I am kind of new to the forum and this will probably be my first or second post. I‘ve been doing a lot of searching for the best mods for my 03 TL Types S. This TLS is my daily driver and I just want to make sure it will be still be a reliable daily driver. I was so close to buying the Comptech Supercharger in the last week or so but was really worried about the voiding my vehicle/tranny warranty. So I decided to go with the DC Header, AEM CAI, UR Ultra S underdrive pulley (came in black…I guess it will be fine since it will be stock-looking), Outlaw Engineering thermoblock spacers, and the Apexi WS II cat back exhaust. So far I only had the exhaust installed and will be having the rest of the mods installed this Saturday from a reliable shop. Hopefully I will get the same type of gains that I have seen posted on this forum with the mods I listed…. I know every car is different. My goal for my TLS is to be able to gain between 25-40 additional hp …. how long should I wait to dyno after all mods are installed? Do any of you recommend using race gas when running your car on the dyno? Finally, is there any other mod I should get or am I good to go? Let me know and thanks for all your feedback.

 

you might as well get some performance brakes for all that new speed

SSTS

 

Get the car retuned after all is installed, and just run 91-93 octane gas.

 

When you say to get the car retuned...what do u mean? Do I need to purchase/install a V-AFC and have the VTEC/Air/Fuel tuned...or am I missing something? Thanks for the reply.

 

no no, you shouldn't need any of that. your computer will learn to compensate for everything. i think he means reset your ECU, which is good practice after installing a power mod anyway. just disconnect your battery for about 10 minutes and that should to the trick. be sure to have your radio code/alarm codes/whatever codes handy for when you reconnect the battery. the car will idle funny for a day or two until it re-learns how to adjust itself, so don't worry if the car feels like it's about to die when you're sitting at a red light or stop sign.

SSTS

 

Having a VAFC will help IF its dyno tuned with all those mods. I would recomend getting one and having it done if you have the time and $ The ecu can only compensate so much.

The Comptech SC wont void your warranty

 

I'm sure that if my tranny goes out after the Comptech SC is installed...then that will most likely void the tranny warranty...but it depends on the dealership...right?! I was going to buy the Comptech SC and have a local dealership do the install...but they wanted around $1000 for labor. BTW, my tranny was replaced around 30K.

 

Question...so if I have Intake/Headers/Pulley/Exhaust should I get a VAFC?...BTW...What does that stand for? About how much should I expect to pay for that? AND...Where do I get that done? Sorry...feeling ignorant about this subject...

 

[...BTW...What does that stand for? QUOTE]

BTW stands for By The Way.....

 

I think I would definitely buy the VAFC if I was going Comptech SC.... I had one on a 1997 Prelude Type SH (I/H/E/P) and didn't get much gain from tuning...but I could be wrong...we are dealing with a 6 cylinder engine here.

 

This is the second time I am hearing that I need to tune my car because of my mods.......I am getting a little confused.I thought the ECU just would relearn......What kind of retune is this?? And does any shop know how to do this or do i need to look for an import speed shop??And what do I even say I need?? Pretty much for me I am willing to get this done,because for me personally I just want to make sure I am getting the max benefits for all the money I shelled out in mods

 

There have been a few CL guys with the SC that never had issues with warranty work with the SC. And legally they cant unless they can prove that it was the cause of the failure, and we all know that aint going ot happen. It also helps if the dealer installs it for less hassle down the road





As for the tuning, The ecu can only do simple adjustments, and isnt able to optimize like something that you can tune with. Will you see alot of hp from tuning, no, but you will most likely see some. If your looking for maximum gains i would look into it (if you can find a good place that can help you dyno tune it

 

i/h/p/e/s should yield the same gains as the CT SC would, you are making a good decision and saving money.

 

The SC would give Much better dailiy driving HP gains than all those mods, plus if he were to start adding those mods to teh car afterwads they would only go up

 

Thanks...ummm...I knew what BTW meant. I was talking about what VAFC stood for. Anyone? Just curious...

 

V-tec, Air, Fuel, Controler

http://www.prostreetonline.com/buy/apexi_super_vafc_ii/

 

The Comptech SC would probably come in the late future...provided the make the kit still. Is there any TLS running I/H/E/P spacers and Comptech SC? Is it true that I/H/E/P and spacers will be close to the hp gain on a Comptech SC? Of course, the gains from a Comptech SC happen throughout the powerband and the I/H/E/P and spacers are more mid to upper powerband gains...right?! If this is true, then my $$$ spent is well worth it to me. Thanks.

