lakeman

As an older retired gearhead who often drives conservatively, I choose the 6MT, with no regrets. A few points regarding the 6MT.
1) When driven in a more reserved manner and on highway trips the 6MT gets high 20s MPG. (In my first year of driving, I averaged 27MPG overall)
2) I don't live in a high traffic area, but the car can be a real pain in stop and go traffic - due to constantly having to launch the car from a stop. However, if it is just slow and go, where you can usually keep it in a gear, it is actully fun and easy to drive.
3) Yes the car can exhibit "torque steer", but you quickly learn how to drive such that you do not induce the problem. If, however, you like to apply full power from a stop especially when turning, you will have a problem with the 6MT.


Lakeman

A-TLvic882

I have MT...get MT for sure

SouthernBoy

Couple more points.

Clutches should last at the VERY minimum, at least 100,000 miles, unless extraordinary cases apply.

Fuel economy, as pointed out by lakeman, can and should be very good with the 6MT (I also manage high 20's in town driving - back and forth to work).

wavshrdr makes very good points for his argument, but I should add that if a drive knows how to come out of the hole with his manual tranny, he should be able to launch better than the auto driver in this car.

In the area where I live, manual transmissions in the higher end cars, like the TL and BMW and similar machines, are in demand and have no problem selling. It's the clientel who dictate the market and around here, manuals have no problem moving off the lots or in private sells. But then again, this is Virginia, not San Francisco.


If you are still not sure (sounds like you've already made up your mind to bo 6MT, drive both.

Salut

As a fellow European... who also has driven nothing but sticks...

Got to have a stick...

I drive in SoCal traffic all the time... NP...

So again my vote is 6MT...

Cheers mate...
Ciao

ZQQM

I bought another acura "only" because it was available with a 6 speed ( bad experience with a 2k1 CL-S ( 3x)).

Test drove everything else, last car tested was the TL. WOW Just bought it then and there.

It's a great 6 speed. Short, positive throws. Clutch takes a little getting used to, but it easy. The car just fly's with the 6speed.

Just get it.

k6biv

Hello:

At 55 and counting the TL is still a wonderful car..

I got the 5AT because I'm OLD....

Tim

wavshrdr

I respect Southernboy's points. To add a little detail, my 5AT routinely gets over 30 mph on highway driving and I don't have a light foot.

A perfectly driven 6MT will beat the 5AT to 60 and in the 1/4 mile but how many people can launch the car that accurately all the time while on the street. The 5AT is a piece of cake by comparison. My 5MT race car will lay down spectacular times at the track if I nail it every time. Sometimes though I may bog a little or the conditions change enough that my launches are perfect and then it is possible for a slower call to pull me until I run them down.

This is often what I've seen on the street when running my TL at times. Mister 6MT setting next to me has read all the road tests and knows that his 6MT should just definitely take my 5AT. Unless he nails the launch its not going to happen. The 5AT is so easy to launch on of my kids could probably beat the average 6MT driver to 60.

If you overlay the performance graphs of the 6MT and 5AT the only real clear advantage in acceleration of the 6MT is at speeds typically over 90 where the 6MT has shorter gearing and less drivetrain loss. Down low the 5AT benefits from the torque multiplication of the auto so you don't have to rev it as hight to make it accelerat well.

This is really the dual nature of the car. Buy the 6MT and you MUST make it rev to go because it doesn't get the torque multiplication of the AT. Once it does get up there it will pull slightly harder than the 5AT. So if you plan on revving it to redline most of the time buy the 6MT. Unfortunately my traffic conditions and local constabulary preclude me from exercising the VTEC motor as much as I might want.

They are both great cars but have slight different missions. I am perfectly happy with what I bought as are most of us. Hard to lose either way. If resale is a factor then definitely lean toward the 5AT for most markets.

As for one other poster mentioning that his won't run to readline in sport shift mode, I don't know why not? Mine will smack the rev limiter in 2nd or 3rd gear with no problem if I don't shift soon enough.

NYTHAWK

Definitely get the 6MT and have CompTech's "Short Shifter kit" installed for about $250 for parts and labor. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

jazzpicker

Wow, this has become complicated...
The car is great with either transmission. It comes down to personal preferences. Do you want a stick or an auto? I am lucky since I have one of each (my sweet wife likes sporty cars too) The 6MT is a different car, feels faster but the torque steer issue can be a problem if not careful.
The AT is a pleasure but more sedate to drive and is a great car too.
I was suprised to find out on here that people have issues driving a stick but if you are used to driving a straight shift you already know the difference..
Go and test drive both, make your own decision and buy the car of your choice.
My only advice to you is to get the navi (oh brother, this will start another debate)
and enjoy your new car.

