I have heard that the stock tires are the devil from many on this board. Why did Acura choose them?

They are pretty expensive. I checked discounttiredirect.com and they listed the Michelin Energy MXV4 for $126 a piece. They could have got several other tires for way cheaper.

I honestly have not had any problems with my stock tires, but then again I am use to driving my old college car.

 

They are not bad, they are just not meant to be for performance driving. They are great if you drive like a normal person and not like Speed Racer like most of us do

Stock tires provide great wet traction and they last a long time.

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stock tires also help get better gas mileage.

most TL owners don't drive nearly as aggressively as most of the owner's on this board. Stamford is full of REALLY old (70+) TL owners and I'm sure they have NO complaints with their tires.

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Unfortunately Acura has to base it's tire choice on the entire USA. They had to pick a good all-season tire that would perform good in both the Winters in Michigan, and the summers in Florida.

 

plus, has anyone tried to find a 205/60 R16 tire? Not a whole lot of manufactures making that size.

 

The stocks are made for comfort while your touring across the states, but once your in the city and you take a hard corner watch out.... can you say screeeech!!!!

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I think the stock tires are pretty quiet. Compared to the tires I got, now. They give good gas mileage as well. But I don't think they are anygood in turns of traction! Wet, dry, snow. They SUCK!!!

 

I think Honda/ Acura picked the tires based on the average driver for the TL (Not maniacs like us ), good wear, great overall ride, and less rolling resistance which leads to better mileage.

Since many of us are into performance, our complaints about the stocks are mostly based on the fact that we want high-performance tires for the way we drive. Increasing rubber on the ground has helped my car stop much better than stock. That safety improvement alone was worth the cost of upgrading...nevermin the fact that I'm driving so fast so I need to stop better.

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Michelin MXV4's are a touring tire. Michelin provides touring comfort for the ride, but sacrifices performance and braking. Go figure.
Ed

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They are very quiet. I've had my 18" wheels & Michelin Pilots off for a few days and it is soooo much quieter now. But I gotta put 'em back.

 

I asked the manager at my dealership about the CLS tires and he said that they were bar none the cheapest tires Acura could get in quantity at that size!! Michelin probably had a ton of there tires in this weird size that they couldn't get rid of and Acura took them off their hands. The gas mileage is also an issue--a Michelin Energy tire helps to bump that MPG up.

Even the new RSX-S is getting ripped already by the car mags for its shityy tires.

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Anyone know what the wear ratings are on our stock michelins?

 

When manufactures shop for tires, they put out the minimum specs the tire must meet (treadlife vs noise vs handling - usually in that order) to be put on the car. All the major tire manufacturers bid on the job, and the lowest bidder is usually the one that gets it. So JZ39 is right on--the OEM tires on your car are there because Acura got the best deal from Michelin on a tire that fit all the specs their design required.

Besides, *most* of the driving public (unfortunately) is more concerned with treadlife than handling. I'm sure Acura could have spec'd out a nice Z-rated fattie for the car, but many of the people who buy the car never mod them and would be *****ing to Acura that their tires wore out in 15,000 miles, instead of the 40,000 or so you'll get from the stock tires. Just be thankful they didn't get Goodyear RS-As like my Maxima did. Talk about a hot, steaming pony-loaf.....

Matt

 

If you look at most of the people driving around with stock TL's, it makes sense.
The TL is a luxury sedan and it is intended for a comfort drive; not tearing it up like most of us here.
The Stock tires are great tires for the intended use, but for me it just goes Screeeeech everytime I take a corner.

 

No simpler answer than cost. The more Acura has to do to custom equip a car the more its costs are going to rise and the more your car will cost. That's why Acura can keep their costs down and offer a lot of car at the same time--typically the only major option is Navigation. I'm sure it's cheaper for them to give us all the goodies as part of the sticker than to custom build every car a la the german manufacturers. Sure, it gives you a feeling of exclusivity (I'm not sure that's really a word, but you know what I mean), but at what cost?

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2001 Black/Black CL Type S
Comptech springs, headers, sway bars
PIAA 19169 road lamps
Solaris 9005 High Beams
Potenza RE730 225/45/ZR17 tires
Red AEM CAI
Koni yellows
Iridium plugs, Polarg M6
35% metallic tint
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1192826&a=8788545

 

I wonder why Acura doesn't offer tire/wheel options to their customers. They must realize how many enthusiasts chose Acura...why else would they make sport shift a standard item? The average Acura buyer probably never uses that function. Can you imagine some 45 year-old woman in suburban USA downshifting her TL into a turn as she approaches the local shopping mall? Wierd.

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