Just for some fun I decided to do some runs in snow mode. I hadn't played with it before but my supposition was it would start in 2nd gear. I also thought it might be pretty close in acceleration to the normal mode as even though 2nd is taller than 1st gear, it would save a shfit on the way to 60 and get on boost sooner.

I only had time to make 3 runs and it was pretty hot. The first was just to 60 and it was sort of a blown run. For some reason it stuttered when I mashe the throttle. So I ran it again and quickly but a bit more smoothly depressed the throttle. I got a nice clean run to 60 and the 1/4.

What was remarkable is that even my first complete run in snow mode was far from being my worst run and was actually better than a lot of sport + runs when factor in the temp. My second snow mode run netted my 3rd best run overall and my best at the temp I was running at. This was just in snow mode and trans in the normal D mode. I think on a cool morning my times would probably be neck and neck, if not possibly better, than any of my Sport, Sport + runs even with the trans in D or S. It was nice and quiet and pulled just as hard with less shifting. Even the trap speed was comparable. Actually for the temp it was my best trap speed.

I may try to brake torque it in snow mode and see if still limits the torque there. Regardless it was interesting to know that even in Snow mode it is just as quick. From a pure acceleration perspective the other modes are offering anything over the basic snow mode, at least on my RDX. OTHO snow mode seemed less frantic getting to 60 and in the 1/4 mile. Strangely it reverts back to comfort every time after you run it in snow mode. It doesn't keep that setting when it shuts off.

 

Interesting findigns. I wonder if there is any difference in Advance's ECU and A-spec's? At least the part numbers are different.

I keep feeling your car behaves differently from mine. Mine always goes to 6.5k at WOT above 1st gear. Snow mode is pretty dull and sluggish , and I feel the power is cut to 80% from normal. So quite surprised to learn you got similar times between snow and others.

One thing worth mentioning, I test drove two A-spec's before I bought mine. The first car was only 7 miles. The engine feels restrictive with a bit laggy throttle response. Therefore, I was on the verge of crossing out RDX. But I drove another car later, and it felt much better. The power flowed naturally with meaty torque, and so that car ended up to be the one I bought.

 

I had a chance to ride in a RDX with the Ktuner tune installed today. Didn't get a chance to do any testing of it but it was noticeably quicker and seemed more responsive overall. More like I imagined the car should have been.

Also it appears, though I could be wrong, that there is no selectable, on the fly, performance setting where you can select Stg 1 or 2. From what I understand you either upload stg 1 or 2. At WOT it gives you the max that stage is capable of regardless of dynamic drive mode. So it isn't like it is in Stg 1 for snow and comfort and Stg 2 for sport and sport +. I wasn't driving so I am not certain but it didn't seem to make any difference when we changed drive modes.

If anyone knows different, please clarify my understanding. It doesn't seem to work like the Accord which has some sort eco mode. On the RDX you get whatever the tune is capable of at WOT.

The off idle slowness at launch still seems to be there but not as pronounced. On my car it is "one-onethousand", and then it starts to go. On the tuned car it was "one, on..." and of it went. So on my car I can clearly repeat and see that it is about .6 seconds after giving it WOT before it seems to hit full stride and really go. If I had to guess it I would say with the tune it is about .3-4 seconds and then it really rips.

It blows through first so fast I think it is a total waste. A second gear launch might be the way to go with the tuned version of the car. You barely get the car moving and it shifts out of first into second so you lose time with the shift and since it isn't a SMG gearbox that costs a fair amount of time. I hope I will get to drive it next time and maybe through the timing equipment on it and quantify the improvement.

I think I chose the most accurate word to describe its performance when talking about acceleration in first gear; rips. Overall that pretty sums it up, overall it just rips through most of the gears. I am pretty sure it was in stage 2. The pull near redline is definitely stronger but it is that transition in the midrange to redline that is most impressive. It still seems well mannered when not hard on the gas and driving normally.

FYI - they have dyno'd an RDX and will be posting the info pretty soon. While the tune for the 2020 isn't on their site you can write them and get it you have a 2020.

 

Can anyone confirm if a tune removes the 113 mph electronic limiter on top end? And if so, what is the new “tuned” top end?

 

The Ktuner does remove the speed limiter. Tought to guess what the top end would be. The RDX is pretty box and has a fair amount of frontal area. I don't know the drag coefficient or I could run some calcs and tell you. The Aspec will likely be the slowest for top speed though given its wider wheels.

If I had to guess, I put it about 140-150 when tuned and depending on model.

