fighting fish

gentlemen:

i have a blue TL-S, 2002. drives so well that i decided to drive cross country - from Vancouver, BC to Baltimore, Maryland. anyways, i am in the east coast now and will live here for awhile.

im thinking of my 60 hr. drive back to canada and would like to add some internal mods to make my trip more interesting.

do you have suggestions on improving performance?
10 - 20% increase is enough.
nothing too drastic to the main engine.
some good reliable brands.
is $5000.00 enough?
reputable garage in the east coast. (MD, PA, VA, or NY area is fine)
dont need cosmetics on the outside but mostly internal changes.
lowering the car is as far as i will go for an external change.

i am not a street racer type but i just dont like the idea that the nissan cars (ie. maxima, g35) are coming close to/overtaking the acura in performance. right now the car is untouched by any upgrades.

ive been reading your acura forum for the last 3 days and seems like the people here are TL savvy. any suggestions would be appreciated.

cheers.

edgalang

Ah yes...my favorite type of driver (one who prefers being the sleeper). Anyways...for $5k you can get plenty. Actually that's too much if you're not considering heavy engine mods (aka 3.5 liter upgrade and Comptech S/C) or lighter wheels. So with that said...lets start with the most bang-for-your-buck mods and work our way down in value.

#1 Headers. You have 2 choices, Comptech or OBX. I believe OBX is on back order, so Comptech would probably be your best bet (if time is important).

#2 Sway bars. Again you have 2 choices. You can go with either the more agressive Neuspeed Race set, or the more OEM type Comptech's. Either way, you're probably going to be happy with both.

The rest...CAI...exhausts...AEM pullies...springs....etc. are all FU FU. The main 2 things you'd want are listed above. Everything else measures up to only a fraction of what those 2 mods can give you.

BTW...headers can cost anywhere between $300(OBX)-900(Comptech), and sways anywhere from $250(Comptech)-400(Neuspeed RACE).

The rest is up to you...but in all honesty, I believe these 2 mods are a must.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Here's a great guide..... http://www.acura-cl.com/tunersguide/

Since the CL-S and the TL-S are basically the same... the Tuner Guide applies to both cars

fighting fish

thank you edgalang and juniorbean:

thats exactly the advice that i was looking for.

i figure on the comptech headers and the neuspeed race sway bars. why would i need sway bars when im buying headers? is this for stability?? please answer like this is the first time ive heard of headers and sway bars (cuz it is the first time).

can i stop the mods after i purchase headers and headers? or do i NEED to buy air intake to make the headers work .... springs to complement that...., then a cat-back to improve that.. etc...etc....

also, a reputable garage around the east coast area would be ideal?? till then, ill be doing more research.

salamat pare!!!

car_lost

ok... the comptech headers will improve the performance of the engine. the sway bars will im prove the performance of the handling. the neuspeed race sway bars are very stiff... the comptech sway bars will give u more or less the same performance for a lot less $$. u can stop modding whenever. u dont need an intake when u add headers. if u get a cold air intake, it will add about 10-15 hp and it adds a nice sound when the car hits vtec. if u get a short ram intake it will add like at most 10 hp. for springs... there are a few choices. theres the h&r oe, h&r sport, comptech and eibach. those are the most popular. as for an exahust... i dont think they make a cat-back for the TL... something about back pressure. they offer axle-back and that will get u about 3hp at the most... so there u go.. hope that helps.

agean

they pretty much said it all, but i would also recommend a valentine1 radar detector. that extra hp gets addictive, you'll see yourself quickly going over the speed limits.

its a bit pricey (around 400), but well worth it when you consider the cost of tickets and insurance

TopGum

You might consider some better rubber. Even if you keep the stock wheels, much better handling can be had with upgraded tires. Michelin Piolt Sports, Bridgestone S-O3, Kumho ECSTA MX, and Dunpol S9000 are popular.

fighting fish

so your saying that new rubbers give better handling than replacing with sway bars????

from the mods menu and i think ill go for the ff:
headers - comptech.
cai - ???
sway bars (front and back required ???) - comptech
springs - ??? (1 1/2 max)

1. is it redundant to combine CAI with headers? sway bars and lowering the car redundant as well?
2. whats up with comptech?? is comptech the only brand out there? is it a good reliable company? does every joe wong have this brand or is it pretty exclusive?
3. what kind of performance boost will the car get from these upgrades? at what point in driving will i feel the mods, even at low revs or only past the 6k rpm?
4. any advice on a good garage around the baltimore area???? philly and DC are pretty close to me.

power3dfx

1)no its not. every modification will improve the car, and no mod relies on another, although suspension mods will complement each other, as will engine mods and any other category.
2) comptech is a very good brand for acura cars, their work is proven and reliable, but they are costly sometimes!
3)headers, will give you 10 or so more torque and 30 peak hp at wheels, not the crank. Expect a broader power range with more TQ and HP at every rpm, especially more HP at vtec which kicks in fully around 5000 rpm.
4)no idea here, but just make sure they aren't idiots and know what they are doing. headers and cai will not be hard to install so any decent shop should have the knowhows.