fuzzysig

RL is a limited production car(aka, it didn't sell too good lol)
still a great car and if it had any aftermarket support it would be even better. and guaranteed to keep the value better
example: if there was a reflash available for RL stock ecu more people would modify it> more people would ask for performance parts> more people would take it to the track> more companies would show interest in making products... acura integra is aperfect example of a car that holds its value

the problem is: a company looks at the total number of sales and decides not to make any products for it because of such a low number of sales
even if it literally takes one extra bracket to weld onto an existing product like a strut. I can guarantee koni wouldn't have to spend a dime to make a strut fro this car but they decide not to because theres no interest according to their market research... many companies use same excuse

but one way to change that is to actually let the company know that you are interested
contact the company through phone, email, facebook. or whatever other way and let them know that you are interested in their product and write a reasonable letter convincing them why they should not ignore this car.

in the end. even if the car like RL is low production doesn't mean the company wont make products for it
look at del sol. del sol is the bastard child of Honda and I belive sold even worse than RL. yet it has a reasonable amount of aftermarket products for it
because people asked

people asked for a tachometer for Honda civic and got OMNI race tach
people asked for aftermarket climate control for accord and tsx and got one( even though it looks like the dash is giving birth to your stereo on tsx. and a 5 year old designed climate control.) but they still got it.

please spend few minutes to write the manufacturers a note asking to make the product for the RL and maybe we will get some support after all

I refer to this forum to manufacturers all the time so if anything we should focus on gathering people here to show manufacturers that there are in fact many people who want their product so they don't feel like they will waste money on R&d without people's interest

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

you ALSO have to back it up with your wallet.
that's the problem. NO ONE wants to spend money on aftermarket support for a 12 year old vehicle.
we run into this problem ALL the time on the TL side...
to get straight cut gears, it'll cost $10k to manufacture...roughly a grand a set. there has not been 10 people that want the straight cut gears.

fuzzysig

its a catch 22. people dont have interest in the car because theres not much aftermarket support
manufacturers claim theres not enough people interested so they dont make parts
someone has to make the first move.. if manufacturers dont make the move then owners should show interest and let manufacturers know not just wait for them to make the part...
if you dont show interest then nobody is gonna make the part
theres always the first wave of people "trendsetters" then all the rest catch on and "want what they got" so second wave of people is where company starts selling the products...

obviously if you make shit like metra tsx dash kit where it looks like a turd coming out of your dash and climate controls that even chinese people dont dare to copy then you not gonna sell anythign lol


12 years old right now but it was new at the moment and there was still no support. age doesnt really matter
skunk2 made cams for b series in 2006 that was over 12 year old engine and theres still new products for integra made
tsx is also same age. rsx is same age. tl is same age civic si is same age and they have aftermarket parts.

if for example civic SI had same crappy selection of aftermarket parts do you think people would buy it and use it for racing?

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

Definitely agree, it's a catch 22, but I see where you're going with this. I'm not unreasonable, I think it's worth a shot. I'd suggest using this thread to log which companies have been reached out to so far, that way if can help guide efforts.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

What are you looking for, parts wise? Except for the tuning aspect, anything performance wise that works for the TL/Accord guys will work for our RLs.

The only way to make a noticeable power gain, is to go boost. The car is way to heavy for any sort of NA build.

As for what I'd like, it would have to be a legit suspension setup aka KW or Bilstein but I won't hold my breath..

I've come to the realization that the RL isn't an easy car to mod & I'm at peace with it. I've reached out to a few tuning companies & either got no response or just told to find a new (easier) platform... Fuck that

fuzzysig

we cant even get extended wheel studs for this car lol. someone has to custom make them somewhere in japan.

aftermarket struts
stereo
lip kit
intake
turbo/sc kit
carbon fiber hood/trunk or any other parts that are available for other models
find anything that actually fits on this car
I can count on my fingers how many aftermarket parts are available for this car

you assume that many parts will fit because its similar to tl but its not.

please don't turn this into an argument whether we should or shouldn't want aftermarket parts for this car this is not what its about

you missed the whole point of the thread. if you made peace with it then don't discourage others with this negative attitude and giving up...

