so I recently got a completely stock gray 2007 Acura TL. Anyone got any suggested mods? I'm not planning to make it a track car of any kind but my goal is to have it sound pretty well for the least amount of cash. I was thinking about a air intake but I'm not sure which is better between short ram and cold air. Also anyone got any interesting color combinations that would look nice on it other than the usual blacked out rims. Thanks!

 

AEM V2 Intake
A-spec Kit
Hyper Silver Wheels of Choice
Tein Coilovers Street Advance Z
J-pipe of Choice
Cat-back of Choice

 

Oil change, wash, wax, done. Save your money.

 

Where is the fun in that. You are only young once. Spend away!

 

The factory air intake is pretty much a CAI minus the grunt sound you get with most aftermarket ones. Not a waste of money, but definitely not important unless you're specifically wanting to hear the intake (or going the performance route, ie. exhaust, etc). Depending on miles, I'd say consider you suspension, tires, and lighting (interior/ext). From there there's a lot of options depending on what you're going for. 2 big vendors for our cars include HeelToe Auto and Excelerate Performance. Oh and you should bury your wallet now!

 

i think modding is personal and one should have a goal....instead of just throwing chit on just to throw chit on....
do things with purpose!
FUNCTION OVER FORM ALL DAY ERRRY DAY!
so, let's say you find the audio lacking...research and look into upgrading the factory amp...then better speakers, then add a sub.
i know these cars are old. mine is OLD as shit. what that means is do maintenance because I guarantee you, your car needs maintenance . if my garage queen needs fluids, brake pads, etc..etc.etc, I'm know yours does too.
i've always found the approach of replacing shit that breaks with aftermarket components. that way, I mod as I maintain and keep things new.
worn brakes? aftermarket
worn clutch? aftermarket
worn engine mounts? aftermarket.
this also helps with budgeting. so you dont throw money away on stupid mods.

as for wheels, everyone has different taste. I never thought I would buy white wheels...an opportunity came up and I have me a set of OG TE37's in white

 

I agree with Justin, maintenance over mods to begin. Now, I'm a bit of a hypocrite, and have done both at the same time.

The only true mods I have done currently are putting on a set of Tein Street Advance Z coilovers and a set of 18" aftermarket wheels (XXR's, so cheap wheels) wrapped with Continental Control Contact Sport A/S.

Between those three items, I have spent roughly $2300, just to give you a frame of reference.

I got the coilovers because my stock struts and springs were definitely bad. I was hearing noise from one of the rear ones and the car just absolutely sucked on the highway, I was bouncing all over the place.

The wheels and tires were 100% for appearance reasons though. I still have plenty of tread on my OEM wheels' tires.

In maintenance alone I have spent a significant amount as well. Keep in mind, your car is 9 years old, so things are going to break. Luckily, even OEM parts for this car are not that expensive. Currently I am looking at having to replace my axles. That's going to be about $500. Not necessarily money I want to spend right now, but the car drives like shit, especially at highway speeds, which consists of most of my driving.

Just don't look at your car as something you'll make any money from when you sell it. If you keep in mind that it is a depreciating asset that will provide (mostly) reliable transportation every day, then that's the value you will get out of the car, not what you get if you ever sell it. At least that is what I keep telling myself when I cry myself to sleep at night over all the money I have spent on mine while it still isn't driving well.

 

Back in the 2002 time frame...when I was young...I did spend away. I think I dropped around $5-6k (car was only worth ~$8k) in a few months "modding" out my car....it was fun...I kept that car for another 6 years and enjoyed it, but I without a doubt realized how much of a waste it was of my $5k. I haven't modded since then, just maintenance. I would rather put that money to vacations truthfully. Or even being more responsible....pay down the mortgage.

 

That sort of knowledge/insight comes with age though.


OP, just read around and see what you like and then do it. Throw caution to the wind! YOLO! You can deal with the repercussions later

 

Best bangs for the buck would be a long tube J-pipe and a TL-S rear anti-roll bar.

