[Teg]

Looking at making a semi-sleeper out of my 15 EX-L V6 AT.

New and under warranty DD and must sound "stockish"...

I won't get a tune yet as once done it's logged for life from what I've heard. Also really don't want to run premium. I'm not going with a CAI as it looks like no real HP gain is created.

Looks like the V6 has a pretty choked exhaust so from what I see available best option is to go with RV6 HFPC's and matching Jpipe. looks like the combo nets 19hp at the wheel.

With the bolt ons I could remove and put back to stock if i needed to for any real warranty issues.

Thoughts?

 

[cournot]

J Pipe alone plus a custom KTuner or flashpro tune is the way to go as a first step. HPFCs and J pipe make for a very non stock-sounding exhaust at this point (RV6 is coming out with a midpipe to correct rasp but for now a J pipe and time is an easy way to add about 15whp).

 

[Guygettnby]

If your worried about your warranty then keep it stock. Bolt ons will net you some gain, but not enough to make it a sleeper IMHO. Bolt ons with a tune will give you a decent jump in power, but again it won't make your car a sleeper. You bought an accord, don't want to tune it, don't want an intake, want it to sound stock and keep your warranty. Sounds like you have made up your own mind to just keep it stock and enjoy what you bought.

 

[Teg]

Thanks for the advice, maybe semi-sleeper was the wrong description. What I want is a accord a little quicker than stock all things being equal. Is the jpipe itself a noticeable improvement? Also is the rasp just on acceleration? Also can anyone confirm if I tune it the dealer can pull it up even if it's changed back to stock? Sorry I'm not well versed in tunes...

 

[michaellowrider]

50 shot of nos? Pair that with a j-pipe and you're in sleeper territory @ over 300 whp. That way if the j doesn't do the trick, the spray will.

 

[Baldeagle]

Forged wheels and lighter tires? Better acceleration, handling and fuel economy.

 

[Guygettnby]

Thanks for the advice, maybe semi-sleeper was the wrong description. What I want is a accord a little quicker than stock all things being equal. Is the jpipe itself a noticeable improvement? Also is the rasp just on acceleration? Also can anyone confirm if I tune it the dealer can pull it up even if it's changed back to stock? Sorry I'm not well versed in tunes...

Yes, the dealer can tell if you tuned the car. They can't tell if it was a tune per say, but that the ECU was flashed. There is a flash counter that keeps track of how many times the ECU has been updated or the programming has been changed. The times have changed and things could be different on the brand new cars, but as far as I know all they can tell is if it was re flashed.

There are mods you can do to your car that will give you extra power and can be removed before you take your car back to the dealer. But if something went wrong with your car and they decide they really want to look to see if you messed with your car, there are ways they can tell.

So in a nut shell, if you mod your car and something goes wrong, just know there is a good chance they could find out you modded the car. This also will vary with different dealerships. Some are more lenient then others.

They can also by law not void your warranty. They can only deny your warranty claim on certain parts of the vehicle. Like say you mod your exhaust, they can void only the exhaust part of your warranty and then they have to prove that your modded exhaust hurt your engine or what not.

If you are worried about keeping your warranty then don't mod your car. If you are just worried about your engine and other vital systems, then start with modding your suspension, wheels and tires. All the power in the world means nothing if you can't put that power to the ground.

 

[fixinmyself]

Coming from a hot rodding background, your best shot is some small nitrous boost like 40-60hp. Thats the quickest benefit and most able to be put on and taken off without much evidence it was there - I haven't been up on how the new systems work. You wouldn't want to get any greedier than that, and even with that the more conservative 40hp would be safer yet still give a noticible kick in the pants. But no 40hp boost will really be a sleeper, you'll just beat other stock cars of similar tune.

Btw as per the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act just because you modify your car does not mean you lose your warranty, unless it can be shown that the modification was responsible for whatever failure occurs. Now this is admittedly open to some discretion - they could argue any HP increase would shorten the life,so yes it's wise to try and not make it obvious, but again every modification outside of nitrous is going to have evidence that it was done. Maybe even with nitrous. But the point is that if you boost the power and lets say the alternator goes out that should still be covered.

