Hello Everyone!

I recently bought a 2012 accord coupe v6 (j35) and I love this car. But I know it is capable of much higher power delivery. What would be the most effective upgrades I could start looking for? I am completely new to upgrading cars so any bit of information helps. Thank you!

 

When it comes to modifying cars the first step is always deciding what your goal is, and what your budget is. The J series has an OK amount of aftermarket support, but not as much as the 4 cylinders.

So with that being said are you looking to spend a thousand or two on some bolt ons or more on a turbo or supercharger set up.

 

I was thinking of saving up for something substantial like turbo or supercharger. The most effective single upgrade i can make to this vehicle (regardless of price). If money was not an issue and you had only one upgrade to put on a j35, what would you put?

 

Personally? A different/faster car; probably your best bang for the buck.

 

Hello New Member..Thank You for joining the HAF.

 

What car would you consider?

 

Depends upon the budget; anything from an Acura TL to an Infiniti G Coupe to, I don't know, maybe a BMW M3. Regardless, it will cost you much less in the long run to buy a car meant to be faster right out of the factory than it will to A) modify yours, B) deal with the increased maintenance, and C) suffer the significant hit to resale value when it comes time to move to a different car.

Of course, this is just my opinion; lots of folks love to modify their cars and don't care how much money they burn dealing with the extra expense and loss of value.

 

Thank you, I definitely agree some are easier to upgrade than others. In this case though, I am more curious as to whether my accord is "meant to be faster right out of the factory" as compared to an Acura TL which has the same engine. Also I would like to know, which upgrades lower resale value more than others? I assume more extensive changes would reduce resale value but on the flip-side, are there smaller upgrades that wouldn't reduce resale value as much? Thanks!

 

As for the Accord being "faster right out of the factory", no, Honda does a very good job of coaxing available power out of their engines. Make a mod to increase the top end power up near redline and you will lose a commensurate amount of mid-range torque (which would effectively make the car slower in all driving environments except at the track). Facts of life on that one.

As for the Accord having the same motor as the TL, yes, that's (mostly) true for the base TL, but not the SH-AWD version which yields 27 more HP and 21 more lb-ft of torque than the engine in the Accord. I said "(mostly) true" because the base Acura motor is rated as having an extra 2 hp and 2 lb-ft of torque (probably due to differences in intake and exhaust plumbing). Long story short, the expense of upgrading your car to yield that miniscule extra bit of power would be way-way too high for the net result.

As for resale value, the only modifications I can think of which won't lower said value are wheels and tires. Pretty much anything else from intakes and exhausts to brake and body kits will lower the value. For my part, if I even think a used car has ever had something as minor as an aftermarket intake I walk away immediately.