norsairius

Hello, Acura newcomer here (somewhat - my parents have had two RDXes)!

Some background: I had a nightmarish experience driving a Mazda CX-9 on Bridgestone Ecopias that came on it because it was, and I can't even begin to overstate this, dangerous to drive if there was snow on the ground with those tires. This has made me extra skeptical of tires that come on cars from the factory (every other car I've had has been generally fine with the OEM tires). I just want to make sure I know what I'm getting into with the OEM Michelin Primacy tires on the TLX or if I need to consider purchasing replacement tires.

I just picked up a 2021 TLX w/Tech package over the weekend. Love the car, but I can feel that the tires are a bottleneck to the car's performance. They're fine for day-to-day driving though, especially after I let some air out of them. They were all at 40 PSI when I drove it off the lot, but apparently should be at 32. However, will they be okay in the winter? I'm curious to know if anyone around can chime in on braking and turning in the snow (fresh fallen, packed down, etc.). I'm not as concerned about acceleration because, well, SH-AWD is amazing!

CPR

I have mine at 33-35 PSI, on my 2021 TLX/ASPEC
Drove all winter on them in NYC; bettter in Rain, than Snow; but it's like that for any tire that's not the Winter variety
For all-season tires, I love them

norsairius

Good to know! That definitely makes me feel better. Again, I'm paranoid about this since I had such a bad experience with the Bridgestone Ecopias that came with my Mazda CX-9 years ago. For what it's worth though, I did quickly get a feel for threshold braking, etc. that helped tune my driving skills in general, but it would be much nicer to practice such things when the safety of others isn't at stake!

norsairius

So I posted here many months ago asking about how the OEM Michelin Primacy A/S tires do in the snow, and now after trying them out a bit in the winter myself I can conclude that they are mediocre.

Careful common sense driving is enough to stay out of trouble, but I think the limits for these tires in the snow are appreciably lower than even moderately better all seasons. I think that the width of the tires also works against them as winter tires tend to be skinnier to put more weight on a smaller patch to help cut through snow. These wide 255 width tires almost seem to skim across snowy surfaces, which is evident when turning and also when trying to accelerate somewhat briskly from a stop. SH-AWD helps a lot, but of course it can only do so when you're on the throttle. Braking, off-throttle turning, etc. still rely on the driver and tires.

The OEM tires are okay at best, but better tires would improve the driving experience all around and especially in inclement weather. This isn't necessarily a knock against Acura though, I've driven many cars from different brands that come with underwhelming tires.

Unrelated to the tires: The TLX is otherwise an awesome cold weather commuter. The car's comfortable to begin with but something about its heavy boat-y-ness and comfy cabin with the heat on just makes driving in the winter more cozy, haha.

CPR

Just thinking the same thing, about the heat, this morning
16*, in NYC, but the cabin is perfect at 72*, with the seats, & climate control, on AUTO
As far as the tires, I've had ZERO problems with my 2021/TLX/ASPEC/Michelin Primacy's
Haven't had any real deep snow, but for city driving they're fine
Love my car, so I hate to complain

thedeathprojects

best touring tire Michelin has made. Awesome in the snow.