tyrenith548

Hey guys im pretty new to this forum but ive been researching and alot of you guys have alot of information on our car and its great....i was wondering(which im sure this has been asked multiple times) if anyone has does some serious performance upgrades or even minor to the 2G RL and gotten some decent changes despite the weight etc? Headers? Supercharger?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

short answer; no.

long answer; you could do simple bolt ons but would not make your car any more faster.
the best free mods would be to shed some weight from the car.

if you're going to mod her, mod her for the enjoyment of adding parts that marginally increase the speed.
in other words, mod the car for what you think it needs, NOT for the sole purpose of getting faster.

the comptech supercharger is weak for what it is.
you would be better off turbocharging the J35 putting down 400 horsies through all 4 wheels.

TonyCD

There was a thread here a couple years ago where a guy plunked down $8k and got a very slick, professionally installed supercharger mod in exchange.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...charger&page=1

The horsepower gains sounded anything but anemic to me. The guy dyno'd the car and posted the results, and he was getting 45 extra horsepower measured at the wheels (the more conservative way of rating it), even with only 2.5 pounds of boost and without any need to end-run emissions regulations.

The cool thing about the mod is that it so well suited the car. The RL's chassis and brakes can easily handle the extra power comfortably and safely. It played nice with the engine electronics, so it still was emissions-legal. You'd have to remove some plumbing every time you changed the battery, but that was the only real inconvenience.

Unfortunately, short of this rather major surgery, the short answer is correct. You can't chip-tune this thing or any other power-improving mods of that sort. You can remove one of the catalysts (by replacing the Y-pipe or somesuch -- there's a thread about it), but the power gains are rather small and then you're not smog-legal anymore, which is not only socially irresponsible but a practical inconvenience I wouldn't pay to have.

Iakonafuji

iTrader: (1)

With motivation and a lot of funds, and even more funds than you thought you needed, and lastly, more funds for the funds you thought you needed, but realized you needed more, then anything can be done with the J-series.

First, for bolt-ons you have the following options:
: Cold Air/Short Ram Intake- Takeda SRI
: J-Pipe- RV6
: Exhaust- Amuse, Mugen, Fujitsubo, Tanabe, and 5Zigen
: Cat Delete: High Flow Cats vs PCD, both by RV6

There are other potential bolt-ons like a UR lightweight pulley, and then we get into an realm that most RL owners haven't ventured into, and that is heavy J-block modification.

Many people have built J-turbos but they are running AEM or equivalent standalone ecu's which I doubt is a sacrifice you'd want to make on a luxury car to get more ponies out of it. For now, my most feasible option for more power is the CT supercharger which was installed on the KB1 and I still have to research if it will be a good fit for the KB2.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

in short, that supercharger isnt very efficient for the 3.5l engine.
I wouldnt install it, unless i had extensive head+cam work+internals, etc. etc.

by that time, it would just be better to go turbo.
there are kits available and some very good fabricators/installers on these boards.

Karol

What bothers me about the car performance wise is the lack of pick up from idle, once you go over 4k car starts to pick up but the red line is right there So addressing low end torque would yield good results.
Second thing that bothers me performance wise is the understeer. would have to address this with geometry, suspension and tire pressure. But since I live in the US I dont turn all that much

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

unfortunately for you, this engine is engineered to have peak torque at 6k RPM.
this means you'll always need to be in vtec to have any kind of torque.

I have a 2006 6MT TL. i can achieve instant torque on command, but it ALWAYS comes in up high.
I have also Modded my TL.
basic bolt on's just shift the power band HIGHER. which means, you'll get more torque down low and at daily driving city needs, but where it really shines is up top.

the biggest and best mods for this platform is weight reduction.
light weight wheels do wonders.


also, Since I have a FWD 6MT I have MORE understeer than you. because I have more power going to the front wheels, while you are AWD.
the best mod that I have found that cures the understeer is tires.
slap on a better tire and I bet you will not hit that understeering limit.

oo7spy

Buy a sports car.

tyrenith548

alot of good information and feedback, thank you guys....i was just curious since this is the current car that i own at the moment so im not planning on getting anything right now. Just wanted good info on what i can possibly do and what to expect or what route is not really worth etc. I figured weight reduction was really the real way to get something out of it but for now im planning on going Takeda SRI, headers and possible Mugen exhaust in the near future. I just want good sound and a little performance which is going to be a minimal upgrade on our car as ive been told but its all good....turbo idk all about that lol but sounds fun

oo7spy

There are no headers for the RL, and Takeda SRI will actually decrease performance. The SRI is really only good for sound. The stock intake is tuned very well and is a CAI from the factory. The best you can do is decrease flow resistance while keeping it CAI. A SRI will draw in hot air, but it sounds amazing.

Your best performance mods are:
- j-pipe
- PCD/hi-flow cats
- cat back
- CAI
- light weight pulley (don't undersize/under drive)

If you can get these 5 areas covered, I would estimate an added 20-30 WHP.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

yeah, dont get that short ram intake.
you'll just be hurting performance...

and spy pretty much hit in on the head. however, dont even expect 30hp! lol
weight loss would be best for acceleration, handling and braking because its free.

I pretty much BOLTED on my TL and it's barely 30hp faster.
and those bolt on's were pretty pricey. i must have spent at least 5 grand....

oo7spy

We have empirical proof from two sources that show the AEM CAI and 5Zigen cat-back combo alone will add 12 whp to the RL. I know the j-pipe is worth the money, and the PCDs are sold for a reason. With the j-pipe, PCD, and drive pulley, I would be shocked if it was less than 8 whp. That's why I gave a range.

oo7spy

Just as a general source on the topic, here is a great comprehensive list of potential mods to your Honda. The specifics apply to the 4G TL, but the general idea can usually at least be transferred if the exact options aren't available.

