2004MT6TL

Okay, so I've decided that I want to somehow get to 300 HP, what does everyone suggest... without using nos...

coop1018

Supercharger-cams

GoBig

UNICHIP...just need a car for them to test in Portland.

Raja707

I'm curious too about how to get more power. Is there ANY tested aftermarket products for the '04 TL besides an CAI?

R

Norse396

Why anybody would mention cams and supercharger for such a small gain I'll never know. This engine has power left to give, it is waiting to be set free. Get more air into the motor, and more air out, the engine is nothing but an air pump after all.

Install a better CAI, headers and exhaust, find a company that offers a new performance ECU and say hello to better than 300hp.

zanolla

Norse,

It's still a pretty fresh model so i haven't looked around, but do you know if any of the ususal suspects are making an aftermarket exhaust for the TL yet? The stock setup seems pretty well tuned - what's your take on the stock system?

Aegir

Not many bolt-on's available yet. You could start working on things like a baseline dyno, then see what basics like air filter and synthetics will do for you. If you're going after dragstrip numbers, you could start playing with chassis tweaks. These often knock more off times than most bolt-on's.

If you want 300hp fast, you can do it but it would take some serious work and wouldn't be cheap (ex: 3.5 upgrade, extrude hone). Or you could reconsider NOS. Don't be afraid of it. It can be safely used if set up properly. If you only want/need 300 hp every now and then, it could be a good fit.

takuyaah

i dunno if its such a good idea to look for increase in hp with this car....i mean..270 is very efficient with the car already and you probably won't see any improvement in performance/speed anyway...300hp+ in front 2 wheels? i mean..u can either make a hell of a burnout or u can drive backwards really fast?

Aegir

Is this another stupid "FWD can't handle (120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300) horsepower" beliefs? I've been hearing this for 20 years. The only thing that changes is the power keeps getting higher. Guess what - The TL manages 270 hp very well. It can handle 300+ HP just as well. Get over it!

¿GotJazz?

Ummmm ... Put 30 Clydesdales in front of your TL?

takuyaah

first of all, all different setup of cars have different advantage or disadvantage...i have 4 cars in my household and they are ALL FWD...so u know i am not biased towards anything other than FWD...but on the other hand...we all know the FWD do not have anything close to 50:50 weight distribution especially in cornering...i do believe 300hp is alot for a FWD car to handle...i am not saying it can't be done...all i said was "you probably won't see a great improvement on performance/speed" i do not believe i said anything wrong...

you can hear for another 20 years about the same FWD issue and the problem is still the same...while FWD cars are lighter, cheaper...it will always have the torque steering, understeering , bad launching comparing to other platforms since it was never meant to be a race car...do not think i disrespect FWD in any way..but thats the way it is...if u need to drive in snow...and u can't afford a AWD...by all means..FWD is the way to go..or if performance is not your priority..

the reason for the FWD cars can handle more and more power is credited towards suspension technology and computer VDC and what not...i dun think i will get over it really...i am sure the TL can handle 400HP or what not...but u can ask me again and i can still tell u...well..first..you can't really do that since u can't do any kinda force induction in this high compressed engine...even if you somehow be able to get it to 300-320...you won't see any significant difference in your performance time...just be happy that its one of the best looking car on the road...and know that you can rely on it for 20 years =) i would save the money to try to add power to a car that is so well designed and i personally do not see that its so worth the money...

takuyaah

again..i don't mean no disrespect...if you still think i am STUPID for thinking that way....its ok..thats your opinion...but in my humble opinion...i really dun think 300hp FWD TL is gonna be so much more significantly faster than 270HP FWD TL..i am sorry if i offended anyone like aegir

dougpt10

Exactly, intake, ECU management and maybe exhaust = 300+HP. Too soon to have anything available yet. We must be patient!

fishacura

fishacura

Uh...buy a porsche

Bitium

This is why the 300hp RL has SH-AWD....yes FWD can handle power, is how efficient is a 400hp FWD car while cornering and 0 start. Like you said, there is also a drawback to FWD which is weight ratio.

kilrb

What's all this about FWD not handling 300hp? Back in high school, my buddy's Mom had a '94 Cadillac STS, which had 295. It was freakin' awesome! I thought it was the coolest "grandpa car" (sedan) ever. I would think with CAI and mods to the ECU should get you close to 285/290 at the crank. Does anyone offer an underdrive pulley for TL's? I know on my old LT1 Z28, an underdrive pulley added a few horses.

takuyaah, I have to say, I don't understand why you think 300 or 320hp would be unnoticeable. How a 30 - 50hp gain could not effect a car is beyond me. Sure, in 1st gear, you might not be able to hook up enough to see a difference, but I guarantee anything above 1st with 320hp at the FW isn't going to make traction an issue. I guess it depends on what you consider "noticeable". I guarantee if you put a TL w/ 300hp at the crank next to a stock one in 2nd gear and hit it from there, the 300hp is going to pull. And it wouldn't just be an inch, either.

