When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
"[...] Tom Sladek, a development leader for the Odyssey at Honda’s Ohio R&D office [...]"
"According to Sladek, the initial torque capacity is 275 lb-ft, with enough headroom built into the design to accommodate the expected spread from the new Odyssey throughout the Honda and Acura product lineups."
How far Honda/Acura has extended into that "headroom" is unknown.
"[...] Tom Sladek, a development leader for the Odyssey at Honda’s Ohio R&D office [...]"
"According to Sladek, the initial torque capacity is 275 lb-ft, with enough headroom built into the design to accommodate the expected spread from the new Odyssey throughout the Honda and Acura product lineups."
How far Honda/Acura has extended into that "headroom" is unknown.
Thank you for digging that up!
Originally Posted by Atomsplitter
Interesting...thanks for digging this up!
Yeah that definitely has me a bit concerned. Most automakers will share specific torque capabilities of transmissions but Honda seems to be fairly tight lipped.
On the first generation Volvo xc90, Volvo put in a 6 speed transmission rated at 325lb/ft and well the V8 engine made 325lb/ft....really smart.
Yea the 10AT in the Accord, Odyssey, and RDX are similar, but different. I'm pretty sure the torque capacity on the Odyssey isn't really applicable to the RDX. And even for the Odyssey, I'd imagine they just put the torque capacity there but who knows what the true limit is. If the true limit is 350lbft and they mention that, then other companies might know that they are working on a new engine making that kid of torque, and that the tranny will be able to handle that.
Yea the 10AT in the Accord, Odyssey, and RDX are similar, but different. I'm pretty sure the torque capacity on the Odyssey isn't really applicable to the RDX. And even for the Odyssey, I'd imagine they just put the torque capacity there but who knows what the true limit is. If the true limit is 350lbft and they mention that, then other companies might know that they are working on a new engine making that kid of torque, and that the tranny will be able to handle that.
It doesn't really seem like a smart method to me because it doesn't inspire confidence. However, not like the normal buying public even pays attention to this stuff.
Really. Don't think it really matters to minivan buyers and don't think any of us have the proper data to determine whether Honda engineers screw that up.
Back to the topic here. Hondapro vs warranty topic has been discussed since Hondapro came about. Nothing new here and after so many years the debate is still the same. The fact of matter is that manufacturer puts in all of these terms and agreement to protect themselves and reserve all sorts of rights to deny claim *if need be* . It's like those liability wavier they make sign when you about to take the plunge across the zipline, basically useless. Also it would not void the entire car warranty. Unless it's as blantant as not changing engine oil for 3 yrs or putting diesel in a gas engine, most dealership will honor warranty, they make money on it too by the way. (Btw, there are Honda dealership out there that will do Hondapro and still honor your warranty)
Most people won't take dealership or the manufacturer to court. The legal cost is not justifable most of the time and they know that, hence all those language to deter you from doing so.
But you know better not to take legal advice from internet forums, consult your own lawyers.
That being said, I see absolutely no reason to do this to a brand new setup with an already problematic 10AT (early production rough shift) on a RDX. Just my 2c
Haha I didn't feel a huge delay when accelerating from a stop before. After the reflash, I spent all of the time in Comfort mode as my wife was in the car. I did try a few times to accelerate quickly from a stop and I'd say it feels more "urgent" than stock.
From a roll, when I tried to pass another car, it's pretty darn easy. While the transmission programming is the same (meaning that in Comfort and Sport mode, the car tends to go to higher gears), there's certainly more torque to do the work. So even if the engine is just 2000-2500rpm, the car would still pick up speed at a decent pace. I thought in stock form, there's plenty of low end torque. With the tune, there's even more.
One thing I noticed during my drive was that if I step on it harder, after each shift, the car really pulls hard, harder than stock.
I'm not sure what the official gains are, but the car feels like there's about 10-15% more power. It feels like there's enough torque to get the tires screeching from a standard start even though there's AWD.
When I get a chance, I will try the car in sport+ mode.
Haha I haven't even dynoed my S2k and CTR....probably not gonna dyno the RDX. I'm not sure if it's overall much faster than stock as I haven't tried Sport+ mode and/or full throttle acceleration all the way to the redline. My guess is that most of the difference is in the torque around 2000-5000rpm, where we spend most of the driving in. I also don't think there's a huge amount of difference, but enough that I could feel it. With the Odyssey's 10AT rated at 275lbft, I'd imagine the RDX's one is probably rated at 325lbft or so. With that in mind, Hondata most likely didn't go crazy with increasing the torque. If you look at their stage 2 tune for the Accord 2.0T 10AT and the tune for the Accord 2.0T 6MT, the torque gain in the 10AT was only 40-50lbft, whereas for the 6MT, it's nearly 90lbft more.