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-performance-parts-modifications-295/pseudos-guide-adding-power-your-4g-854092/

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^wasnt trying to take away on anything you said; just the dollar to power ratio isnt very great.
in retrospect, keeping ahead of a camry isnt much of a feat.
enjoy the car and mod for the fun of it!

getakey

understeeer? not with SH-AWD engaged. get on the gas in the corner

oo7spy

Agreed, but this thread didn't set a premise of being logical, just better.
The Rav4 V6 0-60 and 1/4 mile time are VERY close to the RL. A little too close.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i have trouble with pilots 0-60mph.
they're neck in neck and only once I hit vtec in third gear is when i pull.
or is that when the aerodynamics kick in?

BDoggPrelude

A weight reduction attempt on an RL is pointless. What are you going to do? Gut the interior? Remove the AWD system? By then, you may as well sell the RL and buy a cheaper and better platform for modding. If you take out all of the luxuries what's the point in owning an RL? You could've spent far less money and bought a WRX that will do a billion miles an hour with relatively inexpensive mods. Just my .

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^ive mildly weight reduced my TL and none of my luxury features were taken out.
you can have both my friend.

Dont shoot down the idea just because it doesnt conform to your ideas and standards.
it's not pointless.

rotating mass is one of the BIGGEST things you can lose.
wheels and rotors will DO WONDERS FOR THE CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
better acceleration, better braking, better handling ALL from changing out the wheels

tyrenith548

wow the stock intake is a CAI? and really theres no headers for the RL? O_____O

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

there are no headers because the heads are cast in the block. a catalytic converter comes right off the heads.

we replace the catalytic converter with straight pipes, or other wise known as pre-cat-deletes or PCDs
which can be found here http://rv6-p.com/

oo7spy

This. They are part of the exhaust manifold.

As for the stock intake, it comes off of the filter box and snakes down under the battery shelf, comes up between the battery and headlight, and has an inlet at the edge of the hood to capture air. Like I said, you can change this routing and the resonator to eliminate some flow restrictions, but you can't get much colder air.

db22

If you want a fast sports sedan then there are plenty to choose from and some are even conducive to mod for more power but the RL is the wrong car to start from. As has been previously said, the dollar to power ratio is too high. The RL is a Japanese luxury boat.

Don't buy an F150 and try and make a 2 seater sports car or don't buy an RL and try to make a sports sedan.

tyrenith548

Where to get a Takeda SRI? anyone know any decent sites?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^dont.

short ram sucks!
these J-series engines hate heat.


save your money.

do the free intake resonator removal to get more sound

BDoggPrelude

How did I miss this reply? Justin, I'm one of the absolute last people on this forum that you need to preach anything having to do with wheels, tires or racing to. I have more experience in these areas than you could ever believe.

You actually missed one of the biggest things that lightweight wheels to for a car, they reduce unsprung mass. This actually makes more of a difference than the reduction in rotating mass. That said, when people talk about reducing the weight of a car, you and I both know they are typically referring to reducing curb weight, not unsprung and/or rotating mass.

As for lightweight wheels, I think you also don't quite realize just how heavy any wheel/tire assembly for the RL is. I have had many different wheel and tire setups for my car since I bought it 3 years ago, (6 different combinations to be exact). Nearly a 10lb per corner difference from the heaviest to the lightest setup. None have made a very noticeable difference in the overall feeling of the car beyond the differences in tires, (width, sidewall, traction properties).

Also, the heavier a car gets, the smaller the return in performance on a lightweight wheel setup becomes. On a two ton barge the like RL, the difference actually becomes quite negligible. Unless you are going to fork out BIG money for some ultra lightweight forged wheels, a lightweight wheel is not going to make that much of a difference on the RL and even then, I doubt the increase in performance would could be measured by anything other than an accurate stopwatch that goes two or three digits past the decimal point.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

just trying to steer the OP in the right direction, it was more for his benefit.

Good morning, btw!

tyrenith548

Thanks Justin i appreciate your input but i would like an SRI for sound purposes...as most of the guys have been saying theres not much you can do to the RL regarding performance mods that will actually make a difference so i honestly believe id be wasting my money getting an CAI, so i rather go the cosmetic and sound route when it comes to my RL. So im definitely interested in an SRI for that same reason but once again thank you for your input man

db22

So the conclusion is that you cannot make it go faster, you can only make it sound like it does! (I almost forgot: man)

oo7spy

You can delete or modify the resonator and keep the performance unchanged.

MyKL

You can choose my way
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/turbo-honda-legend-kb1-2007-acura-rl-2005-a-902943/

tlmaster1

Just do everything I did and u'll be happy every time vtec kicks in.

tyrenith548

short ram, magnaflow mufflers, rv6 j pipe, and rv6 hfpc?

BDoggPrelude

I would skip the short ram. The RL already has a decent cold air intake from the factory.

tlmaster1

you might be right, but the sound is awesome, and it makes a sucking sound everytime it up shifts. and plus if u do all the exhaust work makes sense to do the intake.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i'll echo the sentiments, again. lol

skip the short ram.
you'll be hurting performance so bad for measly sound.

might as well send me 300 dollars, and I'll instruct you on how to take out the intake resonator.
I take paypal.