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Got everything but the HFPCs bolted on tonight. It would have taken about an hour and a half if not for having to get creative connecting the intake to the airbox and all the other hoses and wires that no longer reached. This added an additional 2 hours and several trips to home depot. I'm surprised by how much more power it makes. Definitely much more fun to drive with all the extra torque. I look forward to seeing the difference the HFPCs make.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to find an AWD dyno so no before and after sheet.
It's a shame Acura doesn't put these parts on all their cars from the factory.
Thanks chupp for the inspiration! Definitely worthwhile mods!
Added this $5 silicone 3.5" to 3.25" reducer tube from China since the previous one was a total a hack job and too narrow. I don't love the red, but it was the only color left in stock.
Can you even feel a difference? The TL guys doing the swap see very little gains.
That's surprising. It added more power than I expected. Much quicker off the line and when passing on the highway. I actually had to get used to it so as not to accidentally chirp the tires when taking off, or giving passengers whiplash. I'm looking forward to seeing how much more power the HFPCs and Unorthodox pulley give it!
For the TL guys complaining, I'd be curious to know if they added the MDX and P2R spacers in addition to the SHAWD IM and TB.
My only complaint is the Check Emissions light came on a few days ago and it feels slightly rougher at idle. Wondering if it's running too rich or lean. I need to remove a spark plug and check.
any update to this build? still running smoothly?
did you end up installing a new intake or did you stay with the stock intake?
after driving my 2016 for 2 years now, im starting to fall out of love with it. id want to mod it but can't help but think that maybe that money would be better spent on another car....unless i can find a reason to dump more money into this
[QUOTE=johnnyytruong;16320918]any update to this build? still running smoothly?
did you end up installing a new intake or did you stay with the stock intake?
Yes sir. Extremely happy with the build and running smooth. It was running a tiny bit rough for the the first few days until the ECM got used to the new set up. Now it's fine. I got everything installed including the crank pulley and it's now very quick and a lot of fun to drive. I kept the stock airbox with a K&N drop in filter. The HFPCs gave it a noticeable boost in HP, not to mention an awesome sound.
The money and time spent were definitely worth it.
As unexpected benefit was the slightly better gas mileage I'm getting.
Yep - it went away after a couple days and hasn't come back
The next mod will be an ATPL jpipe. I just need to figure out which application most closely matches the RDX and will require the least amount of bending, cutting and welding to make it fit. From images, it looks like the 2008 Accord pipe is the one I need.
Can you even feel a difference? The TL guys doing the swap see very little gains.
it's a dollar to HP thing.
spend a few grand for just 15 extra ponies....
whereas on other platforms; a few grand will exponentially increase power.
the J-series platform is incredibly hard to extract power from.
I still have a 2006 TL equipped with a six speed manual tranny and I still enjoy modding it. and sure, the little parts do add up to increase power overall, like this gentleman has done with his RDX....
it's just the other platforms are mouth watering;
a $20k 2015 Mustang GT is looking pretty tempting.
MB C63 AMG for $20k too!
the J-series platform is incredibly hard to extract power from.
Yep, partly because Honda engines come from the factory relatively well tuned and unrestricted - at least compared to other manufacturers. A new TB on a chevy engine is like going from a straw to a fire hose, thus bigger gains.
I have tried to look over some of the websites to find which acura and honda vehicles came with the J3.7 engine. I have found that info, but what is lacking, is the engine number hidden in the vin identification , so that when I find a 3.7 engine in a pick and pull I will know what I am looking at. I can see going off a few bucks and making this happen and will be willing to do so, just thinking if I keep my eyes open I can find these little gems out in the real world for little amount of dough.
I have tried to look over some of the websites to find which acura and honda vehicles came with the J3.7 engine. I have found that info, but what is lacking, is the engine number hidden in the vin identification , so that when I find a 3.7 engine in a pick and pull I will know what I am looking at. I can see going off a few bucks and making this happen and will be willing to do so, just thinking if I keep my eyes open I can find these little gems out in the real world for little amount of dough.
Why not just do what I did and bolt a J37 intake and throttle body on to a J35? Unless you're planning to mod the engine outside of the bolt on stuff, the J35 makes essentially the same hp and torque. In fact the J35Y4 makes a bit more.
I would like to bolt the J37 intake and throttle body on my J35,,exactly what I want to do. Just want to find the parts at a pick and pull . Does any one know the engine digit code that is in the vin number for the J37 engine? There are 35 engines all over the place, jst need to know what I'm looking for when going to the yard to make sure I'm grabbing the correct intake and throttle body .
^modern day pick and pulls are pretty sophisticated....search for honda part number and have the junk yard ship it to your house.
my favorite website to search for used parts at pick and pulls is www.car-part.com
which scours pick and pulls ALL over the country for your part. you can even then narrow down the search to your zipcode.
additionally; junkyards have an online presence on ebay. as do dealerships.
remember, they are in the business of making money. it does no good to them to misrepresent parts. on further thinking; inventory and logistics have to be spot on! can't be slippin' in the parts business.
