I know the Pilot Sport A/S+ will hande far better.... but how do these two tires compare in terms of smoothness and comfort?

My MXMs are very smooth... I like that. Whiel I like how bigger wehels/tires look.. I think I enjoy the smoothness of my ride too much to want to go to harder suspension, or super big wheels...

but iif I stay with the OEM 17" wheel size... howmuch stiffer REALLY would a high performance all season really be? would it be quite a bit different / noticeable?

everyone says the stock MXM tires suck... and it's actually CHEAPER to buy the PIlot Sport A/S+!

MXMs are $250/each.
PS A/S+ are $200 each.

i'm just wondering if the ride smoothness would be drastically differente or really not all that much?

I"ve varied my tire pressure in my MXMs from 32/30 to closer to 38/36...and I honestly liked it better softer... I dropped the pressure a bit..now it's like 35/33 and that's not bad... not too firm, not too soft...

it's strange.. the treadwear rating is better on the higher performing A/S+.... why is that? usually tires taht perform BETTER do so b/c they are softer and have LESS tread rating... how is it that the A/S + last longer but perform better?

based on ratings on tire rack, the MXMS get mjuch worse ratings too...

i'm also considering the turanza's...but I"m partial to michelins..i've always felt they ride nicely... even when I had my S60R with springs/lowered..and it rode really firm.. when I put PS2s on it... it rode VERY smoothly for a high perofrmance sports sedan! so i'm incilined to stick with michelin if I cna..

Smoothness is probably more a function of tire pressure. If the OEM are a little smoother that's fine, but i prefer the much improved traction in the wet and snow that the A/S have given me. A third alternative may be the Yoyo Versado

Toyo Versado's will be the smoothest for sure, can't say enough good things about my Versado's when they were on my RL.

i live in southern CA. I never see snow in thsi car and never will... if i ever hit the snow with teh family, we will take the MDX....

thsui car will see occasional rainstorms... that's it. so snow traction is irrelevant to me.

the only reason I am considering all seasons vs a pure summer tire is that the summer only tires wear out super fast.... otherwise i would consider them as they perform better...

i want a great handling tire, with low noise, smooth ride...that has an acceptable treadwear rating so it will last me 30-50k miles... preferrably 40-50....

the stock MXMs made it to 45k on my 06...

As you know, you are comparing apples and oranges - tires of two different classes for distinctly different purposes.

I would also note that the Pilot HX MXM4 are being replaced by the Primacy MXM4's so I would include those in your search. Check out the Tire Rack's latest test on that tire.

The Michelin Primacy, Bridgestone Turanza Serenity and Toyo Versados are all in a similar class, and should be biased more toward comfort and quietness that you seek, as well as fuel economy...and all seem happen be made in that less popular 245/50-17 size that the 2005-2008 came with...

With this car, it seems that performance handling is not that high on your priority list, but some report you can almost have it all with the Pilot Sport AS, except for fuel economy.

A good bet for back to back comparisons might be to contact 037 who I believe got the Pilot HX MXM 4 with the car and then switched them out for Pilot Sport A/S (not the plus), both in 245/45-18.

I stand corrected that the H rated Primacy's are NOT a direct replacement for the V rated Pilot HX MXM4 OEM tire.

I"ve read good things about the Pilot Sport A/S....

it might be a good compromise... same size with larger sidewalls, but a more aggressive tire...it won't be as stiff as if I put on 18" wheels... but will give me a bit more bite in the turns when I want it...

I can tell you from experience that the A/S sport rides really hard. I got my 06 with MXM4 and switched them out in August of this year for the A/S, used them for 2 weeks and returned them back for OEM i could not stand the ride quality of the A/S hard riding, bumps, thumps, and lots of dash board shaking. Once back to the stock i was finally in my comfort zone. I must say i cornered and felt the handling of the RL with the A/S, thats it.

I went ahead and ordered the Pilot Sport A/S+. discount tire gauranteed me that if I did NOT like the ride, they would exchange them for something else. if all else fails, I'll just get another set of the MXM4s...

The Pilot Sport A/S+ are $200 CHEAPER per set... so i'll try them first. as they are supposedly "better"... if I don't like them, i'll gladly pay another $200 for my comfy ride.

245/50-17?

My RL happen to come with both stock OEM 17 wheels with the Pilot HX MXM4 tires and 18 inch A-Spec wheels with Pilot Sport A/S tires.

The Pilot Sport A/S is a little bit more harsh and you can hear the tire noise on the freeway, but not much more then the HX MXM4 tires. Better handling, but expect 5% worse gas mileage. Both are good tires.

Plastics

yes, i ordered them in the STOCK / OEM size for my 17" wheels. 245-50-17.

i have decided NOT to upsize my wheels or mess with my suspension... as much as I *want* to... I simply decided that the costs and loss of comfort were not worth it *to me*.... i like the comfort and smoothness of my RL. I have tried a couple of cars that had "upgraded" setups... either larger wheels or larger wheels and/or suspension upgrades, and honestly, the increase in ride harshness just turned me off.

I am no stranger to a firm riding car... I have had plenty of modded cars... most of them with suspension upgrades.... for some reason, the RL just doesn't feel "Right" firma nd stiff. I enjoy it for what it is - a luxury car with a capable AWD system... when the turns are there..I can mash the throttle and get nice cornering... but given that I spend 99% of the time beind the wheel in this car going STRAIGHT... I figured I'd focus on making THAT the best experience I could... with very little focus on the corners..

i get them installed later today... i'll update here once i try them out.

