pingsid

I love spirited driving but I don't race or track and this is my daily driver. While researching Hondata and KTuner I stumbled upon Graham Rahal performance and the new upgraded turbo kits they offer. It appears to be a CTR turbo modded for the RDX.
https://www.grahamrahalperformance.com/product/acura-rdx-upgraded-turbo-kit
1. The kit is definitely a bit expensive and I wonder if it's value for money considering you can get 1/3rd the performance at 1/6 th the price using a plug in tuner.

2. Are there any benefits to installing the upgraded kit? Does it lower the stress on engine or does it cause more wear and reduce life of the power train.

3. Is there a difference between using a tuning from online tuners vs taking it to a tuning shop. I'm guessing the online tunes are more tried and tested.

Thanks in advance

sonyfever

Only you can answer the first question. It is expensive but is plug-n-play. You pay for the convenience IMHO.

More power/higher boost = more wear/stress. But the engine probably is over-engineered to handle the power level, so it is not like your engine will explode in three years.

You don't need to e-tune or dyno tune for this package, it appears. Of course you can always get more by fine-tuning ignition, but tuning is another $400-800 depends on if you e-tune or dyno tune. I would getting a taste of the out-of-box tune first before deciding on whether to refine the calibration. Of course, if you are already spending 3k+, might as well do the tuning to extract the maximum of your setup. Just be sure to communicate with the tuner what you want to achieve for example if you want max power, smooth torque, or sharp throttle response, things like these.

My experience is that tuner tends to go for max power if you don't have any preference, which might not work the best on streets.

WunderWagen

The CTR turbo I have read is more for top end power... while the RDX turbo is more for mid-range which is better for daily driving. I would check on the Honda Accord forums as several of these turbo upgrades have been done there.

nhizzat

1. Depends on what you want out of your car, what you're willing to spend, and what you're prepared/willing to deal with. 1st link is a what to expect from an OTS Stage 2 tune, 2nd link is with CTR turbo and tune.

• https://www.hondata.com/products/fla...ccord?filter=5
• https://www.driveaccord.net/threads/.../#post-6735019

2. Benefits include a wider powerband with more peak hp and torque. Bigger turbo + more boost = more stress. I personally wouldn't be concerned with wear/stress on the powertrain with the moderate gains as long as the tune is dialed in.
3. If your car is stock, an OTS tune will suffice for the life of the car. If I'm installing this GRP stage 3 kit, I wouldn't drive it without a protune. Protunes > Etunes, always.