 

there are 1-2 tlp running around with a SC. They never made one for the TL-P but the one for the accord can be modified to fit. As for the hp, the SC will make more at teh wheels at a much better curve

 

right, so my original point is valid that he doesn't *need* it. driveability, efficiency and reliability of his car will not be affected. although it's clear he may *want* it to get the most out of what he's got.

although i will say that i don't recall seeing any dynos on here to show what someone could get extra from a VAFC with i/h/e/p. who wants to be the guinea pig?

SSTS

 

I am actually looking into this right now. I gonna dyno my car on Saturday to get a baseline with the mods that I have. I was talking to the owner at the local speed shop and he's cool, so I'll see what he has to say about the VAFC. Of course he sells them, so he probably want me to buy it but I am just curious as to what he has to say. I'll post my dyno results this weekend. On to more searching...

 

i want stopping power over the supercharger

get a BBK, like my wilwood 6 piston setup

 

1. Most of those mods will provide almost instantaneous gains, but Unorthodox Racing says it will take a few days for the car to recognize the lightweight pulley(s) to see full gains.

2. You don't need race gas. That's a waste of money on our cars.

3. It depends on how far you're willing to go. If you want to go all the way, then get the supercharger, and brakes to bleed the faster speeds more efficiently. Also you didn't mention any suspension modifications, so that's another area you could look into.

As for the V-AFC II, I would highly recommend getting it when you have I/H/E/P/S (spacers, not SC). The ECU can try to compensate, yes, but tuning the AFR with the V-AFC II will make the engine run more efficient. In fact, my car was running quite rich, and I kept killing O2 sensors after track days... the exhaust gases were super hot with the unburned fuel and it was frying the primary O2 sensor.

After I got the car tuned, it ran much smoother, and I haven't killed a sensor since. And in about 2 years, I went through 3 or 4. The ECU can compensate only so much; with all the bolt-on's, you might as well get the V-AFC II to squeeze out the extra few horses, smooth out the powerband, and if anything, make the engine run smoother and save gas. My gas mileage went up when I got it tuned, no joke.

 

samkws, I would have gone SC

 

As for my suspension, I am running H&R sport springs on stock shocks and for rims/tires...I am running 19x7.5 RH C2 Evos wrapped in Nitto NT-555 225/35/19. (Off subject question: Should I put my front stock wheels on when I dyno my car?) I figure I would wait until my stock shocks need to be replaced. I like the Comptech titanium front upper strut bar but don't like the price. Do you recommend any other good brands for strut bars on our TL's?

Maybe I will see what I can get out of these mods (I/H/E/P and spacers) before I decide to go with the Apex V-AFC II. Like I mentioned earlier, my past experience with a V-AFC was in my 97 Lude SH. I have read about OBD-II ecu's and how the ecu will recognize the mods but adjust itself back...or something like that. Aren't our TL's running OBD-II Ecu's?

 

Strut bars are a waste of money. Go with sway bars.

It's not about waiting to see what you can get out of the other mods before you get a V-AFC II. The V-AFC II will help smooth out the AFR and the powerband which will be changed by the those mods, because the ECU won't be able to fully compensate for the new setup.

Yeah, all cars from '96 and on use OBD2. It will recognize the changes, and adjust the settings as necessary, but a lot of times, you need a piggyback system like the V-AFCII to smooth everything out. But you don't absolutely need one, so it's up to you.

 

I dont have the same year u guys are talkin about...(99) i just ordered my intake, dc headers, unorthodox s pulley, and tein lowering springs.....(from excelerate) I was wondering what the spacers did and if you guys think i should get them? i am waiting on delivery then considering getting the spacers or sway bars or rims! YAY! haha

 

The spacers prevent heat soak in the intake manifold. They don't INCREASE power so much as they prevent the loss of it.

 

Check this website out for more information:

http://www.outlawengineering.com/hondajframe.html

I did some searching around the forum and just decided to get the spacers after reading a few posts.

 

By the way, my bro-in-law has a friend that owns a shop with a dyno not too far from the shop that is doing my install. I might be able to dyno my car after the shop installs my AEM CAI, DC Header, UR Ultra S Underdrive Pulley, Exhaust, and Spacers. How is this going to affect the numbers even if Unorthodox racing says to wait a few days before I notice a difference....or will resetting the ecu be enough to notice the difference on the dyno...right after the install. If I get a chance to dyno, I will definitely post the results. We need actual numbers for the DC Header.

