danny_isr

Hi

i noticed that my 02 Type-S became "stiffer" . even my friend mention this the other day..."i can feel every little bump in the road".
i can hear the dashboard too , and didnt hear that before.

i lowered the tire pressure to 30-32 and it didnt help.

went today to Honda mechanic and he agreed after driving it. that it is on the rough side ...

he said it's the Struts or the tire type. i got BFgoodrige TA

so what is the deal ? can the struts get bad and become stiffer ?
i thought it's the other way around.

when you press on the corner of the car , they feel fine.

and if i will put the recommended 40PSI that those tires "ask for" it's horrible ride.

thanks Dan

01tl4tl

a strut/shock can fail and leak fluid out, no pressure can feel stiffer because its riding on the shocks with a large preload on them

Do the bounce test on each corner, several good bounces then let go- 1 bounce on its own and stops is good,,,keeps bouncing 2-3 times--bad strut

look at each shock on the back side for a trail of dust stuck to the oil, coming down from a small hole

the max cold pressure on the tires is just that- you are only running approx 80 percent of the max weight per tire, so drop the pressure 20 precent from max and maybe go up a psi or two depending on wear pattern
Example- max cold 50, -20% -10= 40 psi..42 will likely be optimal on that spec
Dont know what your TAs have for pressure rating

01tl4tl

anyone else running T/A tires- what does www.tirerack.com have for reviews of them on a TL?

danny_isr

mechanic today looked at struts no leaks.
and did the "bounce test on each corner" and said it feels good.
it didnt bounce more then once.

but the ride is real stiff. not comfortable, something must be wrong ...

that made me think , could be cold winter weather now in CO make the oil in the struts stiffer ? just an idea .....?

danny_isr

just found this now https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/stiff-ride-709220/

maybe it's the car and that is it.. but i'm sure it wasn't like that before...

ScottayHiFive

iTrader: (2)

Was pretty warm today, did you test it out? But yeah might be that your tires have a stiff sidewall.
Also how many miles have you had on the car and what model of BFgoodridge T/A tires do you have?

danny_isr

yeah it was warmer today....
i have 136k , not sure about the BF goodridge model i will check tomorrow

ScottayHiFive

iTrader: (2)

Alright. But yeah your struts are due for a replacement if they haven't already been replaced.
If they've been replace with non-oem struts then it could be the culprit of your harsh ride.

TheMegalodon

I used to have BFG Traction T/A on stock type-s wheels and stock suspension with about 85k on it. The ride felt just fine to me...Not sure what could be the culprit in your case if it's not the strut/springs going out.

Hope you figure it out soon, nothing worse than an overly harsh ride and some rattling (oh how I hate the dash rattle).

assclown

iTrader: (1)

i have traction t/a tires right now had em since 07, bout to replace them with yokohamas. the BFG's were just fine, check your struts and stuff. if you are looking for cheap struts and not neccesarily looking for performance, kyb gr-2s are pretty cheap but good quality for everyday driving.

TLer trash

Yokohama just came out with a tire you might want to look into. It's a performance tire, allseason, with improved fuel efficiency, ride, and treadlife. 60k warranty on h and v rated tires, 45k on w rating. It's called avid envigor. I'm going to try them when I replace my v4s.

assclown

iTrader: (1)

aw damn, i have my avid v4's in my living room right now haha.

fredjones

I changed my tires once and noticed a big change in the ride. The ride is a little stiff to begin with though.

Tomb Acura

I have a 2003 TL - S. I had the same issue. My Goodyear Respone Edge tires had 36000 miles on them with lots of tread left. They just started to ride really hard. I replaced them with a new set and all is nice and smooth again. I think the manufactures do something with the tire componds, like make the compound harder in the bottom of tread to help them claim long life, GY guaranteed 60000 mile on these tires. The other issue I had was the rough NJ winter with too many potholes. I bent a stock rim. What a rough ride that will give you. Check your rims, off the car, check the backside and inside of the rims...stand the wheel tire up against a wall and stand 10 feet back and you will find any flat spots. Good luck. Tomb.

phee

iTrader: (5)

i believe whats more important is sidewall height. not tire brand

'02_TL-S

^ That has some part in it but I think it's mostly the tire compound. I just went to a 35 sidewall and they ride a little nicer and quieter than my 50 sidewall did

danny_isr

last night i lowered the tire pressure :32 fronts and 30 on the rear. And nothing... it's still bad.
The recommended air pressure on them is 40PSI...

Does this out rules the tires as the problem ?
i just cannot believe that i was "OK" with such a rough ride before .
this must be a new problem.
i'm getting annoyed now after 5 min of driving.

snorman

Somebody set you up the bomb.

'02_TL-S

I kinda feel the same way after getting new tires so I'm pretty sure that i just got used to it before and the slight change made me realize how bad the ride really is. Get some new struts and let us know if it makes a difference. Sorry can't be of more help