 

Thanks. I was just hoping it could reach the 130mph mark most of the other vehicles in this class seem to be able to reach.

 

So I had to chance to go out and time some runs for the person who has a Ktuner 2019 RDX. It is also SH-AWD and won't say what, if any packages, they have in case Hondacura is monitoring the forum. Out of respect to not abusing their car we only made a few runs and mostly 0-60. Also unloaded the tune and went back to stock.

Empirical Data
No times corrected for altitude. Was close to 90F when run and pretty close to sea level.

0-60 Runs
Ktuner Stg 2 Mashed the throttle and in Sport mode, trans in D 6.54 seconds
Ktuner Stg 2 Brake torque loaded, Sport mode, trans in S 6.54 seconds (not a typo, EXACT same time)
Ktuner Stg 2 in comfort mode, run was not valid as a bit too much uphill but times were almost the same as other tuned runs (6.57 0-60)
Stock tune installed, sport mode, trans in S 7.24 seconds
Stock tune, comfort mode, trans in D 7.18 seconds

1/4 mile one run
Ktuner Stg 2 Mashed the throttle and in Sport mode, trans in D 14.57@98.58
Stock tune installed, sport mode, trans in S 15.14@93.88 seconds

I went and compared the runs of this car vs mine in the critical 0-10 mph for traffic merging for me as well as the 60' times. This RDX still has the hesitation mine does, however it is reduced with the tune. Bad news is whatever Hondacura is doing is likely at the tranny level. The ECU tune just allows it to rip a bit sooner.

So based on my best 0-10 mph and 60' times compared to this RDX, as well as running it with the stock tune in it. It knocks off at least .2 seconds off both the 0-10 mph time as well as the 60' time. Best decrease was .26 seconds.

S or D for the trans seems to make no difference nor does comfort, Sport or Sport + in acceleration at WOT. Would love to try a run in snow mode and see if it loads up better with less shifting. Drove in snow without the timer running and it felt pretty good.

Observations
All in all I think the Ktuner gets the car to where it should have at least been stock. The torque limiting tranny nannies (my speculation) are what are seriously hampering this car off the line. Also with the tune the RDX never shifted at redline. Highest was about 6500.

I think the tune really transforms the car. The peak acceleration, while improved, isn't as enjoyable as the better throttle response and torquier pull in the gears (without downshifting). It sort of feels like you have a 4 liter motor under the hood in the midrange that sort of fades to 3.5 liter motor in the upper RPM range (say about 5k+). So honestly I am a bit disappointed with the improvement in peak acceleration, it still is substantial and for the vast majority of drivers they are going to love the mid-range bump.

Basically the RDX doesn't car what gear it is in as it is so much stronger down low. Even if you mash the throttle at 80 mph there is a satisfying pull and growl that quickly has you into triple digits. It feels like the Ktuned version is pulling as hard at 80 mph as the stock car was at 50 or 60 mph. Of the line a BMW X3 M40i is going to smoke the RDX but from a roll it will likely hold its own pretty well even if it does lose. It shouldn't be an embarrassing loss that is for sure.

Considering how hot and humid it was today, on a cooler day, dryer air, trap speeds would likely have been over 100 mph. It could be a 13 second car with the tune and no tranny nannies when running on a cooler day. With the SH-AWD it is the worst of all worlds, in the sense you can't take advantage of a hard launch do to the tranny nanny yet you carry the weight penalty all through the 1/4. Also hint of wheelspin at all.

I would love to have an entire day to play around a bit and see if I could break the tires loose when driving aggressively through some tight turns. Far and away the $400 for the Ktuner is money well spent. I didn't seen any knock counts on the tuning software pop up and it wasn't running a ton of boost to get the extra HP. Supposedly stock the RDX is at 20.5 as I mentioned earlier I never really saw anything over 19 and with the tune on the other RDX, saw a brief 22 psi and dropped back to about 20-21 PSI. I wasn't able to log anything, just watched the boost gauge so this was just watching it other than the peak boost tell tail. It seemed like it was tuned with safe, usable power rather than bragging rights for peak HP/TQ at the expense of reliability. I think it would make for a great every day driving tune. They pretty much require you to at least run 91 octane at all times though.

 

Good write up, i know from the facebook group actual dyno numbers will be up soon from ktuner, but would like to see how things would change with basic mods....ktuner stage 2 tune, inter-cooler upgrade, down-pipe, exhaust.

