ELIN

Alex is always so detailed and on point!

At 10:16, he said the MDX has "self-sealing tires, not RFTs (no spare)". If they're not RFTs, what are they?!!!

fiatlux

Run-flats have stiffer sidewalls that allow you to drive on them even when you lose all pressure. As the name suggests, you can run on them even when they're flat.

Self-sealing tires have a layer of sealant on the inside that closes up the puncture so that the tire stays inflated. As the name suggests, they seal themselves.

Google is your friend

ELIN

Thanks!. I guess Acura didn't even want to bother providing the sealant canister and the compressor?

sonyfever

It is called performance weight saving, 0.0001s faster.

ELIN

OEM donut spare for older MDX - $165 on eBay (lugnut wrench/toolkit is additional)
OEM sealant and compressor kit - $90 on eBay
Self-sealing tire - customer will find out the cost on their own!

Is a self-sealing tire b/w the cost of a normal tire and RFT?

fiatlux

A regular Conti CrossContact RX is $352. A Conti CrossContract RX with ContiSeal is $368, so it's a scant 5% more. $64 more for a set of 4. Doesn't seem like a particularly big deal in the grand scheme of things

ELIN

Ok, good to know. Hope it’s a non-issue for most!

mvl

I saw a dealer post that the use case for self sealing is that you drive over a nail, it self seals, and you dont even notice. Then in your next oil change the dealer pulls out the nail, it self seals, and the the tire continues to work the rest of its life.

The contis have a 2yr road hazard warranty. I've had 3 replaced since the end of the pandemic with all the construction renovation catchups in the suburbs, so conti probably makes money with this tech via lower warranty claims.

ELIN

There must be a reason why RFTs still exist and self-sealing tires haven't taken over!

What's the major downside of self-sealing?

fiatlux

The only downside is that if there’s a big enough puncture or gash, it can’t self seal. It’s really no different from having a can of fix-a-flat in the trunk; the only difference is that it’s automatic.

The upside is that they’re cheaper than RFTs and doesn’t ride like ass since it doesn’t need a super stiff sidewall like RFTs do. Since I have AAA and I don’t live in BFE, the first thing I do is replace my RFTs because I can’t stand how they drive. You might be hunting for a reason to poopoo Acura for using self-sealing rather RFTs, but this is one area where they win over BMWs love affair with RFTs. But thankfully, even BMW is now moving away from RFTs. There’s no shortage of threads on Bimmerpost complaining about RFTs over the past two decades.

ELIN

Followup question: if these are so good for customers, why weren’t these offered when Acura stopped providing the spare tire but included the compressor and sealant instead?

fiatlux

Because they didn’t exist.

ELIN

It existed when the ‘21 TLX came out.

This guide claims tech existed since the 70s:

https://www.rematiptop.com/assets/tech/trm/Reference/REMA-TIP-TOP-Self-Sealing-Tires-Repair-Guide.pdf

https://www.moderntiredealer.com/sup...ght-2019-06-13

According to the article, self-sealing can’t be plugged/patched like a regular tire.

fiatlux

OK you win, BMW RFTs are the best, and everything everyone else does it obviously inferior. That's what your rhetorical questions were looking for, isn't it?

And for the record, that is not at all what the article says. The article says a plug by itself, or a patch by itself, is not adequete for ANY tires. There's nothing special about self-sealing tires in regards to repairs like that. If you actually look at the source (which is now gone), it's a general reference for all tires: https://web.archive.org/web/20221129...ce/tire-repair

And for the point a bout it existing 50 years ago...sure, the tech did, but no tire manufacturer has produced these type of tires until recently. Michelin only recently started producing their Selfseal range of tires a few years ago, and Conti followed suit with ContiSeal shortly thereafter.

ELIN

I didn’t even mention BMW when I brought up RFTs and self-sealing tires. I’m just learning about them like everyone else.

Had a bad day?

fiatlux

I can read between the lines. We all know you’re a BMW-phile and BMW has been one of the biggest proponents of RFTs in the past two decades.

ELIN

Not sure where all this hostility is coming from as we have often supported each other's points more often than not.
I had considered you fairly objective and not an Acura fanboy. Apparently you have lumped me in to the BMW fanboy crowd (hard to claim that being on my first BMW) and have catered to the haters.

This is disappointing to read but life goes on! You do you!

Tony Pac

I watched a few more videos of 2025 and everyone is hyping the B&O. I really hope it doesn't disappoint. I know Acura wants to make their cars more upscale and say we have B&O but ELS is so amazing that B&O will have a hard time to make the buyers happy Let's see!

ELIN

+1

The ELS Studio system is a tough act to follow! The B&O system has to be better than decent to maintain Acura's heritage of audio!

DJ Iceman

This is one of my absolute #1 concerns with waiting for a 2025 MDX. Sound quality is very important to me, and the ELS system in my ZDX is incredible. Reviews of the ELS signature system in the MDX-S have been overwhelmingly positive, and while I haven't heard it myself I do have high hopes. I've owned B&O home audio systems, and they were spectacular yet pricey. Unless Acura is paying a lot more for true B&O performance (and passing those costs on to the buyers), my fear is that they are trading actual audio performance for a brand name.

igor74

First off, Bang & Olufsen car audio isn't associated with Bang & Olufsen home audio. It's one of the brands owned by Harman International, recently acquired by Samsung.
Harmon sells systems under a number of high-end names to various auto manufacturers. The higher end ELS systems were Panasonic based, but they've now aligning their products with the Klipsch speaker brand.

The question is, would Acura sacrifice their ELS reputation to go with a cheaper system from Harman? I don't think they would, IMO. The thing I notice is that while many B&O systems have the stylized B&O logo on them, Acura is spelling Bang and Olufsen out on their speakers grills, and the A pillar tweeters do appear to employ B&O acoustic lens design. So, I don't think the system they're installing is on the low end. The hitch may be in the audio settings aspect, that uses a predetermined set of 4 sound "designs" that have some level of customization by mix and match adjustments between those 4 designs. Some may like that some may not.

I do have a feeling that the change to B&O may have something to do with the switch to a touch screen and Google Auto as the underlying infotainment base system. I guess we find out in couple weeks when the 2025's start hitting the dealers' lots.

Legend2TL

https://corporate.bang-olufsen.com/e...ers/automotive

B&O car audio are part of the coporate B&O

igor74

I beg to differ. B&O may be involved with the development, but they no longer control the car audio business.

HARMAN Completes Acquisition of Bang & Olufsen’s Automotive Audio Business | HARMAN

WasabiPeas

I do find it rather interesting that Acura would dump ELS, which is made by Panasonic (a Japanese company), and then decide to go with a Korean company (Samsung). There's a reason why Samung phones, and most other Samsung products, aren't popular in Japan. I'm sure the reverse is true in Korea as well. I just find it very odd that Acura would do this. Is there a Japanese (Honda) version of the MDX? I would be amazed if they also are going to get rid of the ELS systems from the Japanese domestic market. I doubt it.

igor74

The MDX has no equivalent in Japan.
Honda America makes the decisions here.
Harman is a significant presence in the automotive infotainment market. They may have offered a better proposal to Acura. Only the management knows why they changed.