2002 Acura CL tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 2002 Acura CL, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215/50R17 OEM | R17 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
Best all-season
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
all-season touring, UTQG 800, 80,000-mi warranty
Best budget
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
Lowest cost per mile in this size; UTQG 820
Best quiet
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
68 dB cabin noise (EU label); quietest in this size
Best winter
Bridgestone
Blizzak WS90
Dedicated winter (premium compound); ice/snow grip
See the best tires for the Acura CL, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Acura CL →
Compatible alternative sizes for 215/50R17
Sizes within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter safe-fit tolerance. Each row links to the size's own page.
| Alternative size | %Δ OD | Category | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
185/65R16 |
0.02% | winter narrower | Safe |
205/40R19 |
-0.03% | plus 2 | Safe |
235/35R19 |
0.05% | plus 2 | Safe |
195/55R17 |
-0.08% | winter narrower | Safe |
205/65R15 |
0.11% | alternative | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 215/50R17 upsize options. To check an arbitrary size pair, use the tire compatibility calculator.
Check a different size against this vehicle
Type any tire size below; we'll compute its overall-diameter delta against the OEM 215/50R17 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 235/40R18; one rim size up, -0.25% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 205/40R19; two rim sizes up, -0.03% OD change. Noticeable ride penalty, higher pothole risk, meaningful tire-cost premium.
Use the plus-size calculator to evaluate any rim step against the OEM size.
How to choose tires for the 2002 acura CL 3.2L-S
The 2002 Acura CL 3.2L-S ships from the factory on 215/50R17 tires mounted on R17 wheels. Only one approved fitment is documented for this model year, so replacement options should match the original size exactly unless a plus-size upgrade is being considered. The Compatible alternative sizes table above lists every safe substitution within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter tolerance.
Tire choice on the Acura CL comes down to three trade-offs that matter more than brand loyalty: load index (must equal or exceed the OEM number), speed rating (must match or exceed the placard), and UTQG treadwear (higher means longer life, lower usually means stickier rubber). Owners replacing factory tires with the same compound class, for example all-season for all-season, generally see no change in ride characteristics or fuel economy. Switching categories (performance summer to all-season touring, for example) is where the trade-offs show up at the contact patch.
For 2002 Acura CL 3.2L-S owners considering a plus-size upgrade, the safer option is a Plus-1 step (one rim size up with a 10-point aspect drop and ~10 mm of additional section width). Plus-2 is technically viable on this chassis if the alternative-sizes table lists a Plus-2 candidate within tolerance, but expect a meaningful ride-harshness penalty and a tire-cost premium of 30–60% per tire relative to the OEM fitment. For winter use the recommended pattern is one width step down (e.g. from a 235 to a 225) with the aspect ratio bumped up to preserve overall diameter; narrower tires apply higher contact pressure per square inch on snow, which translates directly into shorter braking distances. The plus-size calculator evaluates any specific rim step against this OEM size.
Before purchasing, verify the tire size on the driver-door placard of your specific 2002 Acura CL 3.2L-S, since trim levels and option packages can shift the original fitment from what is documented here. The placard reading is the authoritative source per FMVSS 110, and dealers will reference the placard rather than aftermarket catalogs when validating warranty claims.
NHTSA-reported issues for 2002 acura CL
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (8) · Sidewall (4) · Tread / Belt (3)
Reported across: 1997 – 2003 (5 years)
What owners described
Bubble or bulge in the tire appears in 50% of these reports; about 8.5× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 10 reports covering every model year of the Acura CL that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 50% | 6% | 8.5× |
| Sidewall failure | 40% | 15% | 2.7× |
| Tread or belt separation | 10% | 13% | 0.7× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 10% | 9% | 1.1× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 10% | 8% | 1.2× |
Mileage at failure
10 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 11,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 4,104 and 151,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Acura CL. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
B.F.GOODRICH REPLACEMENT TIRES, 11000 MILES, DOT#E40215129, MOUNTED 0N 1999, ACURA CL. WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING, HEARD A NOISE AND THEN FOUND OUT THAT NOISE CAME FROM FRONT LEFT TIRE THAT HAD EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE RIGHT SIDE HAD EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION.*AK
SECOND TIRE TO DEVELOP SIDEWALL BUBBLE UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS IN UNDER 6000 MILES. MICHELIN CONTACTED AND RESPONDED THAT "THIS IS NORMAL ROAD HAZARD." FAILED TIRES ARE NEW "LOW PROFILE" TIRES. PREVIOUS VEHICLES USED OVER THE SAME ROADS WITH HIGHER PROFILE TIRES DID NOT DEVELOP SIDEWALL BUBBLES WHEN SUBJECTED TO THE SAME DRIVING PATTERN. ARE THESE TIRES SAFE?
NO EVENT LEAD TO TIRE FAILURE. GOODYEAR ALLEGRA 185/65R15 WITH 23K MILES ON THEM. FOUND CRACK ON TIRE ON 12/21/05. PURCHASE AT SAM'S CLUB ON 03/09/03, SAM'S REPLACED TIRE. ON 12/30/05 FOUND FLAT ON DIFFERENT TIRE, NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. INFLATED TIRE AND CHECKED WITH SOAP. LEAKING ON SIDEWALL IN TWO PLACES NEAR RAISED LETTERING. CONTACTED GOODYEAR VIA E-MAIL TO COMPLAIN. TIRES APPEAR TO BE DEFECTIVE AND A HAZARD.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 ACURA CL. THE VEHICLE HAS MICHELIN AS SPORT TIRES (NA), SIZE 255/35ZR20 97Y. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE UNCONTROLLABLY. UPON RETURNING HOME, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TIRE TREAD WAS BECOMING WORN. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE NOT RECALLED. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED AND THE TIRES WERE NOT REPLACED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 151,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. UPDATED 11/6/08 *CN UPDATED 11/10/08.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
What size tires fit a 2002 Acura CL?
Can I run a different tire size on my 2002 Acura CL?
Where can I buy tires for my 2002 Acura CL?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 2002 Acura CL?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 2002 Acura CL?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 2002 Acura CL?
For broader tire questions; replacement timing, UTQG, EV-specific tires, winter swaps; see the tire FAQ.
Sources for this page
- Vehicle owner's manual tire & wheel placard; door-jamb placard on the Acura CL is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 2002 Acura CL.
- ETRTO 2024 Standards Manual §2.3; overall-diameter math used for the alternative-size verdicts above.
- Tire & Rim Association 2025 Yearbook; load-index to maximum-load reference.
Last verified 2026-09-02.