SouthernBoy

To wavshrdr;

Your post is well stated and correct. I applaud your take. No doubt about it.. for the casual or careless, an automatic is easier to launch than a manual (this is NOT to say you are either of these, I'm sure you know). Manuals take some practice to get out of the hole right and that means right every time.. if this is to be your game. For me, I don't tag my car.. I tend to be light with it and chose my times when to nail the throttle. I avoid hard launches because this is my street machine and I'm not of a mind to tear it up.

But your posted points are correct. It all boils down to really just a few things in the end. The "fun" factor: what the driver feels is the best way to serve this item. Economics/maintenance: if this is a factor, then the manual has the edge here. Resale: this factor is determined, as I said, by the market in the area in which you live and in my area, manuals in cars like this are in demand. Long-time ownership: will the owner be happy with his decision over the long haul or will he find himself wishing he'd taken a different decision with this matter.

hootie

The MT is the ONLY way to go. If I got the at I would already have traded. You will see my saying throughout these posts, "life is too short for automatic transmission." With the 6 mt you will have so much fun you will accept the low gas mileage cause you are having fun again driving. Also with the 6mt you can beat most germans and japanese high end cars that if they would have mt they would beat you. Another thing, with the popularity of this car it will make you feel good when you pass another tl and they have the silver front brakes, mt's have the black bembros up front and when I encounter another mt I can see sometimes that driver looking for the bembros to see if I'm one of them. I really believe that the at tl is just another nice car. My girlfriend drove it and popped 5k in first, second and third and I really thinks she likes me better now.
Life is too short for automatic transmission

ZQQM

I drive in Chicago rush hour about 1.5 - 2 hours a day, and have yet to find the 6 speed a hassle.

This engine is very flexible and it pulls pretty well from the basement, not a torque monster down low, but trolling along in 1st-2nd is no big deal at all. And if a good gap opens up, I've got great pull to hit the opening, don't have to wait for a automatic's downshift logic to make it happen.

wavshrdr mentions he sometimes hits the rev limiter ( haven't we all ) when using the manuel control on the auto tranny. Sometimes getting the most out of an auto isn't as easy as it seems.

Get the 6speed, your face will hurt from grinning too much......

caball88

6MT i would not gotten the car if it was not an option. i drive in heavy traffic everyday and really don't see the problem. if you were driving an auto you would still have to manage the brake and acclerator in traffic. just have to manage one extra pedal(clutch). really isn't that big a deal.

Motoracer

In addition to all the pro-MT comments that I agree with below, the MT also comes with better brakes and suspesion upgrades. No contest.

Legend2TL

I've driven both and prefer the 6MT over the 5AT.

One reason I still prefer manuals over any automatic is the fact that your shifts are independent of your thottle position, engine RPM, and vehicle speed. I still like to drive a manual with large thottle openings and short-shifting at 2-3K RPM, that way you can get better fuel economy in city driving with lower engine pumping losses also it's fun to do.

I feel more focused and less distracted driving with a manual over an automatic, but that depends if my two daughters are fighting with each other in the back.

VTHokieTL

I struggle with this decision too. When I went into the dealership a few weeks ago, I was set on buying the automatic. My last car (also being my first new car) was a stick. And the joy you sometimes get with that (downshifting into 2nd and kicking it ) is great. But living in the DC area, I'm stuck in traffic 70% of the time.

But I ended up buying the 6MT anyway. It was a last minute decision, but I think I made the right one. Sure, there will be days when I'm stuck in traffic that I'll wish I had an AT, but there are plenty of other times I'll kick it with the 6MT and get that feeling you can't get with the auto. Can't wait to do....only another 550 miles to go before I hit 1000

jmichaelp

I had an AT loaner for four days while the dealer performed service B, did an inspection and took care of the rattles & seat leather. While the AT is responsive enough for a vehicle in its class & the SportShift gives you some control, there was just no comparison with the MT.

SouthernBoy

Hey VTHokieTL. Get out of Arlington while you can.. the place is going to the dogs. We escaped in '98 and have never looked back.

