I hate my 2010 tsx road noise, ride quality, stereo, seats, short wheelbase. This is the last Acura I'll ever by. Its a real piece of crap.
Compared to my 2001 CL-P which was great, the TSX is so noisy it is very fatiguing to drive on normal interstates with slightly worn asphalt such as I90 & I87 in upstate NY. The cabin resonates with road noise so loud it gives me a headache. I have to turn the stereo up to uncomfortable levels just to hear it. BTW the stereo is no match for the Bose unit in the CL-P also.

My CL-P had 205/60/16 MXVR S8 tires on it so maybe that is part of the reason it was better. I might try swapping the wheels/tires between the CL-P and TSX to see if it improves things. I run the advised 33 psi in these tires so that is not the issue.

The ride is to stiff and the steering doesn't naturally stay on center and the steering ratio is to quick. The wheelbase needs a few more inches. The seats have to sharp of a lumbar support.

The last time Acura new how to design a car was 2003. Since then they have put the cars on steroids which is a mistake. Why do I want to drive a race car. What I want is a sporty luxury car.

 

Is it that bad?
What is CL-P? Another acura?
I came from an Accord so I personally think it's better.
In term of road noise, wind noise, comfy, ...., I don't expect much since it is an entry level for a luxury car.

 

these aren't really "problems." these are preferences of yours and it doesn't necessarily make the car a "piece of crap," as you call it. did you even test drive it before buying? every new car i've purchased, i went on an extended 30+ minute test drive on highway and in the city to run the car through my own mental checklist, and if it doesn't fit the bill, i move on.

for me, the steering does stay on center just fine. the ratio is fine. the lumbar support in the seats fits my back just fine. the car is not loud at all at 70mph and i rarely turn up the stereo past 12. the stereo quality itself is great, and a step up from the 1st gen TSX IMO.

next time, i suggest actually test driving the car before buying it so you don't end up complaining about all of these "problems" that you are experiencing. now if you were going to complain about the crappy brakes, that's another thing...

 

I personally love my 06 6MT tsx. It now has 121,000+ problem free miles-have driven it in 42 states

 

i've never heard of anyone complaining about the wheelbase before. i don't understand that one...

 

Did you even test drive the car?!?!?

 

Never buy a car without testing it out on roads you drive and how you drive it.

I will say my '11 TSX has better steering feel and less road noise than the '09 TSXs I drove.

 

A short wheelbase in theory can mean a choppy ride but the TSX isn't short, its not a Mini Cooper or Smart car.

 

Wanna trade your TSX for a 1990 Lincoln Town Car with a 5.0 V8 and Nismo windshield banner?

 

I just swapped the 205/60-16 wheel/tires from my 2001 CL with the 225/50-17s on my 2010 TSX and the ride and road noise are much improved on the TSX now. It feels acceptable and a pleasure to drive now with the 16s where it was to rough and noisy with the 17s.

With this swap the CL which was smooth and comfy with the 16s, is now noisy and harsh with the 17s so the culpit is the large wheels and wider lower profile tires are transmitting the course pavement from the road into the car.

It seems that acura/honda has gone with the mentality of those that like oversized wheels. Those 17" wheels are just to racy for these cars epecially for upsate NY highways.

I'll be looking for some 216/60-16s for my TSX now like the ones on the Accord LX.

 

damn 42 states!!

 

I'd blame the actual tire design and manufacturer instead of the size.

 

I don't know why Im posting. This thread should be dead because the statement that asked "why no test drive" should have ended it. For a $30,000 car this car is damn fine. If you want a step up spend 6 grand more and get an IS250. If you want a step up from that spend 7 grand more and get a GS350 and so on. I actually prefer the TSX to the TL as it was built in Japan whereas the TL was built in Canada. You can tell the subtle difference between the 2 if you know what to look for and are a true enthusiast.

 

I love how my TSX rides, and it's on tein s-tech's and 245/35-20 & 225/35-20 toyo extensa hp's. Very smooth and quiet imo

 

I traded my '10 TSX V6 Tech for a '11 TL Tech and I couldn't be happier! I was so glad to get rid of that problem...

