maltbie

I test drove this car yesterday on various road surfaces, some smooth and some rough and broken. I thought the suspension reacted well to the rough roads, absorbing the pot holes and broken pavement without too much harshness.

I was surprised how rough the ride felt on smooth pavement. The ride was unsettled and bumpy, similar to what I have felt when tires have flat-spotted on other cars I have driven. I drove the car for 10 miles, so any flat spots should have gone away, but the ride did not get any smoother. The salesman thought there could be an issue with the tires on this particular car, so I drove another SH-AWD but noticed the same issue. The tire pressure on the first car was 36. The second was 32. Both cars had less than 50 miles on them.

I then drove the 2012 TL base on the smooth road and did not experience the bumpy ride that I had with the two AWD cars.

What would cause the rough ride on smooth roads with the AWD model? Could it be the tire treads? Does the ride get smoother as the tires get worn or is this just a characteristic of the car?

fusiongt

Stiffer suspension on sh model. And that's the only complaint about my car. Im getting. Tein coilover soon and plan to set full soft mode

Booya4139

I found the same thing, the base suspension is much smoother and more comfortable in everyday driving....

i actually found the same thing in the G37.. i don't get why these sport sedans make the rides so harsh... I really thought I'd end up in a G, but I placed more emphasis in ride quality than cornering ability... I must be getting old...

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

they're sport sedans.

ya'll should look into a Lexus.

g37guy01

The 3 and 5 series are more refined.

eazy

iTrader: (8)

+1

Gotta remember 99% of the time sportier = harsher ride. You gotta sacrifice for sportier cars. Unless you the extra money to shell out for a benz or bmw

omaralt

the nice thing about these newer cars is the adjustable suspension; even the new 3 series has it. sporty when you want it; comfort when you dont. keep in mind honda/acura is a few generations behind the technological curve; so we'll probably see adjustable suspension in a few years

maltbie

Thanks for the quick replies. I loved how the SH-AWD handled the twisty roads, but I don't think I could live with the unsettled ride every day on my commute. Has anyone tried switching tires for a smoother ride? I know tires make a huge difference on the ride on my 08 TL. The SH-AWD rides like my 08 TL with new snow tires.

Edward'TLS

The SH-AWD has stiffer suspension tuning and lower profile tires for better handling performance than the base TL, thus the rougher ride.

So, want a high performance sport sedan -> SH-AWD TL.

Want a smooth and easy ride touring-type sport sedan -> FWD TL.

JM2010 SH-AWD

Don't know if it contributed, but IIRC correctly, those tire pressures are off.

I run mine at 33 psi cold all the way around.

Omu

I've find my TL SH-AWD (2012) to be more soft side than BMW e46 sports package rwd, e46 rwd w/ H&R springs and 2012 GLK 350 AWD.

However I can see why you feel that way since I've also surprised it was quite stiff (or rough) for a stock car.

DibbyD

Op, I couldn't agree with you more. I took home a TL Tech SH-AWD last night for an overnight test drive and got to spend several hours last night and today getting a feel for it. I thought it handled the broken-up roads much better than I expected, but it turned what I thought were smooth comfortable roads into constant bumpiness. I checked the tire pressure after work today and they were at 35 all the way around. I was hoping that might have been the problem, as recommended pressure is 32, but it sounds like you tried one with the correct pressure and it didn't help

Overall, I think I could deal with it as the car handles very well for such a big vehicle, but I'm still going to take an extended test drive of an RDX Tech before deciding.

jjsC5

Did the car you drove have 19" wheels? Ours rides a bit rough with the 19's. Fortunately, it's my wife's car and it doesn't bother her a bit. It doesn't really bother me too much either as I've always had sports cars and sport sedans. But I can tell you that when I go from my 550 BMW to the TL it is very noticeable.

