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I've joined the ranks of fellow RDX owners; although i'm no stranger to Acura cars. My wife and I decided after 7 long years of owning our 2011 Subaru Outback 3.6R that it was finally time to trade in for another Acura. This time we went for our first Acura SUV. We originally looked at a 2021 RDX Technology, but I firmly stated that I was not going for anything less than the A-Spec. After looking at used 2019's 200 miles away, we decided to buy the last new 2020 left in the entire Northeast (according to the dealer, but I think he's right). The financing Acura has right now for 0.9% was the major driver the decision. We were able to snap the car for a great deal and even got them to throw in the all-season floor mats and truck tray for free. All-in-all, pretty happy with the purchase!
Transfer of ownership!
Taken at the dealer (Shearer Acura) No bad angles
In the stable next to the 03 Acura CL-S 6-speed and the 2017 Ridgeline BE
Your gonna love it, I’ve had mine two years, and I was ranting to my wife in the car again just today how much I love my car for the millionth time, she gets sick Of hearing about it but they nailed so much stuff right on this one, always room for some improvement but I love mine!!! I do wish I had another 150 HP which would be insane, but I would pay for that, that’s for sure, it’s not slow by any means, downshift and floor it in a corner and feel how it pushes you around it in the back
Silver A-Spec is a rare colour too. I always see black, white and grey even the blue and red now and again but rarely silver. Great choice. I did the same.
LMAO your dealer lied to you. Plenty 2020's left in the Northeast. Hope you didn't pay anything over $39k for the 2020 A-Spec either. Just got mine a week ago. Love it so far. Congrats! (stop listening to your dealer tho)
Your gonna love it, I’ve had mine two years, and I was ranting to my wife in the car again just today how much I love my car for the millionth time, she gets sick Of hearing about it but they nailed so much stuff right on this one, always room for some improvement but I love mine!!! I do wish I had another 150 HP which would be insane, but I would pay for that, that’s for sure, it’s not slow by any means, downshift and floor it in a corner and feel how it pushes you around it in the back
Glad to hear you say that last part. I've seen a lot of complaints from people here regarding the RDX handling, but honestly it feels like my Audi S4 with sport diff. Any Audi guys here will know what I'm talking about. I was absolutely shocked the first time I pushed this car and felt it. I'm very pleased with what Acura did with this thing.
LMAO your dealer lied to you. Plenty 2020's left in the Northeast. Hope you didn't pay anything over $39k for the 2020 A-Spec either. Just got mine a week ago. Love it so far. Congrats! (stop listening to your dealer tho)
Zero brand new A-Specs at any dealerships with in 300miles so I believe them (checked while we waited), but hey who really cares because it's about the car not how many are left. We paid 39,100 + free 100k/7yr warranty + free all weather mats and cargo tray at 0.9% interest
Zero brand new A-Specs at any dealerships with in 300miles so I believe them (checked while we waited), but hey who really cares because it's about the car not how many are left. We paid 39,100 + free 100k/7yr warranty + free all weather mats and cargo tray at 0.9% interest
No one is going to lose any sleep over this point - but I see three listed on line right now at Acura of Boston. Two are 2020's and one is a 20201 - https://www.acuraofboston.com/new-in...-anchor-trim-1.
Don't know where you live in VT, but am guessing you are within 300 miles of Boston. Again - not a big deal, especially if you are happy with yours!
No one is going to lose any sleep over this point - but I see three listed on line right now at Acura of Boston. Two are 2020's and one is a 20201 - https://www.acuraofboston.com/new-in...-anchor-trim-1.
Don't know where you live in VT, but am guessing you are within 300 miles of Boston. Again - not a big deal, especially if you are happy with yours!
Good find. Not sure why those didn't come up in my search of dealer inventory.
Zero brand new A-Specs at any dealerships with in 300miles so I believe them (checked while we waited), but hey who really cares because it's about the car not how many are left. We paid 39,100 + free 100k/7yr warranty + free all weather mats and cargo tray at 0.9% interest
Theres plenty available here by me in NY. But like the next poster said, no one losing sleep over that point at all. I only mentioned it because I feel like dealerships say things to mislead the customer and it irritates me.