 

Wow, the O.P. thinks 17" wheels are over-sized. That's a first...

 

The TL looks nice but it just got to big and grand for my taste & wallet.
It has huge wheels and wide, low profile tires which are rough on my roads but other folks in more southern climates where roads are better might be OK.

The last TL I thought was reasonable was the 2003 model but the new one just was to big and to much car for me.

I'll drive my TSX for a few more weeks on the old tires off my 2001 CL which are 205/60-16 MXV4 S8. These made the car quite a bit better for the course asphalt and cracked concrete roads in upstate NY. The asphalt looks smooth but looking closely is actually quite rough in the tire tracks. MOve over a few feet and it gets quiet. Some of the concrete roads are over 40 years old and are quite bad in the TSX. Once I got of the Mass pike onto the New York Thruway and it felt like I just drove into the woods; thats how bad the road was.

I did drive a 4 cyl camry XLE over the weekend and was pretty impressed with the comfort. It is a car I would have never considered until now.

 

sophisticated troll?

 

I think the OP just needs to a buy a Camry or Buick. Or hell I'll sell him my '02 RL, that way he can have his peace and quiet on his way to bingo or shuffleboard.

 

lexus makes some pretty quiet cars too. the es350 is great for interior noise and ride quality. cant even tell you are driving in a car sometimes

 

I was actually really impressed with the roadnoise, ride quality, and stereo with my car. I have a 2010 TSX w/Tech and think the overall quality of the car is great. The roadnoise is not that noticeable and the stereo is outstanding. I agree with Frescagod in that these are preferences.

 

I have discovered the road noise issue I refer to is mainly due to upstate NY interstate poor road surface conditions. The asphalt looks smooth from a distance but is actually quite course where the tires roll. Move left or right a few feet and it gets smooth but the 50 series tires do resonate the pavement roughness into the car and it turns into a roar similar to the bose headphone demo with the noise cancellation off. When the surface is nice & smooth the car is quiet. The car is quieter on Mass turnpike as the surface is made of finer asphalt.

I figure most folks who think I'm nuts or an "Old Person" don't drive the same roads as I do. There is rt 85 in Albany that is 40 year old concrete with many heaves, drops and wide cracks. The 50 series tires are awful on this road.
So I did some wheel tire swapping with my 2001 Acura CL which as 205/60 16.
My 2010 tsx does ride a lot better with 205/60 16 when I swapped wheels&tires with the CL. The stereo now sounds good, now that the noise is greatly reduced, and I enjoy the TSX now. If I lived in Florida I wouldn't have had to make the swap as the roads are smoother there.
Strange how just a wheel/tire swap can change my view of the car from hating it to liking it.

My CL now has the 225/50 17's from the TSX and now it is louder and rougher and definately worse from the swap.

So now I'm looking for some MXV4 primacy 215/60 16 tires and alloys for my TSX.

 

yes, I was kind of thinking your complaint should be with the NY Highway Department as much as it is with Acura. Sounds like you almost need a boat to find a comfortable ride in NY.

 

What is the difference betweent the TSX and the TL, aside from where they were built?

 

You mean aside from the technology, price, engine, tranny, wheel size, interior size, exterior dimensions, standard features and available options?

Aside from that they are pretty much the same.

 

Quite a bit, why?

 

mhpellerin,

I completely agree with you with all the issues you mentioned. The road noise, ride quaility, and the steering system are by far not Honda standard. Im a die heart Honda fan but im no longer a loyalist when a company doesnt care about their customers interest!!! Im looking forward to get rid of my 2009 TSX by next year....