omnipower made a 10000rpm redline tachometer specifically for eg civic because people asked. if they were all like you and said. meh I made peace with it then nothing would get done

I already contacted few companies. and of course they gonna say no but after more people call and ask they might see that theres actually enough interest so they make the part even if its a limited run. still better than none

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

No sense in alienating people who might be of help down the road. The reality is teh CL does have a valid point, even though you might disagree with it. Crab man and CL man have a fair amount of experience under their belt just as I'm sure you do man. But there is common point that's mentioned: this isn't going to be easy and just be aware this may end up being a dead end road after a lot of work and a lot of effort. The EG civic and Del Sol are totally different markets and vehicles so it might not work out the same way, but I think it's worth a shot no matter how long. As crab man pointed out, sometime it doesn't work on even on the TL side and they have much bigger numbers than we do... If you're OK with this not working out and hearing a lot of objection and just flat out no, then we can move forward.

Can you highlight in this thread which companies you've contacted for what? That would help give us some direction as to where to aim efforts moving forward? I'm actually curious to see what you mean by the limited run items. I'd like a bit more specifics since we've only been talking generalities so far.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

- I've mentioned this before, extended studs are available & are not custom made. I purchased a set through JDMCRX, which were originally off of a Tundra (not sure the year).

- I don't assume many parts off of a TL work on the RL, just performance parts as I mentioned. The only performance parts from a TL that wouldn't work would be the j-pipe.

- Who's arguing? .. I never said that I don't want aftermarket parts for the RL

- You missed the whole point of my post ...Ya I made peace with the RL having no aftermarket support but where did I say I gave up on the RL? That's actually the farthest thing from the truth.. The last thing I want is to discourage others trying to push the RL game ahead

Maybe I'll start sending emails to see if any big boys would be willing to dabble with suspension setups for us..

fuzzysig

i write every company that i wish had products for RL
koni neuspeed metra scosche
few companies on alibaba im actually talking to them right now to see if they are willing to do the indash for RL and tsx
and one that makes blox spacers to make us 13mm spacer/extended stud combo instead of a 15mm adapter

i see their point where maybe 5 people contact the companies and it stops right there.
if we gonna do this we all need to contact the companies not just 5 people out of the forum so im asking everyone to spend few minutes and write to the companies that you want to have parts for our cars
we dont necessarily have to list the companies we contacted but i dont see why not


omni tach is an example of a limited run
they make a batch of few 100 and dont make any more until it sells. and if needed make another batch in teh future


american companies like progress coilovers.
or the company who makes fuel pressure regulators for returnless fuel systems for american cars they have few options for american cars and with the know how they can whip up a kit for the RL
same with any suspension companies. they literally would just add a bracket on their current strut or rotate the bracket 15 degrees from a TL to make it work on RL..


im also ordering a climate control from acura MDX which seems to have same plug and is single piece unti with display

if that works then out the stock radio goes and im killing it with fire and in that case i can use any android unit i like vertically mounted


lip kits. they make lip kits for pretty much any car.
but why would they make a lip kit if nobody asks to make one for RL
we can simply ask them to make a replica of a-spec or any other kit...
and del sol is not different category. del sol sold even worse than RL and still has aftermarket support specific to del sol

manufacturers assume that because its a flagship car people wont buy anything for it. which is true in alot of cases when its brand spanking new a 50 year old retired guy wont buy a lip kit for it but most people on the forum wouldnt mind having a nice lip kit on their RL and some decent fitting wheels and an indash that is up to date...

i guarantee you that if theres more aftermarket supprt the value of the car will go up too

the argument about all motor performance?
the car is too heavy? well its too heavy whether you have a stock or built motor but 20 more HP from boltons and a tune is still better than stock motor. and will feel the difference

i feel the difference with lightweight wheels and a custom made short ram. a big difference actually
the difference betewen pulling almost 2 car lengths on stock rsx-type-s and not being able to gain any distance on same car with stock intake and heavy stock wheels

now if i had a tune ported head from newer j35 with custom cams and cat delete+ removing all the junk from oem nav system and some other unnecessary stuff i can tell you it would be alot more fun and a 14 second RL would be much better than 15 second RL

