So I’m gonna be putting some money into my TL I’m doing suspension probably a rear sway bar and I’m considering a J pipe I don’t want the car to be loud or drone so I don’t think I will spend money on a full exhaust system but I’ve read so many mixed reviews about the J pipe some people talk about how much they like it and it seems to have made them power other people claim it was a big waste of money and they don’t notice anything or they really have to strain To really notice any kind of performance gains if we’re talking about two extra horsepower and you only feel it when you found out second gear and you’re at 7000 RPM I really don’t wanna spend the money but if my butt Dino would detect that the car has more top and pull or the car feels sportier I’d be inclined to spend the money on it I’m kind of curious what you all think about it

 

Really hard to say as worth it would be subjective. But the jpipe is known as the best bang for your buck performance mod on these cars. So if it's not worth it to you then nothing is. I installed a jpipe and hfpc at the same time and definitely noticed a difference. I'd bet the jpipe is noticable but very subtle. It will definitely not add much of any sound, only a tiny bit. If you get one make sure it deletes the third cat as otherwise I think it's pointless.

 

Cats will add more up top, Jpipe will add more in midrange.

 

I installed a xlr8’s jpipe (3rd cat delete) on my car 2-3 weeks ago. I definitely felt a power difference in my car. I also have a endless exhaust system and my car did not get any louder with the jpipe. If you get the jpipe, you may need some spacers to lower a rail. If not, you will get lots of vibration.

 

It was 100% worth the money in my opinion, and i had to convert from USD to CAD.... and it definitely added power at almost all rpms. The car didn't have to downshift as much as it did before. Exhaust was slightly louder, no drone.
RV6 Posted a dyno chart right on the product page. https://www.rv6-p.com/awd-jpipe-232.html

 

It's hard if you don't do a pre/post dyno to prove that there's any real difference when you do a little mod. And when you're expecting an improvement, sometimes the placebo effect can make it feel like it's actually doing something. However, Llke Dopeboy, I installed the J-pipe and HFPC's at the same time. The improvement was easily noticeable. It wasn't as significant as it was on my 3G, probably because Acura improved the design of the stock pipe. However, there's was definitely no doubt that it freed up some ponies.

What I do know is that the stock J-pipe has bends that aren't very smooth and seem like they'd definitely cause some resistance. Also, the stock pipe has a 3rd cat which doesn't help. Just based on the logic, it seems like the J-pipe would help.

 

I think removal of the cat is probably why...
like literally...the main and only reason.
Everything else is splitting hairs.
My perspective has changed a smidge in the
last decade though for various reasons.

 

My stock Cat right after J pipe is rusted and falling apart. I have it hanging on by metal wire.
I've been searching and looking up videos on Youtube for people feedback. The majority of the them are like you guys stated. It's not night and day different but definitely you can feel it.
It seems that for $475 to gain 10hp is a bit much.. don't you guys think or i'm just overthinking??

 

^ That's why the Acura TL hasn't had much aftermarket support. Almost $100/HP such as with S/C!

 

How about:
1.Bigger piping, for more hp.
2.Longer runners, for more torque.
3.Good merge collector, for better gas scavenging .

3rd cat is 200-300cell? Not that much of restriction...

 

I had big displacement forced induction after my TL so I remain somewhat unimpressed by the
gains you can spend a lot of money chasing on a less powerful platform.

 

If the cat is the main reason the J pipe works, can you just straight pipe the 3rd cat and have the same gains for less than $100?

 

You be the judge.....

 

It's too obvious that the RV6 looks better in quality.
I'm not sure if they weight less than stock...

 

fuck yes they weigh less. Look at that cat and all that steel!

Yes, pretty...bigger...
but like I said...it's all relative...what are the gains?

OH AND...
I would actually LOVE to give that new design a shot...I must have an older one that has the 2 flex sections.
I wonder if Richie would work on an exchange program like he did with my cracked PCD

 

Nevermind that's not for a 3G

 

I agree.. what is the gain?
Is it significant or just slight better gain...
Like Midnight Mystery said if Cat is the restriction why don't we just straight pipe that section for less than $100???

 

Like I said before 3rd cat is not much restriction.
Most gain from bigger piping and bank merge point. OEM merge section is awful.

 

we're splitting hairs...

 

It's possible that keeping the stock jpipe and gutting the third cat might actually be a good option price wise. I've heard speciation to that end before from karkraze, whom I think is a very knowledgeable person.

But the bottom line is that the RV6 jpipe has a dyno chart with proven gains of 16 HP and 10 TQ if I remember correctly.

Keeping the stock jpipe and gutting the cat has a dyno nothing with proven nothing. But I look forward to someone doing it and showing us the gains.

 

The first set of high flow cats I scored were called e-code or something and included the rear cat as a high flow on the stock jpipe...
I think that was their name. I bet there are dyno numbers somewhere.

 

Or Replace that big heavy CAT with the Resonated pipe


That cost less than $100 and call it a day.

 

Keep in mind that replacing the cat may fail visual inspection in Cali. welll i guess technically all exhaust modifications may fail.

 

Megan isn’t manufacturing any of these for another 4ish months. I tried to order from several different locations and they all say the same thing.

 

have you tried FR Sport...?
They have it available..

 

Where did you get the spacers to lower the rail?

 

I got it from homedepot. Make sure you get the stainless steel one. I would take one of the bolts out and take it in with you to make sure it fits through the holes. I had to make a second run because the first set I bought weren’t big enough 😂

 

I have a 2012 3.7 AWD. I had my local Acura dealer install a RV6 jpipe with an XLR8 crank pulley at the same time. I already had a sprint booster for improved throttle response. My last two cars were 15 and 18 TLX AWD with RV6 HFPC and a jpipe. On those vehicles I felt a difference with that combo but it still felt like it wasn’t as much as I was hoping for. I also wanted to do the crank pulley for quicker reving and response on the 12.

when I first left the dealership I felt a little difference so I was disappointed again. After about 5 days my computer adapted to the changes and it made a big difference. Bigger than the TLX combo with the HFPC even. I think the 3.7 benefits much more because of the exhaust valve vtec.

From Honda news

“On the 3.7-liter engine, the transition to high-lift mode occurs at 4,700 rpm, where intake valve lift increases 28-percent and exhaust valve lift increases 10-percent. Valve opening duration increases 35-percent on the intake side and 11-percent on the exhaust side, increasing valve overlap by 47-percent over the intake-only VTEC® ”

So I feel the 3.7 really benefits from the greater flow of any exhaust part.

From about 4K to redline the car pulls and pulls. It doesn’t feel like it runs out of steam at 6K anymore. Highway passing power is very noticeable. I bet the pulley helps here too. Going 60-70 cruising then flooring it the car speeds up with a much greater urgency and quickly climbs to illegal speed levels at an athletic pace. Low end from 0-4K is improved too. Before it felt sluggish at times in those ranges. I think maybe the pulley benefit is most apparent here. But I don’t know for sure since I installed them both at the same time.

All in all I am very pleased. My gas mileage is going to suffer because it is a thrill now to use the rpm range to its full extent more often. I like the motor and and tranny of the 4th gen TL much better the The TLX V6. Only drawback is the gas mileage is not as good but it is a sacrifice I am willing to keep.

P.S. even the exhaust note sounds better through the stock catback. Went from silent Almost to a mild sporty note. Driving through tunnels sounds great. No drone at all. Slightly louder sound up by the motor underneath but one would never notice if you didn’t know what to listen for.