StHalcyon

It has been six days since I purchased my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD 6MT with Technology, and this is my mini review at 257 miles, sans performance review, since I’m still in my break-in period.

INTERFACE

As soon as I took delivery of my Acura TL, I spent a good hour or so setting up my personal settings and familiarizing myself with the technology interfaces. And since then, I have been tinkering with the NAV system quite often. It must be the technical analyst in me to pay so much attention to the NAV system’s details. The user interface of the NAV system is nearly flawless. The location of the interface dial is perfect; just the right height and distance away from the shifter. It took me a while to get used to the dual entry system of the interface dial, notably the turning dial below the directional button. Going through the menus were a breeze.

Unfortunately, no matter how intuitive or ease of use the NAV system is, I do have a few complaints. First and foremost, the menu structure could be collapsed into fewer branches. A classic example is that the selection and management of wallpapers is under a different main branch than that of instantly showing the wallpaper. One can easily surmise that the groupings should be done logically in the abstract layer, like “Wallpaper.”

Second, the voice recognition needs to be able to recognize different functions without requiring the driver to first switch from one mode to another to perform voice commands related to that function. For example, if I wanted to dial a contact, and my NAV screen is in map mode, I have to first hit the phone button either above the interface dial or the call button on the steering wheel before it will take my voice commands related to phone functions. A quick perusal through the NAV manual confirmed as such: “Note: Make sure the correct screen is displayed for the voice command that you are using.” One can get used to this prerequisite, but after having test driven many of my friend’s Toyota vehicles (who works for corporate Toyota and has a new car every three months or so), I have gotten used to the voice recognition system to take whatever command regardless of the screen mode.

Third, although I am pleased that the NAV system will read back highlighted selections for you, the one thing I disliked the most is the audio feedback in the speed dial screen. Place the focus on a speed dial with no name but a number such as “8008622872,” and the system will read that back as “eight billion, eight million, six hundred twenty-two thousand, eight hundred seventy-two.” My reaction was, “What da…?!?”

Fourth, there does not seem to be a consistency in the application of vehicle-in-motion lock out of the NAV system. For example, the system allows the driver to input an address or browse through the settings menu while the vehicle is in motion, but after all that potentially distracting activities, the selection of a setting choice fails with a warning stating that you cannot perform such a function while the vehicle is in motion. Such as going through the menu branches to activate the wallpaper is allowed, but the actual commit of such feature is not allowed.

Finally, another quip I have is in the rear view camera. 99 percent of the time, the NAV screen displays the rear view from the camera almost as soon as I put the vehicle in reverse, but there were rare moments that it took a good second and a half to switch over. This is not to be expected, and whenever it does happen, it drives me crazy.

Other than those five annoying aspects, the NAV system is still a wonderful piece of technology. I especially enjoy the heavily customizable aspects of it, such as personalization with my own pictures for wallpaper. Such a built-in feature has given me an idea to create a custom wallpaper with a warning sign and verbiage that states, “Please do not place anything on the dashboard,” both in English and in Spanish. My local car wash personnel has a tendency to use plastic placards with sharp edges spelling out the type of wash service (“Superior,” “Standard,” etc), that if not carefully placed on the dashboard, may leave a light mark on the dashboard.

As far as the many buttons on the center stack goes, which many reviewers find an atrocity, I find it extremely well placed. If you actually count the number of buttons, they are no more than a typical center console. It is unfortunate that the size and spacing of the buttons lend itself to the appearance that the center console is littered with too many buttons. But I find them extremely useful and visually appealing.

RIDE

As soon as I slip into the driver’s seat, I cannot help but feel like the TL’s sole purpose is to serve as an adult’s refined performance vehicle. Although I personally prefer to have bigger bucket type seats, the seats are supportive enough that allows ease of egress. I can easily imagine my dates having an easier time, as opposed to my previous Subaru Spec.B.