 

Unless something can be done about the tranny nanny, this car is seriously hampered from any speed that starts from 0 (dead stop). Any other mods are all going to be adversely impacted by the torque limiting to the trans from a stop. It must be a really crappy transmission if they had to go to this length to protect. Honestly it really kills a lot of the enjoyment of the car for me.

The transition from Prius slow to respectable performance is more like a light switch unless you launch in snow mode and a much smoother transition there. Honestly if things like cruise control would work in that snow mode I'd run it all the time just to avoid the crappy 1-2 shift.

I would estimate the tranny nanny is costing at least .2-.4 seconds for both 0-60 and in the 1/4. That is a lot to give up for nothing at the strip.

 

have you tried and disabled traction control and stability control completely off. there was a post here with a video showing step by step on how to do it. maybe that will lessen off the line issue?

 

Yes, tried killing it. I am not getting any wheelspin, or even a hint of it, at launch with my car or the other car. Best way to launch a turbo AWD car is to build boost before you take off. So typically you would press the brake firmly, apply gas until the transmission stalls the car motor from revving any higher and with the load on the motor the turbo would start to build boost.

It looks like the tranny nanny stops you from ever actually loading the motor while the brake is on. So it stops the motor at about 1700 rpm without any loading. According to the logging on my car stock there is no boost at all when you take off. Until the motor is finally under a load and then it really starts to take off. On the stock car that seems to at .5-.6 seconds. On the Ktuned car it is better ~.4 seconds but still there and even more noticeable as you go from the normal turtle slow to a much healthier pull ramping up over a shorter time. In effect the transition, while shorter, feels more abrupt because of it. When taking off in snow mode (2nd gear start) it seems like a really nice healthy pull. Rather than the frantic I've burned through first gear in about a second and then slam into the next gear. It really is no quicker than launching in snow mode's 2nd gear just to start with and far less smooth. Peak acceleration is the same in all modes from what I've seen in my testing.

Now if I can just figure out a way to make the cruise work in snow mode I'd use it most of the time except when maybe apex strafing and I want the firmer suspension of Sport or Sport +.

 

https://www.driveaccord.net/threads/...s-test.540735/


Relative gains should hold on RDX, as long as you ignore the durability of SH-AWD.

 

Interesting reading. The 60' times were pretty bad but ET and trap speeds were pretty impressive. Based on what he was running the RDX might eek into the high 13's.

 

How about on the top end, any improvement there?

 

Top end as far as top speed? DIdn't get a chance to explore that giving pretty heavy presence of LEO. As for top end pull, definitely stronger even if not as impressive as all the pull everywhere else. If I had to try and quantify it, think of about a 25-30% improvement from 1500-5000 rpm and a 10-15% above 5k to redline. I am sure you could tweak the tune to give more but it seems like a pretty safe tune to run all the time. It seems likely you could squeeze more out of it but there are likely other things that would need to be improved to really open up the top end power.

I could probably be pretty happy with the tune as is or tweak it a bit to take advantage of higher octane fuel and run 93 in all the time. They say it was tuned for 91 octane so I am sure there is a bit more power on the table that could be unleashed.

 

One thing I found interesting tonight when trying to work on launching the car. Basically I haven't found anything to get around the tranny nanny. Just for the heck ot I thought I would see if the tranny nanny would only engage at a stop. So I tried braking and giving it gas while rolling. I tried 5,10, 20 and 30 mph while giving the car full throttle and applying the brake.

For maybe a nanosecond the car started to accelerate then almost immediately chopped the throttle and killed any boost and significant power to the drivetrain. It is almost like the engine was totally shut off or dropped to idle power. So apparently that want to make sure that if you dumb enough to use both feet at the same time you won't put your RDX through your house or garage.

BTW - don't run a Honda Passport. I was >< this close to buying one of them and ended up with the RDX. I had a chance to run one tonight with my stock RDX and it ran away and hid from me at any speed. I doubt the tune RDX I drove would keep up with it from 0-60 but maybe might hang with it from about 60 up.

 

Thats interesting about the Passport. I am also considering that as an option but like the RDX a bit more. I may have to give the 2020 a look when it comes out.

 

I was in final negotiations on buying a Passport when my SO decided we needed something a bit more luxurious. I went back and drove the MDX and ruled it out. Drove the RDX which I hadn't considered as seriously before. There were a few things I was concerned with about on the Passport but I thought it was a great value and I didn't want the minivan the MDX and Pilot have become for Hondacura.

