I have a TLX Elite AWD on order and will pickup in 2 weeks. I am a bit worried about the comments on brake performance in a few review - I know reviews are not always 100% accurate. wondering what peoples who drive this model find as far as braking power?

 

I have had the TLX SH-AWD Elite for over a week now - I have not had any brake issue. Mind you, I am a very calm and sensible driver and I have been babying my dear TLX during this break-in period, so there really has not been a challenge to the braking system so far... :-)

Where in Canada are you and what colour combo did you go with? Congrats on your TLX!

 

Do you really drive hard enough that you are concerned about brake performance or do you live/drive in a very mountainous area that requires extensive use of the brakes? If not then there is no cause for concern.

 

^ Yeah the people writing things like that are the professional reviewers flogging the crap out of the car(s), sometimes on a track. In real-world driving I think you will find the brakes very good.

 

The car in front of me came to a sudden halt on the highway yesterday. I had to do a hard stop and the brakes are fine. That's the first time I've had to use them in an emergency situation and they passed the test!

 

So far the brakes have performed just fine for me...here in South Florida you really gotta be on your toes. I had one VERY close call a couple weeks ago...going ~60mph on the highway when someone cut me off big time (RIGHT in front of me), going WAYYYY slower...I tried to brake but it was just too close (going too fast), my tires screeched big time, but I had to swerve to the left side (emergency lane) to go around him. I don't think any brakes in the world would have kept me from having to go around him.

 

Likewise, again in South Florida, I had to brake and swerve on a 40-mph street. Scary, but brakes performed well with no pull to either side.

 

Same here - my car handled flawlessly (surprisingly stable) during my ordeal, considering the speed...it didn't even flinch and did exactly what I needed it to. I was very happy about that part.

 

Nice to see your experiences. I ordered the SH AWD Elite in white. Main reason for asking is on emergency braking situation. Good brakes are super important but I see some tests were the distance is a tad long for a sport sedan.

 

I had driven my '04 TL for 11 years before I got my TLX, so I had gotten used to how that car braked. When I first got the TLX, it seemed like I had to use more force to brake the car how the TL braked. Based upon this I was worried the brakes sucked, and I think I mentioned that the braking was a bit worrisome. Now that I've owned it for a couple of months and the brake pedal travel a better, I have no problems with it.

 

The brakes won't reach their optimum performance for at least 500 miles. The new TLX brakes are decent but they are nothing to praise. The brakes in my 3G TL were great besides the fact they warped after 30K miles. With some aftermarket pads and rotors my 3G TL's stopping power is incredible. My 4G TL's brakes are almost as nice as the 3G brakes except it probably stops 2-3 ft. more from 60. The TLX (brand new with 200 miles) had pretty good breaks. I felt that it stopped almost as well as the 4G TL from 60MPH, maybe 1-2 feet more than the 4G TL and it's probably going to be identical once you break in your brakes.

I hope that with the new rotor design Acura used that there will be less warping of rotors. I warped the rotors in my 4G TL by 40K miles.

 

Forget about the brakes, they are likely be ok for what you normally do on the road. Besides, no matter how good your brakes are, your stopping power will ultimately limited by the tires, and this is the real issue to worry about in the TLX. They come with Goodyear Eagle tires, which don't exactly have glowing reviews on Tirerack (more like next to last in all respects in their category). I don't know why Acura chooses to outfit a performance-oriented car with crappy tires, but it is somewhat disappointing. But then again, the same tires go onto Tesla Model S...

In any case, I haven't had any issue with either brakes or tires so far, but I expect rapid degradation in tire performance once they go over 10K-20K miles (according to the Tirerack reviews) and I am looking forward to replace them with something better and more reliable next year.

__________________________
2015 2.4L TLX

 

21 ft longer to stop from 60, that's real world performance downgrade from my 4G 6MT.


Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz3IEg6WWM9

 

Those are curious statistics (TL SH-AWD automatic vs. manual). What does a transmission have to do with braking distance? There must be something else going on like different tires, or testing under different conditions. Any idea what it could be?

 

You can use Engine Braking much more easily with a manual compared to an auto in Sport Shift mode. Plus the 3G TL in 6MT came with Brembo Brakes over std. ones on the 5AT Models. Brembos then became standard on the TL-S.

After reading the actual numbers, I might do a test with my 4G TL and perhaps with a TLX when I get a chance.

 

Thanks. At first glance one would think we have an explanation here (engine braking plus better brakes), but thinking a bit harder we don't. With modern antilock braking systems, the brakes only need to be good enough to lock up the wheels... after that it is up to the tires and antilock system to stop the car. Engine braking doesn't enter the equation (additional braking force won't help), nor does the quality of the brakes if the weaker brakes are able to lock the wheels at the start of the test.

So, is there a difference in the tires between the automatic and manual transmissions (possible) of the TL SH-AWD, or a difference in the antilock systems (unlikely), or am I still missing something important here?

It seems unlikely that the brakes of any modern car would be so weak that they couldn't lock the wheels in a panic stop in the absence of an antilock system.

Given adequate brakes and a decent antilock system, the stopping distance for any car should only depend on the weight of the car and the grip of the tires. This is basic physics.

 

But surely the other question is at what speed will the brakes lock the wheels. Adequate brakes may be able to lock the wheels at 40 mph or less, while large high performance brakes will be able to do it at 80 mph (the numbers are purely speculative).

 

Its mostly about Anti-Lock settings & tires. You are going to punch the brakes way before you can downshift to get into effective engine braking.

In a panic you should be pushing the brake as hard as you can & looking for someplace to steer too (two hands on the wheel) not screwing around with a clutch & shifter.

Common error is fixating on what you are about to hit & not looking for an escape route. The car goes where you are looking. Fixate & you WILL hit the obstacle unless the brakes stop you first.

Can't comment personally on the TSX but the TL SHAWD was very good in the panic stop. The knock on the Acura brakes is really fade resistance not their ability to bail you out in a panic situation.

As mentioned above only important to mountain states owners & tack day runners who will upgrade anyway.

IIRC the standard brakes were a bit better in the one shot stop than the Brembos which needed to be heated but had higher fade resistance.

 

Do tires grip the road better at 80 mph than at 40 mph? I don't think so (at least in the absence of aerodynamic down forces). All it takes to make a tire skid is enough force to overcome the tire's grip, and if that force continues to be applied the wheel will lock. If brakes can lock the wheels at 40, then surely they can lock them at 80.

I'm guessing that the difference between the stopping distances of the automatic and manual TL SH-AWS would be due to a difference in tires. Can someone find the original tests and verify (or falsify) this guess?

It would seem that the panic braking tests that the auto magazines run are not about how good a car's brakes are, but rather how good its tires are in relation to its weight.

 

Here is a quote from a 2012 test of a TL SH-AWD by Car and Driver that seems germane to the issue:

 

Do you have a link to that article? I'm always trying to describe to a particular client that tires are a very important component in vehicle performance.

Edit: I found it...
http://www.caranddriver.com/acura/tl

 

I have asked the dealer to replaces the oem tires with Blizzak WS80 for the winner and purchased 19" accessory wheels with Michelin MXM4 for the summerside. This shoild do the trick. I am picking up the car next week....

 

Crappy tires that have less grip will lock up (skid) sooner which means less braking force (pedal) can be applied, therefore less momentum energy (speed) can be converted to heat in the same amount of time, leading to longer stopping distances.