fuzzysig

i see your point teh cl but its worth a try we just need more numbers(people) to let the companies know that we are interested in aftermarket support
this is after all my favorite car... i wanted to get one for like 10 years but couldnt afford it until now. and once i got it the lack of aftermarket options was like a kick in the balls
theres a way to tune the RL im just kinda broke right now to buy the software which is like 600 bucks

i already got the tactrix and stock bin files from 05 RL and 04tsx and he has bin files for pretty much every year RL and can read the maps off any car say RLX for example

he tuned 3 RLs already i belive besides the turbo rl so i dont think hes faking it in any way plus there are few other people who dont use hondata or ktuner specifically but have universal bin editors and are able to tune pretty much any car
the hard part with those tools is actually mapping out the ecu dump since its in binary code and tools like WinOls give you the very basic options
he also sells complete mapped project files for winols which already have fuel maps and options mapped out for 200 bucks
i belive once the ecu tuning is available there will be more people actually modifying the car
and i also remember someone here that knows alot about the can bus system on RL or acura in general. anyone good buds with him maybe can ask him to PM me ?i want to see what he knows and if maybe we can figure out how to interface the factory amp with aftermarket indash

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

everyone is always broke right now. that's why there's no aftermarket support.

pewpew

I just wished they made more suspension parts for the RL i.e camber arms, "nicer" suspension. A handful of engine mods are interchangeable with certain TL components.

fuzzysig

i just came back from sema and did my best to convince vendors to consider making more parts for RL
some of them took notes. some threw bunch of typical excuses...
the magic is in numbers.
we need to actively let manufacturers know that we want parts. if they see no interest they wont make parts

usdmJON

The ILX will see more aftermarket support before the RL does and I can tell you right now my friend, that will never happen.

As someone who was at the forefront of modding a cheaper and easier to mod Acura, no one wanted to provide aftermarket support.

The issue with the RL is they are expensive cars. Which means they would be expensive to mod. Venders first look at how many people are buying RLs. Probably not enough to warrant any support but they do look further. Would the market that buys the RL tune? Most Id say are just parking at the office or picking up groceries or maybe the kids. Most owners arent going to mod it. They then ask, if the market was interested, how easily would it be done? I can tell you, from talking to the few people I have seen mod an RL, they arent easy to play with. Meaning the mods are going to be costly to R&D and even more costly to purchase.

That is 3 strikes against support for the RL. Im sorry I dont see it happening anytime soon. Modding a car like an RL takes custom work. With custom work an RL can look SICK but youre going to go out of pocket a lot to make it work.

usdmJON

For those wanting suspension work. IMO an RL shouldnt have coils. Too luxury for coilovers. Go bags. Plenty of companies will make a set up that would work for an RL.

Contact "becausebags". Theyll make a set up that works. Most air ride set ups are custom made anyways. Go bags or go home. Doesnt mean you have to ride low and bags have performance options if you are worried they are all show and no go.

Plus bags are the best security system ever. Lay frame then watch a thief try to jack the car up when they cant even fit their foot under it.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

you can have 1 million people say yes. but those are the wrong numbers.
the numbers you need come from people's wallet. which, you as the leader or organizer of this 'revolt' admitted you have none.
we are at an impasse.


BE a leader.

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

SEMA must have been fun. Unfortunately I can't send emails or talk to "actively let manufacturers know that we want parts". Who did you talk to about what? Can't help if I don't know who to contact lol

^There is truth in their statements.... I tried with RV6 back in the day for an exhaust but it wasn't feasible to develop something. THey encouraged me to go custom....

fuzzysig

ok well i can only go so far. if you dont want to participate then dont discourage others with your fail comments and how its not gonna make any difference.
i do have money just not for the ecu software at the moment. doesnt mean im not gonna have money in 3 or 6 months to buy parts
every time i try you keep posting some negative crap saying its impossible...
just find some other thread to crap on if you dont think its possible

i talked to metra to redesign their crappy tsx climate control and also the situation with the RL
i talk to about 20 chinese manufacturers who make the android units they also make climate control for accords which also work in tsx and alot better looking
if they can make tsx climate control they can make an RL climate control
and also a company that makes modular remote starts . they already make remote start for RL
i didnt even have time to walk through the wheel section we barely covered half of the sema in 2 days we were there
i tried to cover all the electronic section and few others...


