I hear that the SH-AWD only works when accelerating. So if you were to go through a turn, only the VSA will hold you in place and the outside rear wheels won't spin. You have to accelerate on turns for the SH-AWD to kick in. Is this true, have people experience the same thing. If is like that, then MY TL is just as good. Have people also experience this in the snow, when your wheel slips, you have to press the gas pedal for the system to help you out in the torque diff from left to right in the rear. I would like to hear your inputs.

Thanks in advance.

 

I just posted something similar that I didn't like with the RL. Just step on it! It definitely will work and help you out on the tight cornering! I use to have the 05 TL and I have to say that the RL does feel better. I hated the body roll in the TL, and the RL is just a bit better. Of course, the older TL Type-S that you have is a great vehicle and I think is better with the handling.

An RL with the A-Spec suspension is the way to go!

 

well...theres a few ways to simply just fix this...if u have an 04,05,06 TL....u can get the comptech rear sway bar...which GREATLYi improves body roll...i have it...and i am so happy with it.....ull definatly feel the difference....

and its very simple....with the RL's SH-AWD...just accelerate through the turn....

 

But why would I have to accelerate through a turn? This makes no sense to me. So your telling me, that my 2002 TL-S is better at turns than a '05-06 RL without accerating through turns?

 

According to Acura's web site, SH-AWD works when the car is acceleration or decelerating in a turn.

 

I believe it works at all times. The car just feels different than other "sport sedans" that compete with it. It has a sharper turn-in and the car just tracks the curve without having to make any effort to keep the line - it wants to turn and continues the turn effortlessly. I believe it is more noticeable when one accelerates through a turn but the car just feels different to me than other cars, because of it.

 

You don't have to be accelerating. However, the effects are most dramatic when you are accelerating. Otherwise, because the amount of torque available to split is fairly low, the system works rather unnoticeably.

 

I've seen the display indicating sh-awd working when powering down by coasting at speed through curves...the outside rear wheel kicks in...depending on the circumstances, it can be very subtle...

 

I recently had a great experience with the SH-AWD.

This past christmas and New Year's I was staying lin Lake Tahoe. Drove up from Vegas.

Anyhow, all of northen CA/Nevada was hit with some bad weather. The only way to get up and down to and from Tahoe was with Chains. Roads were extremely icy, heavy snow fall, you get the picture. Anyhow it was so bad, that the only vehicles you saw on the road were SUV's and large trucks all with Chains. having faith in my RL I decided to really test out the AWD by attempting to take it down the mountain. I am happy to say that the SH-AWD saved me from slipping all over the place. Right in front of me I saw AWD Suv's sliding from one side of the road to the other, with chains. My girlfriend was freaking out and worried, but after we got down the mountain without a hitch, she was amazingy surprised and had a new respect for the RL.

All I can say is this baby is solid. I use to have an X5 a few years back, and this blows it away in terms of handling.

 

Wow, now I want to go drive in some snow!!!

 

I believe that in asking the question (and the follow-up post quoted above), you have absolutely zero concept about how -any- all-wheel drive system works, not just SH-AWD.

As a former Audi quattro racer, I recommend you do some research and understand what and how the benefits of a mechanical (TORSEN-style), viscous coupling (see: Subaru or Haldex) or electronic/mechanical hybrid (SH-AWD) system.

And for the record, you don't have to be "accelerating" through a turn. You need to provide positive torque to allow the system to effectively distribute power to different driven wheels. Accelerating will provide all-wheel drive benefits; taking your foot completely off the gas pedal will only continue to provide benefit if there is ample torque (during engine braking for example).

-josh

 

I too have a tremendous amount of respect for the SH-AWD system.

My last vehicle was a very capable Infiniti QX-56 SUV. Believe it or not, the RL's AWD system is BETTER than the SUV's was. The only thing the SUV had on the RL was ground clearance.

I have taken both vehicles to the W.Va mountains (Canaan Valley) and the RL is extremely solid in the snow.

And in regular conditions, it turns like it's on rails. I had a Porsche Boxter previously and although it's not quite as lean-free as the Boxster was, it's amazingly close.

Great job, Acura engineers! Now just get some marketing people to actually Sell the thing!

 

Haldex is not a viscous coupling. It uses an electronically controlled, hydraulically operated clutch pack.

http://www.haldex-traction.com/default.htm

 

You're correct - Haldex is similar to the viscous coupling used by Subaru. My apologies.

Torque still must be applied for it to function.

 

I believe it. The RL's SH-AWL is the most advanced all wheel drive system on the planet. It's the best. Period.

 

Is it really the best? Just becasue it does side to side in the rear, is it really that good. How much better is it than Audi's latest gen Quattro?

 

The difference between my 2002 A6 4.2 and the RL is noticeable. I picked up my RL about 3 weeks ago, so the experience is recent. I am close to getting through the 600 mile break-in period, so I'll have some experience at WOT and higher speeds soon.

I have a nice sweeping turn on my drive home every day and the RL definitely takes the corner flatter with less push to the outside of the turn. The feeling is smoother than the A6 which felt really smooth to me. This is on a car with touring tires in cold weather vs. my A6 with high performance summer tires. I'm looking forward to getting my summer setup (in April, since I live in the Chicagoland area) and getting a better comparison. By the way, the front/rear weight balance between the 2 cars is the same, so that shouldn't be influencing what I feel.

On snow, I can't offer a direct comparison because the all season touring tires on my RL just don't have the grip my winter setup had on my A6. The feel is very similar given you don't do high speed cornering on snow....unless you want to increase your insurance rates! Haven't had a chance to drive up my steep driveway in a few inches of snow yet to compare there, either.

The RL has many other qualities that I find to be an improvement from my A6. I did drive a 2006 A6 3.2 and while it's improved, the RL is still better. One of these days, I'll post a driving impressions comparison if anyone is interested.

 

Yea, let me know. I want to jump the RL gun, but don't want to pay so much for a V6. Other than the nice navi and awd that I won't use often, I think the TL will do just as good and I can get for $32K.