I realize that this has been discussed numerous times in many threads. Thought I would relay my conversation of today with Acura Client Services regarding the vibration in my car and the tire replacement. I have had the car in the shop twice for vibrations, rattles, creaks, squeaks etc. The first time, they returned it to me and said they didn't hear anything. Second time I had tech with me and first he said same thing, but then couldn't refute the obvious rattles and vibrations. I have insisted all along that they should deal with the tire problem, but they ignore me. When my dealer wouldn't act and wouldn't even acknowledge that there is a problem, I called ACS and spoke to a very nice guy. Without hesitation, he asked if I had the "old" tires and if they had been swapped. When I said no, he indicated that Acura has stepped up to resolve this known issue and the dealer should swap the tires for the new version. He sent a email to them stating as such. He indicated that not everyone knew about the problem, but since I had obviously seen this all over the internet forums, they would take care of it. In other words, no recall or proactive effort on their part, only deal with each customer separately as he or she complains. I called the dealer back and relayed what he said and they still say they know nothing about it, but would call their factory rep for direction. The service writer said to me as I was leaving, "don't worry, we will probably take of it." I am both interested in knowing whether anyone has called ACS recently about this issue and also passing this along to those who have vibrations and rattles and have the "old" tires.

 

The short answer is ACS is not doing anything other than replacing them with the new EL42s. They said if you still have probelms they will (with much arm twisting) schdule a facotry rep to investigate. The problem now is the weather is getting warm enough in most places that flat spotting will not be bad enough for them to do anything. Best route now is go through Bridgestone, find mine and other's threads on that process. Get a Corporate Firestone store to look at them and tell them how unhappy your are and suggest LS-Z. If they balk then ask to speak to a District Mgr. More than liekly you will get new LS-Z tires for free. I threw them a bone and purchased the road hazard ins. on te LS-Z for $135, not a bad deal to cover four $276 (list) tires!

 

When I called ACS, they seemed surprised that I had such a problem with flat spotting and vibration. They told me they would document my report.

Either they have a poor IT department (poor problem tracking database) or they are a poor department.

One thing for sure I bet if any of them own a TL, they got rid of their EL-42's long ago.

 

I didn't pay $33K for a car that going to drive worse than the truck that it replaced.
I have an 04 TL with upgrade EL-42 tires and the flat spotting is really noticeable. I didn't realize the difference in the ride until I took my 02 TL with Michelins to the shop today and noticed that the older car was much smoother with better handling. To make a long story short, the friggin bridgestones EL-42's are about to be history.
I am not taking the car to the dealer and let them tell me that it is the tires, don't have time for that bull sh!t...I am going directly to bridgestone and request a tire change/upgrade. The bridgestones are not acceptable for such a fine automobile. It make no sense to drive an expensive car for 40,000 miles and hate the tires every minute. It kinda screws the experience of having a nice car...huh?
Today while at the dealership I saw the new stock TL's with upgrade bridgestones. These tires appeared to have a wheel protectors and looked much more substantial than the the EL 42s that came on my 04 (purchased just a few weeks ago now with 450 miles). Unfortunately I failed to record the name and model number of the bridgestone tires but did notice they were 17 inch. I will go back tomorrow and write down all the info. Bridgestone will probably try to manuver out of replacing the tires but I promise you that I will not be easy to deal with and will call them Monday and get the process started.

 

Getting my original ELs replaced with new tires in a week or so. Did you say the newer tires look different than the originals.

 

Acura is so damned stupid for not just giving up on the EL 42. They are pissing a lot of long term customers off. It ruins the otherwise nice car. Stupid ass tires. I bought Falken 512's and nice but how ridiculous to have to do that!

 

And first time customers. Between the tires and interior rattles I am done, first and last Honda product. I don't expect perfection, I expect the mfg to step up, which Honda has not.

 

My 04 TL is the ninth Honda/Acura I have had. (6 Hondas and 3 Acuras). With the exception of my brand new 04TL...they all came with Michelin tires.
Shame on Honda/Acura. If my replacement ELs are no better...I will defect to Lexus in 3 years. I imagine many others will defect to some other brand as well. Acura is acting more like you might expect Chevy to act..not like a quality upscale make.

 

I spoke to ACS immediately after experiencing problems with the Bridgestones and given my early build car and severity of the poblems, I had some evaluation snow tires put on by Honda Engineering during the winter. They swapped my old tires with the new EL42s this spring. I've noticed quite a difference. The flat spotting problem is not noticable and the tire is a better riding. Its fine for me.

I've seen some evaluation data on the new tire and comparisons to a number of others. For what its worth, on paper, the Bridgestones compare favourably, notwithstanding the shallaking they take on this board.

