This may have been covered over and over. If it has then I apologize, please point me in the right direction. I am looking into buying a TL A-Spec. I am sure you all know this but in 05 the 3.2 was 270 hp and in 06 the 3.2 was 258 hp. I am told that this is because the EPA changed the way that they tested hp and that if I looked at any other car that in those years the hp rating went down for them as well. Then this weekend I drove 2 TLs. One was an 06 and the other was an 05. Call me crazy but I could tell a difference. I liked the 05 better.

Is this all mental? I am told that they drive the exact same but they don't seem like it. I figured I would come to the experts. The guys telling me this are all trying to sell me a car. Thanks a ton everyone. I really really appreciate it.

 

^ 04-08 = absolutely identical engines, all producing 258hp.

Maybe the owner of 2006 doesn't take care of his car like the 2005 owner does.

 

I understand that the engine is a 3.2L V6 but in 2004 it had 265 hp. In 2005 it jumped to 270 hp. Then in 2006 it went down to 258 hp.

The guy that had the 2006 that I drove took care of that car. It only had 12,000 miles on it. The 2005 had 40k on it and it was quick. I am wondering if this is just a mental thing with me since I know the hp rating of the earlier years. Do they drive the same?

 

Engines are the same, its just the way they came up with the HP numbers in 06.

Its all in your head...

 

Thanks guys, I wanted to be crazy on this one. I can find a few 06 A-specs but not many 05s.

It just seemed like the 06 was more sluggish then the 05.

 

In 2004, the TL was rated at 270 HP, not 265 HP. This engine was never rated at 265 HP in the 3G TL.

The difference is in the method used to rate the brake horsepower of the engines. In 2004, they were, in fact, producing 270 HP as advertised based upon the method used at the time. New versions simply use a different method of determining brake horsepower.

 

Well, holy crap you're right!! I don't know where I was getting 265 hp. For some reason I thought for sure that in 04 they were 265 hp. Now I look it up and they are 270.

Thanks

 

One more note: the difference may be the drivers, since the ECUs/transmissions are adaptive- one car may take more throttle tip-in than the other, for example, as the throttles are Drive By Wire.
FWIW, there is a way to reset the ECUs to default mode, before the TL adapts to the driver, by disconnecting the battery, etc.

G/L!

 

Well this all helps out a lot and makes my search so much easier. This may be a stupid question but are there chips out there for the TL? Has anyone chipped their car?

 

oh no, not again. No, there are no chips, no gimmicks.

 

OK sorry, apparently this has been beaten to death. Forget I said anything.

 

hey I got a question.. my boy took his to to English town and some guy came up to him and told him that he will re program his whole system in his car for about 500.. they hooked a computer up to his car and started doing something and it took about a half hour and it was suppose to add 15-20 hp which my boy said you feel a big difference and I drove his car and its crazy the power he had.. we RACED from a 30 start jump to 80 and his car beat me about 4 cars. have you ever herd of this?

 

Yes, but give it a few weeks, and you'll be rolling by an acura dealership where your friend will be standing, and unloading his dead car from a tow truck, ps, no warranty either. Definitely some change in the ECU... I think some here have actually done that but again Vtec is a tricky mofo... https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-performance-parts-modifications-112/emanage-blue-aem-fic-687190/

But I doubt most of us can feel the 15hp difference to call it a crazy change.. But then again, those folks at English town tune those Honday beyound belief...

 

well he had it done since feb. still running good. it sounds like a monster but i guess its not good..

 

the change is actually there guys, let grandpa tell you kids

in 2005, the ECU logic let you have 100% power at throttle tip in (launch), the 2006+ TL has had a ECU revision that limits HP and TQ by playing around with A/F, timing, etc, to prevent people from ramming into trees due to torque steer. Though the EPA ratings were changed, the 06+ are .1 seconds slower than the older ones, but its not really noticeable. As far as the used cars, it depends on the old driver, before you test drive, do this:
Turn the car into stall mode
Turn off everything but the car (radio, a/c)
press the gas pedal for about 30 seconds
turn car off
turn car on and go.

This resets the stuff inside the transmission's ECU to factory condition programming.

 

I can tell a difference with my '04. It almost feels like I get places a little bit quicker. She's an oldie - but goodie

Take that you new car buyers.

 

why would you reset ECU to factory condition programming?

 

the transmission and ECU adapt to the way you drive, if you drive grandma for about 60 miles, the ECU will only kick down 1 gear when the pedal meets the metal. If you drive like a race car driver, the car will kick down 2-3 gears and put you as close to redline as possible. Resetting the ECU will garuntee that the previous owner's driving style does not affect the test drive, aka feeling slower

 

another thing people might not take into consideration is the weight of the car. if the 2006 has more mods or more garbage in the trunk or something, then it will feel slower.

 

makes sence.. i drive 5 days a week to work i put the car on cruise @ 55 to work which is 25 miles each way and sometimes i hit the gas and the car seems slow on take off and sometimes its fast could it be cause i drive slow TO WORK AND THE ECU READS THAT?

 

how do you put your car on stall mode? is it on nutral?
when u press the gas for 30 secs how many rpms should you go up 2?

 

neutral*****

 

I think he means turn on the ignition but don't start the car.

 

but he said turn off everythign but the car so that means the car is on right?

 

anyone?

 

turn the key one before start, this will get your gauges to read, navi and all that stuff power on. Then press the gas for 35 seconds and this will reset it.

 

Does this happen to reset the transmission shift points and firmness also?

 

shift points, yes. Shift firmness, maybe. The TL has a very odd transmission, its shifting qualities resemble those of a manual. at very low RPM's, it feels like a clutch engages quickly like it was dropped to keep the motor from dying. Then at medium revs, 2-3.5K, it shifts like a experienced MT driver would, burn the clutch slightly for a smooth shift. then past 3.5K, its back to shifting harshly and quickly to keep giving power....

 

how come there is a delay every time you switch gears . like I have to shift at like 6500 rpms b4 it gets to 6800 and when Acura loaned me a 09 tsx every time i shift it shift right away

 

I don't think that the question was ever answered. When you are pressing the gas for 35 seconds? How many rpms do you go to? From the last posting about this it almost sounded like the car (engine) was turned off, only the navi and stuff was powered on.

 

^ As explained, the engine is NOT on, thus rpms don't go anywhere...

 

OK I must have missed that part.

 

it is basically the computers double checking the shifts and stuff. It takes a bit of delay on the TL's system since it is 5 years old, the new RL and TSX react almost instantly, maybe 100 RPM's.

 

Are the two TLs manuals? If so, didn't Acura do some computer modifications to help counter the torque steer in the '06 models? Basically didn't the computer reduce power when it sensed torque steer? Could that be what you're sensing between the two model years?

 

No they are actually both automatics. This is all good information to know though. Thanks all.

 

They didn't change the HP in the engine just the way the rate the HP so 05 tl has the same horses as an 06 TL, that being said, they did fix an issue with the front end torque steering. The 05 and 04 models would really pull hard left or right when you romp on the gas, they make that much less of a problem in 06 so maybe that is what you are feeling as a difference. Also several vibration issues were fixed up in 06 from 04 and 05. Go with an 06.