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Over the past 6 ish months I've been collecting parts to mod my 11 RDX. I'm currently waiting on my ATLP exhaust which I'm slightly starting to get upset about as HeelToe told me it would be shipped out around the end of November, and yet I can't get a response as to an updated time frame. It's literally my last piece for this build, and as you all know, if you don't do it all at once with these cars, you don't do it at all.
Mods are the tried and true list aside from the intercooler, which I spent entirely way too much on but hey, I'm excited about the outcome anyway.
- CP-E intake
- DW 800cc injectors
- DW 300c fuel pump
- RV-6 down pipe with cat (I still need to pass emissions here in CO and I don't want to take it off and put the factory down pipe on every time I need to do emissions) also had a third O2 bung welded in for a wideband.
- ATLP exhaust (I'm going to take the single tips off and try and find a staggered dual tip to put in its place so it fits the rear bumper better)
- Completely custom front mount Treadstone intercooler with custom piping (with a port for factory emissions lines that run through the bottom of the blow off valve from the factory)
- TiAL 50mm blow off valve with 11 psi spring as that's what is recommended for these cars. Will still be recirculated
- AEM boost/vacuum and Wideband gauges mounted on top of the steering column (yes these do slightly impede the visibility of the speedometer, but I can still see absolutely everything else on the dash, and I can still see from 20 mph up to 140 mph and let's face it, 20-80 is were 99% of normal driving is)
- Tuning through E-tunez and Hondata FlashPro which I already received a tune from Steve a week ago so I'm 100% ready to flash when I have the parts on the car.
Next year I plan on doing some 19" wheels with a lower on BC coilovers but until then, this is where it stands.
I'm extremely happy with how the intercooler and piping came out so here's some pics of that. They are quick pics of before the blow off valve and boost sensor bungs are welded on. There's still a lot of airflow on the very front of the car and I'm not racing it so I'm truly not worried about its placement in the least bit. It's also roughly 80 cubic inches larger than the factory one so even the small amount that is slightly blocked by the crash beam won't hurt it in the least bit. I also removed my AC stuff as, call me crazy, but I never used it. The battery had to be rotated as well because I seriously didn't want to relocate it, so it's 100% custom battery tray done by the same guy who did the piping.
I'll try and update as I receive the last part and continue the tuning process.
Just received word that my exhaust will be shipped out next week some time. So hopefully around middle of December I'll be able to slap everything on.
hey Ken, the 300c fuel pump is sold as drop in, is there anything that might catch me off guard during install tho? Just trying to make sure all my t's are crossed so I have a smooth install on as much as possible.
LOVE to see modded RDX's, they are just the best at everything!!!
Thanks man! Again, I'm exceptionally happy with the intercooler piping, I really dig the Subaru look it has goin on under the hood. And this car has been nothing but amazing to me so I'm attempting to keep it as reliable with the mods as it has been the past two years.
Just received word that my exhaust will be shipped out next week some time. So hopefully around middle of December I'll be able to slap everything on.
hey Ken, the 300c fuel pump is sold as drop in, is there anything that might catch me off guard during install tho? Just trying to make sure all my t's are crossed so I have a smooth install on as much as possible.
Yes, the 300c is a drop in pump. Looks just like the factory one.
Wow, thats amazing! Any idea what kind of horsepower numbers that setup will produce?
There's a few people running around here with similar setups, and I believe it was somewhere around 280 to the wheels? I feel like a lot of it is in the tuning. Also, most people have the ETS top mount intercooler replacement and while it certainly is adequate for power, I *hope* my front mount yields a couple extra more ponies than the ETS unit is rated for.
Finally received my exhaust yesterday, thing is absolutely beautiful. I also went and picked up my downpipe as I got it ceramic coated by a local place here, it turned out amazing. And i also got the call that my intercooler piping is done at another powder coating place so I'll be going to get that likely tomorrow during lunch.
In all, I'm hoping I'll be throwing everything on on Monday as i am now 100% ready to go with parts and tune.
And the final product ladies and gents. 5 hours of straight work and she's running like a dream.
