I bought this 2003 Acura 3.2 TL back in 2002 brand new with all the options xD
This car has been mostly garaged since we soon bought another Acura and other cars years after. It only has 60,000 miles and it still is in like new condition. It even has the original brakes, tires and everything else it came with. I just wanted to see how this car would feel on the track since I never did go tracking with a V6 engined car! I also wanted to find the limits and just improve my recovery skills. I had the car fully inspected by my mechanic and all fluids changed.

Short story is the car was very good on the straights and corner entry. However during mid apex as the brakes grab more and more the car starts to oversteer and it gets worst the more you hold on the brakes. I have never experienced this before on a street car. I have done quite a bit of tracking with my WRX and also my long dead 135i. They both felt neutral under the hardest braking in same corners. I guess this was good as the brakes allowed me to fight understeer when entering too fast! However it did get a bit hairy when the brakes heated up nicely and so i had to enter very smoothly (slowly) into corners and exit flooring it out with almost NO understeer. Overall it was a blast and I managed to keep up with a 03 BMW 325i manual the whole day. Now I need new tires and brakes! Oh and the transmission is still going strong (original 5AT tranny).

 

The OEM brakes on the 2G TL are not good.

There was a "luxury sedan shootout" test done by a car magazine more than a decade ago, and the 2G TL had one of the longest braking distance among the other contesters.

 

real brakes will change your life
track days are critical skills classes that will save your life

did you have an instructor ride with you or brief with one each session?
its brake, turn in, accelerate as you hit the apex and approaching full throttle as you hit the exit mark on berm

probably a ton of yutube vids to help too

 

With a 10 year old car, there would be no shame in upgrading the tires, brakes and suspension with better performance oriented replacements, IMO. Then try it out !!!

 

I would; Get Springs (H&R SPORT or EIBACH), New Sway Bars and try again < Only "IF" you are already using some decent tires.


But my Best Advice would be: Try to brake as little as you can inside the Turn.. Lower your speed before entering the corner (Brake Hard) and maintain speed while inside the corner; Don't lower or Accelerate in corner. This is true with all cars not just the TL.

 

Yeah, if he is used to driving a Subaru WRX.....it'll help to make some improvements.

 

^ Dat AWD cars make it so easier...
But I'm always amazed how little the TL Behaves like a typical FWD,"Oversteer" hahaha Take that RWD Enthusiasts!..

 

Braking is Very important.


A few tips to better response from your brakes.


~Get a high quality brake pad and rotor set (stoptech, brembo or ebc).
~Stainless steel brake lines.
~A two pot legend caliper set up front.(Better than OEM according to many forum members).
~Flush the brake fluid.
~Properly torque your caliper mounting bolts and lug nuts.


Tires on track days can and will wear out quickly. Try to find a nice pair with possible rebates. Check the tire section for different brands and do some research on your own before you buy something.

 

Here is my advise, you shouldnt be on the brakes mid apex. By that point you should be rolling into the throttle. The TL likes to be given throttle thru the corners (how much all depends on the speed, tires, how sharp the turn is. something you have to learn with your car). As you found out, smooth is fast. Brake before the turn (as late as possible while still being able to hit the apex correctly so that you can accelerate thru the turn).

Sways will GREATLY improve your driving experience on track as will springs, shocks and much better tires.

 

lets not forget the flexi frame we have, lots of front suspension movement during cornering
A set of Cusco upper and lower frame crossbars are a cheap investment in tightening up the handling, was the first mod done to my TL

SLOW DOWN- going fast comes from being able to hit your marks, being smooth makes it all come together
Again, talk to the instructors that should be hanging around track days,
they are there to share Pro racer help- as your passenger or playing lead and follow in 2 cars

 

Basics!

 

pickler, if you really want to learn driving on a track, get a proper car for the usage as you probably have some extra as you owns 2 extra cars.
TL is a great car on the road. It is a bit to too heavy for track, with the stock suspension is way too soft. Not talking with Auto tranny will eventually fail, why even shorten the tranny life. Get yourself a used Miata or S2000. These cars are built for track, and the engine & tranny are reliable. You will get your money worth. Even my TL has an upgrade the Eibach Pro System kit, it still doesn't feel as good as my S2000 stock.

As everyone says, upgrade the track performance brake pad / high temp brake fluid; and a set of extreme summer tires like Dunlop Direzza Z2 or Hankook RS3. You will enjoy!!!

 

^ Trans issues aren't tied to the way you treat them... Ive seen people that never redlined their cars in their life that got their trans toasted.. Myself? When my trans died I say: FUCK IT! I will enjoy this god damn car until it dies again = Sport Shifting it for the past 100K with no issues up to this day.


I say: The trans will die anyway threat it like a Granny or Like you Stole it just enjoy the damn car while it rolls..

 

HEAT from low oil flow to, and over use of the 3rd gear clutch pack/friction disc stack is our wear issue, not SS shifting in general.
avoid max rpm downshifts from 3 to 2 and its a lot better for lifespan
new Honda dw1 fluid helps a good running trans stay that way
track days spend a lot of time in 2 and 3 gear

 

^ That's a lot of what I do in daily basis.. Basically threat it like a Manual with SS.. Hold 2nd a lot to "quicken" it and Hold 3 so the I can blip the throttle and feel responsive, Id be more happy if I could hold 1st gear but that stupid Auto Shift.... I do a lot of maintenance though.. My ATF Oil doesn't stay more than 10K or 1 year in my trans with a Add in line Magnetic Filter and Change the OEM Filter too..


It still shifts smoothly bear in mind I´m trying to kill this transmission since I have my AV6 ready for swap that's why I don't care if the trans dies anyway the bastard wont die < Been like this since I rebuild it for 1300 bucks, Had the AV6 ready at like 10K or 15K with this transmission? 90K later the trans is still going