speeddemon69

Ok guys, ive been doing my homework and wanted to know if the difference in the 06 to the 07 auto tranny, does it make the 07 TL perform better?

Here are the ratio's for the 06 and 07:


2006: 2007:

1st 2.563 1st 2.697
2nd 1.552 2nd 1.606
3rd 1.021 3rd 1.071
4th 0.666 4th 0.693
5th 0.480 5th 0.490
Reverse 1.846 Reverse 1.888

Final 4.428 Final 4.312

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Shorter gearing = better performance in '07. Other factors that can change from year to year in a tranny is
1) shift timing
2) rpm at which torque convertor locks up

-- have these two variables changed? All else being equal, shorter ratios in 07 = better performance.

speeddemon69

1. maybe changed

2. I think they changed that as well.

HERE is the link that shows all the changes they did to the '07.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

"The torque converter is now calibrated to offer more progressive acceleration than in the past, coupled with better acceleration at large throttle openings. "

Yeahp... the new tranny offers better performance (straightline acceleration and rolling acceleration) ..

<i'm jealous!>

Desert_TL

The 07 TL has higher performance but at the expense of higher RPMs in each gear. I'd rather be able to do highway speeds (80+) with a lower 5th gear RPM than to have the slightly added performance.

xkg20

The AT TL is the only one that has long gear ratio than any other competitors i.e. IS350, Camry SE 3.5, Maxima, G35, etc. The part of the problem is having a 5 speed transmission. The gear ratio will be lower therefore it has less power at low RPM. Some of us are the performance freaks. In this case, as much as I hate 5AT to death, if I had an option I would have the factory re-do the gearings so the 5th gear tops out at 135 or 140 mph. You will certainly then gain the acceleration. 0-60 with a light driver(120~ 140 lbs) I think it can shove 5.9~ 6.0 sec.... Rite now the best timing on the '04~ '06 AT TL cars are at 6.3 sec or higher, which is..... slow. These days you need tight gear ratio... everybody is competing on the acceleration.

..... and that is why I own the 6spd MT TL... NBP. Ya want to get serious with the performance go 6MT. It's fast as hell..... 5.7 sec.

geekybiker

Counting the final drive the ratios have changed about 1% I dont think that's really enough to worry about much.

speeddemon69

I heard that the '06 and below TL's die out in fourth gear thats why i was intrested in knowing more about the transmission changes made on the '07. im a new member that is currently driving an auto rsx that dies out in thrid gear. i like the build quality of acura's and the service they provide at the dealer for repairs, so am looking to upgrade to the TL, but want a car that can hold its own on the highway. whats the 60-100mph time for the TL?

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Yeah... the TL dies in 4th gear... but it's a blessing and a curse... the taller 4th gear helps with fuel economy in highway driving .. but takes away, of course, from more spirited and well-spaced downshifting when accelerating at highway speeds.

I don't really notice it -- I have the AEM CAI on my 5AT and my engine has been WELL broken in at 70,000 miles .. and it can cook on the highway -- i'm not disappointed (all things considered).

Would love to see a Mercedes/Lexus-esque 7 or 8 speed auto tranny in the Acura lineup one day soon -- that would blend VERY well with VTEC (IMHO). I was recently in an ML350 and that 7-speed auto made that heavy SUV cook at all speeds .. i was very impressed.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

If you want a mid-sized sedan that'll hang at highway speeds... then you'll want the 6MT TL, hands down. I've driven an '06 G35 and it too .. moreso than the TL .. DIES at highway speeds...

speeddemon69

Doesn't the TL already come with a sort of factory cold air intake? Also what do you mean cook on the highway? Like your happy with the way it performs? Also I'm looking to get Auto so 6sp is out of the picture.


Any '07 5AT drivers out there that care to give a review on the performance aspect of your TL?

Eoanou

Yeah the 04-06 TL dies at fourth gear. It's quite a difference when you shift out of third, although 2nd and 3rd gear are great and that'll take you from 40 (right out of first gear) -105mph (top of third gear).

I want to see if I can pop the Integra Type-R gears into this tranny and hope for the best. Worst case I'll just replace my old tranny with an 07, it'll help a bit.

Eoanou

Although one thing to point out is the long second and third gears help you stay in your powerband longer, when you're in the gear but once you shift it hurts being out of V-tec for that brief moment.

I'm somewhat exagerating this, it's not that bad, but fourth gear does suck ass, but I'm fairly sure that with shorter gears the TL would be considerably faster.

speeddemon69

anyone else?

94eg!

According to your numbers and a tire size of 235/45/17

06 speed at 7000rpm in each gear
- 1st: 46.47mph
- 2nd: 76.75mph
- 3rd: 116.66mph
- 4th: 177.85mph
- 5th: 248.15mph
- Reverse: Who cares

07 speed at 7000rpm in each gear
- 1st: 45.35mph
- 2nd: 76.16mph
- 3rd: 114.21mph
- 4th: 176.50mph
- 5th: 249.63mph
- Reverse: Who cares

Performance gains (or losses) are as follows:
- 1st: 2.5% gain
- 2nd: .8% gain
- 3rd: 2.2% gain
- 4th: .8% gain
- 5th: .6% loss

I just wonder why they bothered changing EVERY SINGLE GEAR (including the final drive) for such minimal differences. Makes me glad I bought a manual...

94eg!

For comparison, here are the speeds of the 6MT at 7000rpm (2005 6MT gear ratios used)...

