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My first post on the poem, if you care to know, I own a 2011 Acura RL Advance.
Okay, I've done much research on the RLX Sport Hybrid, as this is most likely my future vehicle in about 12 months. It is to my understanding that the RLX had a late roll out for the 2014 model year, and it entirely skipped the 2015 model year. But the RLX seems to back 2016 model year, I'm very anxious to get behind the wheel of an Advance SH-AWD. If I can recall correctly the RLX was rated at 377BHP & 377 ft. lbs of torque. However, for 2016 the rating of 377BHP is a constant, but the torque figure has dropped way down to 341 ft. lbs. I disagree with these figures, for the car to get upto speed in 4.9/5 seconds, and I can't imagine how much faster the car will be on summer tires. These ratings must be verily underrated.
Now, here's for the math(according to the Honda Legend depiction), I could not find an Engine + 3 motor graphic breakdown like this, for the USDM RLX SH-AWD. Furthermore, to the math.
*All calculations are accurate, I hope.
Gas Engine BHP- 310
Gas Engine Ft. lbs- 273
Electric Transmission Motor BHP- 35kw(46.94BHP)
Electric Transmission Motor Torque- 148nM(109.15 ft. lbs)
Note their are two ideal rear electric motors, obviously
Rear Electric Motor BHP-27kW(36.19BHP)............(X2)
Rear Electric Motor Torque- 73nM(53.84 ft. lbs)....(X2)
Now considering this is electric power, their should be no power lost in the conversion. Since the computer tells which wheels to get power, that's the power of 0s and 1s. But let's assume 20% of the electric power is lost through some electric means, this makes no sense, but with Acura's figures clearly much of the power is lost in electric conversion. But since the mechanical SH-AWD is no more, let's just assume 20% of the electrical power is lost, somewhere, in conversion.
Next stage of math:
Gas Engine BHP- 310
*46.94 is the transmission motor power, 2(36.19 is the rear electric motor power. BHP units not included.
HP= 310 +(46.94* 0.8) + 2(36.19*0.8)
=> 405.46 HP
My figures are very conservative, but I believe that at very minimum the horsepower of the RLX SH-AWD is 405.46 HP.
Now for Torque, again I'm using a 20% loss rate, hence the (0.8):
Gas Engine Ft. lbs- 273
Electric Transmission Motor Torque- 148nM(109.15 ft. lbs)
Rear Electric Motor Torque- 73nM(53.84 ft. lbs)....(X2)
FTLBS= 273 + (109.15*0.8) + 2(53.84*0.8)
FTLBS= 446.46ft. lbs of torque
In sum, with these calculation, I can theorize that the HP figure of the RLX SH-AWD is at very minimum 405.46BHP. As for the torque figure, it must be at least 446.46ft. lbs of torque. Now please tell me if any of my data is conclusiveness, or if I'm loosing my mind.
Nonetheless, Sport Hybrid is one stellar piece of engineering.
Does Honda just add up the numbers that each motor and the engine put out? or do they calculate the power in a different way? Why wouldn't Honda say their car puts down 400+ hp/lbft? I can't think of a single logical reason why.
If so, you just proved that Honda is one of the dumbest companies ever by downplaying their poor selling, low volume, flagship sedan.
My first post on the poem, if you care to know, I own a 2011 Acura RL Advance.
Okay, I've done much research on the RLX Sport Hybrid, as this is most likely my future vehicle in about 12 months. It is to my understanding that the RLX had a late roll out for the 2014 model year, and it entirely skipped the 2015 model year. But the RLX seems to back 2016 model year, I'm very anxious to get behind the wheel of an Advance SH-AWD.
Nonetheless, Sport Hybrid is one stellar piece of engineering.
I'm not qualified to comment on your math but will simply tell you to find a dealer with a Sport Hybrid and take a test drive. Once you do the only math you will care about is figuring out the bottom line price it will take to have that machine in your garage.
Remember a test drive can be hazzardous ...... It makes you throw all caution to the wind and focus only on getting a Sport Hybrid for yourself (which can be harder than it should be).
The effortless way the car accelerates is truly unique as well as how you get far more thrust than one would expect with very little change in the rpms or applicable engine noise is awesome! Once you experience it you will be hooked immediately! The first 100 yards in the car was all I needed to make a decision.
Last edited by RLX-Sport Hybrid; 06-24-2015 at 05:34 AM.
When you have 400+ ft/lbs of torque at the wheels from the moment you touch the gas, that has a funny way of motivating the car to move with authority. It is the only Honda/Acura product I know of that is under-rated to this extent. Why I have been seeing 341 ft/lbs in recent publications is beyond me. You can't get 4,400 lbs + the driver to 60 mph in 4.89 seconds with the rated power they are publishing. I believe it is mathematically impossible.
Acura and their lawyers may have taken a conservative approach on their claimed horsepower and torque specs to "err on the safe side". Under promising and over performing is infinitely preferable to the "normal" approach of other manufacturers who boast and build marketing campaigns around huge max horsepower numbers only to leave buyers wanting more when they get in the car and drive.
The Sport Hybrid is a unique beast where the whole of the power generation is greater than the sum of its parts. That is, the instant low end torque of the electric motors is the perfect complement for the high end power of the VTEC engine. This marriage combined with ingenious torque vectoring and an incredibly competent transmission lead to the glowing and gushing reviews that flow freely from all that drive one.
06-23-2015, 11:15 PM
