KevinB656

I drive mostly on country roads in Virginia and absolutely love the feel and handling of the TL. I can tell, though, that it would be tough on lousy roads.

By the way, thank you for your service, Flatfoot!

Road Rage

The roads are bumpy - the TL suspension is a bit jittery.

I think the G35 is softer, but has excellent balance of ride and handling. RWD has its advantages, including spring travel.

The TL is tight, but not offesnive to me on the roads I drive. If you want cush, there are CTS's and Avalons galore.

JackBauerCTU

I own both, a 330Ci and an acura TL. Out of the two the TL is much more bumpier than the beamer.

flatfoot

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Your options are limited.. you can get different tires. If you want to keep it at the stock profile, then choose a set that's meant for quiet, comfy rides, instead of high performance tires. You can try going with the 50 profile tires, but it'll affect your odometer reading, as well as potentially f'ing up the car's dynamics.

I have looked at getting different tires for this car. I have gone on tire rack, and punched in that comfort is my first option, handling second, and tread wear as least important, and that I drive in a snow zone, and want all season. They give me around three selections, in the brands that I would consider, and wonder if it would make a difference in the ride.
The tires, seem to be the popular ones, The michelin pilot sport a/s and the pirelli pzero nero m and s.
Would these tires, make a difference that I would actually feel?
Also, would they be an improvement for driving in the snow, then the stock michelins?
I dont want to waste possible six to eight hundred dollars on tires, that wont make a difference.

Thanks to all.

rets

First of all, congratulations for being a father.


I test-drove 4 TLs before getting my own. The 1st one was the worst, and the car was almost impossible to gain any control over the west side highway and constructing streets during Oct. 2003. Luckily, the rest of 04TLs I tested were much better than that one. When getting my TL, I started to realize how bad that 1st one was...

I feel my car is "tight" when driving in Mahattan roads, and now get used to knowing this feeling now. However, I'd prefer to drive this beast over the highways, that's where this car shoud be.

Well, TL has the very good safety rating. If you worry about your baby, please drive slowly and this may ease your uncomfortable ride.

http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/...ide/s0410.htm#





I'd say the best way to know whether your car is "bumpy" is to test-drive someone else TL on the same roads. If you want, you could try my car...

alvonchui

Since you are looking for a "softer" ride, I would suggest Grand Touring tires such as the Bridgestone Turanza LS-Z which is highly rated.

LazloToth

My perspective is from a far less luxuriant point of view since I got my TL this year as a replacement for a 1987 Camry that would have become unsafe had I continued to drive it. One of my frustrations with most cars I've driven - and I rent zillions of cars in travel every year - was that the Camry, with shocks that should have been replaced, always had a better road feel. I'm leery of cars that smooth too many bumps out because I want to make sure that the road surface is communicated to me and I'm willing to tolerate a slightly more intense jolt from a car that does that immediately and unambiguously. Having said that, occasionally the TL reminds me of the road surface in a way that I can easily imagine to be too intense for a large percentage of drivers. But it was clear during the test drive that this is what I was getting and it was fine with me.

Having said this, I can also imagine what it might do to someone with back problems. One thing that might work a little bit is to find one of those medical-level gel seat cushions. My family had given me one for the Camry and I ended up liking it quite a lot because my seat had become so worn out over 18 years, but it might be worth doing research on these to see if it helps at all. It would be a shame to miss out on the fun of driving the TL if you could fix it by something that simple. Probably won't work well enough but I thought it was worth suggesting.

Neumahn

A few years ago I was interested in getting an SUV. I really liked the way the Isuzu Axiom looked. At the time it was a really modern looking SUV so I took it for a test drive. The ride quality was not good. It drove and bounced down the road like a truck. I find that the TL also bounces like a truck, not quite as bad, but its a bouncer. Other sports sedans I have owned have had similar or better handling without the truck like ride. 19 and lowered suspensions look cool and everything but I cannot imagine how bad it would be after that was done to it. Really, I do not mind the ride too much because I don't have a long commute and I do not have back problems but I do get comments from people about it when they are riding in my car and I hate to have to make excuses. I imagine that long trips might be bad for your kidneys.

TL_BLUE

rets, thanks for the feedback!! I was actually thinking about that, a friend of mine has a 2004 TL as well, but the doofus lives all the way in south jersey so I have never gotten a chance to drive it.

I would love to take you up on your offer to let me drive your TL man... let me know if you're serious!! I've been thinking about driving another TL for a while now so its funny you mention that.

Let me know brother

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Buy 16" rims and get touring tires... problem solved...

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

There's nothing "sport-tuned" about the stock (non-Aspec) TL suspension!