1st: 41mph 13.3% gain
2nd: 65mph 17.2% gain
3rd: 94mph 24.1% gain
4th: 128mph 39.0% gain
5th: 165mph 50.4% gain
6th: 208mph

geekybiker

Makes me think it wasn't performance driven. Perhaps changing the ratios allowed for better pitch gears, etc.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Yeah ... my TL "cooks" on the highway in that it's very spirited and "quick" on the highway -- 3rd gear passing power is solid for a V6 sedan -- better than the G35 ('06) and my '03 Nissan Maxima 4AT.

The TL "does" come with a factory cold air intake (LOL!) .. it's more like a very conventional factory air induction system with the inlet baffle pointed OUTSIDE of the engine bay to suck in cooler air... i like to call it a "cooler air intake system." It is still VERY tortuous (windy) and air restrictive and not a very free-flowing system. When you install it yourself (as I did) you'll see all the rinky dink plastic parts that are part of the intake and resonator (stock) that come out ... and then you replace it with this simple, free flowing AEM intake TUBE! I'm not surprised there are such phenomenal gains from just a CAI (15-18 whp)

What the TL/RL/TSX eventually need is a 7 or 8 speed automatic tranny.

speeddemon69

so the TL is quicker than the G35 that uses the same engine as the 350z? i was looking at the G35 as an option also (coupe). i was looking at the gear ratios on the 5AT version of the G35 and it looks like its a fourth gear is better than the TL's. But then again the G35 does have more powerterrain loss.

Also was the CAI install difficult? Any cutting or drilling required? Is the CAI piping very long? how bad was throttle response affected? Sorry for all the qustions but i gotta get all the info i can get. thanks

94eg!

You have to look at a much more specific window than simple gearing. You must compare the gear ratio, the final drive, the tire size, drivetrain loss and the torque @ xx rpm of both cars to acutally compare the performance on paper. If the torque is high, but the gearing is too long, you won't perform. If the torque is high, the but the tire is big, you won't perform. If the torque is high, but the drivetrain is dragging, then you won't perform.

speeddemon69

Are these the most populated forums for the TL? or is there another site that might have more members?

Inaccurate

This is "the" place. Why do you ask ???

Inaccurate

One thing that I don't see mentioned is that the '07 Type S has it's VTEC engagement set at 5000 RPM as opposed to the 3.2L engine set at 4700 RPM. So, the non-vtec period between upshifts seems it might be (speculation) even more painful with the 3.5 engine.

speeddemon69

lol...just asking since i just googled acura TL forums and this site came up. Just making sure there is not another TL site that's more active.

Inaccurate

You saying we are not "active" here ??? :angryfire

I was just joking around with you...

BTW, welcome to the forum, the best Acura forum on the Net !!

speeddemon69

cool, looking forward to being a future TL owner. just gotta analyze everything i can on the TL. hopefully hondata unlocks the power of the TL soon, might be a selling point for me.

tidus888

the difference is really minimal when you think about it.... Multiply gear ratio and final drive together!

07 is only slightly faster in acceleration. (really slightly.) but dunno about the actual tq converter =)

94eg!

If the VTEC transition is set properly, it won't matter if you shift out of it or not. The ideal would be to have the cam switch over so the torque curve stays nice & smooth (no sudden jumps). I have noticed that on many cars, Honda does set the VTEC transition higher than optimal (I've noticed on most H22 & K20 cars) to give the driver that sudden kick in the pants feel when VTEC comes on. This makes the buyer feel like they really got what they paid for. The truth is, this actually looses performance since the high cam is coming on too late. if VTEC is set right, the changeover will be seamless and the driver won't feel a thing (only hear the engine suddenly get louder).

If the 5000rpm changeover of the Type-S creates that "kick in the pants" feeling, you are basically getting hosed...

94eg!

I don't know if you read my posts, but the performance average based on gearing is 1.14% better for 07...

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

The TL in 3rd gear passing is QUICKER (IMHO) than an '06 G35 5AT -- I am NOT talking about 4th gear passing ... The G35 is also a MONSTER out of the hole (i.e. 0-60 compared with the TL .. thanks to that Nissan torque). I always hated how the TL took 'till 3800 rpms to really feel like it was built up to some decent power. Now, however, with my CAI and OVER 70K miles on the car, I feel like that my throttle tip in is improved (i.e. throttle response is improved) and I have some more juice low in the rpms.

The CAI install was not difficult, but cumbersome at times. I say that because all of the connections/installation necessary above the wheel is straightforward (i.e. removal of old factory intake parts and connections of new CAI parts...). It gets challenging when you have to remove the wheel, remove the fender lining, and drill a couple rivets in the factory resonator to remove the stock components completely. Other than that, it's a 2/10 in terms of difficulty. It took me 1.5 hours start to finish.

I have driven my TL extensively, obviously, and a friend's '06 G35 5AT fairly extensively (and aggressively) .. and it's a big trade off for me .. I love the infiniti low-end torque, and the exhaust note on the infiniti is intoxicating! However, I like the creature comforts of my TL more (bluetooth useability and features compared with the Infiniti BT, ELS sounds, satellite radio, ergonomics of TL's interior) and I liked having that high end power on the highway.

The nice thing about low-end torque (ala the Infiniti) .. it always feels like it's "pulling" hard ... even though you could be neck and neck with a TL that doesn't give you that feeling of aggressive acceleration b/c of the way it delivers the power in the rpm band. Does that make any sense?

speeddemon69

cool man thanks for the comparison, and install guide! Great Info!