Norse396

The exhaust manifold is crimped and could use updating, the exhaust isn't too bad but of course more horsepower is available there. The stock CAI is restrictive, removing the silencer could help here but nobody has shown an interest in that part. The computer has been shown to hold back over 6200rpm. While we know the engine makes peak HP at 6200 it is capable of more, so a new ECU mapping could help A LOT.

Nitrotiger

Nitrotiger

Im working on the restrictor part just have not time to take the bumper off. And i will do an AFAC 2 in the car that will give you and easy 10whp as the tl pulls back at 6k I have used an afac plenty of times. You just have to put the car on a dyno when tuning it. My next thing is comptech springs looking to shave off some more ET would like 14.0

Norse396

300+ horsepower is definately do-able, will it help in road racing? Who cares? That was never in my mind anyway with this car, and I'll bet it isn't in many others either. Now and again a trip to the strip would be fun, and 300+ horsepower would help here in a very nice way.

Norse396

Hmmmmm can't do it with the bumper on?

Aegir

Yes, with kegs in the back. It would be very popular at parades and large sporting events...

Type S Lady

Get the bottle!!!

Aegir

Sorry for the flame. "Driving backwards" pushed the wrong button.

I agree that +30hp in this car does a lot less for performance than a lot of people think. If you are drag racing the car, you might eek out a 13.9...which to be honest isn't all that fast for a performance car. It basically just gets you hungry for more, which ends up costing a lot more - especially on this car. If you want to go fast through a road coarse, suspension tuning goes much further in this car than 30hp.

kilrb

Yeah, 13.9 isn't all that fast for a performance sports car, but 13.9 for a sport sedan is awesome! Plus, consider the highway acceleration for a minute. The TL runs a disproportionately high mph for its 1/4 mile times (14.6 @ 99 from one of the big car mags). This would suggest to me that the 1/4 time is limited somewhat by the FWD, which won't play any role in anything above 1st gear. I'd love to have a TL that runs a 13.9. It would be faster on the highway than an average 13.9 second Mustang or other RWD car.

Aegir

Yeah, 13.9 wouldn't be bad at all for a 3500lb luxury cruiser.

Norse396

Boy are we spoiled, 13.9 is fantastic, many of us were happy the day cars finally got into the 15's after the decade of slow called the 70's.

Aegir

We're driving Acura TL's, so I guess we're all spoiled!

Tajam

I heard decals add 10 hp, spoiler will add 10hp, and get injen 10hp there bam you get 300hp

WlcTL

ah ha

fla-tls

There are quite a few Type S's out there that are making 300hp at the crank. For me, the result was 5 to 6 tenths off my 1/4 mile time.

30hp may not sound like much, but you certainly feel and hear it.

jtruman

I have never modified cars, so bear with me...

I have a stupid question... if there's a new ECU mapping for RPM above 6200, does that mean I would have to rev the engine up there to enjoy the benefit? So if I were to make the mod, I would have to run the engine aggressively to see improvement in perfomrance?

What about other mods like exhaust? Will you see a benefit even at low PRMs?

Aegir

Generally speaking, exhaust improvements will help low-end power too. The question on the TL is how much is there to improve?

Norse396

The computer modification would entail more than above 6200rpm customizations. Many changes help performance at all rpm ranges.

Believe it or not but sometimes making the exhaust breath better can hurt bottom end performance while helping upper rpms, the trick is researching the right combination. As the TL ages companies will come out with all sorts of ways to help our TL's perform better.

pabound

pabound

I agree with NORSE396's original reply - Filter, intake mods, exhaust and an ECU upgrade whenever it is available. If you're really out there, you can extrude-hone everything...

REMEMBER, guys, our CR is 11.0:1. NOT a good idea for ANY power adder.

my .02

takuyaah

where do u get 13.9 from anyway? did u just guess it or what?

Aegir

Educated guess based on past experiences and the best times I've seen for TL's in the 14.2-14.3 range. Breaking into the 13's seems like a pretty common and noble goal as well. 30 more real (as opposed to adding up advertised claims) horsepower sounds about right for that.

takuyaah

not to burst your bubble or anything...quarter mile time for most 6 speed TL's r in range of 14.5-14.8 (motor trend and car and driver,road and truck)so..you are trying to car 0.6 to 0.9 sec in quarter mile time...just to let you know...linearly...you are talking about..cutting 0-60 time...from 6.2-6.5(TL) to...5.3-5.5(911)