About 115$ cad shipped

 

cool where did you buy it, I only see it on ebay. I would rather not use ebay but if its the only place then I guess I will.

 

The eBay listing is the official way the guy who first came up with it sells the device from my understanding. I just bought it myself about a month ago.

 

I have an '18. Haven't noticed any vibration at any speeds. Was this problem fixed with the newer gen TLX's? I think I'll still end up getting one just to try it out and see what kind of difference I feel.

 

If you don't feel any vibrations, leave well enough alone. It's obvious to those who do. It's a drone noise and rumble vibration when cruising, particularly bad at specifically 33-39mph or 55-62mph. VCMuzzler eliminates that. Either your car is perfectly fine and VCMuzzler won't change anything - or you don't notice it and VCMuzzler will make it smooth.

To the previous question about where to buy, ebay works. Or if that makes you uncomfortable, you can find user vcmuzzler on OdyClub and try to buy directly from him. He's the guy making them. I heard you can save a few bucks if you direct message him.

 

What about the difference in pick up and response? Running on all 6 all the time sounds like a nice benefit to me. Also, wearing all parts of the engine evenly would satisfy my inner OCD.

 

Oh, quick top for eBay buyers. When I was looking around yesterday I saw a bunch of different sellers with similar products. If you want the original, I noticed the user Verbatim on the forums used a specific logo in his profile. I saw that same logo used in the eBay seller that was selling the genuine product. Trying to attach the logo from my phone...

 

https://settlement-claims.com/enginemisfire/Notice.html
The lawsuit Honda lost and the horror stories on other forums (specifically OdyClub) regarding oil consumption, spark plug fouling and misfires is the main reason I installed VCMuzzler. I put one in both my Odyssey and TLX. The vibration elimination and the quicker acceleration are side benefits as far as I'm concerned.

 

I have one on my Odyssey I love it. I got it because of the plug fouling issue even after the rings were replaced. I was told I would lose MPG as a downside. I have had it in about a year now. No plug fouling issues the past 10k miles... fingers crossed.

I pulled 28MPG on a road trip this weekend. Definitely didn't lose much MPG if any.

That was mostly highway driving yes, but 28MPG in a VAN is nothing to complain about.

 

Do the FWD V6 TLX also have VCM?

I wasn't considering getting this, as I don't have any vibration issues, but, if it would make my engine last longer/be more reliable, maybe I should get one?

I wonder if there's an easy DIY alternative though? I wish they would just let me disable VCM in the settings!

 

As far as easy DIY... this is about as easy as it can get. If you can change an air filter, you can install the VCMuzzler. There is an aftermarket engine tuning tool you can use to disable VCM in the software, but it is much more expensive and advanced to do.

It claims it works on 2015+ TLX so I would say yes. It was originally built for the 3.5L Honda V6, your 3.5 Acura shares a lot with the Honda variant.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VCMuzzler-I...-/172807770690

 

All V6 TLXs have VCM3. Even if you don’t feel the VCM lugging, you should notice improved acceleration on demand thanks to not having to cycle through cylinder reactivation and transmission downshifting. All cylinders all the time means access to the full potential of your engine at all times. That improvement really impressed me. Christopher, you always hammer traction control and promote SpeedBooster... I think this VCMuzzler is right up your alley for improving your TLX performance. You won’t be disappointed if you buy it and try it. Installation seriously is as easy as replacing an air filter or windshield wiper.

No one can be sure if muzzling improves long term reliability, because no one knows who (if any) will have fouling down the road, but let me put is this way. VCM2 was flawed. Without muzzling, you might be just fine, or you may have the catastrophic oil issue (ring replacement). By muzzling, you reduce that likelihood to zero percent. VCM3 is the new, improved version that we have in our TLXs. For me, personally, I wasn’t going to wait around and hope they perfected this system. Between the Cadillac 8-6-4 and Honda VCM, there is enough proof that cylinder deactivation is simply a bad idea.

 

By "DIY" what I meant was, can't I just buy the PLUG for a few bucks and solder on a resistor myself? Paying for this car has left me too poor to be blowing another $100 on it here and there, at this point - maybe later, when the warranty is up and the car is paid off, I'll spring for a Turbo + mig welder (for Aluminum) etc.? Who knows. By then my father may have left me his Miyata and I'll be thinking about finding a junk yard Honda 2.0T engine to swap into it... In that case, I'd just leave my TLX alone as it wouldn't be the "fun" car, it would be the comfortable family car/daily driver, and when the kids were not at home, then I'd take out the Miyata and focus on wearing out my rear tires faster than would be responsible...

