First Impression - 2018 TLX SH-AWD Elite ASpec (Canada)
 

So i traded in my 2016 TLX SH-AWD Elite ASpec CBP for a 2018 TLX SH-AWD Elite ASpec CBP Ebony Alcantara this week, and my first impression is WOW!

I can't believe that nobody has commented on what Acura has done with the J35Y6 VCM engine this time around. It sounds incredible and appears to be much more responsive. The thought of how subaru engines sound came to mind, where its almost as if this new TLX is like Goku going Super Sayan.

I love the refreshed MID with Android Auto, wireless charging for my phone and the interior accent lighting. The steering wheel is a little smaller and smoother, but the difference grows on you quickly enough. The red instrument cluster is sweet too and the black with alcantara mix feels luxurious and soft.

The aggressive hood looks mean! The blacked out jewel-eye LED headlights and slightly tinted rear tail lights gives it that extra sporty "murdered out" look. I'm not the biggest fan of the little bitch lip of a spoiler, i'd prefer the bigger one. I kept my 19" diamond cut wheels, and those are my summers with the Pilot AS3s, so i asked the dealership to swap the all-seasons on the new black 19s to X-ICE3s, so that wheel set will be for winter. The exposed exhaust ports look great if you don't look too closely and sets a path for a custom cat-back in the future.

I'm only 100kms deep right now, but this vehicle put a grin on my face that the previous one couldn't. I have an AEM CAI intake waiting for install in the garage but i'll wait a few tanks before putting that in.

Let me know if you guys have any questions

Very smooth, but i never had a problem with the 2016. I however default to Sport mode. Shifting is very quick and the logic is very responsive and adaptive to the throttle.

just out of curiosity, how much are you out when you trade in a 2016 for a 2018? Or were you leasing?

Financing, and more than I want to admit... lol.

A little refreshing honesty:)

I realized this last week. Tbh, i dont really mind it.. the 2016 felt pretty shallow without this synthesized sound. To each their own, but i'd give the feature a solid 8 out of 10 for its implementation.

The remodel removed the headlight washers. I knew something was missing, the dealership said that nothing was removed but they lied.

Power folding mirrors now fold in automatically when you lock the vehicle.

Lane keep assist seems to be a little better at reading the lines.

Moonroof air diffuser does a better job at dampening the noise.

Acura did a decent job designing the intake on the TLX. Your AEM may hurt the performance, but you should get a better growl.

LOL! I'll wait here for your engineering analytics of the air flow movement through the stock intake, vs. AEM. Fact of the matter is, you have nothing to substantiate your claim. Don't make up claims you can't back up. :2cents:

Also: your comment about the AEM hurting performance seems to be painted with an extremely wide brush. Intakes normally hurt low end power, but shift it to be high in the rpm range. You don't lose power. You're just shifting the curve.

i did nearly the exact change as you.

I was bummed out about the headlight washers because that was what i wanted from the 2015, but the auto folding mirrors made up for it.

Yes they did, but our engines arent designed and engineered with bulky intake+resonator combos attached. I can feel the split second lag or hindrance that is imposed by the restricted airflow at low rpms, and that restriction makes the engine work harder overall and perform more poorly than it is originally designed to.

The ram-air design of the stock intake does however help once youre already rolling, but that port feeds the area where the CAI breathes from anyway.

Installing cold air intakes allow the vehicle to breathe more easily. Im sure you've heard of the drinking a milkshake through a straw analogy?

I've raised 4 honda engines so far and these stallions are thoroughbreds who prefer unrestricted airflow.

I see conflicting reports from people as to whether CAIs are actually of any benefit, or not, for the low end our our TLX. I'd love a noticeable low end boost, without having to spend the $$$ of installing a supercharger, or worrying about voiding my warranty with Nitro - perhaps I might install a nitrous kit anyway, not sure.

Hahaha you're nuts Chris... not sure if you're actually serious or not sometimes.

Anyway, i got the AEM CAI installed by local pros a couple days back and it was absolutely worth it. The install took less than an hour, and as mentioned in another thread, the vehicle feels almost like its flying now as it appears to be handling load more easily. The synthetic engine sound (synth) is hardly audible now unless i'm heading up a hill or gunning it; that said, i believe the synth is tied to the engine load reading from the ECU and not just the RPM. The engine's roar is VERY impressive.

