cwdonahue

After owning and Audi A4 followed by an A6 4.2 (fun car, but thirsty), I am obviously sold on 4-wheel drive. The Acura RL looks like a good change of pace that offers 4-wheel drive and sucks less premium gas than my A6 4.2.

When I bought my A6, I bought the sports package that included beautiful 5 spoke forged alloy wheels. For winter, I bought some AT Italia S5s with Blizzaks from Tire Rack. That was the most cost effective path.

Now to my question.....

For the RL, what makes more sense? A-spec wheels are pretty pricey and I've looked around a bit to find wheels that fit the RL and haven't found many that look very appealing. I see some A-spec clones on the market and the prices look pretty good, but if I get the stock wheels and all-season tires, I'm going to end up throwing away a set of all-season radials to be replaced with winter tires. [If you want to stop and turn in the winter, these are a good idea here in the Chicago area.]

Choices, choices. Any advice?
Anyone bought a set of stock wheels from Acura to use for another set of tires? Price?

By the way, if you get the A-spec wheels and tires, what tires does Acura typically put on the wheels?

Thanks.

gbriank

Depends on what your intentions are. Acura uses Michelin Pilot Sport (summer) tires standard on the A-Spec rims. If you check on some of the posts here, you'll see comments on what folks think. I personally am using Pirelli P-zero Nero M&S tires (good here in Texas with the standard downpours), but have heard they don't fair well in northern winters....if you go this route, definitely hold on to the standard rims and use them with a dedicated pair of winters.

If you check EBay, you can find numerous Acura dealers across the country looking to sell the A-Spec rims. MAKE SURE you get the TPMS sensors with the rims.

As for aftermarkets, MAKE SURE THEY HAVE BEEN TESTED (such as the RonJons) have been. There are lots of rims made out there, but most will not fit due to the brake caliper on the RL.

vp911

Welcome to the forums!

As far as the wheels - just like gbriank said - check ebay for the a-spec wheels. You can pickup a set for $1400 plus around $200 for the sensors. Many people - including myself like the Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S. I also liked the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S.

If you want snow tires, the dunlip wintersport m3s are a great snow tire for the 17". Get it in 225/55/17 (alternate size as reccomended by tirerack.com. I had them with the RL and it rips through the snow without any problems.

hondamore

I will second the recommendations made by gbriank and vp911. If you get lucky, you can find a local tire shop that will buy the 17" OEM Michelins to help offset the cost of the new rims and two new sets of tires. I found a place to give me $350 (Canadian) for my set of OEM crap Michelins which isn't much but I just wanted to get rid of them so I wouldn't have to store them. The RL's ride is much quieter and smoother with the Pirelli's on the 18's and the M3's are a great choice for snow and ice.

vp911

^ Regarding trading the crap OEM tires. My local tire place gave me $468 for all 4 tires.

cwdonahue

Thanks for the advice, guys.

I will definitely look at the Dunlop Wintersports for snow season around here. Or, maybe another set of Blizzaks, since I have been very happy with the grip and wear I've gotten out of the LM22s I bought for my A6. I went narrower with a higher aspect ratio (55 vs. 40 for my summer tires) for winter since a smaller contract patch is helpful for snow, so I wasn't expecting the same level of performance as my summer tires. When it's 20 degrees outside, high performance driving is just not in the cards.

The Pirelli's you mention have an "M&S" designation. Hardly sounds sporting. I've had Continental ContiSport Contacts on my Audi and they've been very good. Quiet and grippy even in the wet. I'm interested to hear what summer tires others have tried. Personally, I'll pick quiet as a primary need, because the roads around here are bad enough that they'll make any tire seem loud.

Now, if I could just find some A-spec wheels nearby to cut down on shipping...

By the way, I assume the A-specs sharpen up the handling a bit without too much sacrifice in ride comfort. Has that been your experience?

Thanks, again.

vp911

gbriank

Be aware of buying locally with your lovely Illinois sales tax.... I appreciate every visit I make to Chicagoland (to visit family) and make my wonderful donation to the Daly family. LOL!

Yes, the 18's do improve the ride considerably (less floaty...think it has to do with the soft sidewalls on the OECrap Michelins). The Pirelli's are Ultra High Performance All-Season tires....not quite as sporty as a summer tire, but will last you significantly longer (on average, a set of summer tires will last 15 to 20k miles....i've heard of Nero M&S lasting over 30k). I've had a set of Continentals on my second to the last car. Good tires, but my only complaint was the tread life and tramlining (know this will be a problem for you in Illinois....darn crappy roads). I'd recommend to take a peak at some of the other tires folks have recommended here and also at The Tire Rack....you might find something more to your liking.

Good luck and may the force be with you!

Zanello

I bought a set of A-Specs on eBay for $1000 and then had a tire shop put on Goodyear Eagle F1's for another $1000. Ride is better and quieter and it handles better. The F1 tires are rated over the Neros and Pilots in a number of tests but they are not winter tires. Not all that important to me as it a cool 75 in LA today.