I was thinking more on the lines of a cold air intake since i noticed that the Short ram has no prevention from the engine temp air being sucked in.

Did you over come this issue with yours ?

 

You could route a cold air feed pipe from your air dam up through the stock airbox hole and direct cool air to your short ram to feed it colder air without having your air filter down in your bumper cover where it can get water soaked. You could also have a cover for bad weather so rain doesn't get up the cold air feed pipe to your short ram filter.
Cold air kits are good but are compromised in bad weather because it can stall or even damage your engine if it sucks in water.

 

I haven't noticed anything as far as getting to much hot air. I angled my air filter towards the opening where the air comes in. I bought a universal kit from auto zone and installed the straight end into the throttle body so the elbow could be adjusted to avoid heat going into the engine. I could upload a picture if you would like to see my set up.

 

Are you running the lightest possible tires, such as the Goodyear Assurance All-Season or the Firestone All-Season?
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...res/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Assurance+All-Season&partnum=37TR6AAS
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=All+Season&partnum=37TR6AS

 

I'm very curious what you need more power for out of this vehicle for?

Honda Pilot is an awesome vehicle - but it's pretty much a purpose designed soccer mom vehicle.

 

Because some people like to modify this vehicles. What is wrong is trying to make the engine produce more power or produce more efficient power?

 

Just toying around with my wife's Honda we have 3 kids so running a car isn't an option anymore. I've done work on quite a few Hondas and I am a brand member for life! It's also fun to show up high end cars and diesel owners in a vehicle that costs less than half theirs even with upgrades. And who doesn't love the sound of a roaring v6 VTEC with proper modifications. They also make a j pipe to get more exhaust out. There is a guy on YouTube running twin turbos pushing over 600whp. When you wrench as hobby it's fun no matter how you choose to do it.

 

I saw that same youtube guy... that pilot is sick..last time i checked his site he was stating that He manged to get one of the diesels that were once produced by Honda.

 

I'm running continental tires which are brand new so probably not so light weight. I upgraded to Wagner premium oex brake pads so stopping has increased amazingly. And I've read that the pilot is designed for dads who don't want a mini van. They are stock with 245 HP which is decent for in town a to B driving however I do mostly highways. So I want some power to pass. I do use blinkers and don't cut people off I use defensive not aggressive driving habits since I am usually with my family.

 

I've been curious to some power adders for mine as well, looking for a bit more pep turning the bigger tires on it especially while towing or with a crowd inside. J pipe in the future for sure for improved efficiency and some throat to it.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

I like the lift and at the same time I don't want to sacrifice stability because I personally don't do to much off-road driving. However there are a bunch of guys on YouTube that have done the lift kits and they look amazing. Some off-road tires and you would have s nice looking ride. I'm not sure how fwd performance would be off-road because the 4wd on these are only used when stuck.

 

I'm not sure how fwd performance would be off-road because the 4wd on these are only used when stuck.

What do you mean by "the 4wd on these are only used when stuck"?

 

I was a diesel mechanic for 4 years and a used car tech for 1 year. I also live in the country so diesel trucks are everywhere here I like the power factor of a diesel. If I were to do an off-road pilot I'd look into the conversion a little bit more.

 

We love our pilot so much were buying another one this year I'm looking into suspension kits for handling purposes so we might lift one and make one a sleeper I'll definitely stay on top of improving this post as well as I can and let you know how each build goes the pros and the cons to each one!

 

If you have any questions feel free to ask I will research into almost anything about these vehicles I'm getting ready to replace the timing belt and water pump as we are leaking coolant from the seals and in my opinion it's better to replace it while I have it all off. New pulleys, tensioners, belt and pump.

 

There is a procedure to using the 4wd it's on your driver visor it says to only use it under 25 mph and only first and second gear when the vehicle is stuck on ice or in mud. If it's not on the visor it's in the owner's manual. I'll post a picture on what my 06 says.

 

That applies only to the "VTM-4 Lock" function.

Once again, for the benefit of any uninformed newcomers: How Does VTM Work?

 

I would be cautious about any modifications made as it might affect your warranty. Has anyone tried adding a K&N air filter? I had one on my 2005 Pilot and it improved my gas mileage as well as performance. $80 is a pretty easy modification.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

This is what mine says the vtm lock engages the 4wd system they are fwd all time and engage the rear diff only in need not for continuous driving

 

As for warranty we purchase ours out right so we own them 100%
I'm not interested in making payments I know enough about vehicles personally to swap motors, transmission, drive train, interior, stereos, ECT...

