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SIren sound at around 100 MPH in my MDX Type R 2005

3K views 20 replies 6 participants last post by  AutisMDXTypeS 
#1 ·
Hi Mdxers,

this is my first post. Sometimes when I reach about 100MPH in my high performance MDX I hear a siren type sound. Anyone ever experienced this or heard of anyone who has had this issue?

I've taken my car to the local Honda dealers, however, they just gave me this unusual look and..to be honest...were not entirely helpful.

cheers
 
#2 ·
Okay, this type of thread is always fun and I try to get involved in all of them for the pics and parts lists! Also because I get a chance to see other people’s “Frankenstein Monster” MDX’s that exist out there. I’ll be the first to say it because somebody will say it soon...”Until 2020 there is no such thing as a “FACTORY” made TYPE R or S in the MDX model line!!” (I’m going long worded on this a little so we can get past the purists MDX owners and go straight to the mod’ers and tuners out there that wanted a special edition MDX since day one!) Cant wait to see what Honda has in store for the first “official” 2020 TypeS and I believe folks like us are (in some very small way), the reason why they are officially trying it (#MoneyTalks). It’s a niche item and I hope it won’t just be a fiberglass kit upgrade but a turbo and a real tune!
  • Please tell, did YOU mod your own “TypeR/ S” or did you buy it that way and what’s the upgrades. I’m asking because outside of my wife’s I’ve helped part out and or build 4 other “TypeS’s” in the past 6 yrs. At 100MPH those big girls make some weird noises STOCK! Add aftermarket parts and you can be French kissing a Bengal Tiger at high speed!
 
#3 ·
FYI, long story short it sounds like your pushing the transmission or a CV joint too hard.
 
#5 ·
The engine has potential, it’s one of the most used engines around the world. Look up how many different makes and models have the Honda J35A5 engine in it and it makes you wonder why a turbo/ supercharged version was never created
 
#6 ·
Hi Mdxers,

Thanks so much for your replies. I have posted photos of my MDX ‘Type-R’ in the Showcase area of this forum for your perusal.

I am so lucky to have an ex-Honda racing team maintaining my MDX.
It’s realistically the closest I’m going to get to the fabled MDX Type-R ...certainly in terms of performance.

Enjoy the showcase

As for that siren noise....I might learn more about that in the mail...lol
 
#7 ·
Any links you can find for specs on a first gen Honda MDX (Japanese spec), PLEASE send it my way. I called my creations “Mugen” TypeS and I used period correct (2000-2006) compatible performance parts and badge placement locations. Since Mugen America (Civic’s, Integra’s, CL’s, TL’s, Odyssey’s (RL’s and MDX’s got no love)) is mostly body parts and weight saving that’s the way we went also. Wanna see someone who gives a lot of love to Odyssey’s then check out Bisimoto’s shop! INSANE is all that can be said but his downside is AWD goes bye-bye! Front wheel only I believe.
The info I got was from chatting with a Mugen tech on what would a 1st gen MDX look like if they had to make a MDX street “sleeper”. Because Passport’s and MDX’s are great cold weather/ snow cars (Subie’s and Volvo station wagons are big up here for all weather sleepers).
Upgrade those rotors (new calipers DO help bite better (not much) but the ABS controller SUCKS HARD on the 1st Gen and it’s not worth trying to better it unless someone has figured a better way (ABS was still new tech and Ive been told there’s no easy fix for it(I tried!!)). Slam on the breaks on a 2004 or earlier and it pushes back killing any feeling of control.
Go with a lighter rim and jump up to a 18” or max 19” (stay away from 20’s, more problem than their worth!) As you repair always go with parts that are heavier duty and don’t cheap out! My favorite tire right now is Pirelli Scorpions, good all season for the price. I’m running them on everything I drive now.
Rip out that third row of seats and remove the spare and keep it strapped inside the hole where the seats were (get used to the weight differentiation back there! You’ll see more fishtailing with the less weight but a little quicker 0-60. It feels more “torquey” the more pounds she drops!) if you have a rear entertainment system get it out. 40 pounds right there!
We stripped one down to the metal and left only the headliner and drivers seat and dashboard in her...WOW! Blew the doors off of a TL TypeS over and over again (also couldn’t hear very well after several runs, sound deadening has a purpose!)! The front passenger seat is so heavy I can only imagine what some average priced race seats would be like with her gutted! It sounded like a fast Ford Econoline delivery truck. It was beautiful hearing the VTEC for the first time in the high revs.
Also find a muffler shop and cut out and straight pipe the mid cat. Even Honda admits they put it in to make the exhaust super quiet but it wasn’t really needed. Mine has been gone for years and it passes the sniffer with room to spare. With a K&N replacement filter and that cat gone she feels 5-10hp quicker and torqued up some.
I also had the transmission strengthened but I don’t know crap about transmissions so I can’t tell you what was done exactly.
Good luck with your upgrades and you’ll go through your share of front shocks, don’t forget the rears. PartsGeek has them cheap and the car handles WAY better.
 
#8 ·
The J35 does have a supercharged version made by Comptech.. Its just that for the MDX engine bay is very hard to fit into, Then you have the SPOON Odyssey which is heavily modified to accept the extra power I/E: It was converted to Manual… There was a guy that Turbocharged his Ridgeline IIRC but I haven´t seen a F/I MDX yet, Perhaps due to the pointless of it since it will require a ton of extra power to compensate for the weight.. Bolt ons seems like the easiest and fastest way to get some extra oomp.

For us with the 2nd Gen and above its ever harder since the SH-AWD takes a lot of HP to run...
 