OK, yeah, thanks - sounds like something I should get for sure. I hate delays and unresponsiveness. I don't need to mash the throttle all the time, but I want my car to instantly respond by precisely the amount I push the throttle, not some approximation, eventually, after it thinks about it for a while first. I also don't want the smoothness and reliability of a good V6 engine ruined because they had to hit some EPA numbers. I'll do my part to save the environment by not eating much beef, using only LED light bulbs at home, and drive my car instead of fly when going on family trips to NC/NYC/Florida, etc.

So in reality, it may save money in the long run, in terms of engine reliability - thinking that I plan to keep this car long term, past the warranty...

 

Ah, yes, you could buy the harness parts and make your own for probably $20 (connectors, resistor etc). He doesn't hide the resistor ratings he uses. It's a pretty basic device. What you are paying for primarily is the nice clean harness he has built with his own time. You could definitely make one of these in an evening in your garage if you know how to do basic soldering, do heat shrink tubing (basic) and want to chase down the parts.

 

Oh man I got mine yesterday, I fucking love it!! I can't believe I waited this long to get it. The car feels so much smoother and better, I dont lnow why honda went with this tech (I mean i know why, mpg ratings) but it seems more hassle than its worth. Was hesitant spending $100+ on it but its def worth it!

 

Installed mine a couple of days ago too. I agree with everything posted here.
The smoothness the muzzler adds is what got my attention. I didn't realize I was missing out on anything stock. Glad I gave it a shot.
I've also got the sprintbooster installed as well. They are a great combo together. I can feel the difference in each of them working together.

 

What is the sprintbooster?

 

Check out the thread here for more info
https://acurazine.com/forums/5g-tlx-...ooster-947915/

 

Good Sir, fellow TLX enthusiast, may I ask: do you also turn off Traction Control? (I highly recommend it)

But I must also say, I'm quite confused by how little effect there seems to be at turning off Traction Control in the SH-AWD variant as compared to the wonders it does for my FWD P-AWS TLX...

 

I've seen some talk about that in other threads as well. I have FWD and have tried it briefly. I didn't notice much of a difference. Maybe I haven't gotten a solid comparison since adding the other stuff too. On top of it, I'm probably a bad test example since I felt like the car drove perfectly before adding either of the 2 mods, haha! I'll have to give it another shot in an area with better roads and less traffic. Most of my driving is from stoplight to stoplight

 

I’m glad to hear the satisfaction with the VCMuzzler. I was too. It transformed both my TLX and Odyssey. There is no doubt in my mind that VCM is a flawed concept, Honda has not perfected the VCM system, many owners hate it and some will leave Honda because of it, and it should be possible to switch VCM on and off. VCMuzzler is all gain and no downside except running about 1 less mpg. It’s cheap and beyond easy to install.

 

OK, try this: turn off Traction Control, put your car in "Sport" mode, find a stretch of open road at least a block or two long, get a rolling start, about 15 - 20 MPH, downshift w/the paddle until you get above 4,500 RPM then floor it - then report back.

:thuglife:

 

Just installed my VCMMuzzler this morning. Thanks again @someguy11 !

Initial impressions in a small maybe 10-15min test drive. VCM did not kick in once and immediately feel that the car is smoother. I feel like my throttle input isn't as delayed anymore. I did get a chance to pass someone on the freeway from 55mph up to 65mph (they were so slow), but again the power delivery was much quicker and smoother.

Just a short drive for now and won't be doing much driving the rest of the day. I'll post more about my experience as I spend more time with it. I won't get an accurate test on mpg since I'll be doing a longer drive for a small trip tomorrow, but it should be interesting to see once I'm back on my commute.

 

Can't edit previous post, but here are my overall impressions after day 1, since I drove alot more than I thought I would.