VTHokieTL

It's not much different than I expect from many urban areas. I just moved here about 6 months ago after having lived in these places over the past 7 years:

Centreville, VA
Germantown, MD
Gaithersburg, MD
Rockville, MD
Chevy Chase, MD

Most of those are not as urban as the Ballston section of Arlington, so it is a change. On the other hand, I bought my condo pre construction, and it's made me a nice profit

I'll probably live here a year or two, and then look for something better.

onalake

If you sit in a lot of traffic during the week or live in a conjested area, then AT is a no-brainer. If you live somewhere where you can let the car run, the MT is the answer. MT is more fun but when you have to sit in traffic, you really mind a MT. I choice AT because I live in NJ and there is little room to open the car up and let it run...at least without getting caught!

cblackburn

The love for manuals is already in your blood, don't deny yourself. I love my 6MT. I don't think I'm old enough for an AT yet (I am well under 50 years of age).

The car truly comes alive when you get the MT. I test drove the AT before getting my car, and didn't care for it at all.

Get the the 6MT. It's all about whether you truly want to drive the car, or just steer it it. heh.

thane11

It's unusual that the 5AT & 6MT are the same price. Most cars, BMW included charge over $1000 more to get the AT.

I drove both the 5AT and the 6MT and preferred the 5AT (the clutch in the 6MT had too much travel.)

I came to the conclusion that the 5AT with the tiptronic gives you:

• the feel of a MT, and control of when to shift.
• the freedom of keeping it in AT for bumper-to-bumper traffic.
• Better resale value.

Rick F.

This is obviously a personal choice. I'd suggest that you drive both before making a decision. Are there other dealers in your area that might have a manual car?

If you're used to a manual, you'll find that the extent of engine braking on the AT is significantly less. The AT cars will naturally be a little slower, but it's a quick car either way.

The MT cars have a limited slip differential, while the AT cars do not. Normally, that would be a nice feature. Some tests, however, have noted that 270 hp through the front wheels with a limited slip can cause fairly substantially torque steer, as one wheel grips and then the other. I can attest that torque steer isn't much of an issue with the AT.

In my case, incidentally, I went with the AT (i) since I often have to drive in stop and go traffic, and (ii) because my left knee isn't great and shifting my last MT car (1997 A4 Quattro) got to be uncomfortable. Plus, with no clutch, you can stretch your left leg out straight on long trips (important when you're 6'6" like I am!)

Again, your choice. Either way, you can hardly go wrong with a TL!

Krypton Ken

Drive them both if they are available. If you like driving and shifting smoothly, get the auto trans. Previous to buying my TL, I owned only manual transmissions. I bought the auto trans with my TL, after driving and enjoying my wife's Toyota. And I don't regret it a bit.

I love the smoothness of the auto. It suits the luxury of the TL.

SouthernBoy

To cblackburn;

Age has nothing to do with it. While rather sensitive about my age, I am definitely older than you. It's all in what you love and an automatic is not even in the picture for me. I can't imagine myself buying a car with an automatic and my wife would think I've finally lost my mind.


To onalake;

Heavy traffic never bothers me with a manual. Driving one's so second nature to me, that having an automatic would seem unatural.. even in heavy traffic.


To thane11;

I've mentioned this many times. In the area in which I live, manual transmissions in the higher end sedans (such as BMW, Audi, G35, and the TL) are in demand and highly sought after. Their resale is no problem because of this. It's all in the market and our market leans in this direction.

wavshrdr

I think it's important to add something to Southernboy's point about not hard to sell manual transmission luxury cars in certain markets. In some regions this may be the case and you have to see if it it is in your but nationwide it is DEFINITELY not the case. If there was such a huge demand for MT cars then Mercedes would be importing a lot of them as they sell quite a few of them in Germany but almost no MT cars here.

One other thing to consider that even if you buy a 6MT TL and you area seems to like them such as Southernboy's area you darn sure better get a mainstream color combo of exterior interior colors as it still could be hard to unload the car later. I read that nationwide the sale of the 5AT vs 6MT are something like 9:1.

I have yet to see anywhere where that number is reversed. Even with Southernboy's comments of there being a higher demand I strongly doubt that anywhere the numbers are reversed. Realistically at best it might be closer to 50:50. I'd love to see MT vs AT figures broken down by region.

As for some people's commest about the 6MT suspension being "better" that is a subjective statement. If better you mean stiffer then perhaps that is better in your area but not in mine. If you have lots of potholes and generally crappy roads then then the AT suspension might be a better choice. Our roads are heaving frost damaged and the 6MT sort of hops over the bumps if you hit one mid-turn while the 5AT seems to absorb them better.

