harddrivin1le

I'm thinking about buying a new TL 6 speed with the summer tires.

I'd like input regarding shock valving (supposedly it's too loose for serious work) and understeer.

Has anyone replaced their shocks and considered installing a larger rear anti-roll bar yet?

Does anyone know the name of the manufacturer who builds the "A Spec" shocks and whether or notl those same shocks be available in the aftermarket?

lakeman

hardrivin1le, I have the 6MT with summer tires and it handles great up to 8/10ths. If you want to go nearer the limit, I think better shocks would be the best improvement you could add. I have noticed - as did C&D - that the car tends to bounce and act a little weird on rough, uneven surfaces when cornering hard. IMHO I think Acura softened the shocks for a good ride and it hurts near limit performance. The car corners very flat so sway bars are pretty good, but lower springs and stiffer bars would certainly help.
I, too, would like to know who builds the A-spec shocks and if they could be bought separately. Anyone?

harddrivin1le

I checked and discovered that Koni isn't yet listing shocks for the '04 TL...I think I'd be inclined to go that route if/when they become available. Konis are expensive, but well worth it.

I don't know much about the A-spec other than the fact that the kit retails for $5,200 (plus labor). That kills the car's great value, in my opinion. I don't know whether or not the parts (shocks and springs without the wheels, tires and body add ons) can be ordered seperately.

I REALLY wish that Acura would offer the A-spec springs and shocks as a factory option...I'd even argue that the 6 speed should come standard with them; the Brembo brakes, shocks and springs could be offerred as a "performance group" on the automatic car.

I really like the new TL in general; I'm sick of the winters up here and would love the benefit of front drive and a limited slip front diff (with 4 good snows). I'm willing to live with some terminal understeer in my "daily driver" in order to have that. On the other hand, "floating" @ speed is something I'm not willing to deal with.

Mr Zipps

The best way to improve handling would be Spring/Shocks, Front and Rear Sway Bars, and HiPerformance Tires....

harddrivin1le

That's pretty obvious...But I'm not willing to spend ~ $34K on a brand new car and then trash the entire suspension, wheels and tires and spend ~ $6K replacing them. Truthfully, I'd buy a 330i with the performance package before I did that.

No-one (to my knowledge) in the aftermarket is offering shocks for this car yet. And generally speaking, a good set of shocks with the stock springs offers the most bang for the buck in terms of improving overall handling response in a street car.

Adding more rear bar (only) would dial out some of the understeer that's reportedly exhibited by the car without resorting to spending big money and while miniming degradation in ride quality.

I'm interested in retaining some ride quality since the car is a 4-door luxury/performance car. I can drive my 1LE Z28 on the days when I'm willing to live with a super-stiff ride for the sake of better overall handling.

BarryH

That's probably not a bad idea if you're looking for a sports sedan that does "serious work" for auto cross or other driving events. Rear or all wheel drive will beat front wheel drive anytime in those instances.

harddrivin1le

My point was that the TL is an excellent value @ ~ 32,500...

That valus disappears when once throws ~ $6,500 worth of parts and labor into it (i.e. "A SPEC").

jtruman

see this:

http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...icle_id=193192

It's a pretty fair assessment of the performance.

harddrivin1le

It was written by and for "Temple of Vtech."

That's not "fair;" it's biased.

MOTOR TREND noted severe understeer with their stock TL and also noted that installation of the A-spec package improved things dramatically with minimal ride degradation.

Thing is, I don't want to spend ~ $33K on a car and then write a check to the Acura dealer for ~ $6,500 (parts and labor) to get what should come stock on the car in the first place.

The a-spec suspension bits should be standard on the 6 speed car (just like the Brembo brakes). If that were the case then I'd buy one tomorrow.

lakeman

Having owned the 6MT for 4K miles, the TOV article was right on what I felt about this car. For "aggressive" mountain driving (ie 8 to 9/10ths) this car is an absolutely great handling car. It feels very neutral on medium and high speed corners. I had some difficutly using all 270 HP in low speed (1st or 2nd gear) corners and the LSD would kick in. (I takes getting used to) Also as noted before the shocks don't seem quite up to the task on rough and uneven pavement.
Tires make a huge difference. The summer tires take almost all of the understeer out of the car (until you get to tire's limit.) The suspension on the 6MT is more aggressive than the 5AT, and except for the shocks seems up to the task. (BTW the TL 6MT/Summer tires holds the fastest time in the Edmunds slalom of any sport sedan -- even better than the M3.)
I wish the A-spec suspension was an option on any of the cars.

harddrivin1le

Slaloms favor understeering cars...That's no secret. Of course, real world performance driving is rarely limited to slaloms.

I believe the only difference in suspension tuning between the auto and the 6 speed versions of the TL is the anti roll bar diameters. I believe both the springs and the shocks are the same.

Sounds like the TL 6 speed/summer tires with a good set of aftermarket shocks (Konis, once they come out with them for this car) is the way to go.

No way in h*ll am I willing to fork over ~ $6,500 to have an Acura dealer install the "A-Spec" package.

danno

I second that remark. Maybe at the time it might seem fun to have those extra parts installed, but come sell time, it won`t do squat to get back that money invested. Better off just adding certain pieces to achieve that effect

lakeman

Thanks for info on the slalom. (I wondered why the MiNi Copper John Cooper Works was the only car that Edmunds tested that was faster than a TL.) What we need to see is a good comparison test where the cars are timed on a race course to see how good the TL really is.

I'm with you, lets find some good shocks for the 6mt. A few hundred dollars to eliminate the quirks would be very reasonable. A-spec package is way too expensive.