For those of you hesitant on E-tunez, I literally can't say any better words about Steve. All the mods being put on at once, I flashed the ECU with the base tune he sent me, held my breath, and she started up quicker than she did in stock form. No check engine lights, A/F showing 14.9 at idle right now, and running like an absolute dream.
All the parts fit amazingly, the 300c fuel pump couldn't be any more plug and play seriously. Plugged it in and had a coworker prime it just to make sure it would actually work, and absolutely no issues at all. Injectors were 100% drop in as well, no harnesses required. The biggest pain in the ass was getting the old downpipe/car out. That took an hour and a half on it's own. But otherwise, no real complaints at all.
I'll keep you all updated as the tune progresses, but until then I'm absolutely amazed at how everything came together.
Small update. First tune I received ended up producing a P0172 system rich code. Certainly didn't leave me stranded, but I didn't want to run the car for a long period of time running rich. I emailed Steve at E-Tunez and he was 100% with his response, pulled some fuel pressure and I assume some injector and other background wizardry, and gave me a new revision.
Car was running pretty good for as soft as I needed to drive it, no MIL, decent throttle response. Got a new log for Steve and sent it to him Saturday, and by Sunday evening he sent me revision #3. I flashed it but haven't driven it yet, figured I'd just get a new log with the errands I have to run tomorrow anyway.
As I already mentioned, Steve has been an absolute pleasure to work with through this process and he ensures me things are only going to get better from here.
Look awesome. Did you happen to upgrade the throttle body to the J35 or even J37 one? Interested on how really bolt on that modification is
I didn't upgrade the throttle body no, I actually haven't heard of the upgrade. But if it's a larger bore, I would assume unless the manifold is bored out to also fit it then it wouldn't help.
I kinda forgot to update everyone as well. I finished the tuning process about 3 weeks ago, maybe longer. Have had zero issues since the final tune. I had actually never taken it to redline until Steve at etunez required me to do so, and it just keeps pulling. Peak boost I believe is up to 17 PSI. Everything is still running absolutely flawlessly, and I don't plan on doing any other performance upgrades. I will likely do a couple other powder coated items, nothing too obnoxious, but otherwise, she stays as she sits.
Hey everyone, just checking in. I know whenever I seen a build thread, it's ever so common to get it done and then never to hear from them again.
The car is still running absolutely amazingly. I haven't had to reach out to Steve at Etunez since he last time I had to have him take a look at things and revise which was back in February 2019. I've had zero check engine lights, car starts up everytime and never leaves me stranded.
I haven't changed anything since the finished product. I've been working my way to get BC Coilovers and still struggling to find a wheel that I want to dive in to.
Otherwise, my little turd is rather quick and turns some heads for those actually paying attention because a modded SUV is so unexpected. If you have the money to do so, all the mods are extremely worth it!
Hi everyone, I decided to trade up and out of the RDX this past weekend, and so the mods are for sale as of this upcoming weekend.
I'll post up a classified ad on saturday with other pictures and specific prices, but getting word out there anyway to try and get the ball rolling. The list in the very first post is all up for grabs, with the exception of the boost gauge, and *possibly* the downpipe but not completely certain on that one yet.
Please keep in mind two things: one, I'm based in Colorado, and I'm happy to ship items so please understand I will add in a little cost for shipping. But that brings me to number two, I don't exactly know how quickly things will get shipped due to this virus stuff but I would keep you in the loop.
Holy hell, sorry guys my email never sent me anything saying everyone replied!
I traded in for a 2020 Lexus IS300 F-sport. She's pearl white with black interior, and an absolute stunner. Sure, with the current economy perhaps it wasn't the best time to get a new car, but my wife and I are doing pretty good, I was able to put some cash down so no rolling over the acura loan, so I'm happy with the situation.
Also, I did post up the exhaust and downpipe pieces in the classifieds, intake has been sold. If anyone is interested in the intercooler setup I would be happy to talk with you about it but please keep in mind that while the whole setup is there, it does require some other modification for actual fitment such as welding brackets on to the crash beam to bolt the intercooler to, removing the black grille insert inside of the bumper as the intercooler hits into it, etc. I just didn't know how much anyone would be interested but I am willing to sell it. Would come with the TiAL blowoff valve and a battery tray to rotate the battery.
11-29-2018, 09:45 AM