A Passport is pretty close in weight to the RDX and not that much heavier. The 9 spd in it gets tripped up easier then the 10 sp in the RDX and doesn't seem to shift as quick. The Passport will definitely scoot when up in VTEC range. No option for 360 camera. No HUD display. No adjustable shocks. Not as good headlights. Sound system is not as good by far and my RDX infotainment has been very solid. The SH-AWD system is better sorted and more fun on the RDX. The adaptive cruise will work all the way to a stop on the Acura but kicks off at 25 mph on the Honda and it was braking up to that point it just stops braking. All in all the safety features don't seem as refined as on the Acura and Acura sets a pretty low bar there. A Toyota Avalon I bought 6 years ago with collision warning and adaptive cruise works far better than my Acura ever has.

I said it somewhere on this forum, and I'll reiterate again. For the RDX is sort of like driving a big Golf GTI. It is very entertaining to drive. Something I can't say the Passport/Pilot/MDX were regardless of trim I drove. The chipped one I drove just makes it even more fun. The big fat mid-range pull is enticing and if it would pull all that way to redline I would drop everything and remap my ECU. I just don't want to go down the extensive mods rabbit hole yet again. First the tune, then a downpipe or exhaust. Then and intercooler and maybe bigger injectors or who knows what else. Then the tranny grenades itself or some other failure.

I just want a fun, reasonably quick, reliable, daily driver that isn't a shoebox and has some style. If they hadn't basically crippled the acceleration (in my eyes) with some sort of tranny or ECU nanny limiting the torque at launch I'd be at about a 95 satisfaction level overall with my RDX. As it is now, if something happens to it I will not replace it and will likely buy a X3 M40i, AMG GLC or Macan. I do think the RDX looks better than any of those but I would like a better serving of performance with my styling.

 

Next, you must find someone with a Hondata tuned RDX and see if they managed anything with the launch.

 

No luck there yet. When I was in contact with Hondata, they said, as did Ktuner, that they do nothing with the trans tuning. So unlikely to be any different.

On paper it looks like both tunes are pretty similar. If it were my money I'd likely save the money and go with the Ktuner v 1.2 and save a few hundred dollars in the process. I don't think any of these tunes are tweaking the RDX close to its limits and my sense of the Ktuner is that even though there were significant gains they weren't going right to the edge. While I had my monitoring equipment hooked up never even had a single knock count. Never saw timing being pulled. It just felt like a pretty well tuned car.

OTOH I think I have a little devil on my shoulder perpetually saying "gas it, you know you want to!" I always have been, and probably always will be, an adrenaline junkie. So my nature is always to want to squeeze a bit more power out of everything. I am finally getting older and wiser enough to realize I should just buy the faster vehicle in the first place and just leave it stock. The works pretty well with my superbikes. Do I really need something that is faster than a solid 9 second 1/4 on the street anyway?

 

I had a chance to meet with the guy who has the Ktuned RDX. It was a cooler morning and it showed. Only had a chance to do one run but it was very solid.

It ripped through the quarter at 14.4 and almost 98 mph! Considering how crappy the car launches that is pretty solid. Not to mention the way it was pulling at 100 mph is very respectable. I would say the launch was worse than normal, no fault of the tune. This showed up in the 0-60 vs the 5-60 mph time.

The 0-60 was 6.21. With a 1 foot rollout like many car mags do, it was 5.85 seconds!!! Looking at the 5-60 time it 5.69 seconds. The launch was easily .1 seconds slower than normal. Again, not the fault of the tune. So take that .1 off everywhere else with the tranny nanny penalty of .5 seconds and you are looking at 14.3 in the 1/4 and 6.1 for the 0-60. If you could actually build boost and launch like a normal car, this could be a 13 second car in the 1/4 and in the low to mid 5's 0-60.

Normally the 5-60 mph time with a turbo AWD car is significantly worse than the 0-60 because you can build boost at launch and slingshot the car out of the hole. The midrange was absolutely glorious today. It felt like you were driving a liter bike except without the top end rush but instead that really solid midrange power. Instead of twist it and go, it was gas it and go. If you drove this tune it would likely separate the money from your wallet.

I just need to find a way to get rid of that tranny nanny and I am in. The transition from tranny nanny to pulling hard is even more stark than before. This is how the RDX should have been from the factory (without the damn nanny of course)! I have to stop trying it. They way it pulls easily on up into triple digits is more like the M40i and that is a very good thing.

 

What does Ktuner say about the nanny?

 

When I asked before, they said their tune has nothing to do with the transmission tuning. I didn't get a clear answer on what, if anything, they could do for initial tip in. They said their tune improves throttle response but aligned with the 4 dynamic modes. I am not sure their tech support got exactly what I was asking. Someone else is welcome to try and see if they can find out in more detail.