Seats, of course, do not convey the driving pleasure of a vehicle by themselves. There are many other sensory inputs as well. First and foremost, the sweet deep note of the V6 engine that is discreetly audible inside the cabin. Not too noisy like the Subaru Spec.B, yet not too faint like many Lexus vehicles.

The next impression I have is the clutch and transmission. Short throw shifters are always a nice welcome feeling, but couple that with a buttery smooth and effortless yet accurate and firm feeling? It’s like spreading butter on a hot butter muffin. The clutch is not grabby at all, yet it does not hinder or even hide all that potential to accelerate fast quickly through quick shifting. Such a feeling only invites me to drive the TL properly, but it is really taking a mountain of restraint to maintain my patience and let the engine break in properly.

Having owned quite a few sports sedans, I have always expected my vehicles to have a firmer ride. Plushy and pillow soft is not something my body is used to. Acura being a luxury vehicle, or as my friend who works for corporate Toyota calls it “near luxury,” I was expecting the suspension to be softer than that of my previous Subaru Spec.B, which has the same front struts as the WRX STi, and Bilstein performance suspension all around. To my surprise, the TL has a much firmer and taut feel to it, compared to my Spec.B. With nearly 350 pounds heavier than my previous Spec.B, it is a welcome feeling to have just as much, if not more, confidence in pushing the vehicle’s handling to its limits.

On dry pavement, the SH-AWD’s torque vectoring works as advertised. But seeing it on paper is holistically different to the actual feeling experienced in the real world. As much as I still love my Spec.B, I have to admit that the TL’s SH-AWD’s torque vectoring system is much more livelier and pleasurable in a corner. Living in Chicago, going north bound on this corner of US-41 (http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.901175...60616&t=h&z=17) at speed gives me the biggest grin from ear to ear.

On wet pavement? The TL is a completely different story. Granted, my Spec.B wore Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires (max performance summer) during the non-winter seasons which may alter my opinion. But during winter, my Spec.B wore the Pirelli P Zero Nero tires (Ultra High Performance all-season). And during this past fluke winter in Chicago where there were many warmer days, even in rain or wet pavement, the P Zero Nero performed extremely well on wet pavements. Very much unlike that of the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires (Grand Touring All-Season) worn on the new TL. What I simply don’t understand is that with the performance-inclination tuning of the SH-AWD TL models, why didn’t Acura put something better? It does not have to be max performance summer tires, but ultra high performance all-seasons will be nice to have. On wet pavement, all that confidence in the TL simply evaporated faster than the sweat beads during a hot, sunny 5K race in Miami.

Of course, I am not at all blaming the TL, for a vehicle’s performance is severely limited to that of its tires, much like how a skier’s ability to carve is not entirely dependent on the skis themselves but the boots and the bindings that connect the mass to the surface. I was simply jaded by the comparison performed by Tire Rack’s test of the Bridgestone Turanza LS-V, Continental ContiTouringContact CH95, Goodyear Eagle RS-A and the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires, in which the Michelin outperformed the rest. I was surprised with how poorly the Michelin performed on my new TL, simply because the Goodyear Eagle RS-A worn on my previous Eclipse GT performed extremely well in wet pavement, and I did not expect a set of tires that tested better than the Eagle RS-A to cause me loss of confidence in the TL. But in retrospect, there is a big weight difference between the Eclipse GT and the TL that may throw off the wet pavement comparison personally.

Another thing of note is the combination of the TL’s SH-AWD torque vectoring and Vehicle Stability Assist systems, which seems to work in direct opposition of each other’s primary objective. According to Acura’s feature note on the VSA (http://www.acura.com/Features.aspx?m...ability_assist), the VSA is supposed to “minimize the dangers of oversteer or understeer.” Of course, being the guy who pushes his cars to the limit like that five percent of performance car owners out there, I took the east bound 31st St hairpin turn onto the west bound Michigan Ave feeder street (http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.838498...60616&t=h&z=20) with hard acceleration during a slight rain earlier in the evening, and I was shocked that I induced the TL into a huge oversteer without effort. Even on my Spec.B, intentional oversteer was still hard to achieve as long as the Vehicle Stability Control system was on. I was simply shocked that my new TL went into a wild fishtail while I powered through the hairpin, even when I had not disabled the VSA! Surprise notwithstanding, I was still a happy driver, as I rode out the oversteer while keeping the acceleration paddle constantly fed, head facing out the passenger window, steering wheel pointed right.