Motortrend choose the 5AT to be their 1 year test car and didn't seem to seem to mind that it was an AT car rather than the 6MT. Of course there is the comment that many of the more rabid 6MT owners loathe where Car and Driver magazine said "A jaunt in a TL with an automatic revealed far less torque steer, thanks to the torque converter that smoothes out the power relay and the lack of a tugging limited-slip. We're usually not ones to say stuff like this, but the automatic is arguably the more fitting transmission for the TL's lofty power numbers."

I guess I see it that the TL has sort of an indentity crisis. It is a car that really wants to be a corner carving sport sedan but is truly limited by its FWD chassis. That is what finally forced me to reconsider the 5AT version and ultimately buy it. I truly hated to agree with Car and Driver but I would have definitely bought the 6MT if I could have done throttle controlled drifts in a RWD platform. As it is Honda/Acura didn't really try to go after BMW in the handling department. So what we ended up with is a nice commuter car that handles reasonable well.

Of course people will argue look at how well it did in some endurance races. My counterpoint to that is think how much different the race version is compared to the stock version and just think how much better it would have been if it were RWD.

How many of you out there truly would have liked to see the TL in a RWD or AWD configuration? If they had it I'd be dumping mine in a heartbeat.

SouthernBoy

There are a few cases where I would buy an automatic. My Ford Ranger pickup is a 5-speed, but if it were an automatic, that would have been fine. In fact, I was looking for an automatic Ranger but when I came across this one, I just couldn't pass it up. Another case might be if I lived in San Francisco.. in the city, that is. With the famous hills, I would view an automatic more along the lines of a safety feature. And then there's towing.

Not too long ago, I heard about a sales stat for BMW's in my area. The 3-series were selling slightly more manuals than automatics. I suspect with the 5-series, the reverse is the case.

The dealer from whom I purchased my TL (Pohanka) averages over 20% off their inventory in manuals for the TL.

As for Mercedes, I am seeing some of the CLK(??) models with manuals.. a friend recently bought one. Her's is a 320 and has a manual.. she wouldn't dream of having an automatic.

Color combinations are very important as are dealer and after-market add-ons. I see a lot of crappy rice burners in some of the areas in Norhtern Virginia with spoiler wings half the size of the car and made from what looks like galvanized metal, and weird lighting affects with crazy paint jobs. Their market when the time comes to sell is limited and has to be of the same mindset as are they. Oh, I forgot the exhaust tips the size of trash cans.

Bottom line for this is that if resale is a concern, take a little time and investigate the market for a manual.

One other thing. wavshrdr lives in Minnesota where snow is a real factor. It is a misnomer that manuals do better in snow than automatics. In fact, a low-powered car with an automatic is a much better choice. Except for the LSD of the manual (and I don't think that is going to be a big factor), an automatic will do better in the snow than a manual simply because you can maintain a constant level of uninterrupted torque input to the drive wheels with an automatic.

slavka

HA! HA! .. I learned how to drive stick here in SF.. yeah! that was fun. Thats when my dad taught me how to start going uphill using e-brake..

I always thought.. if you know how to drive a stick in SF and can also parallel park here.. you'll be fine pretty much anywhere else

NSX-Tuner

6MT!!! I live in the BA too and my CLS 6MT is my daily driver. Once you get use to it, a MT in traffic isn't bad. Also, I had an '01 CLS 5AT and always wished it had a MT. After trading it in for my '03 CLS MT, I couldn't be happier even after 2 years of ownership.

Also, I've driven several '04 TL 5ATs as loaners when I had my CLS 6MT in for service. The '04 TL 5ATs felt alot like my '01 CLS 5AT did and I couldn't wait to get back into my CLS 6MT because I don't really like ATs. But if you don't like or feel comfortable with a MT, then go with the auto.

wavshrdr

One other downside I've encountered with almost any MT tranny no matter who made it or where I lived, if the weather gets pretty cold they all don't shift worth a damn in the cold. Depending on the weather and driving speeds the gearbox fluid can take a LONG time to warm up. I am not talking that you need temps -20F or colder to experience this. I currently have (3) MT cars and (3) AT cars. Without exception all 3 of my manual cars have very notchy 1->2 shifts in the cold if not almost impossible 1->2 shifts when the car is cold.

By cold I don't mean where it is 5F outside when you drive your car out of your relatively warm garage where the car was maybe at 30-40F but cold as in when you car set out all day at work and you go out and it is 10-15F colder in the parking lot. Until the gearbox warms up you will be doing 1->3 shifts instead of 1->2 shifts with most MT cars. Get to sub zero temps and it becomes even more an issue. This weekend when our temps never got about 0F and with lows of -15F to -20F my MT car was a real PITA to shift when it was cold and it has Redline synthetic gearbox lube.