TampaMike

I agree the TLs ride was tighter than I 1st expected. I think I had a more luxury ride expectation from a TL. But I was amazed, even excited that this car performed so well (for my tastes). I remember thinking to myself as I test drove the TL ... "Acura is really turning the TL into a sport sedan...this is no ES wannabe".

Now 7 months later, I really love the TLs taught ride. Maybe it has relaxed a bit, or just my becoming accustomed to it. I have already considered stepping up to 245 / 45 tires when it is time to replace the OEM Michelins to add a bit more cush (even if sacrificing some performance). I believe the low profile tires may amplify the road conditions a bit.

That said, our roads are not as bad as the NY metro area. And I do steer around rough spots and ease over curbs. I believe this is the expected ride Acura decided upon. It may not be the ride you expected. The majority of consumers like an isolated, relaxed ride. Hense the popularity of Camrys. But Honda seems to focus on a balance of performance, efficiency and practicality. I find the Accord a bit more sporting in ride than the Camry, it's direct competitor.

ace_pilot

I agree with the accord and camry analogy. But the accord is a little more noisy, as well. Maybe its noise is "sport-tuned".

TampaMike

I agree. Having several Toyota / Lexus cars in the family corral, I generally find he Toyotas a bit more refined / isolated and the Hondas more sporting, but less refined / isolated. That is my opinion but each manufacturer has decided attributes they wish to exibit in their cars.

If I could dream, I'd keep the Honda / Acura performance, styling and efficiency and have Toyota assemble it.

dsc888

I absolutely agree with you on this one. The car actually felt under dampened going over rippled surfaces. That's why i switched to the stiffer A-spec suspension. Yes, the car does "giggle" more now but the improved dampening actions of the sports shocks gets rid of the floatyness.

The only recommendation I can make for those who don't like the ride is to do a "minus 1" wheel/tire adjustment. Get 16 inch tires and 50 or 55 series Touring tires to help dampen out the suspension. You may be able to get away with a little bit of underinflation as well. Say about 30 psi or even 28. But be forewarned about decreased tire life and poorer handling. Just be sure the tires can handle the weight load of the TL.

dsc888

dsc888

PeterUbers, we think alike ! I submitted my first post in this thread before I got to yours. But your solution is definitely worth the consideration for those who have back issues.

dsc888

rets

TL_BLUE, my schedule is kind of messed this week... let's talk.

Mike_TX

I'm not sure what you're saying here. The TL comes with 235/45's, so switching to 245/45's will only get you a slightly wider tire.

Maybe you're thinking about going to a higher-profile tire, like a 50- or 55- profile. That will give you a bit more sidewall to absorb road shocks. Just be sure to select a tire that gives you an overall diameter as close to stock as possible so you don't have too big a speedometer error.

Neumahn

The 45 is the aspect ratio of the tire. It is the ratio of the tire sidewall height to the tire width. By keeping the same ratio and increasing the tire width the sidewall height is also being increased in this case by 4.5 mm.

Mike_TX

Oh, I understand the 45 is the aspect ratio ... hence my question. (BTW, while your response is technically correct, it isn't quite that simple, since the aspect ratio is actually the ratio between the section width and section height, as opposed to the tread width. Section width v. tire width can vary from one mfr to another in the same tire size.)

What I thought the poster might be thinking was that he was changing the numerical section height of the tire (and thus the sidewall height) by changing the first number. In that vein, I would have expected him to say he was considering going to maybe a 225/50 instead of going to a 245/45.

TL_BLUE

rets, no worries man - whenever you have time. In the meanwhile, I am now pressuring my buddy to meet up with me and let me drive his TL. Which ever comes first, no sweat!

thanks !!

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

I went from 235/40/18s to 245/45/18's and the ride is much softer on my Aspec .. (not regrettably since it still handles very well in the turns.. now it's just not as harsh on uneven pavement) the aspect ratio is definitely a worthy argument to consider when choosing a tire.. however, for the performance seeker... the heavier tire will bog down your low end slightly, and w/ our poor low-end torque.. you'll definitely notice it.

Mike_TX

That makes more sense, since you're going from a 40-aspect tire to a 45-aspect. Did you also change tire brand or tread pattern? That is, from a "sport tire" to an all-season, or from Michelin to Goodyear, etc.? That could obviously make even more difference. But just going from 40 to 45 in the exact same tire makes a pretty significant difference in ratio.

Mike_TX

BTW, I notice Car & Driver refers to the TL's ride as "crunchy" in its latest comparo ...

(and also that they managed to get a 5.1 sec. 0-60 run out of the IS350 !!!! Motor Trend was able to get only 6.0, so C&D must have a different test vehicle or better drivers!)