When it was an intentional attempt to oversteer, my instinctive reaction kept me cool. But it wasn’t a few seconds after I have long exited that hairpin that I wondered to myself, “Did the TL’s VSA fail miserably that may have led that guy to wreck his TL back in March?” (https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-2009-2014-123/wrecked-my-2010-tl-sh-awd-850244/) Thoughts of myself driving the new TL in the snow in the next seven months is causing shudder as the TL’s control of oversteer wasn’t nearly close as much as my Spec.B, which I have grown accustomed to. I will have to pay special attention to this as I put more time and mileage on my TL, as I get to fully understand its strengths and weaknesses.

Next up is the steering feel. Acura supposedly made adjustments to the 2012 TLs based on many critics’ poor feedback on the steering feel. Although I may not have owned an earlier 4G TL before, or my extended test drive of a CPO 2010 TL SH-AWD 6MT back in March, I truly still feel like the steering is rather soft, less connected to the road, and rather uncommunicative. In this department, I am rather disappointed. Having owned vehicles like the Integra, Eclipse and Spec.B, I guess I was expecting much, much more.

Other than those low points I mentioned, the Acura TL is still a great car to drive. Firm and strong, almost like a BMW. If only the steering feedback could be better, than I can easily see BMW run for their money!

LUXURY

I can’t help but think back to what my Toyota friend said about Acura being a “near luxury” brand. Although the interior appointments are luxurious and rich, such as the perforated Milano premium leather and great-feeling leather wrapped steering wheel, there are a few things that disappoint me.

The biggest gripe I have is the rattle that seems to stem from the passenger side dashboard area. For a luxury vehicle, I expect rattles to be non-existent through quality manufacturing process. Given that my TL is Acura’s fourth year building its 4G TL, I expect rattles to be non-existent. Yes, rattles are always going to be in a car, one may argue, but on newer Toyota and Lexus vehicles, rattles are a thing of the past. Even my past 2008 Subaru Legacy GT had zero rattle! Yet my past 2008 Spec.B, which was manufactured in the same assembly plant as the Legacy GT, even with the same dashboard parts and pieces, had an annoying rattle from the dashboard, which is indicative of poor quality build. I expect Subaru to have inconsistent assembly quality, but from Acura? C’mon! If some TLs can be built rattle free, then with good quality control, all TLs have the potential to be rattle free.

The next gripe, which actually does not affect my new TL, is that luxurious Milano “premium” leather. When I peer into other 4G TLs on the road, or even on the CPO 2010 TL SH-AWD 6MT that I test drove, their leather seats seem to suffer notorious and pronounced leather wrinkles. So much so that even the Acura salesperson admitted that Acura’s leather is not exactly top quality and does not age well. If the leather on the two year old CPO 2010 TL looked that bad, I can only foresee the horror my TL’s leather seats will have in mere two years. Imagine that old lady in There’s Something About Mary. It is not something I look forward to, considering my Spec.B’s leather still looked new after three and a half years, and so did my Eclipse GT’s after being driven for over five years. “Near luxury?” It’s possible my Toyota friend may be right.

Other minor details that bother me slightly are that the windshield visors do not have pull-out extenders to block the low sunlight from the sides. Isn’t that feature a default standard by today’s standards? Furthermore, I cannot find any heading indicator anywhere besides the NAV screen. I expected the rear view mirror would have such an indicator, but alas, not there. And not on the dashboard either. What if I want to get a quick read on my heading while my display is on audio mode?

