Low Cost Mods

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Old Sep 4, 2018 | 07:22 PM
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Low Cost Mods

Well washed and waxed her. (quick version) I'm stuck at what I should do to her first... Kind of on a budget.
Front window tint?
Led Conversion?
Paint callipers?
Re-Do Stock rims?
K&N intake?
I need pointers guys!
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Old Sep 4, 2018 | 07:23 PM
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Old Sep 4, 2018 | 07:24 PM
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Old Sep 4, 2018 | 07:43 PM
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I painted my calipers and rotors for $30 total. Huge difference for such a low amount.

I would also consider some LED lights like fogs and switchbacks for the front turn signals. Those make a nice difference for cheap.

Also you could de- badge the emblems on your trunk for free.... especially that 'Hoover southtown.com', that sticker got to go!

I wouldn't bother with an intake as the stock intake is pretty much the best. You could get a k&n drop in filter but if money is an issue then why bother with it really.
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 01:56 PM
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It depends on if you're more interested in performance or looks. Or both (it sounds like).

Yeah, get rid of the dealer sticker. LED's are nice but if you use them for anything other than fog lights you'll have "side effects". LED daytime running lights will prompt an error to replace since they draw less power. And LED's in your turn signals will cause hyperflash. There are ways to solve those problems so you'd want to do some homework beforehand if those issues would annoy you. Usually it consists of installing a resistor. I have LED's in my turn signals which causes hyperflash but it doesn't really bother me.

As far as performance, there are a few small things you can do that unfortunately, don't make a huge difference but are either cheap or free. First, you can bypass the coolant lines to the throttle body. That will make a small difference by eliminating the heating of the throttle body and thus, providing slightly cooler air to the intake. You can drop some weight by removing a few heavy items like the spare tire and jack. Removing the plastic covers inside the engine bay can decrease weight a bit. Other weight reducing features include lightweight wheels and an AGM battery but those are pricier.

Other performance mods are more expensive such as a jpipe (around $400), high-flow cats and pre-cat deletes ($450 - $250ish), Ktuner ($450ish) and magnaflow mufflers/cat-back ($300 to $1000). However, they make a considerable difference, especially when combined together along with lightweight wheels and other lightweight mods.
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 02:39 PM
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plastidip all the things!
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 05:30 PM
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Originally Posted by dopeboy1
I painted my calipers and rotors for $30 total. Huge difference for such a low amount.

I would also consider some LED lights like fogs and switchbacks for the front turn signals. Those make a nice difference for cheap.

Also you could de- badge the emblems on your trunk for free.... especially that 'Hoover southtown.com', that sticker got to go!

I wouldn't bother with an intake as the stock intake is pretty much the best. You could get a k&n drop in filter but if money is an issue then why bother with it really.
Astounded that I'm getting advice from the cleanest TL owner on this page!
Definitely want to go with some less, but nervous about what to order..
Also I got the shitty dealer emblem off. I dont think paying them to represent their name is very fair huh?
What LED bulbs do recommend. I want it done right, with no errors and full functionality!

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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 05:30 PM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
plastidip all the things!
I'm sorry but I'm not a fan of the plasti dip. I think it looks really cheap and tacky.
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 05:31 PM
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Originally Posted by dopeboy1
I painted my calipers and rotors for $30 total. Huge difference for such a low amount.

I would also consider some LED lights like fogs and switchbacks for the front turn signals. Those make a nice difference for cheap.

Also you could de- badge the emblems on your trunk for free.... especially that 'Hoover southtown.com', that sticker got to go!

I wouldn't bother with an intake as the stock intake is pretty much the best. You could get a k&n drop in filter but if money is an issue then why bother with it really.
Oh and also, what products did you use on the callipers?
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 05:32 PM
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ok then, first thing you do is scrape off that crappy dealer decal.
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 07:14 PM
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As far as LED just shop around amazon/ebay and make sure you pick something with a good rating and many reviews. Don't forget to read the reviews. For fogs and switchbacks I have "JDM ASTAR" from amazon. Very happy with them because they look great and were reasonably priced. The switchbacks do require resistors to prevent hyperflash. So they arent plug and play but i found the resistor install to be really easy. All you really do is figure out which wire is which and crimp the resistor wires to the ground wire and turn signal wire.

For the calipers theres many ways to do it, I bought a duplicolor caliper painting kit at canadian tire. If you live in the USA you might find it at some canadian tire equivalent. Cost $30 and came with paint, brush, tape and brake cleaner. Make sure you take your time and prep the caliper surface really good before painting. Go to town on them with a wire brush, sand paper, scuff pad and then hit them with as much brake cleaner and paper towel as you have. If you do get that duplicolor kit then also go to the dollar store and pick up some paint brushes because the brush it comes with is crap. Once their painted you could add a caliper decal to make them pop a bit. I got some from ebay.

Last edited by dopeboy1; Sep 5, 2018 at 07:16 PM.
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 07:18 PM
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Unfortunately, Mods for this car are fairly expensive. In addition to the things mentioned above, you can also mod the lights under the dash to better illuminate that area, see the link below for more info

https://acurazine.com/forums/fourth-...ighter-783070/

Car looks really clean so painting the Calipers / Rotor hub area will enhance the looks. G2 Caliper Paint is a good brand.
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 10:14 PM
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WellVisors Look good on this car.

They blend in nicely with the car especially if you have tints. Looks like I don’t even have any.
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 10:51 PM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
ok then, first thing you do is scrape off that crappy dealer decal.
I left part of mine on. It's the "ook" in "Brookdale" and I'm a Discworld fan.
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Old Sep 5, 2018 | 10:54 PM
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Originally Posted by dv-
I left part of mine on. It's the "ook" in "Brookdale" and I'm a Discworld fan.

Love the look of it without it. Dealer had a big black decal on mine. I used my finger nails to peel it off. I noticed a lot of the 2012-2014 Acura TL’s don’t have the Acura Emblem anymore.
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Old Sep 6, 2018 | 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted by KarKraze
Unfortunately, Mods for this car are fairly expensive. In addition to the things mentioned above, you can also mod the lights under the dash to better illuminate that area, see the link below for more info


Like the 3G, I'd estimate the return on investment to be somewhere in the $100/1hp range. I've spent about $3000 total and I'd be lucky if I've gained 30hp at the wheels.

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