Wow - 2012 TL FWD Advance only 11K Miles!
 

Hey All!
Feel like I test drove a bit of a unicorn today! 2012 FWD Advance Pkg TL with only 11K miles on it! Garage kept and basically pristine.....the car rides on 18" wheels with this kit and coming from my 3rd gen with new factory suspension It felt to me like the ride was a bit harsh - especially on crummy sections of road. Has anyone tried a dialed in coilover setup to give the 4th gen a bit more ride compliance? Figured I'd ask all of you 4th gen vets to get your opinion. Was thinking of taking the car as it is virtually brand new, but would likely want to change up the road feel on it if possible. Thanks for your thoughts!!

Have it checked first. Having low mileage may mean it's only had one oil change in it's life, things like that. It will probably need tires soon because of age deterioration. Things like that.


Being a 2012 it's probably a good buy, assess and decide!

A set of Tein Street Advance will take care of the harsh ride, it will give you the option to adjust the ride to your likeness.
Coming from someone who owns a 2010 with 22k Miles.

Thanks very much! Checked into the Teins and they look promising. If i'm understanding it correctly, the top adjuster does both compression and rebound damping together at the same time? Is there a large difference in feel over the whole adjustment range?

Tiens sucks do not buy!

The 4G TL does have a significantly stiffer ride than the 3G stock-to-stock. I'm surprised at how much they stiffened it up compared to the previous gen. It sort of took the luxury out of it. It rides much more like a sports car than a true luxury car. Coils can obviously help with that. I personally like the firmer ride (and cornering) which is why I haven't installed coils. On my 3G, I installed coils specifically to mitigate the body roll since it was way to soft for my taste. But if you're looking for a bit more comfort there are a few options. I'm not terribly familiar with all of them but the Tein's seem good. They've definitely got mixed reviews from some however. Like agd177 for example.....

LOL this is the very first negative comment ive heard about the TEIN SA coilovers. I can only remember seeing positive comments about them. This guy probably recommends Form and Function coilovers instead...

Seriously though ive really enjoyed my TEIN coilovers. Everyone who actually has them will recommend them. Theres a huge difference with the 16 way dampening. You can go significantly softer or stiffer than stock.

@losiglow do you have the sh awd ? I did the tein AS it wasn't as stiff as the factory but definitely softer ... so i got new factory struts definitely better for cornering (car stays flat) and more steering feedback

No, I only have FWD.

I experienced the same thing with new OEM struts. I replaced mine at about 140K or so which helped, since the old ones were getting a bit "lazy". And yeah, I notice the same thing, even without SH-AWD. The car tends to stay considerably flatter (less body roll) during cornering.

With SH-AWD you have the outer rear wheel pushing you through the turn, which would mitigate body roll even more. But even with only FWD it's much better handling than my 3G with stock coils.

Thanks everyone for your input. This forum is truly an amazing place - the wealth of experience here is stellar! Going to weigh options today and make a choice. The 2012 is tough to pass up because it is literally new and fully optioned, but I must admit I still love my 3G as well and just renovated the whole front end on it and it feels great! Tough decision........would love to just keep both :yum:

Any modifications needed to fit the Teins or are they straight compatible? Thanks!

2009 Acura TL
 

Yes, I believe so. They're pretty well plug and play. Just make sure you order the ones specific to the car.

You should post this in the "problems and fixes" forum. You may have to take it to the dealer for some sort of reset.

I understand your pain i had the same decision to make when i trade my 2004 Tl for 2009 Tl the 4g is a big improvement if you love the 3g so much .. you'll love the 4g even more.. the 3g front suspension always give problems i personally think is too much power for just fwd

I just picked up a 12 Tl with 62k last month and yeah definitely a harsher ride compared to my previous 07 maxima which really took rough roads pretty well. I won't complain though because the engine and tranny much stronger than the crappy cvt. When do you all change your struts out, 100-125K that's when I did my maxima at 120k.

Depends. In my experience, Nissans blow struts a lot. Change them when they wear. Don't worry about it early.

My mom buys a car and then continues to drive after 8 years, then you have a car with like 11 or 20k miles on that never was maintaIned like her current Corolla with 88miles and she still has not changed then oil - even though I tell her to run it bi weekly and do the timed maintained.