But other than those gripes that I have, I really do love the dashboard material, and how the interior feels, never mind what my auditory sensors hear. Acura did not go cheap with the headliner, like Cadillac did with its CTS. Even the instrument panel looks luxe. And some people may disagree, but I do like the typical Honda standard white glow from the instrument cluster, unlike some others that go with mood blue or orange or other exotic lighting. Even the soft cold lighting in the map and cabin lights is pleasing.

Finally, that deep level of customization afforded the TL’s driver is something to behold and cherish. As a “computer guy,” I enjoy every bit of customization setting I can toggle. If this doesn’t spell luxury, then I don’t know what it spells.

Well, that is my initial six day review so far. Perhaps some of you might not care so much since many have owned the 4G TL for a while, but I hope my first impressions will rekindle your fond memories of your TL’s honeymoon phase.

Good night. =)

PS: Please don’t judge or flame for driving “recklessly” on public roads. I only drive aggressively such as intentional oversteering when it is safe to do so, such as no traffic around me. There is aggressive driving, and there is smart aggressive driving. =)

Edward'TLS

Nice review.

One comment about the Goodyear RS-A A/S tires. They come standard on the SH-AWD Elite (=Advance) model, and they are no high performance tires either.

Having driven on both, the RS-A's are not much better than the MXM4's. Both being quite crappy for performance driving.

prepreludesh

The sun visors do extend. I don't know how you were tugging on them, but they do extend so it can adjust to your personal likings front or side.

Also, the wrinkled part you see on the leather seats is not leather, it's the "leatherette." The only real leather on Acura Seats is just the perforated portion. With proper upkeep, that can remain looking fairly new. I plan on replacing the seat material for the driver's seat around the 5 year mark so it's like I have a new car because besides that, the interior wears very well.

Treblig

Sorry, but I have to disagree, the entire seating surface of the front seats are leather (including the side bolsters), with the exception of the thin strip between the perforated seat and the side bolsters (which are leatherette). The outsides of the upper side bolsters are also leatherette..

OP, thanks for the great write-up.

012TL-GLM

I concur with the majority of your observations. I'm also a tech guy and find the console of the TL exciting and intuitive. I also feel the voice command structure needs a revamp, as having to say 3 or 4 commands to dial a number is nothing less than annoying, and I usually just use the button/dial method to save time. Even the hands free commands on my buddy's RAM 1500 are better. The only plus with the Acura is the real time phone book and call history. Very useful when receiving new calls.

I admit I haven't pushed my TL as far as you have in wet conditions, but the stock pilots have treated me well at 80mph+ on the interstate. I do plan to replace wheels and tires in a couple years, but for now only have 6200 miles on the car and the tires still look brand new. This past winter they weren't bad, not great either, but I never lost traction in the few bad snows we got. I think the genius of the AWD system is very forgiving to crappy tires, and good tires will make the car truly shine

Buffa

This is a nice write-up. I too am amazed at how much the VSA system will let you slide around without interfering. I guess it's a good thing that it's not so intrusive as to ruin the fun factor. I just hope it kicks in when really necessary. I'm too chicken to push it too far. Had a few nerve wracking fishtails in the rain and that's enough for me! I have the RSA Goodyears. When I drive it sensibly, it handles like it's on rails though, even in light snow.

jmkenn0

My traction control doesn't like to kick in until its about sideways in my 6MT if its the rear wheels spinning... If its all four wheels, or the front wheels, it kicks in sooner.

I think it's something to do with the SH-AWD. The wheels want to spin as part of its function, so its fighting to find the balance between driving the car as intended and "Tokyo Drift."

JM2010 SH-AWD

Thanks for the review. Interesting story on your experience in the rain. I've not pushed mine in a rainy, tight turn like you have, but overall I'm very pleased with the stability and planted feel of the car, rain or shine.