 

Hi Long -
My initial post was pretty hard on my TSX. The road noise and ride has greatly improved by swapping the original 17"er's with Michelin MXV4-S8 tires in 205/60/16 as were on my 2001 CL. Now the car rides nicely for a sporty sedan as my CL did. Steering feels more relaxed and naturally on center also. The roads in upstate NY are in bad shape and some of the asphalt looks smooth from a distance but is very course if you really look at it. The new tires make it feel like a sporty luxury car.
I fixed the sharp lumbar in the seats by reclining them as far as they would go into the rear seat cushion then jouncing on the lubar area rather aggressively with my knees using all my 150 lbs of weight. This softened up the sharp lumbar and now seats ae comfy.
Stereo - I've gotten used to it and actually like it now....with the new less agressive tires, things are better

I am now pretty satisfied with the car though do feel it could use:
- more rear leg room,
- add the plastic rocker panel valence that used to come std. on hondas and acuras.
- change the frame rail seam so it doesn't extend straight down as this can scuff speed bumps. Previous accord/acura cars did not have the seam extending down thus had another 1" of clearance....and a more refined look.
- add rear fender liners to provide reduced noise and a more finished look. Right now the front-most bottom of the rear fender area looks pretty cheap and they shouldn't have left it so unfinshed looking.

 

What tires and how much tread was left on your 17"-ers? I have a hard time believing a switch to 16's made that much difference...

 

the drop from 17s to 16s is going to make at least a moderate difference in ride quality, for sure. that, plus tinkering with PSI and whatnot, can definitely make a difference, especially for the OP, whose main issue was with the ride quality.

 

Hi Inthere

The MXM4 225/50/17's are the original tires and they are have about 10K miles.
These tires are good for places that have good roads and I did enjoy them on good roads such as 495 going to Cape Cod when I was driving about 100mph for a while which was fun. Gotta say the 17s look a bit cooler too.

But ..... roads in upstate NY are in poor condition with:
- very coarse asphalt which resonates the whole car.
- old concrete roads covered with asphalt that is broken and eroded over old the expansion joints.
- 50 year old concrete roads that are heaved, cracked & have large drop-offs over every expansion joint.

All the above made the car generally unpleasant to drive in a lot of my driving areas.

I changed to MXV4-S8 205/16/60 92V and the car is much quieter on the course concrete and rides much better on these worn out roads.

Essentially I gave up some handling to get more comfort.

The 16" are much more forgiving of crappy road surfaces due to the:
- increased sidewall height, 4.42" for the 17s and 4.84: for the 16s
- narrower tread width, 225mm for the 17s vs 205mm for the 16s
- lower un-sprung weight with the 16s

A side benefit of the narrower 205/60/16s is the steering feels more relaxed and has better on center feel which is nice in 70MPH freeway driving.

 

The stock tires do suck and are used on almost every honda/acura. My si had the same tires and I swapped them to toyo proxy 4s and never looked back. They rolled a bit in hard cornering, but offered a much smoother ride with better dry and snow weather traction. Rain traction was a little compromised.

 

I had a 2009, 2010, and now a 2012 TSX Tech. As someone else has aptly pointed out, drive the car thoroughly before you buy. I personally find this to be a quiet car with good steering feel, a nice balance between comfort and road feel, and with a very nice sound system. The ELS is impressive.

One thing i always do to provide rust protectiion (living in Canada where salt gets used in the winter time) and to provide sound insultation against road noise is to undercoat my car. As a loyal Acura customer, I get undercoating, rustproffing, and paint protection for $600- well worth it, and less than half their asking price.

 

get better tires. stock tires suck. then make a real judgement on the TSX.

 

this is how opinions differ-which is a good thing. I was very impressed with the OEM Michelin tires on my tsx. When we bought replacement tires we were planning to get a new car in 2010 and went for a cheaper tire. Plans changed-if we knew that we would have bought Michelin tires again. I know road sufface has a lot to with noise level. Love driving on a newly asphalted road.

 

psi and treadwear can also influence road noise. my TL came stock with the crappy bridestones. horrible in wet weather, and i was able to chirp in wet roads from a stop sign driving normally. hated those tires. changed to toyo's and 18's....no more chirp and great grip in wet and dry conditions. i chirped the tires of a 4G loaner which had the stock michelins. i wasn't too impressed...granted they weren't UHP tires so i can't expect them to handle spirited driving well.

 

when I drove home from Jersey last Tuesday it started pouring rain after our stop for gas at the wawa in Fredricksburg. I realized that the Yokohama tires did an excellent job. Very good traction and they had been measured the week before at 4-5/32. Oh it rained for 300+miles.
Heading back to Jersey next month-unless it snows-