23109VC

took my RL into the dealer for service today and got a 2010 TL as a loaner...

not an AWD model, just a FWD model, but it does have tech. nice car. it is definitely faster than my RL..feels to have a bit more upper rpm punch...but that doesn't suprise me..it's a bit lighter and lacks the aWD system drag...and has about the same pwoer..so it shoudl be quicker..

it does not seem to handel as well. it has the 18" wheels..so it' turns a bit more crisper..but if you get into a turn, it does NOT have the rock solid stability that I feel in my RL...

anyway..the ride is NOTICEABLY firmer.. nothing drastic that would drive me crazy, but it definiately is a bit bumpier and firmer.

I was wondering - how does the ride of a new stock TL compare to a 2G RL that has upgraded to aspec suspension? for those of you who have aspec and have had a TL loaner.. (or even a new TSX..the ride is very similar to me)

you think aspec is even firmer or are they similar??

23109VC

update-

drove the 4G TL home tonight and got some good acceleration runs in and cornering. nothing illegal mind you..just good spirited driving.

the 4G TL would blow the RL away. it pulls quite a bit harder when it revs up.

in turns, the FWD model I had SUCKS. My RL would BLOW THIS THING AWAY in turns...the front wheels were squeeling and they are brand new tires! my RL, with totally worn out tires (same kind, but 17s, not 18s) don't squeel at all..the RL just blows throught eh turn like magic... the TL was slipping, squeeling, etc..

i'm curious - is the 3.7L AWD TL as quick as the FWD model?

a new TL with the quicker responses, but the handling of the RL would be a fun car.. i have never driven an AWD TL... maybe I should...

037

I can give you some comments coming from a 3G TL and 09 RL.

3G TL was much firmer than the 09 RL (which I've heard was firmer than 05-08 RLs), for me, the closest to 3G TL ride quality were H&R springs.

As far as acceleration, I believe the AWD TL is at least as fast as the FWD. In turns, you definitely can't mash the gas on FWD as the back doesn't exactly listen and the front doesn't have enough traction.

23109VC

This weekend I borrowed my dads car, he also has an RL, but his is an 07. He has aspec wheels on his but I have no idea if he has aspec suspension. He bought it used at Carmax, it was supposedly a repo.... I haven't driven his car much, but drove it quite a bit this weekend and got a chance to drive on some twisty roads.

Compared to my stock 06, his car felt quite a bit . I could feel bumps much more and the overall ride was stiffer and bouncier. In turns it had less body roll and handled quite a bit better than my 06. Bi am starting to wonder if he has aspec suspension? How can I tell if he has it?

Is there a way to tell by looking at car?

sleepinxlionhart

You can measure the ground clearance between yours and his, or the wheel gaps. Aspecs make the car lower about an inch.

knv8

3g tl stock suspension is less bouncy then the 3g rl with aspec, 4g tl loaner suspension was very stiff, stiffer then my 06 rl and my previous 06 tl.

Chas2

Sounds as if he does. A stiffer ride could be caused by the lower profile tires, or a different suspension, but less body roll and better handling may be A-Spec.

Any paperwork that came with the car? Can you do a Carfax or similar on the VIN and figure out who the selling dealer is?

Long shot is to see if Acura has any records of installing A-Spec on this car. If it was dealer installed, and you know the dealer, then that would be the best shot. As a repo, your best bet is starting with Acura Client Services and see what they can dig up.

23109VC

ok - when I dropped off my dad's car I peeked into the wheel wells and while I couldn't see any part numbers /s tickers on the front shocks, the rear shocks had white label with part numbers. I snapped pics of them, got home and checked my car, and also went online to lookup the part numbers for OEM shocks vs aspec shocks... i found some websites that sell OEM parts that list the numbers.

his car does NOT have the aspec shocks. just the same shocks as my car... so all the extra stiffness I noticed was purely from tires.

i have the OEM 17s, OEM tires. he has new Dunlop All seasons. he originally had the OEM pilot sports... both he and my mom commented that once the dunlops went on they felt the car rode rougher... must just be the tires..