 

holy chit, you just described me only 7 years ago.
when I first joined the site, I was gungho on modding the car...
about $5-8k and 7 years later, i wish i started saving for a house earlier instead of throwing it at mods for the car
I just encountered my first job loss, so i'm glad I have emergency/house money ...but an extra $8k sounds REALLY good right now. lol

*edit*(I guess if i sell the wheels and coils i can make up $3-4k..but fuck no! not yet at least)

 

I got off easy....I had the money in the bank at that time. I bought a house the next year which killed the fun money funding for a couple of years. Overall, I got off easy. I had friends who had $20k+ dumped into their cars...and keep in mind, these were not Acura TL level vehicles...these were more entry level vehicles that they had dumped thousands and thousands into. I always felt bad when one of their cars got wrecked since insurance paid out a couple thousand....and they just lost the rest.

You only live once...so enjoy life...but keep in mind the longer term plan for your life. You want to drop $10k on your car? Go for it...as long as you know it is throwing it away...you will never get it back. Man....I feel old....and I know I am not even close to the oldest on this site.

Oh yeah, hopefully your job loss is short lived and you find something else soon. I have been darn lucky over the years and generally either always survived cut-backs or saw the writing on the wall and got out on my own terms/schedule....Knocking on wood....

 

Sign up for school. Max out student loans. Drop out of school. Mod the shit out of the car!

 

Thanks Jackass.
was out just over a month.
the same company just picked me back up and I can continue modding again!!! (NOT! throwing everything into savings and looking for other options)

 

Maintenance before modding IMO. Get the kinks out and know where you stand before you spend unnecessarily on the additional stuff that may not matter if you don't have a functional car.

Still working on the prior myself but these guys on the forums are very helpful for ideas once you're ready to be infected by the bug.

 

I suggest an oil change, some driving, and then do it again and replace the filter.... Also do a 1x3 atf fluid change for now.

Deaden/seal doors (makes the car quieter and improves sound quality substantially), install aftermarket sub and amp. Cheap sub n cheap amp should work fine.

 

As Justn said, replacing old or worn out OEM parts with aftermarket parts is a great way to go!

Not only does it help you with budgeting, but it makes you feel like you've accomplished something worthwhile when (for example) you swap out your old worn motor mounts for an aftermarket set; knowing the shiny new part that you installed will offer some benefit, and work towards solving an issue.

Don't get me wrong, exhausts are great, and we love the sound XLR8 catbacks make just as much as the next person (we promise, they're pretty great), but installing a new exhaust while thinking about old motor mounts in the back of your mind is never fun!

Check us out online for all your OEM/aftermarket needs: http://hoa.excelerateperformance.com/

A question I don't think I saw an answer to OP was cold air intake vs. short ram. Cold air intakes draw air in from the bottom of the bumper, as opposed to the short ram intake which sits in the engine bay. Cold air intakes are slightly more efficient since the air they pull from the bottom of the bumper is cooler (which means it's denser; so you're getting more air in less space) then the warm air the short ram pulls from in the bay. More air means the potential for more power!

If you can't find something on the site feel free to shoot me a PM, we'll help you out!

P.S. Congratulations on the new car!

 

my rotors are getting worn...XLR8!!
I super want the 2 piece rotors!! and then when my clutch goes, I want the XLR8 clutch!!
replace worn parts with aftermarket is the best way to go! unless you are made of money, then you can do it all in one shot!

 

Congrats on the new car. I would focus on maintenance before getting any aftermarket performance parts. This is coming from someone that already had their transmission break down on them (in the middle of the highway, I didn't have fun)
change cabin filter
change air filter
change trans filter
change trans fluid
coolant flush
check out your rotors and brake pads
check all fluids in general...
I am anal as hell about maintenance now than before when I first bought my TL. Don't ignore it!

 

I like the stock look myself, just put some coil overs on it to give it a drop.. Removing your third muffler and resonator improves sound and is cheap to do.
Maintenance is always a must ,but making the car yours is a must also.