rjking2112

Hey guys,

I'm a life-long Honda guy. I've had 4 preludes, 3 Civics, and now I'm the proud owner of a 2011 TL SH AWD Tech. My favorite car is the Acura NSX. I used to work for Honda Aircraft Company along side many people who came from the automotive group; it was the best job I ever had. Anyway, you get the picture.

Now, how the heck did the TL ever get out into production with known vibration "characteristics" at highway speeds (~70MPH), especially pronounced during acceleration? I travel for business frequently and the Kia I rented was smoother at 80 mpg. Unacceptable.

I've spent a lot of time looking at this very informative forum and have gathered that there doesn't seem to be a correlation between FWD and AWD, and some cars have it and some don't. But the ones that do seem to have this vibraiton issue are fairly consistent on when it happens and characteristics (seat vibrating, gas pedal vibrating, more pronounced with acceleration, etc.). Also what seems consistent is that the dealer and Acura, no matter what level of escalation, come to the conclusion that this is a "characteristic" of the car and there is no known fix.

So, as a new owner I am weighing my options. Has anyone out there had any luck fixing this? I have done the usual, obvious things like balancing the tires and it turns out I do have a bent rim but I doubt that is the primary contributor. Any ideas that I should try?

I haven't seen a lot of recent correspondence about this but unfortunately I haven't seen any wooden stake either that puts this to rest. I'm all ears.

Thanks,

Ryan

ReneC

A bent rim is a primary contributor to road noise on the highway. You need to replace your wheel. Your dealer is just telling you that they can't/won't do anything about it, not admitting to some grand fault across the model line.

I'm betting it's on a back wheel. It's sensitive to acceleration because SH-AWD feeds more torque to the back when you push the throttle.

I had a bent rim in the back, which caused early failure of my prop shaft due to the vibration.

JM2010 SH-AWD

I can't really give you actionable advice because my '10 AWD does not have this issue, but I guess my point would be to dispute a dealer's statement that the vibration you're feeling is "characteristic" of the car. Mine is smooth as can be up to speeds that scare me. BTW, I have the stock wheels and OE tires (with about 42K on them).

Good luck with the resolution.

meowmeows

Hey Ryan,

Look for something called a road force balance. It will let you know for sure if you have a bent rim. Not all tire shops offer this.

Anicra

Lucky! rjking2112
has rare add on feature the 70Mph Acceleration Vibration.
Second only to the Green Machine add on feature, 'Sweet! I never noticed the aftermarket wheels on my new used car. Wait a minute, these wheels are silver painted wooden rims.'

In all seriousness, my car does not have 70mph Accelo-vibrato
Go thru all the suspects tires, rims, CV joint/shaft and suspension until ya find it or pay someone else to find it