I forget the exact size of his tires, I *think* they were 245-45-18... it's the OEM size for an 18" wheel on his car... he made sure to stick with the stock size / same as his pilot sports... I was pretty sure he idn't have aspec as his ride height looks pretty much the same as mine..but when i drove it, it seemed quite a bit bouncier and it cornered a lot better..

although I tend to think that Michelin's ride smoother.. even on a former car that I put PS2s on.. I remember thinking how much smoother they rode than my other performance tires... so maybe the dunlops just ride firmer.. also, my tires are SHOT... my tires are well worn, the edges are worn down so there is not as much tire on the outer shoulder area... so it's not suprising that an RL with brand new 18s would handle better than my shot 17s....

i have to hurry up and decide if i'm just goign to put on more 17" wheel..or if i'm going pull the trigger and upgrade to 18s or 19s and buy wheels... since it's tire time for me - this is the time to make the decision... of course then I need to lower it...

my wife, of course, thinks our car rides fine on 17s and tells me if i lower it or make it any stiffer I will "ruin" the car.

037

The tires you refer to as Pilot Sport are MXM4s and really should have nothing to do with the Sport family or serious Michelin performance tires.

They are soft, handle poorly in dry, rain, or snow and are good for nothing less than infinite, cushy cruising! (some report over 50k mi on them).

If you want serious handling, even from an all season tire, I suggest you try Pilot Sport A/S+ or for serious snow traction, Continental Extreme DWS.

18"s are a good tire size for the car this size.

Chas2

This, by far, is the most difficult part of the equation...

23109VC

I looked at my dad's car when he first bought it - it came with the 18" aspec wheels and pilot sport tires - they were not MXM4s... they were "Pilot Sports"... the sticky summer tires.... he replaced them with Dunlops.. i'm not sure exactlyu which one he put on.. but it's an all season..

I remmber have extensive talks with my dad about what tires to get, giving him my thoughts - he was torn between buying another set of the more expensive, faster wearing, stickier Pilot Sports... or going to an all season that would last longer...

his car came with summer tires... I believe that is what Acura put on the 18" aspecs standard. the 17" wheels came with the crummy MXM4s.. whcih is what is on my car.. luckily my tires are shot and I need to replace them... which is a good thing... now I Just have to decide WHAT to replace them with and in 'WHAT size...

there is VERY little to choose from in the OEM 17" size.. tire rack shows only 10 choices... if i upgrade to 18s or 19s, there are TONS to choose from... or course that means I have to buy wheels... wifey no likey...

037

well...if you do decide to get the 18"s, TireRack has a pretty good selection and I would also consider RonJon's as well.

I've been hitting plenty of pot holes with mine and beyond scratches they've been holding up rather well. The one's I got happen to be light weight too at 22.5lb each compared to 30lb each for stockies. I've got the Rev GT-M which were custom drilled to 5x120, he can do that for any wheel you like.

You can also talk em down on price, quite a bit ;-)

Chas2

Quite true, although I would not say there are tons to choose from in 245/40-19's, but certainly more than you have in the 17 inch size.

Based on previous traffic on the site, your best bet for good grip, comfort, long life, in the 245/50-17 inch size is unfortunately the most expensive tire

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus (UHP All Season)
which has a longer projected life than the next best tire,

Bridgestone Turanza Serenity (Grand Tourng All Season)
the other tire that has been well reviewed is the

Toyo Versado LX (Grand Touring All Season)

To start, research these babies and let us know what you decide, especially if you find alternatives...

23109VC

i have surfed all over on tirerack... i've read a bunch of reviews on the Pilot Sports A/S plus and the BS Serenity's... Tampa RL bought the Serenitys and spoke very h ighly of them.

i've read some complaints aobut the Michelin's having too much road noise....

If I went with even 18" tires, I'd have more choices...

part of me wants to go to a smaller sidewall, better handling... but after I drove around today in my car, with my stocker MXM4s... i can't help but enjoy that cushy luxo ride...

I think my problem is that I'm in between life stages... part of me has one foot in that "i want to go fast and drive a sporty car" phase and the other foot is in the "i want a luxo cruiser" car...

for the moment, I have a Porsche Boxster for those moments when I want to zip around and be 'cool'.... but honestly, I am thiking of selling it.. i put it up in autotrader to test the waters.. i rarely drive it...it costs a fair amouint to maintain, and the money I pocket from the sale would nicely fun some other interests... so if the box goes.. i may be REALLY tempted to stiffen up the RL to "sort of" get some sportiness back into my car life...

If keep finding myself wondering what the various combos of aspec suspension, or aspec suspension with H&Rs, with 17s, vs 18s, vs 19's... etc... would ride like..

i will tell you this - I absolutely LOVE how poppintec's car looks and if that setup rode OK - i'd be really tempmted to pull the trigger on the aspec, H&Rs, 19" M3 wheels, and the aspec body kit... that overall look is just HOT!