Rob_TL

Hello! I have a acura tl and im wanting to tune, i know some people here are giving up there tl's already and some will hold onto them for life. I really need a J&R Ecu, i have a 06 tl, its kinda like the unloved brother of the 3rd gen. Everything is for 07-08 or if it is 06 i need a manual transmission and 07-08 ecu and just alot of stuff, but if im correct with the J&R Exu i can get the #'s i want with just my regular bolt on's just need a tuning source. Hope someone has one that they dont need anymore! Thank you!

Lie-Low

I also have a 2006 TL Auto, fully bolted on. My tuning solution was the AEM FIC. Below are the links to buy it.

https://www.heeltoeauto.com/aem-perf...p-30-1910.html

https://www.heeltoeauto.com/boomslan...tic-trans.html

The second link is the adapter harness that you will need to allow the FIC to connect to our specific car.

Rob_TL

Thank you for the info, didnt know it would with the A/T, i read somewhere that it wouldnt, and if you dont mind me asking, what type of gains did you see? Would you say it was worth it? We're you able to do something with this super sluggish auto... Thanx!

Rob_TL

Another quick question is could i run a turbo with the aem, i saw on heeltoe its saying yes but is it really possible for us? Cause that would change my whole outlook on buying this car!

Lie-Low

Yes I am currently in the middle of a custom turbo build and we are still going to use the AEM FIC to manage the ECU. The gains weren't huge, I'll be honest with you. I was already fully bolted on (cold air intake, XLR8 cat-back exhaust, RV6 jpipe, RV6 PCD's, upgraded 3.7L intake manifold and throttle body, port and polished manifold). All of those were already installed without dynoing. I then installed the AEM FIC which brought me 15whp in the mid range, to a total of 250whp. Now the gains honestly weren't great for all of the expense, but I needed the AEM FIC for more than just the gains. I had increased my air intake drastically and the FIC was used to balance out the Air/Fuel ratio. As a bonus the FIC made 15whp gains and now the drive is much smoother. The good news is that I can still use it as a basic tuning solution for when we install the turbo.

Keep in mind that the AEM FIC can only retard timing, meaning you can't alter your V-TECH engagement with this device. I have not come across another device that is still available/compatible as a tuning solution for our specific year/model/transmission.

Lie-Low

In specific response to this ^

The thought process is actually the opposite. There are several good tuning options for the M/T including the Hondata Flashpro. It is the 3G A/T that is infact incompatible with those tuning solutions. The AEM FIC is the only option I've found that can work for the 3G A/T.

Rob_TL

OMG!!! YOURE AMAZING! You my friend have may have saved this tl from being purposely ran into a ditch for insurance money lmfao so im going to ask a million questions because you are the only person that has given me some hope about this car! So in total gain wise you saw 15 hp to crank and 15 to the wheels after the f/ic correct? 1. Were you able to mess with the shifting of the gears so it was smooth? 2. So you are building a custom turbo, if you dont mind me asking, how much is that costing you, rough total is fine also. 3. How much are you expecting to see whp wise after the turbo install? 4. Are you using a 16g turbo? 5. You mention how it only can retard time, and cant mess with vtec ingagement, is that something to be worried about after installing the turbo? 6. If you cant mess with vtec, will its ingagement time affect the turbo spool up? 7. You said you upgraded to the 3.7L intake manifold and throttle body and ported and polished, thats a new one for me. What did that intale exactly and does it change you to a 3.?, or is that only when you boar out the engine. Im sorry if im asking so many question. Im not 100% new to the car thing but because you done this, ive had so many questions the last 3 years of owning this car that you are legit my last hope besides making another post.... ive had ppl just tell me to give up on it and either go to a type s or 07-08 model or get a different "know for tuning" car, but thats why i wanna tune and even boost if i can the tl because not alot of ppl have done it, especially not down here in southwest florida lol Thank you for the info though!!!!! You have no idea how happy i kinda am right now haha