- Any vibrations from my steering wheel are gone, so clearly was VCM and that's how I could tell it activated in the first place. Really smooths up the ride quality.
- I feel like it's more responsive, like the ZF9 shifts quicker, maybe placebo effect? But really if VCM is off then it makes sense too that it shouldn't be searching for gears as often or take as long. Damn dog clutches (to my understanding this causes alot of the slow shifts)
- ECO mode: I usually never use eco mode but I wanted to experiment, yes throttle input requires a bit more input, but I feel it doesn't lag anywhere near as it does in its stock form. I drive "normal" mode, and notice throttle response is quicker too. The ZF9 still lags when you really put your foot down, but that's not my driving style so I'm not worried, just did it for testing purposes.
- So far in what I would call my "weekend commute" I got 21.6mpg one way and 22.4mpg the other way on expressway to one destination and a mix of expressway + freeway at 29.8mpg one way and 30.6mpg the other way to another destination. Not a huge difference at all from with VCM on. I know it's not completely accurate, but I will be tracking my mpg with my app over the next few weeks to see.
- Passing power on freeway: ok the power was never lacking, but the amount of time it took for the gears to catch up to input did. It's definitely still there, for my driving style at least, but it's quicker for sure with VCM off.

Overall so far I am pretty happy with the muzzler. I totally get why Honda/Acura put VCM in, but I didn't think it effected the performance of the engine and transmission so much. The car doesn't feel completely different if you're not looking for it, but it feels like what is expected out the factory. I never disliked the performance of my car other than a few rough transmission shifts from time to time, but the way this changes the engine is pretty amazing. It reminds me alot of my 3G TL, which was just a smooth car. Happy with it and don't plan on taking it off.

 

^— Totally agree and couldn’t have said it better myself (my summary is around this forum somewhere, maybe page 1 of this thread). Disabling VCM is transformational, even moreso for my Odyssey than my TLX. Both became smooth and powerful without VCM. I noticed exactly what you did: a) no more laggy acceleration to reactivate cylinders and b) no more stuttering during cylinder deactivation/reactivation. Lastly, you c) basically just insured yourself against any long term engine damage, ring failure, oil seepage caused by this system, for only $50. Happy to pass mine on to an appreciative driver.

 

Ordered one from the other seller. Put together in the USA and a little less costly. Anyway, a low dollar item with simple install and if it helps with the occasional lag and responsiveness it's worth it. Not hearing anything on the forums as a reason not to try it. I assume most people are running the blue.

 

I was skeptical about the muzzler hype but after several extended drives putting the hammer down frequently to see how the response was with this it's well worth the $80 spent. Wish I had bought it 2 years ago. Took like 2 minutes to install it. Really let's you take better advantage of the sh-awd with the power of the V6 for lack of a better word on tap quickly. Was worried there would be a CEL thrown or temp gauge wouldn't work correctly but the only thing different is the v6 power delay is diminished. Didn't do much testing under 40 mph but at higher speeds it's effective for sure. Things keep up like this I may hold onto the car a little longer than planned. Definitely let's you get more out of the sh-awd with the power being on tap.

 

I don’t have a dog in this fight or a vested interest into this product - I’m neither verbatim nor do I profit from this product - but I’m glad to read all this positive feedback.

I think VCMuzzler exposes a couple things:
1) How big a mistake is to universally implement VCM across all V6s... even supposed “performance” cars... when VCM saps power and response time.
2) How bad the 15-16 ZF9 was. jhb31 you have an 18 right? By then, the ZF9 was pretty good. A muzzler should help a lot. But on my 15, it essentially eliminated all engine response delays and isolated all remaining delays to the transmission. Once you insulate engine problems from transmission problems, you get a deep sense of how bad the first ZF9s were. Laggy shifting, low shift points, hanging revs, etc. mentioned elsewhere, without VCM to mask it.

 

Currently I have an 18 but had the prior model as well. The main difference trans wise is the 17 had a parachute effect sometimes when you would step on the gas and then let up to slow down. The 18 lost that thankfully (almost got me blindsided once). I took a chance on another seller that was actually just $70 (i thought i paid more) plus tax with all the resistors mainly due to free ship and getting it faster being in the U.S. Neither here nor there though but Verbatim was well reviewed so I knew it was a little risky but there isn't much to this device regardless and if it failed I would not hesitate to buy another for more money.

