I know we've touched on this before, but switching back and forth almost daily between my TL and my RL really brings home the difference Acura has programmed into the throttle tip-in between the two cars.

The TL's more aggressive tip-in means that the car responds more to a small movement of the accelerator, so it 'leaps off the line' more athletically than the RL when given a like amount of throttle.

But dip farther into the RL's throttle when taking off from a stoplight and it will shove you back in the seat and leave the rest of the traffic in the dust. It just takes more "throttle push" than it does with the TL. And I'm sure that's done to make the RL feel more composed and refined, as befits its luxury car status.

But ... I have to wonder how much of a difference it would make in the perception of the RL's performance if it simply had the aggressive throttle tip-in the TL has. And I also wonder if the tip-in can be altered via the ECU (?)

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That's a really interesting point Mike. I had never really thought of it until I read it. Although I don't (nor have ever owned) a TL, my G35 coupe didn't take much push on the accelerator to give you a head chuck....

 

Hi Mike,

The computer geek in me is always wondering about the computer programming in the RL and since it 'is' drive by wire, there should be a place to modify the electronic signal of the pedal to match the TL. Are both potentiometer driven? You are right, that it does make sense that the primary driving experience would be more reserved, hence the less responsiveness to the initial pedal pressure.

 

I drove a friends RDX loaner yesterday and was quite impressed with the throttle response vs the RL. For the same amount of throttle input the RDX takes off more aggressively. I think the more 'unrefined' feel (vs the RL) makes you think it's quicker.

 

Excellent point, Mike. You do have to push that go-pedal a little harder on the RL to get that go-fast feeling vs. the TL. However, once you get that push in the seat of your pants and the tach rotates past 4k rpm, the RL feels a lot like the TL.

Sounds like you're making an argument for an RL-S.

 

Actually I'm very impressed by the almost total lack of wheelspin the RL has when you STOMP on the pedal from a dead stop. My issue is when you're moving and stomp on it....it acts like it's thinking......THEN goes.

 

I agree with lumpulus

 

yeah i don't like the delay when you stomp the gas while driving. I know most autos have a delay but on the RL it seems to be a bit longer than some others.

 

LOL. Maybe you're onto something with the RL Type-S ... more aggressive throttle response, A-Spec suspension, faster kickdowns for the tranny, plus about 25 more hp and you have a winner!

Lumpy and Chas - I think the transmission kickdowns are also computer-limited, so that could probably be reprogrammed fairly easily. I haven't personally had any issues with mine, but in all honesty, I do drive it a little more sedately than I do my TL.

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Just a fwiw, when I did the pulley on the RL I noticed immediately it sharpened the throttle response, not quite up to the RDX, but more like a TL.

 

I wholeheartedly agree throttle tip in has much impact on driving impressions.

Also a former TL owner, I concur the TL fealt more 'eager' off the line and overall more assertive in initial acceleration.

However, I found the TL auto tranny was not tuned to handle finessing the throttle. In situations such as stop and go traffic, the TL was difficult to maintain a slow speed momentum. Either it would lurch ahead more than I intended, requiring braking or if I feathered the throttle the tranny would lag then slam into 2nd. Similarly, hunting for parking spaces it would launch too agressively or do the sloppy shift thing. I usually just did the give-it-the-gas-then-coast thing. The throttle was too sensitive for all but moderate to aggressive throttling. But it appears to be the intent of the tuning to get that assertive feel off the line.

The RL is much more refined, and aside from more pedal pressure for spirted acceleration, it comes on strong, smooth and refined. I can finess the RL without jerky acceleration or clumsy tranny shifts. This attribute it much more to my tastes and I love the rush the RL is more than capable of delivering.

 

I like the RL-S idea, but I'd like a RL- IL even better; longer wheel base, larger back seat, V-8 engine, larger wheels.

We're dreaming though. Acura isn't marketing our vehicle much and sales are slow so they're not going to build a different type of RL unless they change their marketing strategy.

 

I agree that throttle tip-in makes a big difference in how a car feels. However, my experience is somewhat different from Mike's. My RL responds to a much lighter touch than my wife's M-B R350. Don't get me wrong, her car will get up and go but it takes stomping on the pedal. The folks over at http://www.benzworld.org are big on the Sprintbooster, an electronic modification for the drive-by-wire throttle that adjusts the pedal tip-in so that it responds instantly as if you have floored it. It is a wire harness that plugs in down under the dash right by the accelerator pedal. I haven't tried it yet but have been tempted. Cost is about $200 IIRC. You can get more information at http://sprintbooster.gr/en. It doesn't appear that they have one for the RL yet but perhaps they could if there was enough interest.

 

Thanks, Meteor - personally, I'm fine with the RL's tip-in. I guess my original point was that many people feel the RL is sluggish or lacking in oomph, but I think it's the initial throttle response as much as anything.

All you have to do to get the RL to really scoot is mash harder on the accelerator. But people get accustomed to giving a car a certain amount of gas and feeling a given amount of acceleration, and when they don't get what they expect they think the car is underpowered. But it's just the amount of tip-in response the mfr has programmed in.

The cars that always surprise me are Cadillacs. Even though they're marketed to old guys and real estate agents, GM for some reason sets them up with pretty abrupt tip-in. Avis used to always give me Deville rentals, and it was amusing to see that big hog spin the front wheels when I'd take off too aggressively from a light.

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I moved up to the RL from a TSX, and I even noticed that the RL needed a bit more pressure on the accellerator pedal, compared to the TSX's, to get a big acceleration going.

That said, I much prefer the RL's pedal, in that the TSX, similar to the above reports on the TL, tended to be a bit jumpy and sometimes it was hard to guage how much pedal to give to get a particular amount of accelleration. There were times I wanted even acceleration in my TSX and instead got not enough or a sudden jab of power, or even a little of both (start slow, then jab). This was not pleasant, particularly in a traffic jam with stop/go traffic.

I think the RL's pedal feels like it has a finer calibration than the TSX's. You can make a nice, stable, consistent accelleration in the RL.

As a total aside, I remember my stepdad's big red '76 Eldorado Convertible (known affectionally in the family as "Das Boot"). The gas pedal was so sensitive, you could just brush the gas pedal and 20 feet of Detriot Steel would start careening very quickly in whatever direction it was pointed. Very powerful car for its size, but it was not a pleasant car to drive unless you were cruising on the highway with the cruise control on. My stepdad sold it after nearly wrecking it a couple of times, as he felt that the car was dangerous in that regard.

 

The transmission does indeed seem to lag when it needs to downshift, such as when going around a corner. I use the manual mode as often as possible to avoid this. I hate automatics but I also got tired fo clutches...lesser of two evils I guess.