Not to start a hate thing here, but the 3.2 liter is a little soft on torque compared to some of the other guys out there in this class, and I've kinda been hoping Honda/Acura would come up with something with a little more oomph. Maybe a de-tuned or retuned version of the 3.5 liter in the RL, with maybe 280hp and 270 ft-lb of torque (others with 3.5 engines beat these numbers easily, so it could be done).

That would give the TL more grunt, as well as more breathing room at high rpms and high speed for better passng power and high-end acceleration. Sure, the additional torque steer would be an issue, but it could be corralled. In fact, it could be banished altogether with AWD, although that adds complexity, weight and expense (and steals some power, too).

But I still have to believe Acura has plans to add some power to the TL, maybe for '06 (?) Anyone have any inside scoop on this?

 

I do agree that the engine is low on torque. But I don't think they will up anything in the engine until they get real wheel drive.

 

I think you are suggesting that Honda change their tradition and move away for ULEV. I will be surprised if this happens. Look at the numbers, Acura TL competes pretty well.

Keep in mind that Honda does not try to compete directly with anyone really. It's the combination of everything that enables them to do well, they are a large niche player.

Of course this is just my opinion from observations.

 

No, I think you have a good point, especially with the ULEV thing. But the marketplace is a crowded and nasty place, and Honda/Acura *do* indeed try to compete with others. In fact, the Acura Division actively tries to compete with the likes of BMW, Audi and others ... just look at the RL's target market!

While the TL does a nice job in its segment, it's slowly getting outpaced by G35's and the new IS and others, so it has to do something to keep up. And I'm convinced Acura will come up with something.

 

i think the engine is sufficient. are you guys really flooring it every where you go? because if you dont, you arnt really at the optimal performance. the TL is a great NA engine. 11:1 compression is great.

if you want more power and u want to sacrifice your warranty, get someone to fabricate a manifold for you and boost the car. you can always send ur engine to GE, RS mach or companies like them and sleeve the block and find forged pistons and rods. with a 3.2 liter engine, 700 whp can be easily achieved if you have money. 5000 or so might be enough to get u there. i dont know about the availability of forged piston/rods and iron sleeves, but if you can find someone to make it, i am sure it would work. it's not going to be cheap for custom made parts tho.

are you willing to sacrifice the the amenities that were part of the car when you bought it? lighter cars allow you to have better handling. so start stripping the crap out of the car. all you need is a bucket seat and ur guages. no need for airbags or anything else. start looking into lightwight pieces like CF and the removal of all sound deadening material.

if u want a car with power and AWD, look into evo's and sti's. a big problem with 4wd is it's cornering ability. you will understeer like there is no tomorrow with 4wd.

since i think you're looking at ways to easily mod the car and be able to drive it on the street, look at boltons. a free flowing header(not the dc header crap) and exhaust, that will help you free up a lot of power. if you know how to work on your car, remove both cat's and run a test pipe. you might want a resonator to stop police officers from pulling u over because ur car will be LOUD. look at getting a pipe and a k&n filter. intakes are just a mandrel bent pipe with a filter at the end of it. with those mods, you might be looking at gaining 40whp. the comptechexhaust /aem cai gained 30 or so hp. a freeflowing header will help a lot.

 

This car would be perfect if it was supercharged and given AWD, it would be like a much nicer evo or WRX.

 

After driving a 2005 G35 AWD with 298 HP and a LOT MORE TORQUE, I do agree that the TL is low on torque...when it comes to high end power it could match other cars but...

p.s. I am only talking about the low end torque comparison with the G35 and the AWD, I love the TL in all the other aspecsts (fuel eco, design and styling, features etc)...

 

but nothing is perfect.

 

To Mike_X;

I've been suggesting the same thing ever since I bought my '04 TL. Mind you, I love my car, but being a gearhead by nature, I also love power. I would love to see the engine opened up by about another, say, 24 cubic inches to make it a 220 cubic inch displacement. If Honda were to do this and maintain a comparable state of tune, we should see around 300 - 310 horsepower and around 284 lb/ft of torque. With some minor modifications to the underpinnings (mostly just tires), this would still be at the limits of a streetable FWD machine. But wouldn't it be nice?

 

if you want more umph.... buy evo or sti... 270 hp is plenty for most of TL owners...

 

Yes they do compete but not directly head to head. If they did the TL would be RWD. One thing that may happen soon is the hybrid engine ala the Accord. More HP better mileage. I don't think I want one though.

 

Yep, I agree. As long as I can meld onto freeways in a swift and safe fashion I am okay with the 270 BHP. A little more low-end torque might be helpful, but really not required. It's still a sweet engine.

 

umm..the torque line is flat from 2000-redline..

 

 

To parkkuen;

I don't want an EVO or STI. They look too boy-raced to me. Like I said, I love my TL and am quite pleased with it. But I also said that since I am a gearhead, wanting more power is just wired into me.

Mostly, by "power", I mean torque which is what most people associate with the term "power" anyway. Actually, I think Acura would be wise in considering an increase as an aid to stave off competition from the G35. Hey, we, the consumers are the benefactors of such competiveness, so I'm all for it.

 

The G35 AWD only comes with an automatic transmission and the auto trans G35's are all 280hp.

Coming out of a '02 Maxima SE, I do agree that the TL could use a bit more torque.

 

well if acura went back to the orginal S motor where their max torque was at 3500 and not 5000 they would solve some of the low end torque issue. I suspect that they changed it since the 2g was frying trannies...

acura now has the lowest torque in it class (with the exception of bmw) at the highest RPMs. They used to have the highest torque at the lowest RPMs. They lost the lead... even a camry v6 has more torque than a TL... All they need to do is change the motor they do not need to get rid of it. The problem has been that the transmissions need to be able to take the torque. They could up the compression to 11.5:1 like the RL and the 3.2 could pump out 280 ponies at about 250 ft pounds with ease. change the cam and they could get some lower end torque. To get more power they would need to drop in the 3.5, but in doing so, they would also probably impact fuel economy. Who wants to give that up to let's say 17 city 26 highway...

Acura 3.2 238 5000 RPMs HP 270
Infiniti 3.5 270 4800 RPMs HP 280
Lexus 3.3 240 3600 RPMs HP 225
Toyota 3.5 260 4700 RPMs HP 280
BMW 3.2 262 4900 RPMs HP 333

 

with 11.5 compression, your going to have some idiots running around using less than 91 octane and when they constantly detonate, they're going to wonder why there is a huge chip in their piston. 11.5 compression is high for a factory car. the porsche carrera gt only runs 11. i am sure people that own that car could afford 100 octane easily, but you've got the penny pinching TL owners that believe they could run 11:1 compression on 87 octane. i need to show him what detonation can do to FORGED arias pistons..imagine what it can do to aluminum pistons..

like this guy for example..

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117441

 

check the RL I believe it has 11.5:1 compression raito.. That's how they got 300 ponies from the 3.5.

Cannot worry about the fools out there...

 

The RL is also 11:1 compression ratio

Also the BMW 3.2L motor you listed was a M3, not a fair comparison to the other Japanese motors listed considering the design and assembly of the BMW M-group engines.

 

After driving a car with 350 ft lbs of tq everyday, driving an J series car with low tq drives me nuts. But they do scream up top though.