BEAR-AvHistory

Pretty sure the CJ was under rated by 30 odd horsepower to get past a NHRA classification. The CJ Fairlanes were running low 13 second ET's & the next season the NHRA factored the cars into a higher class. The 335hp CJ would dyno @ 375hp in stock form. Add headers & 400hp looks good.

Couple of things a large chunk of the "427" Shelby Cobras were really 428CJ'S. Pretty much the only Cobras to get the 427 were the factory race cars.

Lots of games being played back then. The famous C&D Ferrari GTO VS Pontiac GTO road test never really happened. The Pontiac was a ringer. Top GTO engine was the 389ci 3X2 360 hp unit. John Z DeLorean of Flux Capacitor & drug dealer fame gave C&D a GTO with a tricked out 421ci engine. Both cars were run but the Ferrari & Pontiac were never within a thousand miles of each other although the magazine made it look like there were side by side on the same track.

My own 66 GTO was a semi clone of DeLoreans GTO. I stayed at 389ci but did run the Royal Bobcat performance tuning kit, the high lift cam & the Ram Air intake system for my 3X2's.

All these engines were very low tech hot rodded versions of the bread & butter engines. Chevy pulled the 409 out of a truck when the small block was getting over matched by FORD & Chrysler. Back the you buy a new muscle car for $3300 the add in $450 optional engine you were spending real money.

Honda430

Car has enough horsepower yet it looks like it should have at least 350. That has to be what the folks challenging me on the freeways seem to believe. I think it's the tailpipes that are causing the foolishness.

SergeyM

I don't think it is possible to put a down payment on a lease. You are not buying a car, you just renting it. You can prepay part of the lease/rent but it does not make any sense unless you get a better rate/MF.
I was told that there are no incentives but they were willing to sell the car for $2K off MSRP. If my memory serves me right a $2K incentive was mentioned on Edmunds site and this is probably what was presented to me as a discount from MSRP.

BTW I did feel that the moment the dealer saw the car I came in they lost interest. Looks like Acura dealers don't think they can sell their cars to someone who drives a BMW on a regular basis. It is not true though. Out of ten cars our family own over the last fifteen years two were Acuras.

SergeyM

10K per year. Sorry. Agree it is a important consideration. Still it is usually just another $12-$15 per month for 12K.

jjsC5

You and I could have a good time together. My grandmother bought me my first Motor Trend Magazine in August 1965. I was 12 years old at the time. I still have it along with every other magazine I have bought since. I never knew that about the Cobras mostly having the Cobra Jets.

alpha0

If you are not planning to buy back at end of lease, i think total payments (initial one time + monthly amount* 36 + lease end payment if any) is easy to compare (ofcourse for same mileage). Keep tax aside for a moment because you will pay same % in both leases.

BMW offers 529 a month lease for 340xi and 559 a month for 440xi gran coupe + about 4000 initial payments for 30k miles. So for some, 4-5k extra payments in 3 years, 340xi or 440xi gran coupe may be a better deal and for some it wont be.

BEAR-AvHistory

Brought the 440 home from the BMW PCD system today. Lots of dynos around for the 440 MPPSK in the 368/372WHP range. Will dyno this one after 1200 miles. Followed the 135is being driven by my daughter, there is a reason she led & for 233 miles average speed 79MPH the car knocked down 31MPG with 10 miles on the clock to start.

Daughter lead because she had a better all clean runs during track time. Your friendly Acurazine poster & ace driver managed an somewhat un-controlled drift that took out 14 cones & ended in the grass. That said my clean runs were all faster than hers, you believe me right.?

Aerok1

Love my 2018 TLX A-Spec

jjsC5

I just made a deal to trade my A7 on a 540. It should be on a truck heading our way now. I deal directly with the GM of the dealer - he told me they just became a Dinan dealer. What do you know about the Stage I tune? I've read what the Dinan site says about it. They claim peak 412 hp / 438 torque which I'm sure is extrapolated to crank power. But when I click on specs it says the peak gain is 33/39.

Those numbers don't correlate even if you assiume the gains are at the wheels. Nothing approaching 12-15% loss would explain that discrepancy. I should point out they do show greater gains at 4500/4000 rpm, which is a significant factor. They show increases of 46/60 increase at those RPMs.

Have you seen dyno runs on that package?

BTW, they show a price of $1400, and an hour labor on top of that for dealer installed. How much is the MPPSK?

BTW, yes....I really want to believe you

EDIT. I just figured out the confusion. Dinan show the real "measured" hp of the engine is 381/386 (not the factory 329/330 rating). That is what they are comparing their gains to when they come up with 412/438 peak with Stage I. I believe the higher numbers for a stock car. 1/4 mile times say it's under rated.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^ brotherman!

jjsC5

uhh, I meant it say that is the new turbocharged straight six option for the TLX....yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Now back to our our regularly scheduled program....

neuronbob

^^^
LOL

How long have you had the A7? I test drove one and other than the rather limp steering, I rather liked it. I certainly loved the styling of it, Audi is consistently on track, especially with their Avants (wagons).

BEAR-AvHistory

Not a Dinan fan see you got the memo on Dinan using crank while the rest of the industry use WHP. Quick look at a $3000 Dinan Stage III vs a $500 JB4 base system. I know the numbers are good because the 335is with the JB4 was mine. Dinan is an insurance policy with a mediocre tune.

