Hey people, iam new here. I have a 2002 Tl-Type s totally stock. Today i let it out on a strait and got it to about 130kmh untill i started to slow down because it was a 70 zone and houses were near by. Its a 5-speed auto but i had it in manual SS. I dont know much so i first off would like to know if you get better acceleration shifting yourself then being in auto??? because it seems auto doesent like hi-rpm. When i use manual it stays in v-tec longer which i get better acceleration am i right??? i would like to start to mod my car a bit but iam unsure of what to put into it. I would like it to sound better, more like a sports car when you turn it on and also when you put the pedal down. I would also like more power. I was looking at some CAI's. Which one is better, the AEM or injen. Also iam not sure on what else to put into it. For sound and performance would u reccomend headers and a new muffler??? If so what kind??? And one last thing, how much diffrence would i see with a new pulley set from unorthadox. Thanks for you help.

 

welcome to the forum! the "search" button is going to be your best friend and will keep you from getting flamed! all your questions can be answered right from there.

but to to a quick crack at your questions:
1) i personally don't remember but i thought that SS mode was better since you can control the power a little more. maybe someone else knows. i don't bother using it myself.
2)the comptech icebox has shown the most gains for CAIs, but i thought AEM was right behind it.
3)headers won't give you sound but the performance gains are worth every penny, mufflers are for sound only, and the choice of which one will really come down to personal taste.
4)an underdrive crank pulley from Unorthodox has been shown to give a quite noticeable increase in low-end power and throttle response. i just put a stock diameter, lightened UR pulley on myself and am quite happy with the results.

Bob

 

thanks for all the help, and for being so welcoming. i will use your tips to help me when i decide to add some of these. i agree, SS does give you better controll of the performance and lets you get higher RPM's. How do you think it compares to true clutch/stick manual in terms of seconds?

 

Welcome to the forum
Try a full throttle accelleration test in regular auto- it will hold itself in gear right up near redline and then shift itself
Using the SS just lets you activate a signal to the computer to open the selenoid
Its great for spirited driving in the mountains or track (as none of us would ever violate any laws on the street)
The computer also knows if you ask for a downsfift that would cause over-rev- it wont give you the shift until you slow down more- flashing of selected gear number indicates too fast

thats 96mph from 4th to 3rd and around 60 down to 2nd gear, you get a feel for it
I left foot brake when using SS for fun runs- to maximize time on gas pedal and minimize foot transition time-

 

no problem man. it's great to have more acura brethren around.

if i were you i would definitely add an intake first, and headers second. your engine will need to "breathe" more before the benefits of headers can be completely reaped.

as far as comparing the SS mode to a true manual gearbox i don't really know, but i would have to say that it's slower only because you're shifting and then waiting a split second for the computer to tell the tranny to do the same. given the power curve and shifting characteristics of the car though it still appears to be a better way to control the power.

Bob

 

It doesnt even come close to it at all

 

truth. to me it seems the sport shift is the same as full automatic, since the automatic shifts pretty much at redline if ur flooring it anyway. the SS is nice if ur gonna tear thru some curvy roads or something, so the auto doesnt keep shifting up and down.. but for a straight drag i dont think the SS is going to make too much difference over auto.

 

thanks for all the help. i have floored it in auto and SS and i have to say it seems to me that SS accelerates faster????when iam in auto and i floor it, it seems it takes a while to kick in and its not as loud and doesent stay in VTEC as long. maybe its just me but it sure feels like iam goin faster. on the same strait i floored it in on auto i hit 130 in SS vs 100 in auto. tell me what u think thanks!! and its nice how welcoming you guys are

 

SS doesnt make the car faster per say , all it does is give the driver control over when it shifts

 

yep which helps a little, but the shifts are still slow and not nearly as effective as a true manual.

 

When i race (at the track of course...haha) I usually gate shift. It takes a bit of practice to get used to, but it involves taking the shifter all the way down to 1, this is the only way you can redline 1st gear, sportshift shifts for you in 1st which sucks. Gate shifting tends to give better results since you can utilize the full power band in 1st gear.

 

how do you gate shift. in SS i have brought it down to gear one and then i floored it, and yea i noticed that SS does shift gear 1 to 2. I manadged to get it to gear one and shift to gear two my self

 

i was just reading about gate shifting...and i figered out what it was, the only thing i dont get is, when you put it in one and floor it, do you let off the gas and slide sideways to to or do you just move it and keep the pedal on the floor then up to 3-4-5, thanks for your help

 

its a auto, you never have to lift. just keep your foot to the floor

 

SWEET ill have to try that out, not like i will actually get to gear 5 because thats like 200km/h but i was just wondering, d5 is fifth gear if youre gate shifting right?