acuraddict

OK, this really is my biggest complaint...

I'm really upset with Acura for putting these pathetic Bridgstone Turanza EL42 tires on my car. The same tires that come standard on the Nissan Altima for $19,000, and Altima drivers have been complaining about for two years now. The EL42 is the tire that has the lowest cumulative consumer rating that I could find on tirerack.com The EL42 has an average rating of 2.8 (on a scale of 1-10), while practically every name brand tire that costs about the same, and is rated for a car like the TL, has an average rating of between 7.5 and 8.5. This is an utter outrage, and Acura let us down BIG TIME! I'll admit that I didn't realize any of this until after I got the car, but I did wish Acura would have offered me the same option of the Potenza RE030 that is available on the six speed. I should have had the same option.

If you haven't done so already, just wait until you drive these EL42 tires on a rainy highway or freeway...some of the worst hydroplaning I've ever experienced in 23 years of driving. My wife made me pull over to make sure nothing was wrong with the car. Of course, when you read the reviews on tirerack, this is one of the most common complaints of Altima owners. Nice going Acura! Way to go!

Acura may actually end up doing something about this if we complain and whine enough, and thats a huge value that this website may be providing for us all.

I think this is the worst thing to happen since the Tranny failure on the 2nd generation TL/CL. I may be repeating myself with this thread, but I think this one deserves repeating. Over and over.

drising

Your post came as somewhat of a surprise given your previous posts to everyone that something is in the works based on a recent meeting you had w/ Acura......

I know you were scheduled for some work/diagnostics at the dealer on Thursday. How did that turn out?

Has something happened that has caused you to soften your prediction? Hope not....for all our sakes.

acuraddict

The answer is that Acura has basically stated the vibration is a "normal characteristic". I'm working on getting the tires replaced, but Acura does not believe there is an inherent tire issue. I beg to differ.

They wont say what is happening, but I think Acura is in the midst of trying to determine what is going on with the vibration issue. TL owners are experiencing this all over the country, and flat spotting is much more prevalent in colder climates.

jmichaelp

I have no major problems with the car except the tires - the noise is horrendous! Also, the other day we had some ice on the roads, but really there was hardly any to be seen. I'm from Florida & there wasn't enough ice on teh road to worry about (otherwise i wouldn't have been on the road ) Anyway, much to my surprise the car went into VSA mode! Now I've figured it's the tires...

acuraddict

That is one of the main points being made on tirerack by consumers who have suffered with these tires. They also say that snow is totally impossible with the EL42s.

chas083

As I previously stated, my EL-42s have been replaced with Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss. Flat Spots are history. Much much better. The EL-42s suprisingly were not bad in snow and even though they are on Altimas they are standard equiptment on BMW 7-series. It would be interesting to know if they are having issues with them. Do you think they have the same construction specs?

RJC RSX

i really don't think they're all that bad. remember, the EL42's reviewed on tirerack are not the exact same tire as on the TL to my understanding.

gbriank

Actually, they are worse.... The EL-42s on the Rack have a tread wear rating of 260 A A.... If you check out Bridgestone site, the treadwear rating for the tires on the TL are 140 A A.

need4spd

I would recomend writing Acura about the tires, putting it in writing is much more effective than just a phone call to customer service. Also, it is a record of the notification to Acura.

Regarding the 7 series, I have a relative that has the new 745Li for about a year and a half now, and NO they are not having the problem. I have driven the car several times, and there are NO issues that I can see with them (but I have not driven it in snow). These tires are much larger in diamter and footprint than ours (245/50-18's) so they would be more subject to vibration.

Only issue was that the side wall got a cut in it (drivers front), but that could have happen with something in the road (they switched it with the full sized spare tire/rim)

I will see if I can get the tire construction off the side wall and post it vs the TL and also the country of manufacture (maybe it is a USA vs Germany or other country issue).

Peters

Well, I live in Toronto where it gets very cold in the winter. I have to admit, I have not experienced the flat spotting you are referring to. I have a 5AT and outside of a little lugging at about 52 mph in 5th (which has almost gone away with the break-in time under the car's belt) there has been absolutely no vibration. I don't know if the Canadian cars are different, but cold weather has not affected my car at all.

So there must be something wrong with some of these cars; the question is, what is it and why?

jgrahamiii

As a rule, the lower tread wear rating means softer rubber and more grip. It is not "worse" tire. While I find these tires very noisy and they do flat spot, they are certainly not as bad as some of you want to think they are. That said, there are much better tires out there for a similar street price (though who knows what Acura paid for them).

gbriank

jgraham:

Thanks for your insight. I have been researching replacement tires and two (all-season tires) keep coming up. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S and Bridgestone Turanza LS-Z. I keep hearing great things about both on this board (one person is experiencing flatspotting on the LS-Zs).

neuronbob

I verified this by looking at the Bridgestone site. Woohoo! The treadwear is good news, it means I can replace them sooner than later!

acuraddict

This is another one of the main complaints for EL42 owners on tirerack.com - a very short lifespan.

Bolamite

I got the turanza el 42's for my 99 in June and I love em. I even had to drive through a snow storm on my way to Colorado from Phoenix. I don't know why you guys are having so many problems. Maybe some of you got a bad batch of rubber or somthing, I don't have road noise, shudder, or hydroplaning problems. Theres always a better tire out there but I can't believe these tires are as bad as you all seem to think.

Nicki

Please can somebody make a list of all tire manufacturers and model number that will fit the stock 17" wheels? Not only fit but specification wise- the proper tire for the TL, needless to say- better then the EL42s. Its hard to just buy a tire based on an opinion- its also harder to get a tire place to let you test drive different tires. Therefore what choices do we have to choose from that will fit on the rim and have better specifications then the EL42s? After we have that list, perhaps Acura would advise TL owners officially what alternative tires are acceptable replacements. They have so many engineers and still have no answers for the 25,000 cars they produced so far. Maybe they won't introduce the better tires till the 2005 model- now that will really suck.

drising

Nicki:

May I suggest you go to tirerack.com? You can simply enter your car and it will list just about every worthwhile piece of rubber out there.

neuronbob

I haven't had any problems, either. However, the traction in dry and wet are simply not up to par for the way I drive. As I've said in many other threads on the issue, I've had better tires--Dunlop SP Sport 5000s--that provided much better dry, wet, and (surprisingly) snow traction.
Further, Acura claims that these tires were designed with the new TL in mind. This may be a reason the tires are different from yours. They are certainly different even from other EL42s, just look HERE at the Bridgestone site to view the various EL42 subtypes.

need4spd

Well, the tire rack is right, and the Bridgestone site is WRONG (big surprise ).

The EL-42 on my 04 TL is marked with a treadwear of 260 A A, NOT 140 A A per the Bridgestone site.

Guess they can not get their facts right either.