Main thing is you enjoy the car and also got a great deal on it! The warranty is a huge bonus too especially since you financed it. Nice pickup. Hoping to see this forum become more active now that more people are getting these.
Theres plenty available here by me in NY. But like the next poster said, no one losing sleep over that point at all. I only mentioned it because I feel like dealerships say things to mislead the customer and it irritates me.
Main thing is you enjoy the car and also got a great deal on it! The warranty is a huge bonus too especially since you financed it. Nice pickup. Hoping to see this forum become more active now that more people are getting these.
True. I don't think it influenced our purchase anyways. We knew we were getting a 2020 A-Spec in grey (lunar silver, modern steel or gun metal). I didn't want another black car and red isn't a great color in my opinion. The only other car maybe we'd go for was the blue.
True. I don't think it influenced our purchase anyways. We knew we were getting a 2020 A-Spec in grey (lunar silver, modern steel or gun metal). I didn't want another black car and red isn't a great color in my opinion. The only other car maybe we'd go for was the blue.
I do like the silver a lot. I was originally totally set on the modern steel. I love how the black accents on the a-spec trim pops on those grey colors. When the salesman pulled up in the black one for my test drive I fell in love with it and the rest is history. Had them get me a black one instead. I’ll regret it just like my prior black cars that show ever mark and swirl lol.
Do you have any plans for yours? Or just leaving it as is?
I do like the silver a lot. I was originally totally set on the modern steel. I love how the black accents on the a-spec trim pops on those grey colors. When the salesman pulled up in the black one for my test drive I fell in love with it and the rest is history. Had them get me a black one instead. I’ll regret it just like my prior black cars that show ever mark and swirl lol.
Do you have any plans for yours? Or just leaving it as is?
I feel your pain on the black cars. As you can see in the photo of my first post I have two black cars. Ceramic coat it! You wont regret it - it's a must for black cars. Both the CL and the Ridgeline are ceramic coated.
Plans for RDX thus far (keep in mind, only owned it 3 days)
Purchase winter rims and tires (done as of this morning) SPORT EDITION P3 ANTHRACITE 17x7.5 wheels with 235/65/r17 Firestone Winterforce U2 tires
Purchase and apply front 3M clear bra (purchased)
3M film the front portion of the roof to the wind shield (need to purchase a roll)
Ceramic coat the entire car after the film is applied
Undercoat the car with fluid film (as we get closer to winter)
Not sure what else exists for these cars since they're new, but most of the work i have planned is protection and winter preparation. I'm on the fence about mud guards, the OEM ones look small and pointless and the heated steering wheel since it's on sale right now for 365$
I feel your pain on the black cars. As you can see in the photo of my first post I have two black cars. Ceramic coat it! You wont regret it - it's a must for black cars. Both the CL and the Ridgeline are ceramic coated.
Plans for RDX thus far (keep in mind, only owned it 3 days)
Purchase winter rims and tires (done as of this morning) SPORT EDITION P3 ANTHRACITE 17x7.5 wheels with 235/65/r17 Firestone Winterforce U2 tires
Purchase and apply front 3M clear bra (purchased)
3M film the front portion of the roof to the wind shield (need to purchase a roll)
Ceramic coat the entire car after the film is applied
Undercoat the car with fluid film (as we get closer to winter)
Not sure what else exists for these cars since they're new, but most of the work i have planned is protection and winter preparation. I'm on the fence about mud guards, the OEM ones look small and pointless and the heated steering wheel since it's on sale right now for 365$
Thanks for the tip on ceramic coating! I’ll talk to my detailer after I get the paint corrected. Nice winter list.
I just added the spare tire kit. Not a fan of the fix a flat method. I also bought the black chrome emblems but haven’t installed yet.
Is that $365 for the heated wheel an all in installed price from your dealer, or just the part itself? Mine wanted over $600 for parts and labor. My other car has it and I love the feature.
Thanks for the tip on ceramic coating! I’ll talk to my detailer after I get the paint corrected. Nice winter list.
I just added the spare tire kit. Not a fan of the fix a flat method. I also bought the black chrome emblems but haven’t installed yet.