 

Any serious off roading i would not use the Pilot ..unless it's heavily modded to handle the rough terrain. Damn thing alone would need a half decent lift kit not the 2" ..trust me its there kit. Skid plates ..suspension mods , more of
a robust tranny and diff. the List goes on... Really wish Honda listened and come out with a package to allow all this to happen ..buy a 4runner

 

Agreed I would get a cheep Cherokee my neighbor is part of a couple of Jeep clubs and those are more suited for off road use. I would say the older Honda passports are an OK choice I own an Isuzu rodeo it's rwd and they have a decent aftermarket for off road. The rodeo and passport are the same just one is isuzu and one is Honda all interchangeable parts. The pilot would only serve for looks and dirt roads I would highly recommend nothing servere in that aspect.

 

I recently read that the Acura RL pistons fit the j35 and bump you to 11:1 compression and they are forged pistons and the j32 heads have better flow with 1mm bigger exhaust valves I'm looking into spring and valve replacement as well

 

Well, best of luck to you in your endeavors.

I kind of think you're off the reservation with your thought process on the Pilots Design.

Soccer mom's don't want an extra 150hp, neither do I, neither do probably 98% of the people who would consider buying a pilot.

I would never buy a pilot with a turbocharger on it. That's just one more thing to maintain and replace.
Likewise I would never put drilled and slotted rotors on a pilot - I put the thickest, beefiest flat rotors I can get so my pads and rotors last for forever, and it stops just fine.

I've no idea where you came to the conclusion that putting a turbo and drilled/slotted rotors would somehow add to the longevity and reliability?? Absolutely not a chance my dude, you're going to get exactly the opposite. You'll be cleaning brake dust all the time, swapping pads far more frequently - and the extra stress you'll put on your engine / trans isn't going to do it any favors, not to mention the added heat and putting in a a high RPM part. These things all give you power / performance at the Expense of longevity / reliability.

Anyways, I hope you have fun with your mods - you'll definitely have a soccer mom sleeper haha, but I think Honda is spot on with their design principles.

 

How many vehicles have you owned much less driven that were equipped with a turbocharger?

What experience do you have with drilled & slotted rotors vs. slotted HD rotors? The fact that you even attempt to argue a point I never made but still, just about ANY good quality rotor is HUGE reliability improvement and upgrade over the Honda OEM junk yet that point is apparently TOTALLY lost on you. I don't have to regularly clean "brake dust all the time", in fact I have NEVER had to. It has been my experience that drivers who experience/cause heavy brake dust deposits don't know how to drive and are beyond abusive on the brake system which is compounded by inattentive drivers.

Yeah.......Honda is spot on with their design priciples........just look at the number of posts from people on this forum and others that have had to replace ALL of their brake rotors.

That fantastic VCM system is another engineering feat that eats piston rings, pistons, and cylinders bores.

Let's not forget that "crazy reliable and bullet proof" (NOT!) 9 speed ZF automatic transmission that Honda is repairing & replacing at record rates and now may be recalling. :wink::31::19:

 

Well, I'm interested in seeing your mods and how it turns out. I've modified a ton of vehicles in the past from lifted wranglers to subaru wrxs and everything that comes from the factory is a compromise, so any upgrades you make to make more power or improve performance will inevitable cause something else in the vehicle to be the weak link. OEM choices are also made on cost, of course, so there could definitely be upgrades that cause no compromise (other than $).

I've got a honda pilot with 199,000 miles and it runs great, so I'd have to disagree with you assessment of Honda's reliability and worksmanship issues. Definitely keep us all posted your mods though! I love seeing people modify vehicles to their own tastes.

-Ryan

 

Totally agree, if you take the mods too far, you will eventually and usually find a weak link. I think the most immediate weak link is probably the transmission. In my case, the addition of the RV6 Performance J Pipe mod is a very mild upgrade that nets a very moderate 13 AWHP & 9 ft. lbs. AWTQ with just the pipe which I am confident is not likely to find any weak links since the Acura MDX uses pretty much the same drive train with the same or even more power. This may not seem like much of an increase in power to justify the cost but you have to realize the chart is show power at the wheels/tires. When you account for parasitic power train losses, that is really not bad at all.

RV6 Long Tube Jpipe + KTuner Release Test and Tune Session on 07-09 MDX - AcuraZine - Acura Enthusiast Community

Ordinarily I would go with slotted HD rotors but in this case I got a great deal on the drilled and slotted rotors so I gave them a try.