you keep askign me what companies. who cares what companies. just send emails to whatever company you want to make parts for this car...
persistence gets parts made not money
i can have 10000 dollars to spend on suspension for this car. if nobody makes it i cant really spend the money to buy any suspsnsion can i?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^no one is saying that.
what we are saying is; you are on the right track. you are becoming a pinoneer. this is your schedule. this is your group project. stand up. keep fighting. keep doing it.
however; where you lose steam is conveying to us where you are status wise. since you are the leader, you need to display confidence that you can do this. you can't rely on us. YOU will have to go and get it, if you want it.
we're ALL standing behind you.

Did Christopher Columbus falter when people said the world was flat?
FUCK NO!
He went out and proved them wrong.

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

This.

You keep wanting power in numbers. I can’t help you with numbers if you’re just telling me “email people” I’ve trying what you’re saying. All I hear is “you’re the only one interested”. You want power in numbers but you keep getting irritated when I’m actually trying to help lol. Notice how few people are actually active on this section of the forum. Notice how even fewer go out of their way to modify. Noticed how even fewer of the talk about it here.

I think what you’re doing with the tune is great. But the way I see it you’re trying to pioneer. If you want to do that, I’m not opposed. I think that would be great.

Help me help you lol

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

you are wrong, sir.
R&D cost money, sir.

you keep proving why no one wants to make parts for the car. there is no money.

I gave you an example.
currently, NO ONE makes straight cut gears for these kind of cars. a leader and pioneer in the 3rd gen TL section struck a deal with a company to produce straight cut gears for $10k.
except, no one is willing to shell out $1k for straight cut gears. we only need 10 people. that's easy right? nope, and that's why we still dont have straight cut gears.

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

And that’s the TL side. Let’s take an example that directly applies to this car. Go back and look at your custom head unit poll. Last I checked more people said no than people who picked both options combined. And two of those yes people are in this thread. It’s an uphill battle.

Im glad you’re enthusiastic about this. I want to help. I cannot emphasize this enough. PM me if you want but you’re not making this easy for me the way this stands right now.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i mean, i'd be willing to make parts for the RL......
after I buy a $10-20k CNC machine, after I buy welding rigs, and everything else i'd need.

but guess who the cost gets passed too?


Not I! lol

TacoBello

any car that hits the 10 year mark and has over 100k miles on it (or anywhere near that) should not be modded. Because it is quite literally burning money that you'll never get back. That, and you're always chasing problems, trying to make the car look great, work as intended and stick out. Aka your car will never be mint. The leather will have it's permanent wrinkles. Your car will have gremlins of some sort, somewhere, Etc. Smart people fix their cars before even considering modding. For a now 12 year old platform, how many of those do you think exist?

OP, you're looking at the situation all wrong. It isn't us that is the problem. Where numbers exist, solutions will come forward. The problem here is the numbers- and that is solely an Acura fault/problem. There simply isn't enough people. Yes, the Civic Si has HUGE aftermarket support. But Honda sells more Sis in one year, then Acura sells RLs in 5. With that many more people, solutions are bound to arise. Along with entrepreneurs looking to make money.

There is no business model that makes sense to supply low volume parts for a very old Japanese platform. Not that I'm aware of, anyway. I too would make parts for the Si... the market is huge for that car. I wouldn't even bat an eye at any Acura, save for, the ILX and TLX. And even those are questionable, at best. The other problem is time. As these cars age, no one wants to put super expensive parts on. Who in their right mind puts $5000 wheels on a car worth under 10k? You'll never get that money back. You also can't sell those wheels likely due to custom offsets and a 5x120 bolt pattern that only the Europeans otherwise use.