The new tires do not look different, they have a different mfg. number I believe, but that's it.

 

I hope Peters of Ontario is right. I haven't noticed flat spotting much, if at all, but I do have the vibes at 55 mph (88.51392 kph). My replacement 42s are due in next week. I'll keep all of you posted! Thanks for giving me some hope on this.

 

I am supposed to get a call from my dealer soon that the replacement EL 42s are ready. I am going to swap the replacements with a local tire dealer.

For those who have already done this, did you make your deal with the tire dealer, mount the new tires (Falken, Michelin, etc) and then swap your old 42's with your Acura Service guy for the new 42's and take them back to the tire dealer for a credit?

I'm still torn between the Pilot Sport A/S, Falken 512's, or Turanza LS-Z.

 

I had the replacement tires put on this week. Don't get your hopes up. While the ride is improved and the vibration is decreased, I'm still disappointed. There is still vibration at some speeds felt through the pedal and the steering wheel and sometimes the whole car, most noticeably in the same range as before (45-60).
I feel scammed by my dealer and Acura. The car I bought does not drive like the car I test drove. I know this is a great car for most of you, but I'm stuck with this annoyance now, or alternately, spending money on new tires for a brand new car. Acura may be saving money in the short run, but can't be thinking long term. Add me to the list of first time/last time Acura buyers. I wonder what the new Lexus IS will be like next year?

 

Like finishline says "Don't get your hopes up." I got my replacements on last week. Flat Spoting seemed to gone, but vibrations are still there. I travel every week with rental car, driving anything from a Tarus to Caddies. Nothing vibrates like my 04 TL.

This will be my second and last Accura....

 

This has nothing to do with the tires. It is the transmission rpms and exhaust resonance (so they say)

 

Just call the customer support center and log in a complaint with them and get a case number then have them connect them to a local firestone dealership and have them balance the tires and have them check for flatspotting and i know numerous people do this and got replacement LS-Z's and i got them too from firestone and i used to have major vibrations at 45-60mph that i actually had to take my hand of the steering wheel because the buzz was not bearable on long drives. The firestone balanced the tires with Hunter and have 0 problems and the car is a LOT quieter and sticks to the ground. Hope this helps someone!!!

 

Maybe it is the tires. Or, at the least maybe they are a contributing factor. Who knows with this car? Has anyone who changed their tires noticed a decrease in the vibration at 45-60 in 5th gear?

 

Did they use the Hunter Roadforce Balance? I got my tires replaced with LS-Z's through Firestone last week but they didn't have the Roadforce they used the regular spin balance machine. The service guy had used one at a previous employer and said it was definately better though.... My LS-Z's do seem to handle better, don't really notice much quieter than my EL-42's though, which seemed fairly quiet just vibrated. The vibrations in steering and pedal do seem better, but I still have some problem with steering wheel movement, will rock slightly back and forth at times on mostly interstate driving... One post mentioned may have to do with wheel alignment being off.
Maybe and alignment check and Roadforce could help.

 

I had to report that I got the new Bridgestone EL 42 replacements. Visually they seem to have more of a protective bead that extends slightly wider than the rim. I would not think it wiuld help if a curb were hit. But anyway, the tech replaced with no questions at Sunnyside Acura in Nashua NH. Claims the compound is slightly harder (reduce flatspotting) but my guess is there is slightly less nylon in the belt.
Seems to ride better than when I brought it in the morning. I will report if I feel otherwise. So far, so good!

 

I guess it's caused by pinions, steering, and torque-senstive-devices in 04TL... My car does the same thing with EL42s, "twitchy" sometimes. But it will go staight in plain roads without any assists.

Perhaps, some precise alignment/tire selections could help, but the car design shoould be the key, IMO.




About the vibration in 5th/1500RPM/50-55MPH, it seems that low rpm range mixed the resonance of exhaust drone the vibration. Now, the temp is up and summer is approaching, my EL42s seem to do the better job to absort this vibration.

If, if, selecting the right tires, 04TL may obtain the better ride by the cushion-like tires and reduce those resonance reflected back to your floor/steering/seats. Can I say that?

 

yup, they had a Hunter roadforce balance and mine are much quieter than the el 42's and you definately need a wheel alignment because mine did the same and i think it had to do with the weight of the car vibrating that would cause misalignment very quickly.

 

Quick Q to you guys.

Do you really think these so-called "NEW" TU2 EL42s work better? Or that you feel better is just because the summer is coming and temperature is rised...?

 

go to firestone.com and there is a customer support line. That would be the number to call and vent your frustrations.

