IM really confused about which tires shouldnt come with the new tl. i remember reading something about the bs el42's that they were out of round and shouldnt be on the car is that true??? and if so what should i have the dealer do??

 

Check out the Tires,Wheels,Suspension Forum.

In short, get the dealer to swap the tires to something else BEFORE you pick up the car

 

My VIN is 44x, and I don't think the tires are as brutal as some say. I'll upgrade to the Michelin when the time is right, for what it's worth tho...

 

The EL42s affect largely those who live in colder areas where the tires experience flatspotting and such. For those in warmer areas, it just has a rough ride. In any case, the dealerships will be very assholely about exchanging the tires for you or most will just claim they have no idea what you are talking about. Good luck

 

Besides flatspot and snow tracking issue in the colder areas, EL42s could cause some other issues for some bad-luck 04TLers.

Some 04TLs are vibrating badly due to EL42s.

Be honest to you, my original PVC EL42s were ok, except hydroplaning and no-rim-protection. The so-called "new" TU2 EL42s are ok, too, and have a little rim-protection, but they've inherited well from its predecessor and hydroplaning is carried over.

Most of 04TLs are ok with EL42s, most of owners never complain, and some of owners never understand what's wrong with them.

If you really don't like EL42s or worry about them, my suggestion is to

1) get the better upgrade tires out of your dealer. (HPTs or other choices)
2) redeem those "brand-new" EL42s to your dealer and pay the difference for the tire upgrade. (dealers could pay $100+ for each EL42, other tire shops will only pay $50 less per EL42)
3) wait and see if 05TL "might" come with better tires (I doubt it) and this WILL definitely piss off all of 50k plus 04TLers who WILL run furiously to Acura dealers nationwide to ask for free upgrade/replacement. This is what Acura cannot afford... :o

 

I ordered the HPT tires, and so far they're acceptable. Not the best, but much better looking than the EL42's. I'll replace them with Yoco's or Michalean when the time comes.

 

Had slight flatspotting when first starting out in the morning and it would stop fairly quickly. With the weather getting warmer i'm sure thats why they didnt vibrate for too long. But.....it is unnacceptable to have faulty tires and ANY new car let alone an Acura, and i'm not going to wait for the weather to get cold to have the dealer replace them.
With that said....service dept said they needed to "test" the tires before they would replace them (and they need the car for a whole day! ). At least i'll be getting a loaner. From what i've read I definately dont want the replacement EL42's, especially if the hydroplane like the current ones do. It's absolutely ridiculous how easy they hydroplane. I would pay full price for new tires to get rid of these things.....but i'm reasonably sure i wont have to.

 

Well, coming from experience you will probably want to change the tires out....unless you like to attract attention to yourself. I got pulled over a month ago because my tires squealed when i was going around 1/3 circle type turn. Flatspotting is definitely an issue with these. Vibration is horrible(not car suspension, TIRES). Also, don't make the mistake of pressing the pedal down too hard from a stop uynless you want to squeal the tires. Trying to make a quick turn to get into traffic the squeal and jek the car around. Making any turn and acclerating before COMPLETELY parallel is also a no-no. Not to mention the fact that going 10 under on the highway one wet night (slight water on ground, not raining at the time) I started to hydroplane until the VSA saved my butt. These tires are just crap. I'm not sure why after they know they will lose handling battle with RWD, Acura decides to put crappy OEM tires on to magnify the situation?!?!?

 

After reading all the complaints from TL owners and the horrendous ratings on Tirerack.com for the EL42s I arranged a deal with a local Bridgestone dealer. This after my Acura dealer was unwilling to do anything in regards to the tires. I paid only the difference between retail price of the EL42s and the tires I selected + balancing. So, I got Turanza LSZs put on. Out the door cost me 135 bones.

I only put about 45 miles on the EL42s but I can say that in comparison, the LSZs are quieter. As for the LSZs over the 800 miles I've accumalated...all I can say is they are a great tire in wet and dry. The only test remaining is snow this winter. Based on reviews I'm sure I won't be disappointed there either.

 

Oh, amazing, another successful story. You're probably #6 successfully getting LS-Z from BS dealers...