I own a 2006 RL and am located in NC and we do not have much winter weather. Our son is in school in Chicago and has been without a car for the past six years while working in London. Long story short: Son likes my RL and needs a car because his current bicycle commute to the University of Chicago is not going to be happening after Thanksgiving. He is not getting my car so he will be buying a car in Chicago vicinity.

Questions:
1) If he were to buy a 2005 - 2006 RL with the 17" standard wheels, will it need winter tires for a cross-city commute during December - April or will new, deep-tread standard tires get the job done adequately?
2) Any thoughts pro or con as to Chicago area Acura dealers regarding used car sales and support?
3) He is an avid biker. Anybody here have experience with a category 1 hitch and bike rack on a 2nd Gen Acura?

Thanks for your thoughts.
wstr75

 

I would recommend reading the following thread (with regard to snow tires):

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ght=snow+tires

 

I cant help you with questions 2 or 3, but as far as tires go, I would not recommended the stock Michelin tires. They are horrible on winter roads.

I currently have Toyo Versado's and they are okay. Not great on winter roads, but not horrible either. If your son is worried about this issue, then I would recommend he use snow tires in the winter season.

 

Definitely get snow tires for Chicago

 

Not much snow driving here in CA, but doesn't Biking enthusiast shout SUV?
Or, I had a Suburu wagon for years and it was fantastic in the snow at Tahoe.

 

Yes, Subaru would also be a fit for him. Our family has had good maintenance histories with our RLs. How would you compare your Subaru repair & upkeep experience with your Acura RL?

 

Friends and family here have had Subarus, my mother has an Outback. Maintenance and reliability have been comparable to Honda.

 

This was many years before my RL. Obviously, totally different vehicles, but I put over 100K on the Subaru with no issues.

 

Lived my entire life in Chicago and had my first winter with my RL last year and would suggest to get all season tires that are well rated. The stock tires are junk in snow, even in rain they are awful.

 

All season are really 3 season. It covers all the other season but winter. I look at it this way, you cant put a price on safety and that's what winter tires will do for you. Keep u safe. Even a highly rated all season tires wont give u the stopping power of winter tires....

 

Take it from someone who lives in Cleveland--you can do the RL in winter with GOOD all-seasons. I did it for the three winters I owned my RL and had no trouble. Chicagoland is like Cleveland in that the plows are out early and often during the winter, so you can get away with all-season rubber.

Winter tires are ideal, though as I've learned from more recent experience.

 

Well from my point of view I think a good set of tires really make a big different. I lived in Chicago and I dont have RL but instead I have TL. I am doing "fine" in snow assuming your son is driving normally daily that shouldn't be a a problem just make sure to get him a good set of tire (all season is fine too if you prefer, maybe try out the new DWS? i heard good things about them)

 

You can get away with good All-season tires in the Chicago area as long as you don't drive when there's roads that aren't plowed, or drive really carefully. With the past winter and getting a ton of snow I decided I'll feel safer outfitting both my RL and Lexus IS AWD with snow tires which really are night and day when you put them on.

Snow tires aren't too bad price-wise this winter, I just bought a set of Continental EWC's to prepare. I went with these over the Blizzak's since there's a ton of highway driving in Chicago and tread life is more of an issue.

 

I live 100 mi north of Chicago and have had no problem with the Michelin oem tires. They now have 48K mi on them and look to be still in great shape!

 

MIchelin Pilot A/S 4 years (second set) Cleveland winters, never a problem

 

I'm in the exact same situation, did the exact same thing he suggests last winter, and was just fine.

 

I'm nearing winter season five in my RL in the Denver area and have experienced snow and ice on stock, Pilot A/S, and snow tires (Dunlop Winter Sport). As others have mentioned, stock suck...don't even consider that. Good all seasons will get you buy, but I highly recommend dedicated winter tires for their improved stopping ability. With the good A/S, you'll almost always be able to move forward, but winter tires provide that extra bit of stopping power.

I've had great luck with the Dunlop Winter Sport..they work great and are wearing more slowly than I had expected.

 

I've never had a real issue with the stock tires, but they aren't the best for grip in the snow. Even the YK520's I used to havefor my TSX gripped and drove better stock tires on AWD.

Chicago dealers aren't the best to deal with. I would recommend Acura in Elmhurst. They were the most cordial to deal with. Stay away from Highland and Libertyville Acura they try selling substandard used cars at an exorbitant amount of money for used vehicles.

 

I also recommend McGrath Acura in Westmont. Very professional and upfront.

 

If you're looking at getting a used car and keeping it for several years I would suggest buying a car in your area and driving it up to Chicago. I was looking for a used car a few months ago and was sad to see spots of rust on some of the cars in Chi. One 05 TL had a good amount of rust on the front door hinges. Winters in Chi are really rough on cars with all the salt they throw on the roads.

 

sddale has a good point. If you do buy locally (which I'm more comfortable with, since it's a whole lot easier to walk away and/or bring it back), McGrath tends to have a larger-than-normal used inventory, though I personally had a good experience buying from Woodfield Acura in Schaumburg.