 

Update on the install:

Got my DC Header, UR Ultra S Underdrive pulley, Apexi WS II Exhaust, and spacers installed Saturday. As for the AEM CAI, the shop I bought it from sent me the non-Type S version so it was too long and didn't fit properly (something about the Type S having what looks like a second throttle body). The shop ended up leaving the resonator out, putting the stock air box back in, and said he would leave it for me so the AEM CAI would be a breeze to install.
My initial impressions were that the car felt more responsive and had a better pick up. I am hearing what sounds like hissing in the lower rpms...could this be the resonance everyone is talking about or is this normal? I also could be hearing some vibrating...the shop basically said that they had a little fitment issue...but was able to get the DC Header installed after some pulling. I told them about the DC Header's flex-pipe trick...to make it fit better. I didn't get a chance to dyno my car that night because the shop finished my car around 6pm and the dyno shop was closed at that same time.
I didn't get a chance to reset my ecu but will tonight or tomorrow night. I want to bring my car back into the shop to get all the bolt re-tightened and possibly do the dyno this Friday. I also want to make sure to get the AEM CAI installed before the dyno. Thanks.

 

I can't wait to see this

 

Yeah...I am very eager to see what these mods will do for my car...I mean...I can feel a difference...but want to see some good horspower gains.

 

I am curious to see also. All of the mods you are putting on are about the same as what I have except for the spacers and I put down 237 whp. So depending on your numbers, I may get the spacers and see if I can free up a little more hp. Good luck.

 

Snowman....so your TLS put down 237whp...with I/H/E and UR crank pulley? Hmmmm....I hope my car dynos around that number....at the least. You must be running on the Comptech Headers...right? I had a minor fitment issue with my DC Header and now I can hear some hissing sound at lower rpms ....hopefully it is just an exhaust leak and tightening the bolts will do the trick.

As for the spacers...Outlaw Engineering claims "RESULTS: maximum gain 8.6 whp and 9.2 ft-lbs of torque at the 4900 RPM point with an average gain of 5 across the power band" on a stock TLS. Let's hope they are right and I can dyno around 235-240 whp.

 

My headers and exhaust are both comptech, Injen CAI and UR pulleys. So the only mod you have that I might look into are the spacers. Here is a link to my dyno thread if you wanna check it out. Scroll down to see the graph.

 

Snowman....I don't see a link to your dyno. Please repost link. Thanks.

 

I was finally able to dyno my car yesterday. It was done at Dyno Extreme in Stanton, Ca. I arrived there about an hour before the shop was going to close but the owner was cool enough to do the dyno. The shop didn't have a printer attached so I am waiting for him to email ne the dyno sheet. Here are the results from 3 pulls:

1st pull => Max Power = 232.59 Max Torque = 197.23
2nd pull => Max Power = 231.87 Max Torque = 196.70
3rd pull => Max Power = 193.46 Max Torque = 186.44 (Accidentally on 4th gear on this pul)

I am pretty happy with the results and happy that I was able to dyno over 230whp...but was hoping to dyno about 240whp. The shop recommended an Apexi V-AFC to smoothen out the power band and to pull a liitle more power (maybe 1-5whp...if that). I know snowman dynoed at 237whp and was hoping to be around that number...but everycar is different. I welcome any comments or questions and will post the results as soon as I recieve is via email. Thanks.

 

Oh yeah...just to recap...I have an 03 TLS with the following list of mods:

- DC Header
- AEM CAI
- Apexi WS II exxhaust
- Unorthodox Racing Ultra S crank pulley
- Outlaw Engineering Thermoblock spacers

 

Pure Adrenaline dyno'ed at 239fwhp...he has OBX with a small crack in them, UR pulleys, AEM intake, Thermoblok spacers, and the Apexi VAFC. No Exhaust. I don't know what his torque was but this just corroborates that the exhuast doesn't do much for our cars. The main reasons for the difference I think are that every car is different and his VAFC.

 

The V-AFC II wasn't even tuned at the time.

As far as power mods are concerned at the time, yeah, I had I/H/P/S. Since then, V-AFC II was tuned, and Spoon cooling mods went in.

My buddy's friend has a shop and he just got a dyno in over the winter. He's having a dyno day toward the end of the month, and I might go in.