On your comment on the voice command, I agree it would be easier if you could just make any command, regarless of what screen is open, but you do have the option of using VC to open whatever screen you want open - i.e., "display map" or "display audio" and then calling up the feature you want.

While I haven't taken the time to memorize all the commands or sequences, I do find that most of the time the voice recognition system works quite well. (And you always have that "sea of buttons" if talking to your car is not your thing!)

prepreludesh

Can you prove it?

StHalcyon

Thanks! And I appreciate your feedback on the Eagle RS-A's performance on the SH-AWD Elite. This confirms that the Eagle RS-A's poor performance is directly related to the weight of the vehicle, seeing how the SH-AWD is 805 lbs heavier than the Eclipse GT! I'm seriously thinking about ditching the MXM4s for something else, but not sure yet. I did see a sponsored Nitto Motivo trial post on AZ. I signed up for it, and hopefully I get selected as one of their test subjects. I don't think I can live with the MXM4s...

Thanks for letting me know that they do extend! I am used to a plastic extender like that shown in this picture:

And then I noticed that in this picture, the whole visor slides out as well as having that plastic extender. Apparently the TL's whole visor slides out, so thanks for letting me know. I stand corrected on the visor remark.

However, on the leather, I believe the bolsters are leather too, because in the non-Tech/Advance packages, the leather on the seating surfaces is exactly the same material as the leather on the bolster surfaces in the Tech/Advance packages.

So true! I am so glad that Acura built its NAV system using more of the Bluetooth stack drivers than some others, like Toyota or even Apple. It's an open standard, so why restrict the stack's implementation?!? Although Acura's HFP website shows a limited list of compatible phones, it seems to work just well on my "non-compatible" Nokia N8. That live info is truly helpful. I just wish all auto manufacturers will just keep things simple and spell out what version of the Bluetooth stack is implemented, and what profiles and their versions are available. That way, it should keep the guess work out of compatibility. But then again, Acura is in the business of making cars, not technology.

And you're right. I think the TL's VSA is very forgiving, which should come as a great relief. But it sure makes me less willing to let others drive it, because if they don't realize the VSA's tolerance level is greater, they might put my car in a ditch or a concrete barrier.


Thanks for the tip. I suppose it makes sense to say "display audio," but the effort needed to say that command by pressing the VC button is no different than simply pressing the phone button, which is only an inch away. It's just too much work, on top of the nested back/forth commands to just dial a number. For a while, I couldn't understand why it was giving me the Help feedback when I simply said, "Dial John mobile." Apparently, you have to step through everything one at a time! Aarrgghh! I think that interface dial and I are going to be very close and happy friends for years to come. =)

StHalcyon

A couple more things I should add to the first impressions review, which I forgot last night...

I am surprised that the TL came with regular tension spring wiper blades instead of bracketless wipers with built-in aerodynamic spoilers, such as the Bosch ICON. Almost every luxury brand manufacturer now uses bracketless wiper blades.

And besides the obvious absence of the headlight washer units in the US TL SH-AWD, it would've been nice to have windshield wiper blade heaters underneath the windshield. Granted, not many luxury cars have this, but I am super spoiled by Subaru for including this feature even on their low end Impreza vehicles. Not having to scrap the bottom of the windshield in the winter time is something I will sorely miss come this winter season.

Treblig

I agree with you on the wipers. Here is my remedy, I swapped in the wiper blades from a 2011 Honda Crosstour. Perfect fit and they are OEM.

g37guy01

Yes, my Forester has them also...greatest thing since sliced bread in the winter...

Treblig

Visually, by feel and dealer confirmation is the best I can offer right now. Short of cutting into it.

StHalcyon

NICE!! I can't believe the Crosstour has nicer wiper blades than the TL!!! The lengths are exactly the same between the two, 26 and 19 inchers. I looked up the Honda part numbers: 76620-TP6-A01 (26") and 76630-TA0-A01 (19"), and based on the random first Google result for Honda parts, they are $19.69 and $15.74 respectively. Slightly cheaper than the Bosch ICON for sure.