Is that $365 for the heated wheel an all in installed price from your dealer, or just the part itself? Mine wanted over $600 for parts and labor. My other car has it and I love the feature.
hmm black emblems might look good on the lunar silver... i'll have to think on that. On a black car though, that's going to be sick!
$365 is just for the parts. Honestly not bad at all for what the kit has for parts and the kits (from prior experience) have the directions to do the job. It might be a christmas present for my wife, idk yet.
hmm black emblems might look good on the lunar silver... i'll have to think on that. On a black car though, that's going to be sick!
$365 is just for the parts. Honestly not bad at all for what the kit has for parts and the kits (from prior experience) have the directions to do the job. It might be a christmas present for my wife, idk yet.
Thanks! I’ll post pics once I get around to putting them on. Not sure if you’ve seen them but they’re a black chrome which is a nice change from the typical straight black emblem. I think they’d look amazing on the silver.
Oh ok. That’s close to online dealer pricing for the wheel. So you could always pick it up closer to winter if you didn’t want to jump on it now. Curry Acura has it normally for $385 iirc.
Here are the installation instructions if you want to plan ahead: https://acura.bernardiparts.com/Imag...II11735-23.pdf
Your gonna love it, I’ve had mine two years, and I was ranting to my wife in the car again just today how much I love my car for the millionth time, she gets sick Of hearing about it but they nailed so much stuff right on this one, always room for some improvement but I love mine!!! I do wish I had another 150 HP which would be insane, but I would pay for that, that’s for sure, it’s not slow by any means, downshift and floor it in a corner and feel how it pushes you around it in the back
You can get that much more power. The turbo from the Civic Type-R and proper tuning will put you very near your goal, at it with an inter-cooler and down-pipe upgrade as well. This is my path forward over time, and what Graham Rahal performed on theirs for SEMA a couple of years ago. Spoke with them on the phone to ask more and they have put 10k miles or so on it with no issues. Lot's of people with Accords (Same K20C4 engine) have done this without issue as well. https://acuranews.com/en-US/releases...ura-rdx-a-spec
Thanks! I’ll post pics once I get around to putting them on. Not sure if you’ve seen them but they’re a black chrome which is a nice change from the typical straight black emblem. I think they’d look amazing on the silver.
Oh ok. That’s close to online dealer pricing for the wheel. So you could always pick it up closer to winter if you didn’t want to jump on it now. Curry Acura has it normally for $385 iirc.
Here are the installation instructions if you want to plan ahead: https://acura.bernardiparts.com/Imag...II11735-23.pdf
Thanks for the instructions. A bit more involved than i thought, but still doable.
Thanks for the instructions. A bit more involved than i thought, but still doable.
Hahah, good grief Acura, that's a ridiculous amount of work for a dealer installed option. Just put it on the Tech trim and add $100 to the friggin' price!
Thanks for the instructions. A bit more involved than i thought, but still doable.
Very welcome. I'm also considering adding the heated wheel and remote start (via key fob) I'd normally tackle the project on my own as well, but I think I'll pass it off to the dealer this time around due to lack of time.
Originally Posted by jmhumr
Hahah, good grief Acura, that's a ridiculous amount of work for a dealer installed option. Just put it on the Tech trim and add $100 to the friggin' price!
I agree. And from what I'm told, Acura doesn't actually add any of these options at the factory regardless of how you order the car. Supposedly they're all dealer installed before delivery. Pretty dumb IMO. The heated wheel I can maybe understand not putting through an assembly line, but the remote start is literally plugging in one single transponder to the wires that are already pre-ran through the vehicle.
I was driving around Oceanside, NY today and saw a white A-Spec with black chrome tips and a blacked out Acura rear emblem. Liked the exhaust tips, wasn't a huge fan of the blacked out emblem. Congrats on your purchase, and like others said, it's definitely not the last '20 A-Spec in the Northeast, lol. But, who cares. Enjoy the purchase. Hopefully the build quality on yours is better than mine.
