Dyno Testing
Seeing is believing so, while the Honda/Acura camp hasn't failed to deliver the goods before, we wanted to see just how much more the RSX Type S could impress us. We got our hands on a showroom fresh car and, after a couple of spins around the block, strapped it to Dynamic Autosport's Dynojet to see what kind of numbers we could turn. At the time of our test the car had been available for two days.
As you can tell from the graph, the RSX Type S puts down an honest 162.5 hp to the front wheels. The power band is silky smooth until the variably timed valvetrain kicks into high gear, jumping almost 25 hp within 200 rpm. The powerband then continues it's smooth upward ascent until it levels out just below redline. Thanks to the variable timing technology, low-end torque remains stable, predictable, and most of all, usable. After VTEC and its ever-present power spike, torque falls minimally to the end of the powerband.
The RSX baselined at 162.5...
The RSX baselined at 162.5 hp and 123.0 lbs-ft of torque.
With air filter simulation...
With air filter simulation we realized 171.4 hp and 124.5 lbs-ft of torque.
Taking off the exhaust netted...
Taking off the exhaust netted 179.0 hp and 131.0 lbs-ft of torque.
Being psychotically inquisitive when it comes to power, we thought it would be a good idea to forecast what the aftermarket is going to get out of the RSX. To do this we suggested the airbox be removed to "simulate" a open-element filter and the exhaust to be removed at the cat to give us an idea of how many horse are hiding in the pipes. The airbox trick netted 171.4, an increase of 8.9 over baseline. With the exhaust disconnected the RSX generated 179.0 horsepower, a jump of 7.6 hp. The total increase comes to 16.5 horsepower. While a filter and upgraded exhaust will not generate this big of a jump, our experiment illustrates that the potential to make power is there.
Conclusion
The Integra is gone, and the RSX is here - in a big way. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding says 162.5 horses on tap - in stock trim. It should be noted that our test vehicle, like all the other RSX's hot off the showroom floor, was recalled for an ECU change, reportedly due to incompatibility with JDM versus American market electronics. These tests were run with the American ECU. What good things are going to happen in the future as manufacturers and tuners lift the hood and start tinkering around in the RSX engine bay? One guess is that while the new Civic has been criticized as sour in some tuning circles, the RSX will only get sweeter.