Lie-Low

Believe me when I say that I understand your struggle. It can be a real pain in the ass to find the right information you're looking for on this forum. I've spent so many nights digging through threads and simply learning through trial and error, so I am happy to help you in anyway that I can. Alright let's try to knock these out. We are in the very first stages of planning a turbo build so I don't have many answers to turbo related questions. I'm working with a motorsports shop in Tampa called Proven Power. Once we begin the build I'll come back with answers for you. We saw 15whp gained in the mid range with the AEM FIC, and we were able to smooth out the whp drop that occurs when VTEC engages. I can't tell you how much was gained at the crank because I don't know, that would be a math problem assuming you could calculate how much power is lost between the crank and the wheel. The gear shifting is much much smoother than it was before the tune. I don't have specific numbers on how much we can gain to the crank with a turbo build because we haven't decided on where to put it yet and how large of a turbo to buy. Again depending on the brand of parts purchased, I expect the cost is likely to fall around $5k-6k. The shop also dismantled my intake manifold and throttlebody, and went through a port and polish process with them. To be honest this was new to me and I wish I had dynod before they did it because I don't know much was gained from this. We did upgrade from a J32 Intake Manifold to a J37 and then did the PnP process on that. I have seen a few threads on this forum debating the benefits. I have had the car for 4 years but have only been modding it for the past 8 months. I'm still learning as much as I can every day but there is so much to take it. I would honestly say that I doubly my knowledge is much deeper than yours on performance upgrades for this car. Obviously this isn't the best car for a modding platform and you would be better off using an 07-08 M/T if you're interested in boosting but this isn't a perfect world. I already paid off this car before I became interested in performance and aesthetic upgrades. I have just been digesting as much content as possible and improving the car more as a learning platform than a race-car build. I figure if I can use this car as a learning experience, I'll be able to repeat the process on a newer platform in the future in a more efficient and cost-efficient method.

mrkingstonvi

iTrader: (8)

OP I think at this point you should create a thread. Just my

Ok so let's begin...

1. The AEM F/IC or any other tuning solution won't allow you to mess with the shifting of the gears.
2. Set aside at least $15K
3. Gains are all based on the tune, stock internals or a built engine, etc etc Too many factors/options to determine exactly how much you would gain.
5. AEM F/IC is very limited in what it can tune on a TL. I would believe you would need Hondata or K-Tuner in order to modify Vtec engagement.
6. I don't know a whole lot about Vtec in regards to boost but I believe Vtec engagement is usually lowered so just as it starts to fall off, the turbo will already be at full boost or so. Again I may be wrong so maybe other boosted guys can chime in.
7. The J37 or 3.7 Mods consist of the J37 Intake manifold from 09-up TL SH-AWD Models as well as the J37 Throttle body since the J32/J35 throttle bodies are not direct bolt on without a P2R adapter. Port & Polish however is done the Lower Intake runners (but you can also port & polish you current intake manifold & bore your throttle body for similar gains to the J37 mods), which can be done to your stock set. Members like Bruce (AckTL05) and Andy Gerzand (gerzand) offer the service of porting your runners. Combine all these mods with at least a 3.5 - 4" Intake will net you some good gains, greater if you can tune it. But in no way these mods change your displacement. Since you have a 3.2 TL, even with the J37 mods you will still be a 3.2 TL. These mods add more "air" into your engine.

On another note I'm also in South FL, and actually South FL is where the first guy to turbo a TL and offered a turbo kit (now discontinued) at one point reside. Seems like you need to do more reading.

In closing, Andy Gerzand also is coming up with a tuning solution for Auto 04-06 TLs so just be patient and you will have a viable solution. And if you are planning to go Turbo, set aside at least $15K for your build. It can be done, has been done. Andy also has a Rotrex supercharger kit that requires deleting your A/C but has awesome gains even on stock internals. My advice, start a thread in the Performance Parts & Modifications section and we can continue from there.

Rob_TL

well its good to know someone is trying something new and well i guess for now what ill do is get the f/ic and maybe invest in the port and polish 3.7 intake. That sounds like a nice little mod. I think maybe the car just needs to run smooth and if i can get that with the f/ic i think ill be content till something new comes about or ill just really go big and swap in a 2jz and do a rwd conversion on it. Lol but yes please keep me updated on your build or if you make a thread to show your building process i would love to see it. Thank you. Also i created another thread for this information so if you could respond there that would help. https://acurazine.com/forums/third-generation-tl-2004-2008-93/06-acura-tl-turbo-questions-tuning-more-957575/#post16006302

Rob_TL

see i would have jumped on the rotrex supercharger trust me but heres the thing.. florida is hot and you know this being that your in the area so yea A/C is a must lol and really, didnt know the first to turbo was in florida, i thought it was someone in new york. And also question, wouldnt the aem f/ic allow you to tune and gain those good numbers you speak of from porting and polishing?and tbh if 15k is a mark for turboing, i rather take the 15k and go buy a subaru or evo lol also if you can reply in the new thread that would help, thanx. https://acurazine.com/forums/third-generation-tl-2004-2008-93/06-acura-tl-turbo-questions-tuning-more-957575/#post16006302

Ron A

Are you ready for me to close this thread?

Rob_TL

yes you can close it, thank you.