You can get that much more power. The turbo from the Civic Type-R and proper tuning will put you very near your goal, at it with an inter-cooler and down-pipe upgrade as well. This is my path forward over time, and what Graham Rahal performed on theirs for SEMA a couple of years ago. Spoke with them on the phone to ask more and they have put 10k miles or so on it with no issues. Lot's of people with Accords (Same K20C4 engine) have done this without issue as well. https://acuranews.com/en-US/releases...ura-rdx-a-spec
"Using its experience in tuning the Civic Type R, GRP upgraded the RDX's factory 2.0-liter DOHC VTEC® Turbo engine with a new turbocharger, intake and exhaust manifolds, and downpipe. PRL Racing fabricated a custom intercooler and intake setup, while GRP developed a custom lightweight cat-back exhaust system. Ensuring everything works in harmony, KTuning created a custom ECU map for the boosted RDX. All-in, the GRP RDX produces an estimated peak output of 345 horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque"
That's a 73HP increase. Nothing to sneeze at, but a far cry from 150HP. It's not even halfway there.
I agree. And from what I'm told, Acura doesn't actually add any of these options at the factory regardless of how you order the car. Supposedly they're all dealer installed before delivery. Pretty dumb IMO. The heated wheel I can maybe understand not putting through an assembly line, but the remote start is literally plugging in one single transponder to the wires that are already pre-ran through the vehicle.
I don't understand the auto-start either. My Ridgeline BE has auto start standard but the RDX no? Sounds like they're trying to push the Acura-Link subscription too much
"Using its experience in tuning the Civic Type R, GRP upgraded the RDX's factory 2.0-liter DOHC VTEC® Turbo engine with a new turbocharger, intake and exhaust manifolds, and downpipe. PRL Racing fabricated a custom intercooler and intake setup, while GRP developed a custom lightweight cat-back exhaust system. Ensuring everything works in harmony, KTuning created a custom ECU map for the boosted RDX. All-in, the GRP RDX produces an estimated peak output of 345 horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque"
That's a 73HP increase. Nothing to sneeze at, but a far cry from 150HP. It's not even halfway there.
Sure, taken at face value. The issue here is that the numbers they have listed are for horsepower at the wheels (From a chassis dyno), not crank. The RDX in factory guise puts down around 225hp at the tires. This puts their RDX at a 120whp advantage and also 130lb/ft at least. They stated that this was on a factory downpipe when I spoke with them on the phone. I stick to my original statement. See the dotted line plot below for stock RDX power on a dyno.
Dotted line is a 100% stock RDX dyno. Solid line is Ktuner Stage 2 tune.
Sure, taken at face value. The issue here is that the numbers they have listed are for horsepower at the wheels (From a chassis dyno), not crank. The RDX in factory guise puts down around 225hp at the tires. This puts their RDX at a 120whp advantage and also 130lb/ft at least. They stated that this was on a factory downpipe when I spoke with them on the phone. I stick to my original statement. See the dotted line plot below for stock RDX power on a dyno.
Nowhere does it state it's wHP ... and there would be no need for them to say it's estimated if you had the dyno numbers. A KTuner Stage 2 dyno chart is meaningless for this discussion. Doing a bit of my own research, found this:
Custom tune 91 Octane, catted DP, intake and catback exhaust - 310wHP. (this is already a CTR)
Bumping it up to 94 Octane and deleting the cats with a tune for 94 yielded 341wHP. Depends on if you know someone who can pass your emissions testing without a cat. Also, highest grade we have in my area at pumps is 93 Octane. Intercooler isn't going to add any power, simply cool intake air better to keep IATs down so the car doesn't pull timing as temps go up. So, realistically, you're probably looking closer to the 310wHP numbers for most people, subtract a bit for more parasitic loss thru the AWD system and you're under 300wHP. That's about in line with the estimated 345 crank HP that they're estimating.
Seems GRP has their own dyno, but I don't see the numbers posted for their RDX anywhere. Albeit, I didn't look that hard, just a quick Google search since I don't really care all that much.
