3-fity

Just picked up an '08, dark blue (sorry don't know the legit color, I've been a Nissan/Infiniti guy) on beige for the wife. 29,000 miles for 18K here in Dallas.

We're super happy with the car. And I look forward to learning a lot on this board. My first question is, has this car EVER come with 16" wheels? It seems ours did and most I have noticed has 17"s. I'm a little bummed about it and will start looking for some 17"s real soon.

DurgyNess

I dont believe it has come with 16"s

17" are standard.

PACman

Yes, 17's are standard stock.

LuvMyTSX

It's probably royal blue pearl on parchment.

The only way I can think of the car having 16s would be if it were maybe bought at auction by a dealer in your area, then sold to you. It's possible that the car lived in a colder climate and the previous owner had 16s for winter.

Anyway, congrats and enjoy. I always liked RBP.

Simba91102

That's a bit odd; any chance the tires are winter tires? The OE wheel size is 17"x7" w/ size 215/50x17 Michelin tires. All TSX's came with this combo (04-08). 16" tires and wheels (tire size 205/60x16) are popular for winter tires. I'm going to hazard a guess that you didn't buy the car from an Acura dealer (and it isn't certified). This isn't the end of the world, but it would make me curious about what became of the OE tire and wheel set (and what other little surprises await).

3-fity

Simba,

You're right with my on my fears about what other surprises exist. I DID buy it from a reputable Acura dealership and it actually had been a CPO car, but decided not to pay for the certification, in order to save a few pennies.

The car had been titled in FL and all of it's CarFax and AutoCheck records showed FL. It was is REALLY nice condition other than the wrong size wheels. I even had them put it up on a rack in the garage for me to inspect it...

Oh well... I guess I'll start hunting for some nice used 17"s... The wife doesn't seem to care either way, but it will bother me.

philliesfan980

If you check out ebay, I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to find a set of stock wheels for around $350, $400 shipped. Of course you'd need new tires as well, so you're probably looking at a $1,000 investment to upgrade the wheel/tire combo.

philliesfan980

Also, it might be a long shot, but I'd consider going back to the dealer and seeing if they'd split the difference with you. It's a pretty bad move them selling one of their own brand with the incorrect wheel size. This is something that you'd expect if you bought an Acura at a Dodge dealership (just picking a brand!)

To them, it would be a smart move to split the difference, or perhaps just give you the money to replace the wheels. I'm sure they'd love to have you in for service where they'll more than makeup the difference over the life of the car.

jchan2

I find it odd that they put 16"s on your car.. The TSX is supposed to have 17"s standard.

I agree with those above me who say to check back with the dealer and see if they will at the very least split the difference with you on a set of OEM rims.

Boulder TSX

I agree with this. You have nothing to lose.

Also, you can argue that the car was designed for 17" wheels, and that the odometer, speedometer and gas mileage on the MID are all slightly inaccurate, (though probably not by much due to the likely thicker tire sidewall), with the 16" wheels.

Simba91102

Well I stand corrected on the selling dealer. I'm really surprised that an Acura dealer would sell what sounds like such a nice car with such a glaring deficiency in OE equipment. This says as much about the dealer as anything in this miscue. I too would upgrade to an OE size tire and wheel set, either all aftermarket or OE wheels with new tires (both options may end up being competitive price wise though if you didn't go too crazy with new wheels). Being in Dallas, you certainly don't need a set of winter tires. You could easily sell off at least the 16" wheels (as I mentioned earlier, they're popular for use with snow treads).

VQPower37

congratz on the new car

LuvMyTSX

I guess I should have kept my old wheels after all. You're out of luck, as I just traded my car in September and had stock wheels for winter, Ronjon wheels for summer. I gave both to the dealer upon trade.

Simba91102

Wow, the dealer made out on that trade. I've pretty much always set the OE tires and wheels aside for re-use when I got rid of the car. This accomplishes a couple of things. I get to use new summer and winter sets for the (my) life of the car and it gives me almost new tires and wheels to put back on the car when I dispose of it (a nice selling feature). Not everyone has the room perhaps, but it's always worked for me. Giving Ronjons away....... wow.

3-fity

I can tell I'm going to like this community already!

Here is a shot of the wheels the car came with. I'm having a hard time guessing which car these would have come off of...

Boulder TSX

Just a guess, but those look to me like the OE wheels from a CSX, (the Canadian-only Acura model, based on the Civic.)

They're pretty good-looking wheels really; perhaps just a little small within the wheel wells for the TSX.

BTW, given that they appear to have a low profile sidewall, and thus a smaller diameter footprint, I would bet that they are throwing off your odometer, speedometer (and gas mileage figures on the MID.) (More wheel rotations per mile, which is used to calculate all those things.) --To me, that would be key point to make in trying to get some restitution, when talking with the dealer who sold you the car.

Simba91102

Ya I agree, it's a pretty good looking wheel (a little work to keep clean though )(I like clean wheels and I'm lazy, so I tend to go for not too "busy" 5 spoke wheels). I'm curious what size that tire is (I don't agree though that it looks particularly low profile. I'd say just the opposite. 60 or 65 series?).