While the vehicle was lifted in the shop, we noticed how small the exhaust pipe are in diameter. We also took a moment to inspect the muffler and how the body-exhaust-tip is mounted. We discovered that it can be removed, allowing a real tip to be exposed if (when) the time comes for a catback.

I'll upload pictures soon.

My budget is is already blown on the TLX (well, what was left of it after two kids etc.), not much money left for superchargers, turbos, etc - they're crazy expensive, unless you have a buddy with a shop & welder, and you can pull some parts from a junkyard I guess?

I figure you could DIY nitrous for under $200, and, it would give me about all the boost FWD could handle anyway.

I don't want to go crazy fast, or race, I just like the feeling of acceleration, wish I had a little more power (torque) at the low end, and wish I had RWD. But, that doesn't mean I'm not happy with the car - I can live without the RWD for a few years, and, although a manual transmission is more fun, the automatic is just fine for daily driving in traffic, running kids around.

Most of what I read tells me that I won't see much improvement from aftermarket air intake/filter changes. What I've read was somewhat opposite of what you were saying - I don't doubt that the air scoop helps more at speed, but, that a less restricted air flow helps more at the top end of the RPM range.

I might like a little more engine roar from a CAI, but what would be more appealing would be faster throttle response - and I don't mean just having to press the pedal less far as in Sprint Booster, but actual quicker response. Turning off Traction Control does that for me some, for sure.

If you are interested in adding an intake to your car, be sure to buy one that at least shows a dyno curve, so you know where the power is being added. As mentioned, many times, an air intake will actually rob you of low end power and shift it higher in the rpm range. So yes, the companies touting you get a 10hp increase are not lying... but they aren't giving you the full story, either.

Then there are cars like the 370z, which shows gains across the entire rpm range with an intake. The difference? I have no idea.

As long as an aftermarket intake isn't robbing you of the down low grunt, I'd go for it. It adds a bit of power and makes the engine sound great. Easy to install. One of the cheapest mods you can do, also.

Are the Aspec tails actually any different from the 2015-2017's? I believe it's the non-Aspec tails that changed, as they have no longer have the black "lines" within the housing. As such Acura is playing with words and calling the Aspec tails "tinted" in their marketing, when they're actually carryover parts. In real life the non-Aspec tails actually look more different and draw my attention more. If anyone has a pic of all three rear ends next to each other, that would be even better :toocool:

http://www.automotiveaddicts.com/wp-...tlx-rear-1.jpg
https://img.autobytel.com/car-review...er-Closeup.jpg
http://media.pmmsystem.net/assets/ca...JA012449_5.jpg

You're not just shifting the curve. You both lose and gain power depending on where you compare the curve, the problem is most of these companies dyno their products and always just say +9hp +6lbs/tq when really all they're talking about is peak numbers. They fail to mention that you lost the same figures between 1500rpm-4000rpm. I used to have an intake on my TL, it sounded great and all but when I swapped back to oem the low-end power was worth way more to me than the small gain in peak power. :2cents:

Great thread!

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...92b7b1823c.jpg

Lowered, tint and roof wrap

looks great! I have the same except in a '19 (and red interior). Curious about the roof wrap, is it gloss or flat? Also, do you feel the white fin looks out of place with it (the roof wrap)? It's difficult to tell from this pic.

99.9% of the CAI's on the market do nothing but make more noise & look pretty. Ran over 400WHP on a stock intake system on a BMW with a stock rating of 320BHP & a dyno reading of 319WHP. The stock systems have a lot of overhead & are not restrictive unless you are putting out a lot of power through other modifications that dramatically increase air flow (CFM) requirements.

Your engines are rated in the 290BHP range. If a CAI could boost the TLX to just over 300BHP don't you think Acura would have added it to brag about a 300BHP+ in the we are a hot car marketing adds, no pun intended.

Anybody remember the 305BHP 4G TL's tag line "305HP the most powerful Acura ever"

Absolutely remember this with my 4G SH-AWD--I'm almost positive I repeated that tag line to many people over the course of ownership :D

Be happy with your car & wait for the DOHC turbo next generation. That or trade in for a base turbo Stinger. Acura engines depend on revs to make power not much if anything you can do to the bottom end of the curve without going to some type of supercharging. The used to be one back in 2/3 generation times. Low pressure 3-5PSI but it did add some bottom end.

Flat... It was a dealer demo so it was already done.... I would have chosen a glossier black and swapped out the antenna fin for a black one.... I'll look into it