Overall, the tune makes the car a bit more responsive and a bit more torquey. Whereas in my CTR, when I did the Ktuner stage 1 tune, it was supposed to get me an extra 50whp, and the difference to me was like holy crap didn't expect this much more power. For the RDX, it's more like, "oh hey this feels nicer and a little faster." I hope that makes sense lol!
For me, I think a lot of the driving experience is sitll based on the transmission programming. In Comfort/Sport mode with the tranny in D (instead of S), the transmission would still be reluctant to downshift if you step on the gas hard, unless you really go for it. I think this is what people are referring to when they say there's throttle lag in the RDX. It's the same for a lot of new cars though as car manufacturers chase good fuel economy ratings.
This dyno is of a stock RDX with Stage 1 and Stage 2 performance tunes.
Stage 1 operates in all 4 dynamic modes and delivers a 10 hp increase everywhere.
Stage 2 is configured for Stage 1 performance in snow and comfort and Stage 2 performance in Sport and Sport + modes. Stage 2 delivers 36 lb-ft of mid range torque and 28 hp mid-range power for a much more exciting drive.
It pretty much echos my experience thus far. I spent yesterday in Comfort mode most of the time, and that the car felt more lively rather than wow oh my god what a difference. There's definitely a good bit more torque in much of the powerband. Comfort mode as mentioned is basically the stage 1 tune.
Tonight I spend 5 minutes in sport+ mode and holy crap it's fast. Haha! For those who have used Sport+ mode in their stock RDX, think of the Sport+ mode with the stage 2 tune like an extra mode on top of the sport+ mode...may be we can call it the +R mode like in the Civic Type R. No joke, but I think in 1st and 2nd gear, the RDX is probably as fast as my CTR (helps that there's AWD to get traction too). There's a whole lot more torque. I was just driving around in my neighborhood so I didn't get to redline it as I don't wanna piss off my neighbours.
What powerband does that extra hp fall under, or is it just increased hp across the board? I can't see wanting much more power when RPM's are around 3-4k and up, which is where they tend to start out at in Sport + mode or in S drive. It's those low RPM's that are kind of crappy, mostly noticeable when slowing down and quickly applying throttle, that little lag you get when it's only the engine and turbo hasn't kicked in yet. That's why I miss having a 6 cylinder, even without turbo.
What powerband does that extra hp fall under, or is it just increased hp across the board? I can't see wanting much more power when RPM's are around 3-4k and up, which is where they tend to start out at in Sport + mode or in S drive. It's those low RPM's that are kind of crappy, mostly noticeable when slowing down and quickly applying throttle, that little lag you get when it's only the engine and turbo hasn't kicked in yet. That's why I miss having a 6 cylinder, even without turbo.
The graph seems to show the extra power is available nearly everywhere over ~2000rpm.
It pretty much echos my experience thus far. I spent yesterday in Comfort mode most of the time, and that the car felt more lively rather than wow oh my god what a difference. There's definitely a good bit more torque in much of the powerband. Comfort mode as mentioned is basically the stage 1 tune.
Tonight I spend 5 minutes in sport+ mode and holy crap it's fast. Haha! For those who have used Sport+ mode in their stock RDX, think of the Sport+ mode with the stage 2 tune like an extra mode on top of the sport+ mode...may be we can call it the +R mode like in the Civic Type R. No joke, but I think in 1st and 2nd gear, the RDX is probably as fast as my CTR (helps that there's AWD to get traction too). There's a whole lot more torque. I was just driving around in my neighborhood so I didn't get to redline it as I don't wanna piss off my neighbours.
What kind of mpg hit are you taking with this tune?
Its possible that due to the changes to AFR, boost, throttle response, octane optimization, its possible that the car may return better fuel economy under normal driving conditions. But with the extra hp/tq, Im sure owners will be much more liberal with the throttle lol.
I had my Veloster and my Genesis tuned. Under normal day to day driving, they both got slightly better. Under WOT however, they both got worse. Price for increased performance IMO. They were much smoother to drive, less GDI soot on the exhaust tips, throttle response more linear, etc. Some tuners like Cobb even have fuel economy tunes.