ET 12.583*^ MPH 114.529 ET 1/8 mile 8.062 MPH 90.430 BMW 335i 335IS2011 BEAR-AvHistory
ET 12.590*+ MPH 108.740 ET 1/8 mile 8.130 MPH 87.740 BMW 335i S Dinan Stage 3 Tune2011 BuraQ

Read more: Fast BMW 335is 1/4 Mile 0-60 Drag Racing - DragTimes.com

The MPH shows the JB4 system makes more power especially in the second half of the race.

Your 540 would dyno between 330 & 335WPH. Don't know what the factor is by 12% would give about 375 crank. Since a number of 340/440 series pure stock are running in the upper 12's so the engine is quite a bit underrated.

The MPPSK is very expensive as an accessory after the fact, generally over $3K. The only way to buy it for a reasonable price is to order it on a to be built lease. It its done that way invoice is $2500, no install charge on the port install & you only are out of pocket about 40% of its cost about $1000.

You want to play get a JB4. Your engine with a JB4 tune

http://www.burgertuning.com/images/d...tuned_dyno.jpg

These cars are all really 2020 Acura TLX secrete prototypes in disguise

jhb31

Honestly with the 3 gen type S putting out 4 less HP but being a faster car I don't know that too much needs to be done as far as upping the HP. It would seem for them to get to 3rd Gen type S acceleration they would need to jump up 30Hp or so. Probably getting rid of the Z9 for a better trans would do more than adding Hp. The plus on the current setup as it will run fine on regular fuel while the 3rd Gen Type S (at least with mine) ran like shit on anything but premium. There are trade offs for sure. I got 21/22 with the lower Hp Type S (286hp) vs 28 in sport mode on the TLX (290hp). So what was gained in MPG was lost in performance. I never hesitated to do a pass even uphill in the type S but not so much in the TLX. Maybe the weights are also different but HP is not the end all. Torque and proper gearing make a huge difference. I think from what the dealer has told me a type S is at least 3 years off.

jjsC5

The car actually drives great. The steering is actually not "loose", it's just got a light feel. I actually find it quite precise. It's a better driving car than the BMW.

That confirms exactly what I thought about Dinan. Thanks

BEAR-AvHistory

BTW these are the C&D numbers for a 2018 440 320BHP car. Your 540 has the same engine transmission combo & should turn in similar numbers with just a slight weight variance.

Zero to 60 mph: 4.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 10.8 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 19.2 sec
Zero to 150 mph: 28.8 sec
Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 5.0 sec
Top gear, 30-50 mph: 2.8 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 3.3 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.9 sec @ 109 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 155

jjsC5

I appreciate it. Like you, I'm a junkie, I read all the mainstream mags. The last C&D on the 540 was a rear drive car that ran 13.2/109. Its as fast as the 2012 550 I had. As you know, that was a twin turbo V8 with 400/445. Amazing what an under rated V6 and less weight can do. It's a huge improvement over the 535.

BEAR-AvHistory

Interesting the 109mph/109mph look to agree the horsepower is the same.

Agree, cars have come a long way, even in the past 5 years. Its what makes spec racing such a waste of time. The 3/4 series had about 5 different versions of the "300HP" engine. Not one of them was anywhere near 300HP & none of them matched each other but all were underrated.

Cars coming out of the EU are usually underrated, but don't know if its a get around the government regulations thing or not. Asian horses tend to be a bit smaller than the EU ones. US horses are all over the place with no real pattern as far as I noticed.

tmitch2315

Back to the 3.5. I drive the whole car including the rear end and I go around corners. P-AWS is not something that you get in any comparable vehicle. I feel it working on every corner. No bragging rights about HP but the driving experience with four wheel steering is something that I get everyday. If you did some upgrades with the suspension and brakes, like the brembos on the Type S a few years back, this could be killer. With the 3.5 I'm getting 28.5mpg which is not bad for the 0-60 that comes with it. The nine speed once they got it right is an amazing transmission. Put a turbo on it a call it done. I'm sure someone has a kit.

F23A4

Redirecting the convo back towards the TLX's power, the IS350 (306hp/rwd) article in C/D is an interesting read, and lends some perspective:

2017 Lexus IS350 F Sport RWD Test | Review | Car and Driver

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Wow, the IS350 F Sport RWD is that heavy at almost 3800lb? That's even heavier than a TLX V6 AWD. I guess that's why the TLX is slightly faster.

F23A4

Indeed, it has more heft than it appears.

BEAR-AvHistory

In more power land. The Buick GS for 2018 is showing 3.6L 310BHP SHAWD like torque vectoring, Brembos, 19" wheels, the GM magnetic suspension & sport exhaust. So another one dips its toe into the "Sports Sedan" market.

pyrodan007

^ If I'd be Acura, this one would scare me since it belongs in the smart luxury category! Depending on price, may get VERY interesting in the next few months.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

The Regal GS has been in that sort of segment for a while now. Its specs on paper have always been quite decent.

Buick sold 998 Regals last month for reference.

rocket_pup

Keep in mind, there's more to going fast than just grunt, eg horsepower. The 4 biggest factors to going fast - at least a straight line - are power, weight, transmission, and rubber. For example, BMW's are known to have monstrous amounts of horsepower, but they are quick because of transmission, weight, and rubber.

Acura may bump the horsepower a little, lighten up, and refine the 9 sp tranny. But the endgame is affordable luxury. An Acura will never be and out-and-out rocket.

jjsC5

The new GS at least looks the part now, and the reviews are very good. I'd still like more power, but thats just me. The interior is awesome looking.

Aerok1