 

It doesn't seem like a vehicle whose unit volume has grown 5% annually for 10 years, while base MSRP has increased more than 10% was inspired by a Marxist rationale. Creating products that more people want to buy and cutting costs to increase profit margin is pretty classical capitalist behavior.

Then again, I'm an old guy that wonders why self-closing tailgates are a thing. Honda obviously knows more about what soccer moms will pay for than I do, but doubt they worry about the ones that choose a Cayenne over a Pilot.

 

It doesn't seem like a vehicle whose unit volume has grown 5% annually for 10 years, while base MSRP has increased more than 10% was inspired by a Marxist rationale. Creating products that more people want to buy and cutting costs to increase profit margin is pretty classical capitalist behavior.

I don't see anything there to disagree with, other than your taking out of context my point.

The ridiculous EPA fuel economy standards and NHTSA safety standards that all automobile manufacturers have to comply with ARE Marxist though.

THAT is my entire point which you unintentionally make so well for me.

Providing the environment for a FREE market that WILL provide and create the products and features that the car buying public wants is absolutely capitalist behavior which is absolutely NOT what American markets are.

Corporations like Honda and quite a few others who design, manufacture, and corroborate with in this case our over bloated, corrupt, and bureaucratically inept government to build these Marxist inspired econoboxes that come equipped with airbags that explode and kill you, fuel economy designs that destroy the engine aka VCM, attempts at weight reduction that make the sheetmetal on a beer can look strong compared to the fenders on these and most other vehicles, 9 speed ZF wonder transmissions that are not capable of 100k of trouble free service much less half that, windshields half as thick as they used to be in a misguided effort to reduce weight to reach unreachable CAFE standards which crack very easily. And this would not be complete without a rotten tomato at the junk CVT transmissions Honda is trying to shove down our throats. I could go on and on but I think the point is made.

I DO take your point to heart though. My wife and I have loved all 3 of our Honda Elements and the 2013 CR-V. Now that I have paid for the modifications to eliminate the defects in my Pilot plus the best part being it is paid for, I will keep it but the CR-V and the Pilot will very likely be that LAST Honda I buy. It's not just the Honda cars, their ATV's and motorcycles have gradually become less and less of what I want. My business went elsewhere. For sure, there are a LOT worse vehicles out there...........that having been said, Honda just ain't what is used to be.

I certainly hope you will be happy and greatly satisfied driving your future Honda that meets the 2025 CAFE standards of 54.5 mpg. LOL! A lot of motorcycles don't get that good a fuel economy. :roadtrip:

 

Honda has become garbage over the years and people still get suckered buying them cause they are eye candy. ..

 

Again here is what I have planned a block from an odyssey forged crank and rods. The pistons from an RL are forged and have 11:1 compression. MDX camshaft with ECU. J30 heads ported and polished. TSX valves, springs, intake manifold and throttle body from the 3.7. J pipe high flow catalytic converter, resonator and exhaust tips/muffler!
I might consider a rear mount turbo only running 5-8 psi just as a highway cruiser. I'm not trying to drag race the pilot I just enjoy wrenching and laughing at Honda haters.
I'm also looking into the TSX 6 speed manual swap these are all things I am capable of doing my self I'd only send the block in for mill, bore and cylinder hone. And the heads for milling.

 

How about a build thread ? ... luv seeing what people do with these Pilots ! ..good luck and let us know how it turns out!

 

I will have a YouTube video on the build and I'll create a separate thread for all the problems and extra parts needed I plan in building a separate motor just in case it won't start I can put the stock one back in.

 

my 04 has several easy upgrades that dramatically increased the pilots j35.

acura mdx intake manifold spacer- I had to use a hood spacer for hood closure.
aucra tl type s intake manifold- and 3.7 TL throttle body with throttle body adaptor/spacer
tb coolant bypass
3 inch cold air intake
rev6 high flow precats
resonator delete
2 3/4 exhaust piping (going to change muffler soon)
High flow y pipe for acura tl- direct fit with only slight bend in the flex pipe.
brembo brakes and slotted rotors
255/75/16 AT tires

 

Nice looking Pilot! Those mods I expect added a nice increase in HP and torque. Love the roof rack and bull bar. The taller tires fill out the wheel wells just right and add a noticable amount of ground clearance. :29:

Did you run into any issues with ECM compatibility or tuning with the Acura throttle body or was it mostly plug and play?