2004 TL

Yes this is a tire related question.

I have recently installed 255/40/17 tires on my stock rims (as noted on another thread), and am trying to get the best combination of traction and engine optimization to get the best acceleration from a stop light. I don't jump on it all the time, but when I am in the wrong lane and need to get ahead of the next car in a short period of time, I have been having some issues not wasting the power in tire spin. The VSA simply retards the motor which acts like a bog and go process as I run up the gears. If I turn off the VSA, it is tough to get all of the power to the ground while maintaining a 15% tire slide for the best acceleration. So here is my dilema. Too much gas, tires turn to molton goo. Too little gas, and a Civic passes me. If I stay with the VSA turned on, I am not able to max out the power to the ground.

Let me tell you that I am not a street racer, nor want to be. AWD would solve this issue all together, but Acura is not going to put SHAWD on a TL anytime soon, and even if they did it would not help me.

Thoughts?

Final

Actually - I think Acura's putting SH-AWD on the 2008 TL... With VSA off I have to launch at a lower RPM and when Im going into second the tires spin instead of chirping so I lose more time so I usually drive with it on. If you floor it with VSA off youll encounter a nice amount of tire spin though

2004 TL

That is what I am trying to avoid. Thoughts?

reloaded

having VSA off works but it only works if you have good tires. If you leave it off with some crappy tires like the stock ones..or ones without any traction, it will spin for a ridiculous amount of time. Therefore, in those cases, it's better to leave VSA on unless you want to only half throttle until you gain traction and then full throttle the rest of the way.

Oh yea..the redesign more than likely will be for the 2009 not the 2008. It wouldn't be logical for Acura to do a total redesign for the platform one year after they released a substantial change to teh TL.

2004 TL

BTW prior to the mods my base line was as follows:

232 whp
0-60 5.89 sec
.87 lateral g

I had little issue with wheel spin prior to these additons, but now the car revs so easily and there is substantially more power, so wheel spin is a point to deal with.

CometVR4

Is VSA secretly working? I dont see the point of turning it off. Once you're moving then the light never comes on.

2004 TL

After getting past 1st gear the VSA does not play an active part, but it does help to reign in the oversteer that is created by the RSB when trail braking or lifting off the throttle in heavy cornering moves.

FiveLiterCheater

Lol @ your info....plz tell me thats all bull?

ubnpast

2004 TL

All of my stats are easily proven. The car was on two different dynos with similar numbers. In fact one dyno showed more hp/tq but I did not feel that machine was calibrated properly so I ignored it. The performance measurements are repeatable and easily proven.

subinf

Dyna pack?

FiveLiterCheater

Uhhhh no....

Base TL: 210-220whp (5AT/6MT)
Comptech RSB: N/A
UR Pulley: 8-10whp
Procats: 15-20whp
AEM intake: 10-12whp

So....on AVERAGE, you would be in the 250-260whp range...

unless those tires add another 30whp I don't know about.

lifetimeofwar

are you 6spd?!?!? those are amazing numbers your posting up. (0-60, 1/4 mile, and hp/tq)

ubnpast

If you have the aem dry flow, that shit is good for some 35+ hp right there

2004 TL

6SPD. You can save more than .3 sec by snap shifting. It does not hurt the trans. It is an old racing technique.

2004 TL

Yes it is the Dry Flow.

2004 TL

Uhhhhh don't be a smart ass.

2004 TL

If I do my math correctly from your response, I come up with a potential of 285 hp on the high side.....No?

FiveLiterCheater

Lol...

With those mods, i'd say you're in the 255whp range...

your 1/4 mile/0-60 times are WAY off.....I think blown TL's are doing that.

lifetimeofwar

There was someone on here that did the 1/4 mile, N/A w/ mods in about 13.7

subinf

Yup - https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141121

MichaelBenz

iTrader: (2)

You also see where he is from too yes? Vancouver. Much different weather there than we get here in the states....I think he even admitted that had some to do with that. I dont dispute he did it though...

MichaelBenz

iTrader: (2)

Plus...rereading...he has a three inch exhaust too.

subinf

Ok...

I'm willing to bet this guy can launch and drive the car well - hence the great numbers. I don't see why everyone has to pick apart what he has posted. If it was something outrageous, then yes, have at it - but this does not seem unreasonable.

subinf

Yeah? Much different? Did he run the car on one of those extra special weather days in Vancouver?

MichaelBenz

iTrader: (2)

Here is the dealio there....

Weather-wise, Vancouver experiences mild temperatures much of the year thanks to a strong, warm Pacific Ocean current originating near Japan plus a strong flow of on-shore air originating near Hawaii.
June, July and August normally bring high temperatures of 19C to 22C.

This run was done late may early june - therefore it was right at a estimate we will figure somewhere around 66 - 72 degrees MAX. He added the video to Youtube or whatever on 7/23 and said he did it about a month before...meaning 6/15 - 20ish? - So we are talking mid June basically. June 15th was high 50's to low 60's that day in that area....? Pretty good drag weather to me? Call it special if you want...but fact is....our track closes down if it gets much colder than 60 degrees? The coldest days ALWAYS yield some of the fastest times of the year around our area anyway. Cold = good for making HP....air is denser, ect. Not so great on traction....but with the right tire and a preheat or just the right tire for that matter....plus a damn good driver, ect it could be done!

2004 TL

You are right about blown TLs. However, the supercharger is only adding about 50whp or so...right? Assuming the blown TLs also have these mods too, they should be producing better times than I can unless they are loosing time do to wheel spin which was the point of my original posting. The blower will only help out on the top end since there is already so little traction in first gear that the car can't really handle any more below 40 mph. I doubt that 60ft times would be any better.

So again, would feathering the gas in the first 2.5 to 3 seconds with the VSA turned off be the better method to extract the best acceleration rather than jump on it with the VSA turned on? What are your thoughts?

subinf

Seems like normal Bay Area weather to me

It was unclear whether your comment was comparing the video to the times of the OP, questioning the "normalness" of the video times, or both. I assumed it was saying the video run was superior to the OP's run because of the weather - in which case it wouldn't make any sense because any state can have the same weather on any given day.

2004 TL

Thanks for you support! I would be sceptical if someone said that they were able to get thier TL into the high 4's to 60 mph unless they had three things going for them, a racing cluch, slicks, and 400 hp. There is simply an issue of physics that we are not able to get past with 300 or so crank hp (give or take) and front wheel drive. The weight transfer takes pressure off of the front tires, thus reducing traction, and after about 325 crank hp, the rest ends up in smoke, not thrust. Having the 255s help in cornering and initial traction off the line, but beyond that they just look good. We are snipping at minor details and in the end, we can't get past the laws of physics. I doubt that the weather will make any significant difference in track performance unless we are comparing 100 degree high humidity heat with 60 degree low humity weather in back to back runs. Who really cares anyway.