After driving the other RDX today in cooler weather it really piqued my interest in the tune even more. You could really feel the flexibility in the gears. Just roll into the throttle in 4th gear and it pulled so nicely without the need for a downshift. You go through first so fast I think snow mode might actually be faster to 60. In other than snow mode, you blast through 1st gear in less than a second after that initial wait for the tranny nanny. You spend almost as much time waiting for it to kick in as you do rolling through first. Then you wait for the shift and then onto second. With the taller 2nd gear, it might load the turbo better and also save a shift now that it feels even stronger in the cold and easier to pull it.

 

I did a quick search on this tread and did not find if you are also disabling the "Stability control" along with the "traction control". Here's a video from youtube that shows you how to do it. I did it on mine and there is a huge difference in how it accelerates, specially that lag in 2nd year. I know this is "butt dyno" feeling, I do not have specific numbers to prove it, but figured I let you guys know just in case

 

Tried it on mine and the Ktuned RDX. Made absolutely no difference. They are both SHAWD. Not even a tiny bit of wheelslip while going in a straight line, especially with whatever nanny is limiting the torque in first gear.

 

mine is 2wd and there is wheelslip almost up to the end of third gear. Disabling those 2 things really transforms this vehicle.

 

Anyone check out the stats on the new Toyota Rav4 Prime? It is a plug-in hybrid and they are quoting 5.8 0-60 stock. I don't think an RDX with tune, intercooler, CAI, exhaust, etc. is going to be that quick. Not to mention the heat is less likely to impact the times because of the electric power addition. They rate it at something like 302 hp and about 40 miles of electric-only range.

 

I would not think about RAV4, as there are enough Model 3 and Prius on the road already that can cut my lines easily! Stoplight race is less of a problem, because I feel most people do not go WOT long enough so RDX still feels capable.

 

I've been driving the Ktuned RDX similar to mine this weekend. Haven't had chance to time any runs since cooler but I did have a chance to take it for a pretty good blast up through the gears.

I can confirm there is no speed limiter now. The RDX was pulling soildly even when I had to lift at 130+. About 120 you are definitely aware of the wind noise as it seems to be really pushing some air rather than slicing through it. I was going across a bridge and even with some crosswinds it was very stable. Hard to tell what the actual drag limited top speed is with the tune but according to my GPS I hit 135 on that run. That wasn't my high frequency GPS and this one only logs once a second. So at a minimum it was 135 and could have been 1-2 mph faster. If I had to guess it likely would be a solid mid to upper 140 on a windless day with the Ktune.

 

Thanks for that update. I was wondering when we'd get some confirmation that 130+ was easily attainable by the RDX. Of course, there are many other variables involved, such as the traditional disclaimer, "professional driver on a closed course, don't try this at home boys and girls..."

Now I need to understand how the tune works vs what happens when Acura does an ECU? update.

Also, is it possible to get a tune that just removes the speed limiter? Or is that just dumb?
Also want to know how it affects gas mileage when a tune is driven exactly the same as a car without a tune. Is that even possible???

Lots to research and learn. I think it was previously mentioned that the Honda Civic forums had a lot more info regarding playing with tunes, I might have to wonder over there, if I knew where "there" was.

Thanks again.

 

I can speak to some of this. I have had a ktuner stg 2 for a month now. Have not had it close to 130, but reading the ktuner website, they remove the limiter.
https://ktuner.com/19rdx/ "Speed Limiter removed. Please adhere to your tire speed limitations and note this feature is for off-road use only."

I have seen no change in mpg. and also i feel conservative shifting when driving conservatively. not jerky, at all, stays in higher gear a bit longer, which is better than stock behavior. as soon as you hit the throttle though, not close to WOT, the power comes on quickly and much more smoothly than stock ( It appears they spin up the turbo faster.) Of course you are going to get lower gas mileage if you stomp on it compared to stock. Put foot on brake, apply gas, let go of brake, and the car flies forward. You can't do that with stock. The ECU normally delays the spin up of the turbo, and they remove most or all of that spin delay in the tunes.
I also believe the fall off at the top of the rpm range is mostly intake and exhaust restrictions. Adding a downpipe, higher flow intercooler, and maybe high flow exhaust will keep that torque going.
I felt stage 1 was not enough to spend money on and use.
I have been reading much about the tunes, visiting the civic forums, but there is alot more to learn.

 

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/

 

better yet...

https://www.civicx.com/search/181779048/?q=ktuner&o=date&c[node]=5