Anybody know who has the best price, free shipping, and additional discount on Honda parts? I really don't want to sign up for another Honda forum to get the additional forum discount code.

Treblig, do you have a macro lens? I'd like to see the cross section of the rubber to see how they're designed.


Couldn't be further from the truth as sliced bread!

Edward'TLS

Yes, the pair of OEM tension spring wipers is a major let-down in the snowy winters.

StHalcyon

The more I think about it, the more I'm going to get the Honda parts instead of the Bosch ICON. With Honda, you can replace the rubber instead of the whole assembly. Should be much cheaper in the long run. At least that's my thinking, assuming it performs just as well as the ICONs.

Glashub

I had 2 Acura's in a row with rattles. I was extremely dissappointed. My 1994 Legend was rattle free. The black leather on my 2005 when I traded it in looked great. My 2010 with tan leather had discoloration from my belt. But both times the leather didn't look overly distressed. Look at the leather of other cars with a couple of years on them and I think you'll see that the Acura leather is pretty good quality.

DannyZRC

I have bosch icon wipers on the vibe, total letdown. took less than a year to become ineffective with partial coverage and squeaky wiping action.

fwiw.

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

76620-TP6-A01 and 76630-TA0-A01 for 37.86 shipped. Call Tim Poliniak 866-347-8355 (I think his work hrs are 7am-4pm est), tell him Carlos referred you.

pickler

i have to disagree with the MXM4 being bad tires. i have had them on my rdx and they were pretty damn good even in winter. never had wheelspin even on WOT (dry). they are a bit noisy but thats it.

Mr Marco

St. Hal,

Q: "What I simply don’t understand is that with the performance-inclination tuning of the SH-AWD TL models, why didn’t Acura put something better (tires)?"
A: If you have less than 500 miles on the tires you could probably get the dealer to swap them out for something better like the Michelin pilot super sport and just shell out a little more money. Our '09 TL came with a High Performance Tire package that included Mich PS2's.

Edward'TLS

The MXM4's are not bad tires. They are grand touring all-season tires, and do the job well as expected for all grand touring all-season tires. PERIOD.

They're very good in giving a supple and quiet ride. But they're also no good in handling any performance driving. They will start squealing like crazy when pushed just moderately, let alone hard.

The 4G TL is a high performance sport sedan, and needs to ride on high performance tires, not grand touring tires.

StHalcyon

Thanks! I'm waiting for macro shots of the Honda wipers from Treblig before I pull the trigger. Plus, the OEM wipers are still new, so I'm sure I have some time with them. But once I decide on the Honda wipers, I'll be sure to give Tim a buzz!

This is what I wrote: "What I simply don’t understand is that with the performance-inclination tuning of the SH-AWD TL models, why didn’t Acura put something better? It does not have to be max performance summer tires, but ultra high performance all-seasons will be nice to have."

I didn't say outright that the MXM4s are bad tires. They probably do a good job in its class of tires. But not for the car.

^^^ Exactly my point. Thanks!

StHalcyon

Trust me. I tried with McGrath Acura. They wouldn't let me do it. Either that or the salesperson didn't even bother ask, but told me that he was "trying." You know what they say about salespeople. It's not about delivering to a customer's expectations, but delivering what you want to hear, and managing the prospect without having to do real work on the back end. =)

StHalcyon

I don't know... With my Eclipse GT's 5+ years of usage with care, and with my Spec.B's 3.5 years of usage without care, they still look fantastically new with no wrinkles when I gave up possession of them. That sets the bar pretty high. I guess only time will tell, and something tells me I'm going to have to baby the leather. Plus, with wmahmud's TL leather flaking while still new, it is NOT giving me any confidence on the quality of the leather: https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-problems-fixes-297/black-off-leather-coming-off-rear-seat-850450/

I really like the Bosch ICON wipers, and they do perform well. But they also do wear down faster, which require more frequent replacements. Besides, I think the recommendation for wiper replacement is more often than annual. And it also depends on how often it rains or have debris like sand. I can't imagine the Bosch ICON lasting more than a few months on cars that are driven in the middle east with all that sandstorms.

