flatfoot

Hello:

I purchased my acura tl, a few weeks ago, and have not had a chance to drive it till yesterday, due to Uncle Sam sending me away for a few weeks training.
This was my first "sports sedan" coming from an older toyota .
The car seems to be very harsh on the road and bouncy, and the car seems to be cracking over every imperfection in the road surface. Is this normal? I dont seem to remember feeling this on two road tests that I took. My old camry is a plush ride compared to this. Is this the way its suppossed to be. I do understand a sports sedan, has a tighter suspension, that enables the handling to be better, but I felt the ride was really jolting the last two days, to the point of being uncomfortable.
I have 200 miles on the car know.

Thanks to all who respond.

Shaqs2002TLS

TLS or TLP? What year?

ndx2

he has 200 miles on the car... that means it's a brand new 05 TL.

if anything, my take is that the car's ride is too soft. i'm surprised that you find it uncomfy. i would go get the suspension checked out.

it could be that your body's aching from the training, no?

abirvalg

if you had a toyota before, i feel your pain!
the car is fine though
it's a rough ride by design
you'll get used to it
and when you change tires opt for something softer than stock like kumho's or yoko's with a lower speed rating

flatfoot

Three weeks in Tunesia. Little sore. Do you think there could possible be something wrong with the suspension on delivery?

Thanks

abirvalg

it's fine man!
the easiest thing you can do is go test drive another one
but i thought it was rough after my 92 accord
and i know how much softer toyotas are
no wonder you feel it's too "sporty"

dsc888

flatfoot,

Don't forget to check your tire pressure. They are supposed to inspect silly things like that before delivery. But yes, the TL does ride stiff especially if you came from driving a Toyota. Handling will come at the price of a stiffer ride. Only BMW seems to have gotten the formula right. You will get used to it. You can reduced air pressure ever so slightly if you are still bothered by the ride but not too much. Probably a pound or 2 when the tire is cold. Worse comes to worse, you can always change to a tire and rim combo with more sidewall and go with a touring tire.

dsc888

crazymjb

I have heard toyotas are more like boats...

mickey3c

I had a camry a while back and the tire aspect ratio was 60 where the TL is 45. That's quite a difference as well as the suspension on the tl is much different. Expect to feel more of the road. When I had my winter tire package on my 2G (60 series 16 inch) and went to the summer tires (45 series 17 inch), I got out of the car to make sure I did not have a flat tire. You will get used to the road feel and later miss it if you do any spirited driving.

mark 3M bra man

You are right, it is a sport sedan. You will get used to it and then it will actually feel good. I had the same problem.

bklynpanman

lower the air pressure in the tires.. they come from the factory with too much air

Boss Acura

That's true, my tire pressure was 36 psi when I bought my car in DEC. 2004

2005 DGP

bluenoise

My dad has commented a couple of times about the harsh ride when he's been a passenger in my car. He drives a 740iL, so he's used to a little more softness, though.

crazymjb

Ill say. You mean Li I think. A car that is in the high 90s(depending what hes got) really doesnt compare to our TL. If you want a sporty beamer you dont go with with the 7 series, you go with an M equally priced. The TL is not as soft as a lot of luxery cars out there, but it handles nicer as well. IE, the ES30 is boaty, but the payoff is a smoother ride.

AznBalla

nope it's a BMW 740iL

and Toyotas are A LOT smoother than the TL.. At least the older ones..

flatfoot

Was about to get in the car to go to work today, and checked the air pressure for first time. I checked the air pressure with my digital air pressure checker I always use from Radio Shack. It showed on the left rear 35.5 psi and the left fron 33.5 psi. I hadnt used the car today, and its parked inside a garage. I guess the prep guys did not really do a sound test on the vehicle, even though its checked off on the service inspection pre delivery page that comes with the car.
I didnt have time to check all around, or reconfirm the psi with another gauge, so I took my other vehicle to work. I will check and adjust tomorror and let the group know of the results. I plan on lowering the pressure on these michelins to 31lbs all around. Would that be okay?

Much regards

bluenoise

No, I meant iL, since his is of the previous design. The new ones are Li, which I just noticed this morning on the way to work. I was behind a 760Li with the v12 engine.

My dad only paid about $35-40k for it as it had about 50k miles when he bought it. Talk about depreciation!

TLBobT

Second that.

The tire's door sticker says 32 is the number, and mine had 36 in them on delivery.

flatfoot

Well I finally had a day off to give my tl, some tlc. Air pressure was out of wack on all four tires, double checked with two separate air guages.
Drivers side rear 35.5 front 33.5
Passenger rear 34-5 front 34.0

I put them all down to 31 lbs, since its summer in new york, and I really dont go past 90 mph, and I prefer a slightly softer ride. It does feel a tad better.

One thing is, you know when you buy the car, and you get the checklist by the service manager of all things they inspected prior to delivery? One of the things checked off is air pressure. I asked them and my salesman about this, and they said of course they dont know how this could have happened.

So, I am assuming that the whole checklist was bogus, and they just checked off everything without looking at it. So I am going through the check list myself. A lot of points off, to this dealership for lack of care in pre delivery.
I will have to keep my eye out closely when I bring it in for my first servicing.
I have 550 miles on car know, and cant wait to floor the gas, by next week and see what it can do.

Much regards

ndx2

funny you should mention the pre-delivery check list... i'm almost 100% certain that it's bs. at least in my case, as the check marks seemed like they were done all at once, down the list (w/o actually doing the work, i presume)... and get this - they checked off the "navi prep" (my car is non-navi)! oh yes, the tire pressure was way off in my car, too.

btw, isn't 31 a bit low? i would put a little more in the front... say 33 or 34?

flatfoot

[
btw, isn't 31 a bit low? i would put a little more in the front... say 33 or 34?[/QUOTE]


Can I get some more opinions on this. One responder recommned 31 all around with no problem, to get a bit softer ride. Is this wrong? I would really like to know quickly if it is, before something could go wrong.
I always understand th psi ratings as to be the max recommended pressure, and not nececesarily the standard recommended pressure.
Please respond.

PolicyWonk

“Hey there is air in the tire. What more do you expect?” :killer:

“But for $49.95 we will do a compete air exchange for of your tires, this will improve your car’s handling and resale value. And since you are a valued customer we offer you your choice of scented air at no additional cost.”

KJSmitty

Can I get some more opinions on this. One responder recommned 31 all around with no problem, to get a bit softer ride. Is this wrong? I would really like to know quickly if it is, before something could go wrong.
I always understand th psi ratings as to be the max recommended pressure, and not nececesarily the standard recommended pressure.
Please respond.[/QUOTE]


31 PSI is fine. You are correct on the "PSI rating "on" the tire" That is the max PSI under load etc.

Following the label in the door jam will get you the best ride, safety, and overall handling (considering ride). Setting your tires to 31 when relatively cold (not driven in the last few hours), you will end up with near 32-33 PSI once warmed up etc.

I run mine as low as 28 PSI with no issues what so ever. I wouldn't recommend any lower than that due to the likelihood of outer/inner tread wear issues with low profile tires.

Enjoy your new TL

CFIMIKE

I came from a 98 Ford Explorer Sport and the TL felt very comfortable by comparison. I can actually feel a tiny bit of "float" in the TL's ride. IOW, seems the first 1 1/2" of motion is very soft. After that, it firms up in hurry, like it should. Personally, I love the TL's ride and handling.

Everything's a compromise.