Hondata Kpro – 2006 RSX Type-S

One of the most important features to many of today’s tuners is the ability to have full or at least some control over the functions of their engine. This functionality is accomplished through the use of either a piggy-back controller unit which works in conjunction with the factory Electronic Control Unit (ECU) or with a stand-alone ECU. Stand-alone ECU’s generally replace the factory computer and have greater capability and features than a controller unit. For my 2006 Acura RSX-S I chose to go with a full standalone ECU from Hondata called the K-pro. I decided that I wanted a full standalone so I would have complete control over the parameters of the engine mainly for when I get to adding a turbo kit to my car.

The K-pro includes a software CD that includes a number of base maps (pre-tuned calibrations) for temporary use until I could get it to a professional tuner and get the car on a dyno. I uploaded a base calibration that was closest to my setup and the car started the very first time I tried. Needless to say I was happy and impressed that the car started and idled flawlessly the first time and was really re-assuring to me that I had made the right call in going with K-pro. I was able to drive the car that night, although I never really got on it, just in case there was something missing in the base calibration.

I had already scheduled a tuning session with Tony Szirka of UMS Tuning in Mesa, AZ. Tony has built quite a reputation of being one of the best tuners in the state for all cars from Dodge SRT-4’s, to SR20DE-T powered 240SX’s, to numerous Honda’s and Acura’s. Tony typically deals with much more heavily modded and higher horsepower cars than what I was bringing to him, but I wanted the best tune I could possibly get. I was not disappointed! I dropped the car off at UMS in the morning and came back to pick it up later that evening. When I arrived Tony was already done tuning it and the car was sitting in their parking lot waiting to be driven.

After thanking Tony and the guys at UMS it was time to take it out for a drive. What a huge difference! There was so much more power at almost every RPM that it barely felt like my old car. A lot of guys that run naturally aspirated (NA) setups know how hard it is to make big power without getting inside the motor so it really was a big surprise at how much available power I now had on tap. The final Horsepower numbers came out to 197.6 whp and 142.8 ft. lbs of torque. This is about 15-20whp and 10-12 ft. lbs of torque higher than a RSX-S with similar mods and no K-pro. Needless to say I was thrilled with the results and couldn’t believe how much more fun the car was to drive! I hadn’t realized how poor the stock Michelin tires were until the additional power was realized and for this reason I purchased a set of Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta high performance tires also from my friends at www.motorweb.com and will be reviewing them in a future blog article.

All in all the Hondata K-pro was an excellent modification and will handle any type of modification that I can throw at it in the future. I highly recommend this and or a similar modification to anyone that is looking to maximize engine potential before or after swapping out engine internals (camshafts, valves, pistons etc.) Contact an SCO Tuner Pro at 888-766-0022 for additional information on the K-pro or any other engine management system. Below is the dyno sheet from my tuning session at UMS reflecting the highest power numbers they were able to squeeze out of my 2006 RSX Type-S.