Nowhere does it state it's wHP ... and there would be no need for them to say it's estimated if you had the dyno numbers. A KTuner Stage 2 dyno chart is meaningless for this discussion. Doing a bit of my own research, found this:
Custom tune 91 Octane, catted DP, intake and catback exhaust - 310wHP. (this is already a CTR)
Bumping it up to 94 Octane and deleting the cats with a tune for 94 yielded 341wHP. Depends on if you know someone who can pass your emissions testing without a cat. Also, highest grade we have in my area at pumps is 93 Octane. Intercooler isn't going to add any power, simply cool intake air better to keep IATs down so the car doesn't pull timing as temps go up. So, realistically, you're probably looking closer to the 310wHP numbers for most people, subtract a bit for more parasitic loss thru the AWD system and you're under 300wHP. That's about in line with the estimated 345 crank HP that they're estimating.
Seems GRP has their own dyno, but I don't see the numbers posted for their RDX anywhere. Albeit, I didn't look that hard, just a quick Google search since I don't really care all that much.
Again, I spoke with GRP over the phone and confirmed the stated power is at the wheels. I am an active member on the Civicx forums as well, and tuned CTR's constantly make 380-400whp on 93 octane. There are plenty of down pipes with cats, which is what most would choose anyway. This makes emissions a non-issue in all but one overzealous state. Of course an intercooler doesn't add power, but allows you to retain timing since the charge is cooler which does result in more power and for a sustained period instead of one pull. The Ktuner dyno is 100% relevant, since it's an apples to apples comparison of actual measured stock power VS what the CTR turbo will bring us. Can't wait for GRP to release their CTR turbo kit for the RDX, which they confirmed is in development. I will remain optimistic about power production, since it's been proven time and again what that oem turbo makes on the new K20c engines.
Again, I spoke with GRP over the phone and confirmed the stated power is at the wheels. I am an active member on the Civicx forums as well, and tuned CTR's constantly make 380-400whp on 93 octane. There are plenty of down pipes with cats, which is what most would choose anyway. This makes emissions a non-issue in all but one overzealous state. Of course an intercooler doesn't add power, but allows you to retain timing since the charge is cooler which does result in more power and for a sustained period instead of one pull. The Ktuner dyno is 100% relevant, since it's an apples to apples comparison of actual measured stock power VS what the CTR turbo will bring us. Can't wait for GRP to release their CTR turbo kit for the RDX, which they confirmed is in development. I will remain optimistic about power production, since it's been proven time and again what that oem turbo makes on the new K20c engines.
I stand corrected ... happily so. I don't know if it's the "norm," but I saw a few in the 370-380wHP range. Gives me hope for the TLX-S making a good bump in power over stock, but that will depend on the turbo they use. Main thing is going to be the drivetrain, which I don't think is going to cope with a lot more power. Seems like 37x wHP is the sensible limit on pump gas (93), at least with the stock fuel pump. Saw a guy running slightly above those numbers with claimed AFR in the 12's. I would not be happy with that, even in the low 12s, especially running the boost they're running to get those numbers. My 600rwHP GTO (599rwHP if you want to be technical) runs 11.5AFR, which is the "magic" number for safety. Then again, my tuner explained that timing is what blows motors more so than AFR, but its never a bad idea to stay on the richer side of things. I'd happily give up some power to preserve the bottom end. One bad tank of gas (possible with even the "top tier" [bullshit] gas stations) and you're going to have a very bad (expensive) time.
I stand corrected ... happily so. I don't know if it's the "norm," but I saw a few in the 370-380wHP range. Gives me hope for the TLX-S making a good bump in power over stock, but that will depend on the turbo they use. Main thing is going to be the drivetrain, which I don't think is going to cope with a lot more power. Seems like 37x wHP is the sensible limit on pump gas (93), at least with the stock fuel pump. Saw a guy running slightly above those numbers with claimed AFR in the 12's. I would not be happy with that, even in the low 12s, especially running the boost they're running to get those numbers. My 600rwHP GTO (599rwHP if you want to be technical) runs 11.5AFR, which is the "magic" number for safety. Then again, my tuner explained that timing is what blows motors more so than AFR, but its never a bad idea to stay on the richer side of things. I'd happily give up some power to preserve the bottom end. One bad tank of gas (possible with even the "top tier" [bullshit] gas stations) and you're going to have a very bad (expensive) time.