Mtran

Funny, I'm experiencing the same thing on my fwd 2012. However, when I test drove the SH-AWD it was smooth. The dealer said I have a flat spot, but it still hasn't gone away after 350 miles. I think my tires are defective.

maltbie

OP here. This is interesting: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=42

Both the SH-AWD TLs I drove appeared not to have been driven much, if at all, before I drove them. One still had the protective wrapping on the hood and had less than 12 miles on it, so maybe I was the first to drive it after it came off the car carrier. Perhaps these cars are such slow sellers that they have been on the lot for months without being moved and their tires developed permanent flat spots.

Mtran

My car had 3 miles on it when I picked it up a couple of weeks ago. Not sure how long the car was sitting on the lot though.

Teddybear

i wish my sh awd was stiffer :p

jusrushem

My2010 is a bit stiff too. But not as stiff as my 04 g35 coupe

weather

There is a difference between a harsh drive and a drive that feels like the tires have flat spots. One will just make you feel every hump in the roads while the other other (flat spots) will make the car wobbly or vibrate as if its unbalanced.

I find that if I let my TL sit in the garage for a few days without driving, the first 10 minutes I drive the car, it will be a bit wobbly and you can feel the flat spots but once they warm up, they do get better and the car rides perfectly.

I will say this though, I much prefer the Michelin (18 inches) than those Good Year RS-A. I know the Michelin are not the greatest or perfect but I have had about 3 or 4 cars back to back that had the RS-A as stock tires and I will walk away from a new car that has those stock tires...I hate them with a passion!

Acura2010

I've got the G37x sedan and a 2012 SH-AWD 6MT. Both are sports sedans, and if you think the SH-AWD is stiff, try the G37. The G37x is stiffer imo, the SH-AWD i find is perfect. My car is smooth as ever, and not jarring by any means over bumpy or imperfect roads. But this is a very subjective topic. What might be stiff for you, might be what someone prefers. And vice versa. I personally like the stiffness. THe only thing i wish my car had was a slightly stiffer steering response. I find the steering is too soft or has not enough resistance. The G on the other hand will actually make your hand tired from how stiff it is. Ok, i've gone a litle off topic, but those are my thoughts.

jmkenn0

I don't mind the stiff suspension (2012 6mt), and I believe the 6mt have a stiffer front suspension than even the SH-AWD Tech. It's definitely built with handling in mind more than comfort, however.

I thought the G37x wasn't necessarily stiffer, just a little "chattier" due to the smaller footprint of the car and weight distribution difference, at least on my test drives. I don't even concern myself when my TL's rear-end loses grip or gets bouncy, I didn't feel as comfortable in the Infiniti's.

FanaticFan

We got the SH-AWD with its 19" rims for the more sensitive, firmer suspension; I love it. It's going to be a bit noisier, with low profile tires.

A minor noise factor is definitely the Goodyear RS-As. They are noisy tires, period. Nature of the tread on the beast.

When the time comes, will probably replace them with Michelin Super Sports. Or even Bridgestone S-04s, those have the rare combined quality of being high-performance yet not very noisy (they're also just a summer tire, though).

DibbyD

I think you guys are probably right about the flat spot. The car I drove only had 10 miles on it, and with the number of TL's they have on the lot, it may have been sitting there for quite some time. And it did seem the worst as soon as I pulled out of the dealer's lot. I may have to drive another one that hasn't been sitting as long to see if it's any better.
Fortunately, I'm busy tonight with an extended test drive of the RDX! It's definitely a completely different beast, but very nice in its own right. It's going to be a tough decision...

BLEXV6

Exactly. I tried an ES350 and then the SH-AWD, and the latter was fare superior IMHO. I don#t mind the harshness at all. The Lexus was dead. If you want quiet and smooth, then the Lexus is for you.

weather

The other advantage with the Lexus is that there is plenty of trunk space to put the "shuffle board" sticks

PsychDoc

Hell, even the FWD TL is too stiff. My wife referred to it as the "mix-a-matic."

I now drive the 535xi and I can tell you that it's infinitely better over rough roads while still giving you excellent handling. The AWD TL is just ridiculously hard riding.

FanaticFan

Well, at least until the BMW starts falling apart really expensively 3 months from now.....

g37guy01

^^^^^ this. Of course bmws are designed to have a half life of 3 months toward self destruction.

