flydog

This is my short review of the J-Shift J-Pipe sold by Richie. I paid $349 for the pipe and it arrived within a few days. I have done a lot of welding and I can say that whoever put these pipes together knows what they are doing. It is a quality part and it should last a long time.

Installation took about an hour. The hardest part was loosening up the old nuts. A good way to get some extra leverage is to buy some 1" lead pipe from Home Depot (about a foot long) and place it over the socket wrench handle. The new j-pipe fit perfectly and it came with all the necessary gaskets.

The people at the local dyno shop are dicks so I elected not to do a before after dyno. Instead, I used my G-timer to compare 0-60 and 1/4 mile times. The G-timer may not be as accurate as a time slip, but like a dyno, it is a good comparison tool.

I performed 5 runs stock, VSA on, no paddle shifters. The average time for the 0-60 was 6.15 seconds. Quarter mile times were consistently 14.75. (My Acura is a TL-S auto).

After installation of the J-pipe, I did 5 runs in the same configuration. The average 0-60 time was 5.95 seconds and the average 1/4 mile time was 14.6.

I should note that the stock runs were done a few weeks ago when it was cooler out. I am in Arizona and temps are in the mid 90s now. After installing the j-ipe, there was a slight difference in exhaust tone at idle when standing next to the exhaust, but inside there was no perceptible difference in sound. I did not think the car felt any different or more responsive after the installation, but clearly the pipe added some horsepower.

Before installing the J-shift pipe, I installed a Fujita CAI. According to the G-Timer that mod did not do anything. But it does make a lot of noise. I will probably be removing it this weekend and putting it up for sale if anyone is interested.

As you can see from the pics, the stock j-pipe is pretty horrible. It has a big flat kink at one point and the tubes are not equal length. The j-shift pipe has larger diameter tubing that is kink-free, and, according to my measurements, are equal length.

I ordered a Megan test pipe and I will do some more runs and post the results after I try it out.

JsL138

Good review and nice pics.

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

milk man

Yeah good review and nice pics i must say. I installed my j pipe today to, which i got from richie and its great.The car feels quicker then befor and sounds good also have the stage 3 exhaust has a better tone with it.It does feel like i have more power but then again i also did the ur pully and the car revs faster.But all in all the car runs good if any one is thinkin about getting the j shift pipe i say do it!!!

JsL138

I thought a stock auto TL-S was quicker than 14.75 in the 1/4 mile.

modificata3

yeah, thanks for the time comparo, that's good info

milk man

i'd would say keep the intake bc it does give horse power.maybe your not quicker in the 1/4 but it does help i know it helped my up top more esp on the high way. well thats the way i feel .

Schu

Nice pictures and write up

MichaelBenz

iTrader: (2)

Nice write up....welcome to the J-Shift pipe club! lol

flydog

Car & Driver got 14.1 out of a 6-speed. That was probably with the VSA off and I had it on. With the VSA off I got an extra 1/10th of a second. Also, the automatic on this car takes forever to shift. The paddle shifters help a bit, but it still takes too long to go through the gears. With a better tranny this car would be much quicker. And remember it is pretty hot out here right now. 99 on Tuesday.

flydog

I am going to try putting the stock intake back on, but I am going to remove the first foot of pipe before the resonator and install a K&N filter. There is an air deflector that routes air into that area so it would cool the intake air considerably. That first foot of intake pipe is u-shaped and starts at the front of the battery so, besides the restriction, it is sucking in hotter air from the engine compartment.

FiveLiterCheater

My friend ran his 03 5AT accord V6 with just an AEM V2 and got a 14.9 lol so somethings not right...

don5504

In the 2nd picture is there any reason why it would be constructed like that? Seems like one single mandrel pipe would of worked with a cutout for the other pipe that is attached at 90 degrees. I certainly could be wrong just trying to get more info on that.

D

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

He had VSA on, he used a G-Timer, it was 99 degrees, the list goes on.

flydog

A 2003 Accord is about 300 lbs lighter and a lot more aerodynamic. And the transmission is much better.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

7th Gen Accord Coupe and 3rd Gen TL both have the same drag coefficient of .29

TylerT

iTrader: (1)

The G-Timer has been known to be inaccurate, go to a track and I'm sure you'll get better than 14.75.

milk man

i was jst about to say the same thing that the g timer is prob off...you really have to go to the track to get the best times

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

gtimer isnt that accurate.... track is the best... plus you gotta learn how to launch the car well, VSA should be off.... stock tires blow.... SS mode, using the shifter or paddles lets you hold the gears right and shift and perfect timing... straight auto-mode doesnt always hit the redline before it shifts..

