So we were just at the Courtesy Acura dealership today taking the RL in for service and walked around to look at some new cars. They had a brand new 2013 MDX that had an aftermarket wheel/tire package "upgrade" installed by the dealer. 22" Lorenzo WL027's and 265/35/22 Falken STZ-04's. This "upgrade" was a $4k option on the sticker price. WTF? Doing a quick search I found that those wheels can be had brand new for around $1300. The new version of those tires, the STZ-05, cost about $700. That's $2,000 worth of wheels and tires at a 200% premium. Now consider this, the original Acura wheels that came with that car cost about $1800 and the original Michelin tires about $1200. So they removed a $3k wheel/tire package, replaced it with a $2k wheel/tire package and charge the consumer $4k. In my book, that's a $5k loss to whomever buys that car. What kind of BS is that?
Rip-off alert aside, those particular tires also fall short of the OE tire load requirements, (102 vs 105). I feel sorry for the person that walks in and buys that vehicle. They will be in for a world of problems down the road. Bent wheels, poor winter traction, sidewall torque cracking from overloading, finish issues that come with cheap aftermarket wheels, etc.
Rip-off alert aside, those particular tires also fall short of the OE tire load requirements, (102 vs 105). I feel sorry for the person that walks in and buys that vehicle. They will be in for a world of problems down the road. Bent wheels, poor winter traction, sidewall torque cracking from overloading, finish issues that come with cheap aftermarket wheels, etc.