LuvMyTSX

Mine weren't very expensive. I had the 17 inch Servos with all season tires on them, which probably had about 30k miles on them. The stock wheels were used each winter and looked like crap anyway, and had winter tires on them - probably could just get one more winter out of them. So really, it wasn't that bad. I didn't want the hassle of storing the Ronjons while trying to find a buyer for them. Too much going on with a new house and all.

Boulder TSX

Simba, you're right; they're not low profile by today's standards, (wafer thin sidewalls, especially on 18", 19" 20" wheel these days.)

But they do look like they take up less space in the wheel well than the 17" wheels and tires do, (and less than my 16" wheels with winter tires.) That by itself could likely throw off all the wheel rotation calculations for odometer, speedometer, etc.

dmassott

they're base rsx wheels

3-fity

Thanks! They aren't bad looking wheels, but I really like the stock 5 spokes. Will need to make the change soon.

I confirmed that the current setup is 205/55/16. Does anyone know the stock setup for the 17's? I want to compare the sizes and see if it is affecting my spedo and odo.

Simba91102

That makes them a little over a half inch (.6") shorter than the TSX OE size (215/50x17). It looks worse than it is though (not quite 2.5%).

3-fity

I am shopping new wheels now.

I am loving how much I can pick up a set of OEMs for in the marketplace. I am used to seeing OEM wheels go for plenty more.

3-fity

Quick question: Does anyone think I have a legal rights against the dealership for selling me the car with 16" wheels instead of the 17"s? I know I purchased the car, as it. But a dealership knowingly (I confirmed the sales manager knew) selling me a car with wheels that over time will screw up the odometer is pretty filthy.

P.S. Don't buy a car from Vandergriff Acura in D/FW...

Simba91102

Not worth the trouble to pursue in my opinion. Consider it part of the reason you got a good deal, sell (or keep) the 16" wheels, and move on.

3-fity

Yep... I tend to agree with you Simba. Thanks for all the input. I'll let this thread die now.

Although I am holding off on approving my loan with the credit union just to make them sweat. The used car director there flat out told me that he knew and that it wouldn't effect the odo.

DuckDodgers

Oh, oh...get that in writing...then you could have real fun.

MacChurchill Acura (I-35W at I-820) on the northside has always done good for me. If it's OK for you, then make sure to use Kimmie Hamilton as your service advisor.

The fun part is an auto dealer selling one of their own brand vehicles, still under warranty, with a tire/wheel combination that will prematurely expire their warranty, without discloseure. That's fraud, and Honda/Acura settled a big lawsuit by adding 10% to a number of vehicle's coverage a few years back.

OK...first I'd mail a Certified Mail, Return Reciept, letter to the user car manager stating the facts and asking for assistance in correcting the matter. Next, after the rejection, same mail trick to the owner with copy of previous reply, third same with both replies to "Acura Client Services, 1919 Torrance Blvd., M/S 500-2N7E, Torrance, CA, 90501-2746"

The best bet for these letters is to include a quick math lesson to show the 2.374% quicker accumulation of miles on the vehicle. (try this: http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp ) Since this shows they will short you by about 1,159 miles on the bumper to bumper coverage, or 1,623 miles on the driveline coverage, you have a pretty decent case.

Worst case, investigate small claims court to get compensation for replacing the tires and rims plus loss of coverage...

Welcome to the site, did you notice the 1000+ posts on the RBP conversation?

3-fity

Wow! This has to be the best car community I have been a part of. Also, I'm pretty sure I want to hire you as my lawyer on retainer.

Although I love a good fight, I think I may bow out of this one. I got a good deal on the car and hope to pick up some 17"s for fairly cheap. My payback has been to hold out on the check they were supposed to receive a week ago...

Simba91102

A few flaws in the argument I'm afraid. The car has 29K miles on it now, unknown how long the 16's have been on it. And I'll bet you that somewhere in the fine print of the sales agreement, it states that even though the car has a factory warranty, it's being sold as is (pretty much boilerplate if I'm not mistaken). Although it may be a little maddening, this is a loser. I still say learn from it and move on.

But.... it could be an interesting way to kill some time (for some I guess.....). And...., I must say that once again I haven't had to wait long for further evidence that this site is largely populated by guys with way too much time on their hands (OK...., that includes me). As I stated above, I'm inclined to think that this is an argument not worth having (and/or spending the time it would take to try and enjoy some satisfaction). It appears I'm not alone in that respect, but I do understand that some can't seem to just attribute some things to experience, learn something, and move on.

DuckDodgers

Not true, Simba. The mileage issue is real...they sold a vehicle with a flawed odometer. A careful review of Texs law indicates that if the posted the "sold as is" notice, they might be exempt from liability, but I bet they didn't. As such, their sale of a vehicle with a flawed system for monitoring warranty status is a deceptive sales practice.

I have no problem with learn and move on...it's deceptive sales practices by Dealers and their Service Departments that I hate.

jchan2

Before pursuing a legal action, I would definitely ask the selling dealership about covering the costs of putting on a set of OEM wheels and tires.
Though it seems extremely odd the dealer wouldn't change out the rims, or at least not offer the car as certified. (I remember you said that the car could have been certified, but that you didn't purchase the warranty?)