What should i do for my first upgrade?

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Old 09-10-2007, 09:32 PM
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What should i do for my first upgrade?

Hey guys i just got my 2004 acura tl and wanting to add some more hp. Dont know alot about cars all i know is i want it to be FAST!!! Not looking to spend alot of money but open to suggestions on what i should do first, second, and third. Thanks
Old 09-10-2007, 10:11 PM
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Speed = Money

How fast do you want to go?


Seems to me CAI is probably first. Quick, easy, available. $225 - $250.
Old 09-10-2007, 10:13 PM
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Originally Posted by jjrosga
Hey guys i just got my 2004 acura tl and wanting to add some more hp. Dont know alot about cars all i know is i want it to be FAST!!! Not looking to spend alot of money but open to suggestions on what i should do first, second, and third. Thanks
LOL. Good luck...
Old 09-10-2007, 10:24 PM
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i have been looking into this too and here are what i have read off this forum

Thermo spacer = $100 + big increase in throttle responce. You have to remove the intake to install this. Maybe 5 hp?

Throttle body spacer = $130? + increase in throttle responce. You have to remove the Throttle body. Maybe 5 hp?

Cool Air Intake = $250(?) + increase mid rpm throttle responce. You have to remove the bumper, plastic wheel well, and tire. Maybe 6-8 HP

I think with all those you will get a nice responding car. OOh and looking into the exhaust mods to make you car sound nicer!
Old 09-10-2007, 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by n00blike
i have been looking into this too and here are what i have read off this forum

Thermo spacer = $100 + big increase in throttle responce. You have to remove the intake to install this. Maybe 5 hp?

Throttle body spacer = $130? + increase in throttle responce. You have to remove the Throttle body. Maybe 5 hp?

Cool Air Intake = $250(?) + increase mid rpm throttle responce. You have to remove the bumper, plastic wheel well, and tire. Maybe 6-8 HP

I think with all those you will get a nice responding car. OOh and looking into the exhaust mods to make you car sound nicer!
I thought those 2 came together?
Old 09-10-2007, 10:40 PM
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What do you want out of your car? If you're mostly interested in 1/4 mile stuff, unfortunately, nitrous is the only way of getting any decent power for under $1K. I don't like the stuff but with the blowers being $4K+ and all of these little mods adding up to maybe 20hp, a small 75 shot would wake it up nicely. Again, I don't like nitrous and prefer a turbo or blower anyday, but if I wanted my TL to be decently fast, I would use nitrous.

I honestly couldn't justify to myself spending $120 on a plastic spacer and $250 on a piece of pipe and filter to pick up maybe 10hp.

Weight reduction in the form of spare tire, jack, sub, and boat anchor; gutting the cats, and drop in K&N with removal of the resonator and plumbing would do just fine.

$48 later you've just picked up the same power as spending $1,200 on the high flow cats and exhaust, and aftermarket CAI. Yes, I know some people hate people like me that hate cats lol.
Old 09-10-2007, 11:29 PM
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Originally Posted by ballinfizzle89
I thought those 2 came together?

p2r makes just a throttle body spacer which is $80
outlaw engineering makes a thermo block spacer kit which comes with a throttle body spacer but it is nothing like the p2r one...
Old 09-11-2007, 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted by I hate cars
....

I honestly couldn't justify to myself spending $120 on a plastic spacer and $250 on a piece of pipe and filter to pick up maybe 10hp.

....

Awww, what the heck. The first 286 HP (TL-S) cost us about $127 per; $37 more per HP is a bargain.
Old 09-11-2007, 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Bearcat94
Awww, what the heck. The first 286 HP (TL-S) cost us about $127 per; $37 more per HP is a bargain.
LOL. I like your way of thinking... It makes it hurt less.

I was just being my usual optimistic self. This car is turning me into a grumpy old man already.
Old 09-11-2007, 07:04 PM
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An underdrive pulley is another relatively inexpenive add-on that will make your TLS faster, or so I've heard.
Old 09-12-2007, 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by stillhere153
p2r makes just a throttle body spacer which is $80
outlaw engineering makes a thermo block spacer kit which comes with a throttle body spacer but it is nothing like the p2r one...
ooh i didn't know that the outlaw engineering came with a TB spacer too. I thought it was just the Intake manifold spacer.
Old 09-12-2007, 01:05 PM
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Outlaw engineering makes the spacers for our cars 100 plus shipping.....i saw another company offering a throttle spacer for the type s but its tooo big and its metal....it'll conduct too much heat in my opinion.
Old 09-12-2007, 03:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Tripnbeats
Outlaw engineering makes the spacers for our cars 100 plus shipping.....i saw another company offering a throttle spacer for the type s but its tooo big and its metal....it'll conduct too much heat in my opinion.
Outlaw Engineering makes a thicker gasket. P2R makes a 3/4" aluminum spacer with 2 thermal gaskets on each side. It is not too big and it won't transfer too much heat b/c it has 2 thermal gaskets on each side instead of one like the Outlaw setup. That is why it makes the power it does.
Old 09-12-2007, 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Excelerate
Outlaw Engineering makes a thicker gasket. P2R makes a 3/4" aluminum spacer with 2 thermal gaskets on each side. It is not too big and it won't transfer too much heat b/c it has 2 thermal gaskets on each side instead of one like the Outlaw setup. That is why it makes the power it does.
Im sorry but im confused

Where do you install the Outlaw and P2R things?
Does the Outlaw one go in between the block and intake manifold
and the P2R in between the Intake manifold and TB?
Old 09-12-2007, 11:29 PM
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ehh i dunno metal kinda likes heat more the gasket doesnt help in reduction of heat is helps reduce air escaping or being sucked in. I can see if the gaskets were made of some kind of rubber material but that would add to the gapping
Old 09-13-2007, 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Excelerate
Outlaw Engineering makes a thicker gasket. P2R makes a 3/4" aluminum spacer with 2 thermal gaskets on each side. It is not too big and it won't transfer too much heat b/c it has 2 thermal gaskets on each side instead of one like the Outlaw setup. That is why it makes the power it does.
The outlaw kit has a non-metalic spacer which I guess you refer to a gasket?

It must be about 3/4 of an inch thick, so wouldn't that basically be the same as the P2R spacer except for the bling?
Old 09-13-2007, 09:20 PM
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Comptech or Progress RSB

CAI

Underdrive pulley

.
Old 09-14-2007, 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Tripnbeats
ehh i dunno metal kinda likes heat more the gasket doesnt help in reduction of heat is helps reduce air escaping or being sucked in. I can see if the gaskets were made of some kind of rubber material but that would add to the gapping
The gaskets are thermal gaskets. This isn't a regular paper gasket. P2R uses the same material Hondata uses in their gaskets. It's some sort of plastic like special heat resistant material. And yes they are thicker than the OE gaskets so they give a thermal barrier on both sides since it comes w/ 2 of these gaskets and the one aluminum spacer.

KN_TL

The OE gasket is 5/8" and it uses regular paper gaskets on each side for a seal. P2R's product uses an aluminum spacer and uses a thermal gasket on each side.
Old 09-14-2007, 01:27 PM
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now we're talkin!
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