Also, modding exists to address short comings that manufactures give us. Those who could afford an RL likely had zero interest in modification, and likely could afford another car if need be, if the RL was full of that many short comings. Modding comes in for the lower priced cars a lot more often. Yes, you can mod your Lambo or whatever else, but consider the costs. there's a reason an exhaust system costs 6k. R&D, marketing, manufacturing, profit, and yes, even Lambo tax, because if you can afford a lambo, you can afford to pay 6k for an exhaust. That same exhaust would cost 800-1000 on a mass produced car. Are you willing to shell out 2000 for a wonderful exhaust for your RL? Because even if you are, I'm betting you'll be one of 2, at most.

fuzzysig

I'm betting most of it on the success or failure of the tuning option btw. I belive that once theres a way to reflash the ecu the car will be more popular
I mean if I can throw in a built j35 all motor into it and get this car to mid 13 seconds I belive this car would have a comeback...

the android unit is actually also for a purpose of weight reduction. the oem nav system is ridiculously heavy with million different modules scattered around the car

truonghthe

No aftermarket manufacture will risk their investment in a car that sold small number and decline every year from beginning to end of production. The RL is far cry from being a sport car hint people usually mod the wrong platform for the wrong purpose. In your case IF you able to tune a ECU and get the RL into mid 13s car then what? sure you will beat a 91 accord dx sedan in 1/4 race but facing a stock 335i you will be see his tail light since they already dip low 13s in stock form with good tires.

TacoBello

honestly man, this car is dead. No one is going to invest R&D money into such an old, low volume platform. Enjoy it for what it is. A good looking, very comfy, very reliable sedan.

Even if you could tune the car, you're still getting nowhere fast. These days you can buy a used golf GTI and throw an $800 chip into it to free up 60hp and 60lbft. To get those kinds of gains, you'd HAVE to go forced induction on the RL, meaning you're spending at least 10k+. Playing around with a naturally aspirated platform, shiiiiet... you better have mad fabricating skills and tools to build your own intake manifolds and shit, to get any "serious" gains. It still won't match the $800 chip though

Face it. You're a decade late and no one is jumping back on the band wagon. Every time I see an RL on the road, it's either a young Asian woman driving, or some old white man. Ain't none of those folk looking for tuning solutions

That, and a new turbo Accord apparently runs 14.1 in the 1/4 mile. You bet your ass Hondata will have a chip out for that car within 6 months. It'll put the RL to shame, for just a couple hundred bucks.

fuzzysig

like i said if you dont think it will work then dont do anything, but at least dont post negative replies discouraging others from trying.nothing good ever came out from thinking negatively

TacoBello

Ok, so to date, please show me how much new tech you've got companies to start making for the RL? Zero?

Ok, well how many users have you convinced to start calling companies? Zero?

Ok, so besides this thread, what have you done that actually resulted in something for the RL? Zero?

So you've done nothing yourself, and are upset no one else is doing anything? I hate to burst your bubble and bring you back to reality, but I'm trying to save you from burning your hard earned money. I'm sorry if that comes off as negative. Everyone else is telling you the same thing.

fuzzysig

i only owned the car for less than a year...
if you dont want then move on and ignore this thread.
keep your negative attitude out of here because nothing ever got done with that crap attitude

fuzzysig

contacted KONI to see what they say about making shocks for RL waiting for response
I think if anyone it should be KONI to offer suspension for this car to compliment the only available lowering springs

ajorona

What platform does the RL share with other honda vehicles? Does it share components with the TL or Accord?

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

Except for the motor with the TL Type S, nada.

rlx015

Did you just make a comparison between Honda Civic, Acura TSX and Acura RL from aftermarket perspective? Those fans asked and they got it?
My recommendation would be to compare how many Civics, TSXs were sold and how many RLs were sold... you may be surprised to find your answer right there...

Companies are in the business of making money... to make money, a business decision must make sense and then some ... low numbers of sale = greater support needed, greater support needed = more costly implementations as far as parts go etc. More expensive investment, less likely that companies will get an easier return on it... simple math...

fuzzysig

how many del sols were sold?
how many s2000s were sold?
honda element?
tsx has same problem. chinese already made a climate control unit for that
its literally same system. just slightly different programming
RDX mds tl pretty much every new honda starting from 2007 shares same interface. they all have options available even if its from alibaba but its still there.

nobody made products for it because nobody asked for it. has nothing to do with what car it is.
del sol is the biggest failure of honda and even that still has aftermarket parts available

ajorona

There has to be something out there. I don't think it will be cheap though. I went to a place last week that quoted me $5-600 to fix the Alpine DVD drive unit. I could send it in to Alpine but with a 90-day warranty? There are really no good options out there