If you live in warmer temps and don't have much of a winter then this won't be an issue. I think that besides AT vs MT being somewhat of a personal choice I think there are environmental factors that play into this a lot as well.

What some people call heavy city traffic is all relative. For me heavy traffic is where I take 20 minutes to go at most 2 miles. Our roads are darn near gridlocked in the morning and we have a few river crossing where the traffic backs up for 5-6 miles to just get across 1 bridge. I do the MT shuffle all to often in these circumstance in some of my cars. I one time counted I did over 300 launches from a dead stop in just one segment of a commute. Tell me that doesn't get tiring in an MT car. I literally took off and went about 50' before stopping over a 5 mile stretch of road. How I hate this state.

[off topic rant to being] Unless someone is willing to pay you major bucks don't ever move to Minnesota!!! Taxes are absurd here and the roads suck! Highway engineers wouldn't know a good road design if God himself delivered it in their laps. They have totalled killed most of the joy of driving cars here and if they have their wish we will all be driving electric cars with 20 mile ranges. Outside of Mass. this has to be the socialist mecca of the US. Cars are not welcome here let alone wanting to drive them in a sporting manner as Colin Chapman intended.

OTOH maybe you should buy a manual as quite likely the days of the MT could be numbered in cars if you really think about it.

caball88

what do you mean by that? that's a pretty bold statement. i don't think the days of the manual tranny are numbered at all. in fact i see alot more sport luxury sedans being offered with this as an option. Even if you look as recent as the previous gen TL, it was not offered in MT form. but acura must have some marketing strategy in order to invest money in offering a MT version of the 3rd gen TL. The dominance of AT is only apparent in the US, if you step outside this country its pre-dominantly MT cars so i'm pretty sure MT's are not going away. if there is a demand for it, then someone will create the supply. If you are implying that newer technology like SMG(Sequential Manual Transmission) will replace the standard MT then again i think that's a pretty big assumption. first off SMG is an expensive technology compared to MT. second of all its just not exactly the same. as a consumer i would probably not get a SMG even tho it can technically surpass a standard MT in performance. The fun factor is just not there for me.

As far as cold effecting shifting, yes your point is valid but its not that bad. i have driven the car in VT at about -20F outside and i didn't have to go from 1-3. its a little more notchy but shifts fine. but i do have an AT car that doesn't want to shift in cold weather(revs higher than normal before shifting). it takes a while to warm up before it starts shifting at regular(lower) rpms. i am not qualified to explain this mechanically but i assume its probably the same principal behind why the MT shifts are notchy.

To the Original Poster, obviously there are going to be people who favor one tranny over the other. there is no one transmission that is superior as its all relative to what you are comfortable and will be happy with. There are advantages and disadvantages to both drive trains. Like many have said test drive both thoroughly and decide for yourself.

SouthernBoy

To wavshrdr;

I've only had a few cars (manual transmissions) which were tempermental when the outside temperature was really cold (like -4 to -8 which is about as cold as it EVER gets here in Northern Virginia and that's pretty rare). All of those were in foreign cars. The American cars I had at the time handled the cold just fine... especially the older ones.

Your description of heavy traffic is, indeed heavy probably in most people's terms.

Now as for Minnesota and it's socialist ways.. I wasn'g going to go there because (God forbid) there might be some socialist lovers on this site (Lord knows, we don't want to offend, do we?).

What do you do for a living.. what is your profession? Here in Virginia, we're far from the poison that pollutes Minnesota or Massachusetts or a host of other states. So come on down. Just as long as you can assimilate into the Southern culture. There are jobs a plenty for techies and similar types (well not quite like the late 90's but better than the rest of the country).

wavshrdr

caball88- First off I truly love MT transmissions. Where I see the future of the classic MT as we now know it is heading in another direction than what we have all grown up on. You can thank the US government for a lot of it. Each drivetrain has to be certified for emissions testing, EPA readings, etc. This costs a lot of time and $$$ for the manufacturers. Unless they can truly justify this additional expense in the way of added sales they will make less and less of them.

Don't forget the overhead of tighter and tighter emission regs as well. By taking the control away from the driver and putting it in the hands of the CPU in the car they can further reduce emissions and improve mileage.

You also need to factor in emerging technology such as the fuel cell cars and hybrids. With almost no exceptions (except the 1 lone Honday 2dr ugly POS) they are all AT cars.