DannyZRC

Annual replacement? not joking?

Maybe we have different criteria, but I think a wiper is well designed if it works and keeps working for a long time.

Rocketsfan

I think it varies depending on where you live and the weather you're in. I think in around 8.5 years and 200,000 miles of driving, I've changed my wiper blades maybe twice. Some people end up swapping out wiperblades when you could probably just clean some gunk off of it and it'll be almost as good as new.

StHalcyon

I don't make a point of joking around.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the recommendation is at least once a year. http://www.theintelligencer.net/page...er-Blades.html

The FAQ at Rain-X recommends once a year, citing National Safety Council: http://www.rainx.com/Tips_Informatio...Fun_Facts.aspx

The FAQ at Bosch Auto Parts recommends once every six months, and that Bosch ICON wipers may extend that recommendation interval on average up to 40% longer: http://boschautoparts.com/WiperBlade...ntage.aspx#faq

When you look at eHow.com, About.com, and Autos.com, the recommendation is twice a year.

You want your tomato back? =)

But really, it all depends on usage and condition. Dry environments may dry out and crack the rubber compound. As a marathon runner, the general rule for replacing running shoes is every six months or 300 miles, whichever comes first. Rubber compounds always lose to environmental conditions.

DannyZRC

IMO the ICON wipers are utter garbage, if NTSB and Rain-X and Bosch all say I should replace my wipers every 6mo-1y, and I don't, and regular old delco wipers deliver 5 years of good service and ICONs last 8 months, I'll let their performance speak for itself.

Also, jiffy lube says you should change your oil every 3,000 miles. I hear Sylvania wants you to replace your headlight bulbs annually.

Wonder what hostess' spec is on recommended twinkie consumption.

;p

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

I ordered them (crosstour wipers) today, I'll keep you posted on fit and take some pics.



OT: St Hal, I'm just getting into running, i've been avid about fitness and exercising all my teen-current life but never understood how people find running/cardio to be an enjoyable activity. Anyway, I've just begun running regularly (treadmill, spd 7-9) 2 miles a day and notice a sharp pain after the 1st somewhat agonizing mile in my left calf muscle right where it seperates from behind the shin. Wondering if this could be because of my gait, right knee surgery 1.5yrs ago or simply my weight 201lbs? I don't think it's my sneakers since I've recently bought proper running shoes which have made a huge difference in my running stamina due to comfort. Thoughts??

StHalcyon

Dude, chill out. That's why it is called "recommendation," not "requirement." According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the average American replaces his/her wiper blade once every 2.5 years. So you're a statistic that pulls that number up to 2.5....

Because I personally take on risks when I drive aggressively for the thrill, I have to take every precaution to minimize other risk factors, such as:

• Familiarity with the road,
• Amount of traffic on the road at the time,
• Tire condition (pressure and right kind of tire with no damage)
• Ability to see ahead constantly (which means I'm not going to take a chance if there is a light mist or light rain all because I didn't replace my windshield wipers)

I rotate my tires twice a year, at the beginning of Spring and beginning of Fall; and I align my wheels once a year. I'm sure that's all overkill, but I'll bet I wear my tires down way more evenly than the average guy out there.


You're always welcome to change your Delco wiper blades once every however long you feel like. And order whatever brand or type of wiper you feel like. Ain't nobody gonna stop or judge you.


Just sayin'.

StHalcyon

Sweet on the Honda wipers! Also take pics of how to take apart the wiper blade and replace the rubber strip, as according to the parts guide, the rubber is replaceable, unlike the Bosch ICONs.