Teddybear

BMW - Bavarian Money Waster.

BLEXV6

Hahaha

ostrich

I had a 2010 TL SH-AWD and now a 2012 TL SH-AWD. I did not find either to be harsh with its ride, but definitely the ride of the 2012 TL SH-AWD is much more refined than the 2010 TL SH-AWD. I guess everything is just relative. The TL SH-AWD may not be the perfect car for everyone but it's perfect for me :-)

FanaticFan

Ostrich: exactly.

I learned to drive on a BMW 2002 (the original! Ugly as all get-out and IMHO that hasn't improved.....), and first learned the fun of a firm ride then. Later in life have driven boats and in-between. TL SH-AWD is the right balance for me, which is to say it's the best car in the world.... for me.

PsychDoc

It really is a very fine car. But "best in world?" A bit of a stretch. It's built like a bank vault, it never breaks, has decent power and OK tech goodies. But it's just not in the same league as the F10 5 series. Having driven both for over a year each I think I can say that with some degree of authority.

The tech in the 5 is vastly superior, the ride is the perfect blend of comfort and handling and there's a feeling of quality in every tiny little feature that is just lacking in the TL. But you would expect that for $20k more. Throtle response is better in the TL. As is the nav system. The 5'er has a beautiful screen but that's where the fun ends. The routing is horrid and the display of traffic congestion is simply small grey triangles and doesn't really tell you much. Overall I'd give the BMW nav a D with the TL getting a B+. The gas mileage in the 5'er is simply amazing. I live in NYC and I'm averaging a bit over 22 mpg (in the 535, not the 528!) between city and highway. My average MPG in the FWD TL was about 20. Power in the 535 is really impressive. Easily in the low to mid 5's and the power on tap from lets say 30mph to 80mph is just incredible.

In over a year of ownership, the 535xi has been problem free and all I've been back to the dealer for is to replace a tire that picked up a nail. Dealers won't repair a run-flat tire. While there is some debate on the subject, the general consensus is that if the tire wasn't run for too long without at least 25 lbs of pressure and if the puncture isn't close to the sidewall, it can be repaired. So now I'm a little smarter the next time I pick up a nail or screw. In that instance I'm heading to a reputable tire shop...not the stealership. Oh well...live and learn.

g37guy01

I agree, the 2002 was ugly then and it's still ugly many years later, today.

Missjennijo

I just purchased a 2011 Acura TL with 50,000 miles and as soon as I got on interstate I noticed the shake with a harsh vibration in the gas pedal. It does feel like maybe there are flat spots of the tires or maybe one low on air. I did notice the air in my tires wasn't even on each tire so I fixed that hoping to solve the problem and it did not. I have had the car for 4 days and it is driving me crazy! I travel for work and spend a lot of time driving and can not deal with this if it is a vehicle characteristic! Any suggestions? Or should I take it to the dealer and demand a buy back?

jshaw

Well, the newer ones get adaptive suspension.

Smooth, comfortable ride when you want it, with a firm, sporty ride on demand.

EDIT: whoops, I didn't meant to pull up this thread from the dead, sorry

Mr Marco

Mr Marco

fify

jim_c

The tires from the factory are very hard; this helps the mfrs get the best gas mileage ratings. The tires the factory gets are not the same as aftermarket tires. This may be a small part of the answer.
Missjennijo, your car may have some brake service needs. In my experience used cars always need a proper brake service. When I got my 2010 TL I literally had to hammer the rusted old pads out of the back brakes caliper bracket. And the rotors were seized on the hubs all around. Yet the dealer said the brakes were fine and it passed a safety check required here. Yeah, right. Your tires also may be an issue if they are not new. (?) In any event, it would be appropriate for the seller to fix those issues for you.
FWIW, my car is fwd only so not the same as the complaints here for awd, but on smooth road mine is smooth as a baby's bum. As a "luxury" vehicle, the sh-awd cars should be smooth on smooth roads, oui?