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

yea I agree on these digital accelorometers, I had a gtech pro rr... was never able to get it quite accurate... always used to out in 1st when I had no traction...

ps. wheel hop throws off the reading very easily

flydog

These posts are getting away from the topic. The issue was: Does the j-shift j-pipe add hosepower? Not: Does the G-Timer really work? or Does Flydog know how to launch a car?

The G-Timer shows that the times dropped consistently. Whether they are off 1/100th of a second or 1/10th of a second or whatever is irrelevant and so is launching with the VSA on or off. This was intended as a comparison. There was no prize for coming in with the best 1/4 mile time.

milk man

Yeah the test pipe adds power why else would you put it on bc it looks pretty If you wanted to know if it adds power you should of dyno the car too

Tripnbeats

glad to hear someone did a nice comparison.....i was very hesitant to get the pipe....now im not
What I still dont understand is why honda would pay these moron "engineers" to make such a half ass pipe and put it on the cars. why not just make them the way we do....cheaper and quicker on their part if it came down to it. no?

BADSHARK

How does one get ahold of the J Shift pipe? I am new to the site and are slowly moding my 07 TL S

Tripnbeats

BaD welcome to the forum glad to see ur modding interest.... first u need 400$$ then u need to find out which one of the vendors sells them.....im sure fly can give u more details.

BADSHARK

Thanks Tripn, the $ is not a problem. Been reading the tread trying to locate the pipe. I looked at the ATLP but the construction on this pipe looks better i.e welds and bends.

milk man

Hey Bad richie v6 sells them but i heard he is out of stock..he said 5-6 weeks to get them in but if you order from him he will throw in the test pipe for free and this one gives the exhaust a nice tone

ed99

Awesome review. We do not know how accurate the G-timer is. But at least he was able to compare what the difference was with and without the J-pipe. Good to see the J-pipe providing additional hp to our TL.

BADSHARK

Thanks Milk Man, how is the sound inside the vehicle while driving, I commute approx 80 miles a day so I dont want it to loud, besides then run the risk of the wife figuring out that I have done something.

flydog

If you mean with just the j-pipe there is no perceptible noise difference inside the car. It is hardly noticeable standing next to the exhaust. Seems a little deeper at idle and thats it.

thevnct

hey flydog, are u plannin to add the j shift test pipe also? i still dont noe which gives u more power, the j pipe or the test pipe

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

hahaha lolz @ the risk of the wife figuring out that I have done something

same here man.....i got new tein and dropped ma ride......girl says.....ur car looks very low......i say....darn my suspensions are old :P

flydog

I am adding the test pipe next week and I will post the results.

milk man

HEY BAD ,WOW we all have the same prob my girl friend is always noticing if i did sumthing to my car. I can never hide it from her either... she hasnt heard my stage 3 yet but i dnt think she will figure that out. the j pipe with the stage 3 sounds bout the same jst a better tone and you dnt hear it inside ... and you can always tell your wife that the exhaust is jst breaking in

BADSHARK

Thanks Milkman, that does help. She and I have been together for too many years she knows I cannot help but modify the vehicle in some way.

Lerlactl

Good Post! Two questions though, first does the pipe touch your oil pan and where did you order yours from I want one too. Thanks

flydog

I got it from Richie V6. You can search for him here, but he is a vendor on a different forum.

It does not touch the oil pan. The clearance is about the same.

milk man

You can find richie v6 on

Lerlactl

Thanks Guys

flydog

I removed the CAI and reinstalled the stock intake, but removed the U-tube before the resonator. After the change, I still got 0-60 times consistently in the mid to low 5.90s.

The modified stock intake sounds a little louder than stock, but it is much quieter than the Fujita CAI and the sound is consistent throughout the RPM range. The CAI doesnt seem to make much of a difference so I am going to stick with the stock intake for now. By the way, I took some surface temp readings with an infrared thermometer and contrary to what I suspected, the CAI tube was cooler than the stock airbox. But only by about 10 degrees. The insulation I had on the pipe, dropped it about another 10 degrees. But this is a topic for a different thread so back to the exhaust.

I installed a Megan test pipe. After installing the pipe, the 0-60 times dropped to an average of 5.85. The best time was 5.82 compared to best time of 5.90 before the Megan pipe. That time is close to what C&D and other mags were getting from the 6-speed TL-S so i am happy with the results.

So installing the j-shift j-pipe along with the test pipe netted about 3/10 second on the 0-60 times. The exhaust sound, even with the test pipe, seems the same. Maybe a bit louder at idle. There is no cabin drone or any perceptible difference inside the car.

In conclusion, I recommend installing the test pipe along with the j-pipe to maximize the gains. For $60, I think it gives a lot of bang for the buck. I am debating doing the Stage 2 or 3. If I do, I will post some more results on here.

milk man

Cant wait for my test pipe good review