Haha, crazy... lol, after all that time with researching different wheels and tires. I was excited to see what kind of wheels you were going to finally purchase. Oh well, I think you made a good alternative choice! The RL is a car that is meant to be driven but also enjoyed at the same time. Good luck on your purchase, I look forward to your input on the tires.

I completely hear you - I spent sooooooooooooo much time researching what to do...a LOT....only to really realize that I didn't like the RL with wheels or suspension... I honestly am a little let down... I was so fired up to do aspec or wheels...and in the end, I just decided to leave the car alone.. I like the RL...but if I'm going to spend money to make something handle - it's not going to be this car.

to me... a hard riding, stiffer RL just didn't feel right to me. it felt "wrong".... i don't know how else to explain it... If I was driving an M3 I'd be happy with the firm ride... to me, the RL and a firm ride don't mix.

everyone has to do what they feel is right for them.. for me.. i intend to leave the car stock, enjoy it for what it is..and in the near future, don't be suprised if you see me trade/sell this RL for someting that is simply more sporty /f aster/ better handling out of the box...

tires go on in 30 min.

lol, I am in the same boat as you. After I purchase my RL I might be in a position to buy tires versus the availability of the 18 inch tires.

*edit* I see what tires you decided on in the above posts. lolz

i drove the car home from the tire shop... which was a VERY short drive.. 10 min...

i'll maybe go for a spin after dinner to get some more seat time...but my initial impression is:

car rides silky smooth. I can't tell the difference from my worn out MXMs to these Pilot Sport A/S+.
I don't notice any noises. I haen't tried the freeway yet, so not sure how the freeway ride is / higher speed
the car still has that rock solid planted feel that I like
handling is quite a bit better. the car feels more responsive when i turn the wheel...less squish... through turns, the car feels likeit holds the line better and turns nicer.

i'm not running outto do any autrcross tracks... it's not like the car was transformed nto a canyon carver... but no doubt the car handles a LOT better.

so far, i'm thinking this was a great buy. it gives me a bit better hanlding when I want it.but overall, the ride is still luxo smooth like I wanted.

I would have loved to drop it and put on 19s... looks wicked cool...but function is more important than form to me... i want comfort and a smooth ride THEN looks... i also just dind't want to drop $1000 on wheels and then feel the urge to lower it, etc etc....

i did b the rear sway bar..when that shows up i'll be anxious to see how that helps. i'm not expectin anything miraculous..but anything I can detect would be a plus!

i really wish Acura would have made these cars ride lower stock. the car looks nice and with less wheel gap it would lookeven better - i just don't want to sacrifice ride quality to do it...

I replaced the OEM tires for the Pilot Sport A/S+ a year ago. I have not experienced the harshness in ride that others have mentioned, and I usually keep my tires inflated on the higher side. I do think that as they wear they do get a little noisier. Not overbearing, but I have noticed it is only on certain road surfaces. Here in southeast Michigan our highways are grooved concrete and the tires "sing" more on those roads. On asphalt they are as quiet as the OEMs.

The handling is definitely an upgrade and worth the switch in my opinion, and as you said, they are cheaper the MXM4s. The Pilots are excellent in wet weather.

I just bought a 06 RL with the Pilot Sport A/S + tires and even though they have a ton of tread left I would LOVE to get these off my car. They are loud and don't give the ride that I think they should. I haven't ridden in a RL other than mine so I'm not sure what the comfort level should be but our Nissan Altima rides noticeably better than the RL. When I first bought it the ride wasn't much better than my Infiniti G35 that I traded in for it, I was going to test drive a TL but knew if it rides worse than my RL it would be awful....after dropping the tire pressure to 30F/28R its finally tolerable. It doesn't help that you hear all the bumps along with feeling them too. I'm just curious if the A/S pluses are one of those tires that don't wear well, I can't imagine anyone being happy with these things like this new. Guess I know what to ask for for Christmas!

t600-

what tires do you plan to put on in place of the PS A/S+?

Curious to hear what size tires you have on what wheels and if they are the AS or AS+

23109vc- I'm not positive what tire to go with and even when I will buy new tires since mine have probably 75% tread left. I do hate them though. I'm in no way a tire guy but it seems like as a result of the long tread life the rubber is really hard, they are also Z rated so I'm sure the sidewall is stiffer. It all boils down to a stiff and loud ride, they are directional which I also don't like. If I were to buy a tire today it would probably be the Bridgestone Serenitys. I like a quite comfortable ride over anything in this car and since I never see snow I think they would be best.
Chas2- My tires are the AS pluses and are mounted on the stock 17 inch rims.

I had a chance to put about 100 miles on the RL tonight on the freeway.

the ride is for sure firmer with the AS+ vs the MXM4s.. BUT the ding a lings at the tire shop put my tire pressure hihg... they were at about 38 all the way around... the m ost I saw temps drop to during my drive was 35.... all four.

i got home and dropped the pressure down to 32/33ish at all four corners. i took a quick spin and it felt softer...but it was late and I had to cut the drive short.... i'll do another drive over the holidays and report back...

overall, i think it rides pretty much similar to the MXMs in quality... over some secetions of freeway it was a bit bumper..but nothign that I think I would be bothered by... if you are reallly really picky about ride, you might not like these..

i do notice they handle WAY better. on a freeway offramp heading out tonight i just flat out let it rip and OMFG.... the car stuck and held a tight line... the MXMs wold have howled and maybe slipped.... the AS+s just grabbed...

if it handles with well on stock suspension and 17s.. you guys with aspec and 18s must really scorch the on/off ramps!!!

After a couple of hours driving on my A/S+, I agree with the above 100% with tire pressure averaging 35 once the tires warm up.