Have a 2006 RL that does not accelerate quickly from a stop, the air filter is new and. It feels like it won’t downshift when you accelerate.
Any suggestion would be appreciated!
Thank you.

 

The RL is not a fast automobile.

I am not sure what you are used to but the RL does not accelerate fast. Don't be confuse the car has good power but you have to account for the weight and AWD

 

How many miles do you have?
Did you service the transmission & awd at the recommended service intervals?
91-93 octane gas?
tire pressure set to ~36 psi?

also have you compression & carbon buildup checked

 

as my man blazn said you may just be expecting too much out of the car...it is rated for 300hp but only makes 265 or so to the wheels, factor in the 4000 sum odd lbs it can feel a bit sluggish...

 

Are you asking for a diagnosis of the car's change in performance or you perception of the car's performance?

Have you had the RL awhile and it now has changed in acceleration behavior? Or are you new to the car and you perceive it as poor acceleration.

To the former, that likely needs mechanical analysis.

To the latter, the RL is not a slow car, nor is it the fastest. It is relative to your expectations and comparisons. Many project a sluggish perception upon this car which is tuned for a very smooth, serene and progressive power delivery. That can mislead many to believing it is a slow car when in fact a <7 second 0-60 is admirable to most anyone who does not get into penis envy over tenths of a second for a luxo/sport sedan.

Tuning the same car, with same performance metrics by simply altering tranny shift points, throttle tip in and exhaust note will easily convince the same 1/10 second jockeys into believeing it is faster, when it may be metrically identical.

 

this is true the car is not tuned to our expectations but has the capabilities of being a very capable sedan....with the proper tune and suspension I think many would be surprised what sh awd can actually do....

and after you drive it for a while you definitely get used to it.... if you drive a "regular" car for a few days and hop back in the RL it will all come alive again haha

 

The rl is as my friends call it a luxo-cruiser. Take off is a little bit calmer and less violent than other vehicles but once your rolling floor it a bit and it flies. Reason why it also feels slow is because it's not fast either, its competing against lighter vehicles with v8 engines that can take off in less than 6 seconds. Ive heard the newer 2009 refresh has been reworked a little to have a much livelier acceleration.

 

The Solution to your problems- You wont be sorry unless you do not hold onto the Steering wheel with Both Hands.
Dyno and Pixs already posted.

Acura RL 2006- SuperCharger, ASPEC Suspension and Upgraded Breaks(Slotted Rotors, steel Brake lines and aggressive pads)

Almost a Year later:

The Modifications were well worth it.
The Supercharged RL with ASPEC Suspension and upgraded brakes is a blast to drive.
It takes a few months for the computer too really figure out how to use the Supercharger.
There is a definite change in the power of the engine when the SC is installed and it just keeps getting better the more you drive it.
I am sure the Dyno readings will be much higher, the car feels much faster than when I the SC was first installed.
Imagine, if Acura did a Factory installed supercharger.
My Gas mileage is unchanged @ 17 MPG.
The RL is a nice family car- My RL is a fair competition for a BMW 550 or an Audi 8 Cylander car.
An RL is definitely less costly to maintain.
A Cost effective solution.
The Car has the correct proportions of performance and reliability.
Best Wishes All.

 

i wish I had the $ to supercharge but I bet driving that everyday is a blast post a video at WOT I wanna hear that thing whine

 

If you have done regular maintenance then performance should be fine. The RL is just slow and your used to it now.

 

call me crazy but I don't think is mine slow...

I mean, is G35 coupe slow (the older one), is the S500 slow?

How about the 3G TL?

I can keep up with those...

Granted I have an 09 with a short ram, pulley, and lighter rims, but I don't think they're doing very much for power.

 

I have the 3.7 in an MDX and a 3.5 in an RL and I think that the 3.7 is significantly better. Does anyone have stats on the RL 0-60 for 3.5 vs. 3.7?

 

I think the quoted stats by car sites aren't showing any improvement at all.

If you feel the 3.7 in the MDX is faster...RL should definitely win with lower weight.

I have a video going head to head against a TL-S stock and I feel that it wasn't significantly slower.

What I do notice is that power is not immediate when starting up, there's a slight hesitation before it goes.

I wonder if SH-AWD takes .25 seconds to figure out where to send power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG7UWXVBMYM

 

I didn't say the MDX was faster, I said the 3.7 was "better". I have never driven an RL with 3.7 but if my MDX is a comparison then your 3.7 RL should be faster off the line and mid-range torque. I just realized something, The MDX has a 6 speed - that could be some of the advantage?

 

man...everyone's got the 6 speed now...mdx, zdx

 

That's not keeping up that's getting walked HARD he is already one car length to 60 and would increase distance at least another car on top end. Look the RL is slow its a 15 second car period. My tsx or even my mdx is in more your league. You got this car for lux not speed. I got my TSX for lux and some economy not speed.

 

How about win ......he is speaking of gearing not a manual shifter on an SUV.

The 10 MDX has a 6 speed gear box and would give you a run for your money.

 

Back on topic maybe try seafom or an gas additive to break up some carbon build up if you have it.

 

have a 2005 Acura RL 165k miles that I've had for about a year now, lately I have been noticing that the acceleration is very sluggish. The car accelerates nowhere near as fast as it used to, the normal 0-60 for these cars are around 7 secs, My car takes around
8 1/2 seconds to reach 60. This is insane! I have replaced spark plugs, what could this be?

 

it's hot out man....
hotter air is less dense...which means you get less air molecules pushing through the engine.
there are also tons of sensors and when they read hot temps. they scale back the timing. = less power

 

That makes sense, but I get this slow acceleration even on cool nights and in the winter time. It's just crazy

 

i saw you post in other threads...have you checked the o2 sensors? over time, o2 sensors get lazy

 

I haven't, how do you check them?

 

There often isn't a way to check them, O2 sensors are well known to get lazy which will in turn mess up fuel trims, unfortunately until they get REALLY lazy, they won't throw any codes.

Two additional comments:

1. Normally it is the upstream O2 sensor(s) which are the culprits
2. I don't recall O2 sensors ever being blamed for poor acceleration (not saying they're not the issue)

 

Clogged cat?

 

I'm thinking much more likely.

 

Just decided to check the air filter since I haven't since owning the car and it is pretty dark and dirty almost looks as though grime has dried up in the material. I don't know how much a dirty air filter can affect acceleration but I will try to replace it and see if that helps any.

 

It can

 

Yes, a dirty air filter can affect acceleration, but per the following study, it would need to be really-REALLY dirty for your personal Butt-Dyno to notice the difference.

• http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/pdfs/...02_26_2009.pdf