Any other SF Bay area RL owners have excessive road/tire noise on San Mateo Bridge? The noise is significantly louder than any other roads travelled. Its so bad that talking over the HFL is difficult.

I thought the noise reduction could handle something like that. However, I cover up the mic and there is no difference in noise level. For that matter, about the only time I do notice the noise reduction is at acceleration in low rpm.

 

I can't comment on your specific roads, but to me, road noise is about the only real dissapointment I've had with my RL. Our freeways often have a large aggregate in the asphalt. The road noise is really bad when driving these roads. To be fair, it is acceptable when on rather newly paved roads. I've been in several friends pick-up trucks recently that are quiter than the RL. Does anyone have any suggestions for quieting the car down. I've looked into new tires but there aren't many M+S made yet in our rather unique size.

 

Replace the Michelin OEM tires with Pirelli PZero Nero M+S. Move up to 18" wheels if you have to.

 

The Pirelli's that 1HOTNSX mentioned make a HUGE difference in improving ride quality and diminishing road noise, BUT you do have to upgrade to the 18's. The other option is the Michelin Pilot A/S in the 17 inch size. Search for some old threads on tires for info on each option.

 

The replacement of the OEM tires with a good set takes care of a lot of the road noise problem. Try the pilot sport a/s - they are an amazing set of tires.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I looked into the Pirelli's but were told they'd only last about 10K miles. Has anyone had actual experience with a 17" set of these?

 

Who told you this? From the TL forum I have heard more than 30k miles on the pirellis.

 

The person who only got 10k out of his Pirelli's may have been doing some auto-x racing or was a very very aggressive driver. The Pirelli PZeroNero do come in a summer only model and the M&S model, which I chose. I haven't looked into it, but the summer only model may have a lower treadlife rating. There are also other PZero models which are intended for racing. I have nothing but positive feedback to give regarding the PZeroNero M&S - they are quiet, smooth and great handling.

 

Not true. I have PZero Neros on three cars. My RL with 20K miles on them and they look like they can go another 20K. My wife's Mercedes (2nd set) and they lasted 32K miles on her car with 17" wheels. My NSX (Summer PZero Neros, not M+S) and they have 12K miles on them and they look like they can go another 10K. Other tires only last 10K on my NSX.

Other Pirellis can wear out pretty quickly but not these. My bet is that you will get close to 30K - give or take a couple K.

 

my question remains why the noise cancellation technology cannot deal with tire noise

 

I believe the Bose system only cancels out low pitched noise. The friggin Michelins (from what I remember....until I changed out to the Pirellis) had a high pitched sound to them....not to mention no grip whatsoever in our Texas downpours. Why is it Acura puts such horrible tires on their cars? Is it the tire or the compound choices they made?

 

Exactly. My guess is they use crap tires because they want to cut costs. The much hated EL42s that were on the TL are now sold standard on the Lexus ES330.

 

I got the information from a salesman at Discount Tire when I bought my '06 and went looking for a replacement set. It sounded fishy to me, but I hadn't heard anything from people that had actually used them. I'll definitely take another look.

Thanks all.

p.s. I concur with everyone else on the Honda tires. I had two Accords prior to the Acura and the Michelin tires on those cars lasted forever, but they had no traction, handled poorly, and were noisy as well.

So far my favorites for road noise have been the Yokahama AVS DB's, but they're unfortunately not made in the RL size.

 

Actually, the Yokohamas are made in the RL size.....the 18" size (245/40R18)....LOL! I was first interested in the Yokos after reading the Tire Rack comparison, but then purchased the Pirellis after chatting with a few folks here (about 7,000 miles back). Not to mention, the price and the treadware rating favor the Pirellis.

If you do decide to purchase the 18s, I highly recommend the 245/45R18s.

 

I would recommend Pirellis as well. Simply the best!

Edit mod: vp911

 

Vik, didn't we debate the merits of a sound-deadening coating recently relative to this topic? In fact, I think I may have volunteered to try out some of the stuff on my fender liners to see if it was effective in reducing the noise. I did a quick search but could not track down the thread-can you help me find it?

 

Yup: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1568

 

Hope you're right vp911 - I just put on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 17's. I was unhappy with the noise factor of the OEM Michelins and since I experienced a sidewall puncture on one of my tire at 20K mile I opted to get a new set...more feedback later.

 

Do let us know how you like them. Everybody who swapped to them in the TL forum loved them - and a couple people here in the RL forum loved them also - including myself.

 

Anything is better than the OE tires....anything.

 

I have about 7,000 miles of experience with the Pilot Sport A/S tires on my '05 RL on stock 17" wheels.

They are quieter on every surface than the OEM Michelins.

Grip is great in the rain too.

The choice of the stock tires was a poor one that must have been made based on the price that Acura was willing to pay.

Also, the odd size limits the alternative tires choices to less than half a dozen for the stock wheels.

Although I took two test drives, I was still surprised how loud the OEM tires were. If I was buying an RL again, I would have negotiated the tire upgrade into the car sale and agreed to pay the difference in price.

The next time I buy a new car I'm going to take one home for at least an entire day to make sure that there aren't these types of surprises.

This was an opportunity to see how my dealer handled a customer satisfaction issue. They failed miserably. :shakehead