You could spend alot more on custom exhausts and stuff to get less than the 40hp nitrous would get and not really have more fun, the only annoyance is refilling the bottle now and then. The biggest 'issue' with hot rodding modern FWD cars is first the transmission strength and second torque steer if you try for too much power. Many modern transmissions are near their bleeding edge of power handling rating already. Even if you could get more than 40-60hp it would probably unbalance the car notably, the power not hooking up and such..

 

[Guygettnby]

Coming from a hot rodding background, your best shot is some small nitrous boost like 40-60hp. Thats the quickest benefit and most able to be put on and taken off without much evidence it was there - I haven't been up on how the new systems work. You wouldn't want to get any greedier than that, and even with that the more conservative 40hp would be safer yet still give a noticible kick in the pants. But no 40hp boost will really be a sleeper, you'll just beat other stock cars of similar tune.

Btw as per the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act just because you modify your car does not mean you lose your warranty, unless it can be shown that the modification was responsible for whatever failure occurs. Now this is admittedly open to some discretion - they could argue any HP increase would shorten the life,so yes it's wise to try and not make it obvious, but again every modification outside of nitrous is going to have evidence that it was done. Maybe even with nitrous. But the point is that if you boost the power and lets say the alternator goes out that should still be covered.

You could spend alot more on custom exhausts and stuff to get less than the 40hp nitrous would get and not really have more fun, the only annoyance is refilling the bottle now and then. The biggest 'issue' with hot rodding modern FWD cars is first the transmission strength and second torque steer if you try for too much power. Many modern transmissions are near their bleeding edge of power handling rating already. Even if you could get more than 40-60hp it would probably unbalance the car notably, the power not hooking up and such..

Nitrous can also be detected if they test for it. Plus depending on what kit is installed, you have to drill and mod a few things. A hole drilled in his intake would be a sure sign he added something to his car lol

Plain and simple, when it comes down to it any mod he does to his car could possibly be detected and result in him having a warranty claim denied. That's why I suggested he just leave the car alone if he is that worried about his warranty. Gotta pay to play and be able to accept the consequences for what ever he decides.

 

[Teg]

Wheels look like a good upgrade the stockers are IMHO pretty ugly. The main concern is since this is the first new car I've owned I don't want to learn the hard way on warranty. Not new to modding cars by any means just don't want to risk blowing a tranny or similar for whatever reason and having the dealer say the ECU was flashed sorry not covered. My thought was bolt on's have zero proof what was actually installed if you bring the car back in stock condition. They might be able to tell something was changed (evidence) but no proof of what it was. In this case evidence and proof are very differnt.

I called a local shop here in MN today (DB Performance) and they said a tune on the new Honda's are 100% detectable when brought in for anything at the dealer. So we might just toss some wheels on, maybe a jpipe and wait for the warranty to expire...

 

[specV2006]

Ultimate mod on a na car besides Nitrous? 93octane fuel, synthetic motor oil and light weight wheels on performance tires . Sometimes premium maintenance makes the difference + driver mod.

 

[Teg]

What would 93 do on a stock engine besides cost more?

Anyway I called my dealer and asked about the tune/mods and warranty, they confirmed that it's fine as long as its not directly related to the specific part failure. I called a second random Honda dealer they said the same exact thing. The lady at the first dealer (where I bought the car from) said in 22yrs she never seen a problem with performance parts or modifications where warranty was voided and claim denied.

So now HFPC's are back on the list I might just call RV6 today... :wink

 

[Guygettnby]

What would 93 do on a stock engine besides cost more?

Anyway I called my dealer and asked about the tune/mods and warranty, they confirmed that it's fine as long as its not directly related to the specific part failure. I called a second random Honda dealer they said the same exact thing. The lady at the first dealer (where I bought the car from) said in 22yrs she never seen a problem with performance parts or modifications where warranty was voided and claim denied.

So now HFPC's are back on the list I might just call RV6 today... :wink

Higher octane allows your car to advance timming more.

Dealers can say anything they want, but when it comes down to it and your car has an issue they will sing a different tune. Just keep that in the back of your mind when you mod your car. You always take that chance when you mod your vehicle that is under warranty.

 

[Teg]

So now HFPC's are back on the list I might just call RV6 today... :wink

Ordered - Should have them tomorrow!