@Atomsplitter ...you are a bit misguided my friend. Listen to @RDX10 and heed our replies. Don't kid yourself...a tune is a very bad thing to do while you are under warranty so do so at your own risk but don't tell others the law will protect them when, most likely, it will not. That act was designed for things less invasive but, again, do as you wish...it is your RDX!
The Magnuson-Moss Act will absolutely protect a vehicle owner against a dealer who refuses to make a warranty repair within the scope of the situation. Yes, even for tuned vehicles. Been there, done that. My cars are almost always tuned from new (yeah, I like it like that) and I've had several cases where I had warranty work performed at no cost to me, even though it was no secret that the car was tuned. You just have to be realistic about the situation. If your vehicle is tuned and an ABS sensor dies, there's no possible correlation that will permit a dealer to deny warranty coverage. But if you tune your vehicle and the turbo fails, you can't expect warranty coverage on a replacement turbocharger. That much should be common sense. At the end of the day, the Magnuson-Moss Act does in fact protect vehicle owners who choose to modify their vehicles or use aftermarket parts from unscrupulous dealers who try to take a blanket approach to voiding warranties.
There were several "tuned friendly" Audi dealers, not sure on the Honda / Acura side.
It's funny that you mention Audi. I happen to have a tuned Audi (not only tuned, but also has a turbo upgrade) and it's still under warranty. Audi typically flags modified cars with a TD1 designation and most people think that's a death blow for their warranty. But like everything else, it has to be a failure related to the modification or it will be covered by the warranty.
What powerband does that extra hp fall under, or is it just increased hp across the board? I can't see wanting much more power when RPM's are around 3-4k and up, which is where they tend to start out at in Sport + mode or in S drive. It's those low RPM's that are kind of crappy, mostly noticeable when slowing down and quickly applying throttle, that little lag you get when it's only the engine and turbo hasn't kicked in yet. That's why I miss having a 6 cylinder, even without turbo.
The graph shows most of the torque gain is in from low to mid rpm range.
The problem IMO isn't the turbo lag. It's the throttle lag and transmission lag. For the throttle lag, it takes a bit of time for the car to actually "go" after you give it some gas, And for the transmission lag, in "D" mode and Comfort or Sport mode, the transmission likes to shift up as soon as possible. It also doesn't like to downshift for more power. It's especially noticeable now that there are 10 gears haha.
Originally Posted by skarface
What kind of mpg hit are you taking with this tune?
Too early to tell...but my previous rdx was also tuned, as is my current CTR, and in both cases, my mpg improved by a little bit. Most likely you will be more aggressive on the gas right after your car is tuned. After a while it will become the new normal and you end up driving like you normally do. And once that happens, the mpg should be improved.
Originally Posted by OK-RDX
Where's the ECU to be found on the 2019 RDX?
The ECU itself is under the hood. But for plugging in the OBDII port, it's underneath the steering wheel.
Originally Posted by joeliu2003
Just ordered one as well.
Can anyone share a little little more about the process for loading the tunes?
You need to use the laptop software? There is no feature on the handheld device itself to load the stage 1 or 2 directly?
Need to track down a PC laptop....
I did mine through a laptop. Not 100% sure but I don't think this can be done without a laptop. After installing the program and choosing your tune, you have to plug the flashpro to your computer and also to the car at the same time. Then you click "upload" on your PC to initiate the reflash process.
I am wondering why Acura just doesn't tune like this as default, it was probably not possible in the past since there was no options of drive modes but since the new RDX(and most cars in this class ) has a dynamic mode, why not just tune the sports+ as such? As someone else pointed out, think of this as a sports++ mode.
2. "The installation of accessories other than Acura Genuine accessories (or American Honda-approved accessories) – whether aftermarket, counterfeit, or grey market – is not recommended, as they can affect a vehicle’s safety, handling, stability, and performance and, in the case of electronic accessories and software, can interfere with the proper operation of the vehicle, and may result in catastrophic or premature component failures. Any damage caused by accessories other than Acura Genuine accessories (or American Honda approved accessories), or by the installation of such accessories, will not be covered under the otherwise applicable American Honda warranty.
American Honda will not be responsible for any claims arising out of or resulting from the installation or use of accessories other than Acura Genuine original accessories, nor will American Honda be responsible for any subsequent diagnostic or repair costs associated with vehicle or part failures caused by the installation or use of such accessories." - https://owners.acura.com/static/pdfs...ty-Message.pdf
3. State law prohibits any person from selling, offering for sale, or using any system or device for the purpose of circumventing the emission control device on a vehicle or vehicle engine. State law also prohibits any person from removing or disconnecting any part of the emission control system of a motor vehicle, except to install replacement parts which are equally effective in reducing emissions. Violators are subject to penalties under the TCAA of up to $25,000 per violation." - http://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tl oc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=30&pt=1&ch=114&rl=20 (Laws may vary by state.)