I didn't really have any vibration issue but the muzzler significantly improved the response time which I also believe directly translates to faster downshift speed. I had gotten used to the lag and tended to gas earlier than needed when I could but now things feel much more natural with the power instantly there. May take some more time to form a final opinion but I put it through the ringer today actually driving it about 20 extra miles for fun and the pedal response to me is how it should have been all along. I usually take all these performance gadgets with a grain of salt but everything people said about it was true. I almost bought the sprint booster device but just changing the throttle mapping doesn't seem like it would do anything close to what the muzzler does by keeping all the cylinders active so you get 6 cyl power all the time without delay and the throttle response is definitely improved. Your and some other posts on here pushed me over the edge to try it. Also doesn't hurt that it takes like 1 to 2 minutes to install. Took me longer to find my flashlight. Much thanks !

I know the 15's trans were just bad to the point Acura was changing them out for some people. Glad I avoided one of those for sure.

 

FYI, I'm one of those who got his TLX transmission changed, in 2018, at 60'000kms (40K Miles) (I assume the tranny was a '18 ZF9. Maybe I'm wrongly assuming) but it did not resolve ANY of the issues, nor did changing all 6 injectors (or tires, or shocks, etc.) helped the situation either.

If I wasn't in the process of suing Honda (for Vibrations and Transmissions issues, and I did not even include in my lawsuit the Blue paint issue, which paint is peeling off from various car parts) and If I had not purchase a "7 years/200'000 kilometers" extended warranty (I don't want Honda to say I messed up with the car, and have them cancel the warranty I paid for), I would certainly be trying the VCMmuzzler right away on my '15 TLX V6.

Should I loose against Honda in Court and get stuck with this TLX, once out of warranty, I will certainly follow your advises and install a muzzler.

 

1 month review:

- overall not a significant or even noticeable loss in mpg. I'm sure there are but the past month I've been driving a bit inconsistently in regards to routes and commute wise so my mpg is all over the place. It all falls just about within range of when I didn't have the muzzler on.

- I still feel the car operates much smoother with the muzzler on. Power delivery is quicker, shifts are smoother, and the ZF9 isn't hunting as much for gears. Picking up speed to pass on the highway is less forceful and much smoother (again the downshifting).

- Overall, this was a wise purchase and I regret not getting it sooner. I got so used to how the TLX operated without it that I didn't realize what I was really missing. I think just for "fun" I'm going to try it without the muzzler on and see if I notice a difference. I have a feeling I would be quickly putting the muzzler back on though lol.

There really are no drawbacks to the muzzler other than the possible 1-2mpg loss, but if you're worried about such a small number and your mpg, you're probably not in the right car in the first place. Been very happy with the muzzler.

 

I just installed the Muzzler and it addresses many of my frustrations. I had no idea the VCM was implemented to operate "across the board". I always thought the VCM would only engage under specific conditions, like highway cruising under low load. This is a poor engineering judgement and likely was done by the engineering team at the request of the accountants to meet CAFE targets.

In any case, with the muzzler, I am enjoying the car much more (within the ZF9's limitations, which are now tolerable).

 

dezymond, I couldn't agree more with your post yesterday. I wasn't going to say anything, but since I want to respond to TSXV6Guy, I'll take a moment to say your experience is exactly like mine. I hope your posts push any skeptics or people on the fence right now to give it a try. I saw no or negligible mpg penalty. Even if I had, it would have been worth all the ills it solved.

TSXV6Guy: Like I tried to explain in my post on page one: ZF9 and VCM are a deadly combo sapping performance. VCMuzzler eliminates VCM from the equation, which I believe is the worse of the two with regards to delayed acceleration response. Once you muzzle, you isolate and unmask the ZF9 as the remainder of the problem. For me, at first, I was pleased. I noticed no speed sag approaching an incline, quicker acceleration response, easier passing and much less gear hunting while cruising. That was all good, but the longer I drove it, the more I noticed the other wonky stuff the ZF9 does, particularly in town. That's the stuff I could no longer ignore and tolerate. I'm so glad you are happy with yours now.

I think rolling out such an intrusive system like VCM that impacts all driving scenarios in all vehicles is a mistake. Customers should have a choice for their Honda to have it or not - or when to activate it (freeway) or not (city). Honda is losing customer and fouled plug class action lawsuits solely due to VCM. If it's indeed CAFE or EPA requirements, I would have found any other way to eek out 1, 2 or 3 extra mpgs. Implementing in the Odyssey or Accord is one thing - those forums are littered with VCM info, complaints and people tolerating it - but in a performance sedan like the TLX is simply a mistake however perfected they think their system is.