I am currently in the market for a new vehicle. I am considering either a sport sedan like the new TL-S or a small SUV like the RDX. I currently own a 2002 TL-S and she has served me well over the years but at almost 100K on the odometer I may want to retire her soon.

Now, I am not sold on only considering the Acura line of cars. Although I do think Honda/Acura make some of the best cars out there for the money. I have looked at the Infiniti G35 and am anxiously waiting for the EX SUV to come out with its' 290 hp engine.

I know there are great deals to be had on the 2007 models now. But, I could easily hold off till the 2008 model years start getting discounted after the winter/spring.

Okay, on to my question. Have any RDX owners performed performance modifications to their cars? For example, exhaust, intake, suspension, turbo modifications, etc. It would seem with a turbocharged engine, there would be some company somewhere that makes a boost controller that would work with the Acura system, or an improved air intake/exhaust system that would work with the RDX. The car has some spunk and at full boil can probably run with my older TL-S. I am not looking to race it, but another 25+ HP and similar gains in torque would just make the car an even greater joy to drive probably.

I have gone ahead and contacted some performance aftermarket tuners to see if they will be developing any parts/applications for the RDX. I contacted Hondata about ECU tuning, and maybe turning up the boost- no luck there yet. I contacted Turbonetics about turbo modifications- have not heard back from them yet. And I contacted an editor of the readers mail section of TURBO magazine- he stated there may be some items on the way but needed to do his research first. He did mention that all the internal mod parts for the TSX would work on the RDX. But, I am not sure about doing anything internal as that would easily void the warranty on the powertrain. An exhaust or air intake usually is a safer bet.

Lastly, have any of you actually taken your RDX to the drag strip and run some quarter mile times? Motor Trend says a mid 6 second 0-60 and low 15 sec. quarter mile. But, I wanted to know some real world testing data from normal drivers.

Your input, thoughts and ideas are welcome. Comment away.

T

 

A few weeks ago, there was a tuner shop in Beltsville, MD that tried to develop a cold air intake for the RDX. There were a lot interests on the forum but the moderator closed the thread until they can work out an agreement (becoming a sponsor).

Here is link:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...?t=1435&page=3

Just a bit of advice: The RDX is an excellent CUV/SUV but if performance sedan (such as G35) is what you're looking for, then it's probably not for you.

 

i just beat a tsx(exhaust/intake) yesterday by 1 car(rolling start 30/km)

 

<yawn>

 

Is Acura being built for kids these days? Is the world all about "more horsepower"?

 

I dont know if I would go so far as to say that "Acuras are being built for kids" BUT, you have to understand that Honda makes Acura and they have a vivid past of high revving and extremly modifiable engines.Thats where you get all the kids from. But Acura has done a good job of trying to weed out the kiddies ie. discontinuing the RSX and making the entry level Acura the TSX a 4 door (kids hate 4 doors) and also improving the Civic Si on the Honda side. Now with all that said Hondas/Acuras are fun to drive and have a tuners side to them (more so than Lexus, and Infiniti I feel). If a young man or woman can afford an Acura what is the big deal if they want more horsepower... Live and let live

 

Look at the bimmer forums. Having more taste for horsepower doesn't mean that majority of people are a bunch of kids. It's a hobby and being a car enthusiast.

 

A nicely tuned exhuast from a reputable manufacturer would be nice. A tone that will provide a deep, throaty tone, much like the FXs would be sick.

 

Has anyone out there gotten a mbc yet? I'm considering this along with perhaps freeing up the exhaust so I was just wondering ...