohama. I dropped from a V rating to an H rating (I didn't anticipate needing the extra speed rating as I am too old to drive 150 mph!), did not notice a drop in performance, and the ride and handling are outstanding. If they ever quit making this tire, I am going to be seriously depressed.

Take my advice and buy the Yokos. You will not be disappointed.

FFD

Ken1997TL

323,000 miles

What issues have you had with it? I ask because my '97 TL has many similar systems (nearly identical engine, same transmission) as your car.

flyfishindawg

For the most part, I have what I condider to be minor issues on my car. Mostly, the things that I am now experiencing are things that just happen as you put a lot of miles on any car.

Here are the major (relative) things that I have experienced:

1) Last year I had a problem with over-heating. Eventually, I ended up replacing a good portion of the air conditioning system as a result. What I figured out ultimately was that the root cause of the entire problem was that I had never had the radiator taken out and cleaned well. As most of my miles are highway miles, I had accumulated quite a collecting of bugs, which, as they assumed room temperature, left quite a thick layer of guts, etc. Because of this, the airflow was reduced to just about nothing and the domino effect of problems with cooling and the A/C followed. This was about $1700 to correct.

2) Just replaced the front rotors.

3) Both rear windows have had new regulators.

4) Some bearings on the lower front of the engine had to be replaced.

That's about it. The main thing that I would advise is to make sure that you don't let the radiator go unnoticed if you put the miles on the car that I do.

I have come to learn that, if you are going to keep the miles going like I do, you should expect to pay $300 or so once or twice a year for something. Other than that, normal maintenance should do you well.

I hope this helps.

FFD

Fabvsix

My 2004 RL is SUPER quite.......I don't think it could get much better. Perhaps the earlier models were not as sound retardent as my year is......

Ken1997TL

Flyfishindawg: Thanks for the info, I'll keep an eye on my radiator. I put a lot of highway miles on my TL and apparently we have identical radiators.

Fabvsix:

The RL received additional sound deadening almost every 2 years, major improvements coming in 1999 model year and 2002

Fabvsix

Ken:
Mine is so quite, when I have a bag of groceries, I can hear snitz in the bag and aggrevates me because its SO quite inside.....As I said in another thread, when you open the trunk you can't hear the music !
LOL...
No point in putting a sub woofer in the trunk of this car !

Ken1997TL

Sounds like my kind of car, I like how the '04 drives.. very similar to mine with a tad more heft.

I'll have to get an '04 as a replacement in a few years

dallison

i love the cheaper kuhmos i have on my rl, better perf. than the bichelins and they are not that much louder

Rich in NC

I went with the Bridgestone LS V tires for my 2000 RL. Superior in every way to the Michelin and appeared to be good for at least 50k miles when I traded it in.

Crazy Bimmer

Bridgestone LS V looks to be a great tire but was a little more than we were willing to spend.

Crazy Bimmer

So i took his car out for a spin today. WOW the RL feels like a whole different car just by changing the tires. Steering feels tighter and it just grips the road in full confidence. Before i felt like i had no control and the car felt lifeless. Very impressive how just swapping tires can make such a huge impact!

Ken1997TL

It REALLY makes a difference.

I have a set of 15" and 16" wheels for my '97 TL.

The 15" are Toyo Ultra 800, they're 100,000 mile tires.. they're kinda noisy, dont have the best grip but they're good for long trips.

The 16" are Dunlop Sports, quieter, grippier and feel like glue in comparison. They dont wear as well.

The point being, these tires are just like shoes.. when you go from dress shoes to running shoes.. its very noticeable. So always get tires that suit your needs!!

MedicatedAngel

Do the 2002 Acura RLs come with stock 16s or 17s?

Anyone know? Thanks

Ken1997TL

16's