I agree on AFR, I always tune them for 11.6-11.8 with forced induction and anything running over 12.2 I consider beginning to get dangerous. Also agree on sacrificing a little by way of conservative timing to keep the pistons and bearings in good order. Just not worth another 10-20whp at the limit. The drive-line seems to be up to the task so far, how much further is a question no-one can answer at this point but I would agree it probably isn't far from asking for it. As you stated the fuel system is the next road block to more power. The stock system in all newer DI 4 cyl Honda's have a cap near 400whp on 93 (Less for sh-awd of course). Hondata has a kit that upgrades the injectors/low pressure fuel pump/high pressure fuel pump and a couple of lines for the CTR that allows enough for a little over 500whp. I've spoken with Ktuner about this and they are working on a similar kit for the Accord, which ultimately means it will be for us as well since the functional parts are basically the same.
I don't understand the auto-start either. My Ridgeline BE has auto start standard but the RDX no? Sounds like they're trying to push the Acura-Link subscription too much
Oh yes good point. That very well could be the case. I won’t be subscribing to AcuraLink once the trial ends. Spoke to the dealer this morning and I’ll be having the remote start and heated wheel installed soon.
Oh yes good point. That very well could be the case. I won’t be subscribing to AcuraLink once the trial ends. Spoke to the dealer this morning and I’ll be having the remote start and heated wheel installed soon.
Curious to know if you think both are worth it. After the subscription I think autostart might be in the future plans.
On the topic of changes, the wheels came in today. Took less than 24hrs which is funny since I can't get amazon prime items that fast, but rims and wheels.... Sure.
Curious to know if you think both are worth it. After the subscription I think autostart might be in the future plans.
On the topic of changes, the wheels came in today. Took less than 24hrs which is funny since I can't get amazon prime items that fast, but rims and wheels.... Sure.
After having both options in my previous car, I 100% feel that they’re worth it. I’m really not a fan of app based features as I feel like connectivity can be spotty and laggy. I’m more of an ‘instant on’ type guy. I am curious to see how the Acura heated wheel behaves in terms of temperature and duration of being on though.
After having both options in my previous car, I 100% feel that they’re worth it. I’m really not a fan of app based features as I feel like connectivity can be spotty and laggy. I’m more of an ‘instant on’ type guy. I am curious to see how the Acura heated wheel behaves in terms of temperature and duration of being on though.
Nice wheels! I like the design and finish.
How it works on my Ridgeline is that the autostarter turns on the heated steering wheel. I'll be curious to know if it will function the same as an accessory add-on since neither the autostart or the wheel came from the factory originally.
The duration the wheel stays on must be something like 20-30 minutes because it sometimes shuts off during my commute into work which is the extent of my travel - if you can use a similar Honda for comparison.
Ya, not bad for a set of winter wheels. Nothing like the 20's though
How it works on my Ridgeline is that the autostarter turns on the heated steering wheel. I'll be curious to know if it will function the same as an accessory add-on since neither the autostart or the wheel came from the factory originally.
The duration the wheel stays on must be something like 20-30 minutes because it sometimes shuts off during my commute into work which is the extent of my travel - if you can use a similar Honda for comparison.
Ya, not bad for a set of winter wheels. Nothing like the 20's though
Cool, thanks for the comparison. Id be happy with that. It behaved similarly on my Jeep, where the remote start would turn on the wheel, seats and defrost if the outside temperature was below 40 degrees. Does the Ridgeline do those others as well? I’ve been too lazy to read the manual on this car. I usually do.
Agree on the 20’s for sure, but during the winter months I feel like having the extra pothole cushion is crucial.
Cool, thanks for the comparison. Id be happy with that. It behaved similarly on my Jeep, where the remote start would turn on the wheel, seats and defrost if the outside temperature was below 40 degrees. Does the Ridgeline do those others as well? I’ve been too lazy to read the manual on this car. I usually do.
Agree on the 20’s for sure, but during the winter months I feel like having the extra pothole cushion is crucial.
If I recall correctly, the Ridgeline turns the heated wheel on, defrost, rear window heater, and side mirror heater, buy not the seat heaters. For some reason I remember my seat always being cold when I got in.
Ya, I agree. The tires are 235/65/17 and going from a sidewall of 45 to 65 should provide that extra protection
08-29-2020, 07:48 PM