Last edited by justnspace; Oct 30, 2018 at 06:19 AM.
There is a pick and pull near by that I frequent from time to time. The cars and jacked up and ready for folks to come by and cannibalize. These cars are not touched afterwards except for the folks that come in and take what parts they want. How can I tell if it's a 3.7 intake from a 3.5 with it still on the car? That is what I'm trying to figure out. There should be a digit code in the vin telling if the car came with the 3.7,but I haven't been able to find that yet
Quick update on the project. The HFPCs and lightweight crank pulley have been on for a while with the expected good results. I've also begun testing for Ktuner. So far, just sending log data back and waiting for them to add the base maps. Even without a tune, the app looks cool on the dash and provides some useful data - like the fact that my alternator is about to die. I'm using a macro to turn the screen on and off when bluetooth is connected (which in turn turns it on and off with the ignition)
Also recently installed the S-VCM controller - which in my opinion is the best mod of all. VCM is garbage and ruins the driving experience on the RDX.
Next Monday I'll be installing an ATLP V2-R J-Pipe. It's the MDX pipe so I'm expecting it to require some modification to get it to fit.
After that it's the ported/polished intake runners and AEM V2 CAI I just picked up from Heeltoe.
Quick update on the project. The HFPCs and lightweight crank pulley have been on for a while with the expected good results. I've also begun testing for Ktuner. So far, just sending log data back and waiting for them to add the base maps. Even without a tune, the app looks cool on the dash and provides some useful data - like the fact that my alternator is about to die. I'm using a macro to turn the screen on and off when bluetooth is connected (which in turn turns it on and off with the ignition)
Also recently installed the S-VCM controller - which in my opinion is the best mod of all. VCM is garbage and ruins the driving experience on the RDX.
Next Monday I'll be installing an ATLP V2-R J-Pipe. It's the MDX pipe so I'm expecting it to require some modification to get it to fit.
After that it's the ported/polished intake runners and AEM V2 CAI I just picked up from Heeltoe.
Any negatives so far? Message/email us for follow up in about a week
Yep, not quite a bolt on, but simple enough. No negatives that won't be resolved once Ktuner comes through with the basemaps. Fuel trim and knock count have gone up a bit.
On a positive note, power and low RPM torque seem to be increasing ever day as the ECU learns the new config. Super fun to drive this beast. Driving to and from work has become my favorite part of the day.
What did you do about the secondary O2 in the forward bank?
Just plugged it into the forward RV6 precat. No CEL so far. Which reminds me. I do need to install a shield around the deleted cat before inspection time rolls around.
If not for the RV6 HFPCs, I would have had to weld a bung onto the pipe.
Next up is the ported/polished intake runners which arrived in the mail this morning. Not sure if I should match the upper intake and gaskets. I think I read somewhere that you actually want the upper intake ports to be slightly narrower. Thoughts?
If not for the RV6 HFPCs, I would have had to weld a bung onto the pipe.
Next up is the ported/polished intake runners which arrived in the mail this morning. Not sure if I should match the upper intake and gaskets. I think I read somewhere that you actually want the upper intake ports to be slightly narrower. Thoughts?
Match the intake and gasket to get the most out of the ported runners. Also the top opening should be larger to replicate the shape of a funnel/venturi.
Match the intake and gasket to get the most out of the ported runners. Also the top opening should be larger to replicate the shape of a funnel/venturi.
Is the idea behind the funnel to increase the speed of the airflow? I was thinking a larger opening at the bottom would increase fuel atomization and provide some back pressure.
Just got the intake runners off and found quite a lot of oily sludge. Anyone know if this is a normal amount of build up for an engine with 70K miles? The upper intake manifold is perfectly clean,
The polished lower intake made a noticeable increase in power and made the exhaust note a bit deeper.
Also got the AEM intake on today. No noticable power gains, but it sure sounds nice. It's running a little rich now. Working with a tuner to get MAF calibrated and timing dialed in. I'll post another update once the tune is done.
Here's a pic of the CAI. After the tune, I'll be putting some effort into making everything look a bit cleaner.
The polished lower intake made a noticeable increase in power and made the exhaust note a bit deeper.
Also got the AEM intake on today. No noticable power gains, but it sure sounds nice. It's running a little rich now. Working with a tuner to get MAF calibrated and timing dialed in. I'll post another update once the tune is done.
Here's a pic of the CAI. After the tune, I'll be putting some effort into making everything look a bit cleaner.
I know digging up an old thread, but searched all over and can't figure out how to get the front cat out. Everything is unbolted, the heat shields are off and out, but I can't for the life of me get the cat out. Any help greatly appreciated.
