2003 Acura Tl Type-s Sedan 4-door 3.2l / Av6 Transmission Swap on 2040-cars

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Acura is launching an all-out assault on Pikes Peak

  Acura is gunning for multiple trophies at Pikes Peak later this month, sending no less than six vehicles to the famed hillclimb event. The fleet consists of two NSX race cars, two TLX Type S race cars, a TLX Type S pace car, and the 2022 MDX Type S making its first public debut. The all-volunteer team comprising Acura employees will be towing the more potent of the TLX race cars 1,300 miles from its base in Ohio to the Colorado venue with an MDX Type S. While a stock TLX Type S weighs 4,221 pounds, a mass that's pretty close to the 355-horsepower, 354 pound-foot flagship's towing capacity of 5,000, the race car is considerably lighter.  Honda put the TLX Type S on a 600-pound diet, gutting the interior and replacing parts with lightweight components like a carbon fiber hood. Naturally, aerodynamic aids like splitters, canards, and spoilers festoon the race car. On top of that, the 3.0-liter V6 it shares with the big brother MDX Type S has been modified with a with a larger turbo and additional cooling to account for the thin air approaching the 14,000-foot summit. Acura engineer Justin Lumbard will helm the TLX in the Pikes Peak Open Division, in which an Acura TLX GT race car holds the record of 9:24.433, set by Acura race veteran Peter Cunningham in 2019. Meanwhile, chassis engineer and cool-name-haver Jordan Guitar will be piloting the other TLX Type S, a more stock version with only a 300-pound diet. Both cars wear race-modified suspensions and HRE 19-inch 19 x 9.5-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli slicks. Likewise, the NSX pairs comprise one hard-core racer and one mostly stock car each, allowing Acura to pursue wins in multiple classes. Drivers and brothers James and Nick Robinson are no strangers to Pikes Peak records. James helped Acura clinch the Hybrid Class record with a time of 10:01.913 in an NSX last year, and is now shooting for a Time Attack 1 Division championship. His NSX puts out around 625 horsepower thanks to larger turbos and reprogrammed engine software. A front splitter, large rear wing, 200-pound weight reduction are just some of the race-prep modifications. Meanwhile, Nick holds the front-wheel-drive record, set in 2018 with a first-generation Acura TLX and a time of 10:48.094. This year, Nick is behind the wheel of an NSX that's all stock — aside from safety equipment and race tires — in the hopes of achieving a Time Attack 2 production record attempt.

Autoblog Minute: Ludacris talks Acura, Tesla, autonomous cars, and more

GRAMMY award winning artist and actor Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges sits down with Autoblog to talk about flying cars, Tesla and his 1993 Acura Legend. Autoblog's Eddie Sabatini reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute featuring an original interview with Ludacris. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] GRAMMY award winning artist and actor Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges sits down with Autoblog to talk about flying cars, Tesla, and his 1993 Acura Legend. I'm Eddie Sabatini and this is your Autoblog Minute. As Acura prepared for the 2015 SEMA show, the trade show for automotive aftermarket professionals and enthusiasts, they had a chance to take on a unique project: Restoring a damaged 1993 Acura Legend [00:00:30] owned by Ludacris. Autoblog Minute had a chance to sit down with the man himself and discuss why he's held onto this car for so long: [00:01:00] [Ludacris Interview] While we were with him we couldn't resist the chance to ask Ludacris some other questions, like: What does he think of Tesla's Ludicrous mode? [00:01:30] [Ludacris Interview] What does he think of autonomous vehicles? [Ludacris Interview] Does he have a favorite memory from when he first bought his Acura Legend? [00:02:00] [Ludacris Interview] And, if he could have any car today what would it be? [Ludacris Interview] It's always a pleasure to be able to interview a celebrity especially one that's a fellow enthusiast. [00:02:30] For Autoblog, I'm Eddie Sabatini. Autoblog Minute is a short-form video news series reporting on all things automotive. Each segment offers a quick and clear picture of what's happening in the automotive industry from the perspective of Autoblog's expert editorial staff, auto executives, and industry professionals.

2022 Acura MDX Type S specs boast 355-hp turbo V6, air suspension

Details have finally emerged about the new 2022 Acura MDX Type S. Positioned as the performance-oriented member of the MDX range, the midsize luxury SUV gains a turbocharged V6, Brembo brakes, an air suspension, and a longer list of standard features. Acura takes the heritage-laced "Type S" designation seriously; the badge also appears on the NSX and on the TLX. While we love the thought of an NSX-powered MDX, it's the TLX that was asked to provide its engine. Power comes from a new 3.0-liter V6 that's turbocharged to 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Acura points out these figures make the MDX Type S the most powerful crossover or SUV it has ever released. The six-cylinder spins all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission that has been redesigned to provide quicker shifts, and a Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) system programmed to send up to 70% of the engine's torque to the rear wheels. And, as always for Acura's SH-AWD, 100% of that torque can be sent to the left or the right wheel (aka torque vectoring). Acura's first air suspension system appears on the MDX Type S. Adaptive and adjustable, the setup relies on data sent by an armada of sensors and on user input to make the ride sporty, comfortable, or anything in between. Using air springs also allowed Acura to give the Type S a lift mode, which increases the ground clearance by about 2 inches when users need to drive in deep snow or on rough terrain. Next, engineers turned their attention to the brakes. Brembo provided four-piston front calipers designed to work with rotors that are about half an inch bigger than the standard MDX's, and Acura points out that it tuned the electric-servo system to give the Type S a pedal stroke that's similar to the NSX's. The red calipers fitted to both axles are visible through 21-inch wheels wrapped by Continental ContiSeal self-sealing tires. Painting the calipers red was purely an aesthetic decision, but many of the other design changes that help the Type S stand out from the regular MDX serve a purpose. For example, the engine bay receives about 10% more air thanks to a redesigned grille. And, the vents on either side of the front bumper direct cooling air to a pair of sub-radiators mounted on either side of the engine bay. Some of these functional changes aren't immediately visible: Acura went as far as relocating the battery to the trunk to improve weight distribution.