Were not starting this conversation again are we? Look man, anyone on this thread intimate enough with this tune has in most cases been tuning for years (myself included). We’re alllllllll aware of the risks involved. We don’t need anymore cut and paste from google.
2. "The installation of accessories other than Acura Genuine accessories (or American Honda-approved accessories) – whether aftermarket, counterfeit, or grey market – is not recommended, as they can affect a vehicle’s safety, handling, stability, and performance and, in the case of electronic accessories and software, can interfere with the proper operation of the vehicle, and may result in catastrophic or premature component failures. Any damage caused by accessories other than Acura Genuine accessories (or American Honda approved accessories), or by the installation of such accessories, will not be covered under the otherwise applicable American Honda warranty.
American Honda will not be responsible for any claims arising out of or resulting from the installation or use of accessories other than Acura Genuine original accessories, nor will American Honda be responsible for any subsequent diagnostic or repair costs associated with vehicle or part failures caused by the installation or use of such accessories." - https://owners.acura.com/static/pdfs...ty-Message.pdf
3. State law prohibits any person from selling, offering for sale, or using any system or device for the purpose of circumventing the emission control device on a vehicle or vehicle engine. State law also prohibits any person from removing or disconnecting any part of the emission control system of a motor vehicle, except to install replacement parts which are equally effective in reducing emissions. Violators are subject to penalties under the TCAA of up to $25,000 per violation." - http://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tl oc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=30&pt=1&ch=114&rl=20 (Laws may vary by state.)
I see the same or similar warnings on all aftermarket components, including stuff like exhaust systems and intakes. Everyone is just covering their butts. Nothing new or groundbreaking there...
Were not starting this conversation again are we? Look man, anyone on this thread intimate enough with this tune has in most cases been tuning for years (myself included). We’re alllllllll aware of the risks involved. We don’t need anymore cut and paste from google.
2019 Acura RDX
OVERVIEW
REVIEWS
CONFIGURATIONS
FOR LEASE
MAINTENANCE
FOR SALE
SIMILAR MODELS
The graph shows most of the torque gain is in from low to mid rpm range.
The problem IMO isn't the turbo lag. It's the throttle lag and transmission lag. For the throttle lag, it takes a bit of time for the car to actually "go" after you give it some gas, And for the transmission lag, in "D" mode and Comfort or Sport mode, the transmission likes to shift up as soon as possible. It also doesn't like to downshift for more power. It's especially noticeable now that there are 10 gears haha.
Too early to tell...but my previous rdx was also tuned, as is my current CTR, and in both cases, my mpg improved by a little bit. Most likely you will be more aggressive on the gas right after your car is tuned. After a while it will become the new normal and you end up driving like you normally do. And once that happens, the mpg should be improved.
The ECU itself is under the hood. But for plugging in the OBDII port, it's underneath the steering wheel.
I did mine through a laptop. Not 100% sure but I don't think this can be done without a laptop. After installing the program and choosing your tune, you have to plug the flashpro to your computer and also to the car at the same time. Then you click "upload" on your PC to initiate the reflash process.
I am wondering why Acura just doesn't tune like this as default, it was probably not possible in the past since there was no options of drive modes but since the new RDX(and most cars in this class ) has a dynamic mode, why not just tune the sports+ as such? As someone else pointed out, think of this as a sports++ mode.
I can think of a few reasons.
1. OEM manufacturers usually try to be very conservative to ensure reliability and durability are as good as possible. This is especially true for a Honda. While their infotainment system can be glitchy, their engines tend to be very reliable.
2. It's rated at 272hp and 280lbft, which is pretty much class leading other than the Stelvio, which I'm not sure if it's really in the same class.
3. To be fair, a lot of other cars with a turbocharged engine has quite a bit of power left to be untapped through a tune. It's not just the RDX.
Originally Posted by omygod711
Do you feel any improvement accelerating from 50-70?
I actually haven't had a chance to do just that as usually my wife and baby would be in the car haha! I will need to find a time to give that a try.
01-08-2019, 08:52 AM
+90 lb. ft. of TQ in a 6 speed Accord? To hell with traction, I guess...