Between the calf muscle and shin? So it's deep inside, or is it to the side? First things first: Stop running. You're gonna hurt yourself in the long run. You need to find out what's wrong. My recommendation is to check with a sports medicine doctor.

My opinion, not knowing exactly where it hurts or what, is that it is possible because of your right knee, your gaits are not the same, thus you're overcompensating during your right leg's swing, thus forcing your left leg to do more work to keep an even overall pace.

Here's an example. I'm not exactly a healthy guy. I run so that I can eat. And drink. =) I barely do any other kind of exercise, other than cardio. But for the longest time, I always tend to injure my IT band during long races. My sports medicine doctor did this simple test on me: Close my eyes, and relax my body, and stand with both feet flat on the ground. Then he gently pushed me to either side. My IT band, as designed, worked hard to keep me balance. He said that because I have a pooch (aka small beer belly, or spare tire, whatever you want to call it), I have no core muscles to help keep my body aligned, so my IT bands are constantly overcompensating by doing all the work to keep me balanced during my runs.

Overcompensation of a given muscle group or area is hard to feel, as you don't realize it, till things hurt. So that's a possibility.

Another culprit may be the shoes. Perfect shoes are hard to come by. That's why when I find the ones I like, I stockpile them, because the next version of the same shoe by the same MFR may be total atrocity.

But I'm no MD, so whatever I opine is not medical advice. Check with a sports medicine doctor, especially one who understands running/biking mechanics. (Sorry for the disclaimer... LOL)

By the way, I wouldn't worry about your 200 lb weight. I'm 190 lb. Granted, I have not run in the last year and a half, but I have runner friends heavier than 200 lbs. =)

g37guy01

Would like to point out if you get into a car accident. You are also causing the taxpayers money; police, ambulance, medi-vac, hospital, etc. Property damage.

I know, it never happens to you...only the other guy.

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the info, I'll walk at a brisk pace till I see a doctor. I thought the weight might be an issue because I never see 180lb ers and up ever running at my gym. By the way a friend also recommended barefoot running on the road since it forces you to step lightly which he thought would fix my gait (if that were the problem), lol but I won't even consider thT because running around barefoot in NYC is just fkin' weird.

StHalcyon

If that happens, I'll gladly invite you to ridicule me in public. With a real tomato, no less. =)

FYI: My definition of aggressive driving is not the same as stupid driving, like those idiots driving fast and weaving in/out of traffic. And I keep my road rage down, because I assume in Chicago, the a**hole who wrongs me has a 75% chance he will be packing heat. Like I said, there's smart driving, and there's stupid driving. It all boils down to knowing your car's performance abilities, and knowing your own ability. I think my smart aggressive driving is still safer than 90% of Chicago drivers, who put makeup or read newspapers on the road in the morning, who drive with bald tires, or stupid rich kids with nice rides driving in the winter with summer tires. I never ever eat while driving. That's how serious I treat my passion for cars and driving. =)

StHalcyon

Is your friend one of those holistic yoga type who eats organic? ;-) I personally will never go bare feet. For good runners who have established solid biomechanics (meaning good technical form during running), going bare feet is good. For recreational runners, it just enhances bad habits. Yes, there is the theory that it will force you to run properly, but running lightly with the wrong technique will end up hurting your body someone else.

Even with modern soft shoes, I still have to fight to run right. I would do okay, but after a couple miles, I'd look down and get all upset that I was not doing right. It takes lots of training. LOL

DannyZRC

[totalderail] That can't be, Chicago has such strict and effective gun control measures! [/totalderail]

StHalcyon

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Thanks for making my day! That was AWESOME!

StHalcyon

Just saw an Acura ZDX park next to my TL. Assuming it shares the same parts as the Accord Crosstour, the wiper blade is basically a regular spring tension blade with a spoiler cover over it. =( Please let us know if it is the same when you receive your wipers.