Combine that with the vast improvements in automatics and CVT transmissions and there is less and less "need" for a MT. The AT in my MB is an amazing AT transmission and has plusses over a MT in may regards and mostly without the drawbacks of most AT cars.

Also as you mentioned the SMG will also diminsh some normal MT market share but I also agree that with the cost structure of it currently it won't have much impact until the cost goes down as the volume goes up.

As for foreign markets I spend a lot of time overseas and even now you see more and more AT cars there. In spite of that a lot of the MT versions of the cars aren't brought here because of certification issues. You also need to drive an MB with one of the 7spd automatics they build.

Another factor to consider is warranty claims. It is much harder for the average person to damage a AT through normal usage than an MT because you take out the ham-fisted, drop the clutch type person out of the equation. At the other end of the life expectancy ATs can be expensive to repair but this normally doesn't occur within the warranty period. My personal experience is that AT cars are less reliable in the long term period of 5+ years than MT cars but I've seen more issues in MT cars earlier than that due to poor drivers.

So in many ways the vast performance advantages of MT versions are now not so vast. In some ways AT cars can outperform their MT counterparts especially in turbo-charged applications or by using CVT technology. My MB has direct lock-up in every gear so that you don't get that "slushy" feeling of most AT cars when you let off the gas and it freewheels a bit with no engine braking. Let off the gas and the nose drops.

I think that even the Euro market which used to be strongly MT has seen the numbers shift and diesels now outsell gas motor there as well. Look at how few trucks you can buy a MT transmission now. Many SUVs don't even have an option anymore. The demand in the US just isn't there. If it was you would see more of them rather than just a few select "sport" cars.

Until I bought my MB with its AMG massaged tranny I was about as anti AT in most applications as you could imagine. All I can say is now my eyes have been opened to what could really be the future in many ways.

SouthernBoy- I am unfortunately stuck in Minnesnowtah for a while. I never planned on living here but I regret moving from the South where I was living before here. I lived long enough there to develop an accent that just now has erased. I'd always consider a locatition change if I could find the right opportunity.

To make some of you shudder, one of the areas not terribly far from where I lived had temps this morning of -59F! For you those of you in Euroland or Canada that is -50C! Cold soak is a real issue with these kinds of temps.

k6biv

cls6sp03 has not fully disclosed that he is in a "midlife" crisis and his CL is a rocket. He has everything that Comptech makes on his car with about 330WHP on the car. He is the second oldest person with a Acura modified car. I am the oldest. We both live in the Bar Area. I have an 5AT on my TL. I have only had 1 car with a stick and that was a 1968 Nova SS.

After the meet on Saturday I have decided to get the Comptech Sport Springs and Camber Adjusters..

All of this is a precurser to the Super Charger which Comptech is working on for the 04TL..

After the SS install cls6sp03 and I can have a race and publish the results and we can then see which is faster a 6MT or the 5AT

Tim

NSX-Tuner

Yeah, I confess... I'm an old fart :killer: who feeling his oats and thinks he's a young buck again . I'm on my second CLS (the first one being a black '01 CLS completely stock). Shortly after getting my '03 CLS 6MT, I found this forum ... and then the modding began...

Correction on the WHP... 305/262 WHP/TQ... or about 370 at the crank... I might see 330 WHP with a HBP or a chip from CT (if it ever comes out).

k6biv, you probably figured out by now that modding is contageous...

Don't forget bout the BBK...

NOTE TO ACURAZINE MODERATOR's: Please fix the smiles... They're broken in the CL and TL forums... thanks...

k6biv

Hello:

I called Comptech to setup an install for the Springs. I will add the Brakes..

Thanks,

Tim

NSX-Tuner

BTW, if you do go with the Brembo BBK, the '04 TL A-Spec wheels do clear the calipers without the need for wheel spacers. I know for sure cause Acura of Pleasanton tested those wheels on my car after the BBK install.

DAVERUBINO

Oh No! I thought I was the oldest with a modded TL here. Guess it's nice to have company!

JetJock

Drive both, and get what you like best. I had 2 previous TL's, and this is my first with the MT and I have no regrets. IMHO, the Brembo's are one HUGE factor in the decision. Sometimes, when I'm stuck in traffic, I wish I had the AT, but for the most part, the MT is fun to drive and having the Brembo's is the clincher. The clutch on the Acura MT is a little tricky, but after you get used to it, it's not a factor. I love my 6MT and wouldn't have it any other way.

NSX-Tuner

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
and very well put!!!