 

The new tires are definitely better. Smoother ride, less tendancey to flatspot. As to the inherent vibration at 55 mph, I feel it more as "lugging" in 5th. The new tires are much better and I think they vibrate much less due to some change in the sidewall stiffness, which compromises handling a little. Very much worth the trade-off. Anyway, my view is that your not going to get much more out of these tires unless you change them completely and maybe the rim size too.

 

I'm not opposed to your opinion. But there is still one thing bothering me. A while ago a member said his service manager told him that there is no "new" EL42s, the EL42s for Acura are always identical, which means EL42s from 3603? to today 1304 are the same model.

I don't know what difference are between TU2 and PVC...

Can you believe this? Anyone could approve this? Thanks.

 

I think you are referring to the post that said the new tires only go to those who notice the problem. (Many don't). The new car arriving daily still come with the "OLD" tires.

 

Really??? I believe the later built 04TLs have the so-called "new" tires now. Any tires after 0604 have "TU2" symbol on them.

My quetion is whether those so-called "new" TU2 tires are idential as those "old" PVC? tires. Anyone believe this news/rumor?

I don't know how tires are doing for those living in CA, FL, and TX, etc. But, since it's getting warmer here, I can see the EL42s are getting better.

 

I will be speaking with Bridgestone Engineering today and will find out what the TU2 designation symbol stands for. I have older TU2 tires than 0604.

I will also confirm what I heard from a very reliable soure that their is no difference in EL42 models, no such reformulated tire is produced.

 

My dealer agreed to replace my tires without any hassle. So, now I have some time to think about whether I should get different set or stick with new Bridgestone tires.

Has anyone had good luck with LS-Z tires?

 

Here is the scoop on the 'Old" EL-42's.

First PVC and TU2 are identical tires, no changes at all between the 2. An old TU2 would be a TU1. The code stands for T=Turanza, U=Dealer code, 2= version #. BS provided the info on the codes. They did offer the breakdown of PVC.

But some feel that Acura had to do something with all the people that were complaining, so they tell them that there is a new tire. By coincidence these new tires have become available as soon as the weather has heated up, hence no Flat spotting. The nylon belts in the EL42 coupled with cold weather is the reason why the tire flat spots.

Any EL-42 will flat spot in the cold.

 

roadman, since you decide to post this, why don't you have the new thread with some sensantional title on it??

There is a guy posting this before, but he got this news from his dealer... You obtained it from BS engineers/corp.

 

I hope Acura is not playing with people's psychology. If they are BSing about the tires as you mentioned, they could get into some serious legal trouble once people find out about it.

 

I am happy with the LS-Z, but they were free since Bridgestone replaced them. If my dealer woudl have bought me anything I would be going Michelin Pilot A/S. Or possibly the Falken tires others are getting.

The LS-Z flat spots a tad as well and I expect it to do so more next winter, if so then I will be more at peace with shelling out a few hundred for either Falken or Pilots.

 

Thanks, KeithL: The dealer will get me the updated/same BS tires. If I talk to BS and get them to agree to find me a set of LS-Z, you don't think I can just pick up the tires from the dealer (without installation) and bring them to the BS store, correct?

 

I don;t know how long you have your car, but I had 1500 miles on it when I went to Firestoen store there swapped them out. If you have a few thousand miles then mayeb get the new EL42 then go to Bridgestone and get them to swap them out. I woudl try calling a Corporate Firestoen store and talk to them, their customer service is far better than Acura and they want you to be happy. If you get a bad store as to contact the district manager. Search my other threads, you should also open a case with Bridgestone Corporate. Took less than 2 weeks from first call to having tires installed.

 

Thanks again. Well, the tires will be brand new when I take my car to a BS store!

 

Keith,

I have been to a couple of stores and spoke to a District Mgr, and they will not swap my tires for me for anywhere near free. They may have changed their policy.

I did find out that their is no new EL42, they are exactly the same. What channels did you go through to get your tires for free ? Was it LS-Z's that you got ?

 

If you have brand new, unmounted tires then you have far more bargaining power at any dealer for any tire.

 

roadman: They are EXACTLY the same? Then, what are these people who got new tires talking about? If true, this is disturbing!

 

My dealer told me that they have been instructed by Acura to only give the customer the new ELs in exchange for the old original equipment tires. They are then told they must immediatley drill holes in the old tires so that they can never be used again. Why do you suppose that?

 

My car (delivered March 19) came with TU2s, and do experience flat spotting. By bad luck I blew tire, and the local Bridgestone shop replaced with a "PVC" tire (at $250+ cost to me). Now, would BS put on a "different" tire?? I highly doubt it. I believe they are the same tire. Now my dealership insists on replacing this one PVC tire with a TU2, even though I told them I experienced flat spotting before I got the flat. What a waste of time. My patience is quickly wearing out.

This is the thread where I detail my fun experiences dealing with this : http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77257

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