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06 Sedan V6 6MT: Most Effective Mods for $2k-$3k?

22K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  thisaznboi88 
#1 ·
I recently purchased a 2006 Honda Accord sedan with the V6 and 6 speed to drive daily. I had a 2007 Accord V6 sedan a few years back when I signed up for this forum, but it was an automatic and I ended up regretting the transmission choice. I had a BMW 335i prior to the V6 6MT which was a very well-rounded car, but I didn't like the BMW stigma and questionable reliability. I also enjoy being frugal and doing more with less when it comes to cars. I have a Corvette Z06 as a weekend car, but for some reason the Accord is more appealing to mod. :confused:

So, I'd like to do some slight modifications to the Accord and use the 335i as a benchmark. I know the BMW is a much better platform from the start (RWD, equal weight distribution), but if I can have 90% of the car for the Accord price, I'll be happy.

The BMW 335i dynos around 275whp while the Accord J30A5 6MT seems to be around 215whp (Is this correct?). The 335i weighs 3600lbs while the Accord sedan is 3370lbs. So, the Accord will need 255-260whp to have a similar power to weight ratio. I'm happy with anywhere close to 250whp considering my budget and the lack of turbos on the Accord. What are the most effective, dyno-proven mods for the Accord? I'm assuming the AEM-V2 is one.

The handling on the Accord was probably more of a disappointment than acceleration when compared to the 335i. Much of it is due to the 215 width tires compared to soft 225/255 Bridgestones on the BMW. But, what will help with understeer and body roll on the Accord? I don't want to lower it much since I live in the city and every entrance is apparently required to be at a >20° angle.

Thanks!

Here are some random acceleration vids of it:


 
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#2 · (Edited)
this is a nice intro to this thread lol :up:...ok here we go....a few questions i have is how far are you willing to go to get the performance you want? you are gonna have to sacrifice some comforts somewhere, lucky for you 250whp is not difficult...how loud do you want your car to be? do you want single or dual exhaust? do you want to do any weight reduction? change of wheels? will you consider lowering the car at all? maybe 1 inch or 1.2 inches?...what about interior? would you change the front seats?....i disagree about BMW being a good platform....German cars are over rated becuz they are expensive but in reality it is a disaster to own one of these cars...anyone that thinks otherwise probably has their car still under warranty and hasnt owned it long enough to see that the parts are designed to break soon after the warranty is up...anyhow back on topic...power to weight ratio is the number one importance here and i like your focus when it comes to establishing and equal to the BMW in terms of power...but handling is definitely not a strength of the accord at all...a big deal here is the fact that the accord does not have a limited slip differential so you kind of have a limit as far as handling goes...if i had a choice i would immediately put a LSD in this car before i spend another penny on nethin else...this will improve handling and agility dramatically...
 
#3 ·
Intake/exhaust mods will net you 250whp. You will need the following mods:

CAI
Exhaust (3in preferred)
Jpipe
Cat deletes/HFCs

That should net you easily 240-250whp. Also take out the clutch delay valve in the slave cylinder. There is a thread over on Acurazine on how to take it out. It's pretty simple (although I couldn't do it myself) :bonk:

Beware, if you delete the cats the car will be loud unless you stash a huge resonator underneath. I have a 30in body 6in round resonator and my car is still loud and drones. You'd probably need a larger 5x8x24in or bigger mufflers. I have the Dynomax Ultra Flow mufflers (4x9.5x14 I believe). If you went with a nice 5x8x14 or 18 Magnaflow, you'd probably be good.
 
#4 ·
For improved handling, rigidity and decreased body roll I highly recommend the Sway bar upgrade. The rear sway bar from the 07-08 TL-S is 20mm compared to the stock 14mm sway bar. The front sway bar from the TL 6MT is 27.2MM and hollow compared to the stock 25.xmm sway bar. Both sway bars are a direct bolt on with no modifications needed. For me that was a huge improvement.
 
#5 ·
The BMWs have wider tracks, lower COGs, and stickier tires.

Before you start ripping into the transmission to install LSD, you need to find a wheel/tire package. The stock 6-6 sedan wheels are only 6.5" wide; you really need atleast an 8" wide wheel and 235 tires. I'm trying to find out if 17x8" +35 will fit under the fenders w/o rolling, pulling, or excessive camber. If I was tracking the car, I would be looking at 17x9" minimum w/ 255/40R17. I want to run 235/45R17 (OEM TL size) for everyday driving. With some nice summer tires, you should have very little problem putting down 250whp w/o LSD. If you ever drop the subframe for a clutch replacement, you could then install LSD and a stiffer front swaybar.

You really do need stiffer suspension. You can maintain stock ground clearance with coilovers, while utilizing stiffer springs.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the quick and thorough responses. I only have liability on the car currently, so I'd like to avoid attracting too much attention. If I decide to sell the Corvette, I'll add full coverage. So, wheels and exhaust will have to come later. I'll try to listen to some YouTube videos to get an idea of how loud the car will be. Drone or a really loud exhaust is not what I'm looking for. I need something that's fairly quiet below 3k-4k RPM.

I found pictures of the J-Pipe, but what exactly does it replace? Is it before the cats? Or does it replace the cat with a straight pipe. The gains look good, but I'm trying to find out what the disadvantages are (noise, smog fail, etc)

It sounds like my first mods should be intake (AEM V2?), sway bars, and possibly the J-pipe. Coilovers, wider wheels/tires, and exhaust down the road.
 
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