#9 ·
That’s why I’m so interested by the 2020 TypeS that’s coming. We can dream for days and talk “what if’s” till we’re blue but except for crazy guys like Bisimoto cutting engine bays to add length and stuff like that my 2004 is still a grocery getter for my wife and something I’d like to have some extra HP to help keep me into a nicer torque range for a “ah what the hell” carve through the White Mountains up here in NH. I remember hearing about the SuperCharger but it didn’t look like the numbers matched up but it looked close. And I know the RL is pretty much the same engine just messaged a little to give an extra 20-30HP but I was told it would drop in by a Honda engine specialist in Indiana. Like you said, too much work for so little gain. I did get a chance to drive a stripped down Saturn Vue V6 (it has our 3.5 in it) and it being 500+ pounds lighter (before being stripped down) was NUTS!! Acura designers better deliver on the TypeS! I’m about a 16 months off from pulling the trigger on a new SUV for the wifey and SRT8 is my lust object but it’ll be the wife’s daily driver. That’s like buying her a bowling ball for her birthday and she doesn’t bowl! If Acura does it right she be first to making the purchase and having me ask for the keys for a drive! She loves MDX’s more than me. Go figure!
 
#10 ·
The MDX Hybrid is pretty fast already…
Unless Acura comes up with a Bi-Turbo setup (HIGHLY UNLIKELY) or a Modern version of the 3.7L (More likely). The new Type-S is probably going to be a handling tuned package rather than more power.
 
#13 ·
Why not buy an old Porsche Cayenne turbo S if you want power, 520ps and they can be found for under $10k, probably a lot easier than trying to get more power from an mdx IMHO. There are a few in my are for $7000 from 2006 but reliability will be awful and expensive repairs

I think you answered yourself.
A tuned MDX can be reliable and powerful.
 
#14 ·
Knock on wood (except for some tranny issues I had back in the day that was covered under warranty), my girl has been very affordable and pretty reliable this past decade! I’m not going to say the MOST (that award goes to the 2 Jeep Cherokee’s I’ve had), but a Porsche Cayenne is not reliable! My old neighbor had his in the shop so often he almost bought a hoopty car to leave at the repair shop so he could stop having to bum a ride to drop it off(very true story)!! And another neighbor 2 courts away asked me to crawl under his when he was changing a flat and look at the wiring underneath the car! The connections looked so poorly created, they were pulling out of the connector harnesses and corroding! When you live in PA with the snow and salt it’s a time bomb. His alarm went off WHILE WE WERE DRIVING once! That didn’t even make sense! It has a immobilizer feature, what crazy gremlin of a problem is that?! LOL. Fast and beautiful they are but i had a British brand car that had a front hood pin that would reset the alarm. It cost $800 for them to troubleshoot and fix, and they knew where to look! But I can understand your “buy it already fast from the factory” mindset.
 
#15 ·
Hi Mdxers,


Hi Mdxers,

Autie....I was talking about my MDX the other day at work and a colleague actually suggested that a Porsche Cayenne would be a good replacement. Glad I didn't act on that advice. I have owned a Grand Jeep Cherokee LTD which was very reliable. I found that it rolled a little when cornering though.
 
#16 ·
That’s funny Alterior, my first Jeep was a 96 Jeep GC Limited 5.2 (rolling in the corners was the least of it, it drove like a sofa cushion!) bought the wife a 98 Cherokee Sport, my step daughter wanted one so she took the Sport and then I traded in the 96 GC on a sweet deal for a 98 GC 5.9L and a 99 Cherokee Limited. The 5.9 was the forerunner of the GC SRT8 (as you know). The 5.9 got like 3MPG (highway!) on Premium!!! Traded that in for a 99 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Edition. Wife loved it (I never got a chance to drive it), plus I’m 6ft 2 so my knees were in the dashboard and with only 3 gears (no real overdrive) and a lot of daily highway driving I was back to a vehicle that handled like the StayPuff Marshmallow Man and crappy gas mileage! Entered a 05 Subie WRX (wanted a STI but “wifey can’t LEARN to drive stick!!! OH NO!!) and along came our 04 MDX. My MDX is the record holder for the longest I’ve owned any car. My average is 2 yrs. I’ve had so many cars over the years, cars are one of those few joys in life.
 
#17 ·
Hi Mdxers,

Autie...."a Sofa Cushion" actually describes my experience well also. I've always respected the Subaru WRX but never driven one, been a passenger or owned one. My wife chooses not to drive at all! My MDX is the 3rd automatic I have owned and it's weird that I actually prefer manual transmission, however, love my MDX 'Type-R'.

My 1st car (when I was a teenager was a right-hand drive Dodge Pioneer -1960 model with the push button automatic transmission. The sound of that American V8 was awesome. I then brought a Honda Civic Sereno 1996 model, Honda Accord 1997, 1998 (all the Hondas were manual). The GJC LTD was purchased in Saudi Arabia with 26K miles on the clock. I then brought a Toyota Landcruiser 1997 manual in Australia prior to purchasing my MDX in 2015.

My MDX actually told a late model Ford Mustang to GET OUT OF THE WAY on the way back to Sydney last week.

I love my MDX and attribute the performance of my 'Type-R' to my ex Honda Racing Team support.
 
#18 ·
Okay Alterior...I’m getting a feeling your not sharing the same country! Where you hail from my friend?
 
#19 ·
113213

The Jeep Cherokee is one of the best "utility" SUVs on the planet - I've had my '96 since 2000, and can't imagine ever getting rid of it (233,000 miles, 3" lift and 31" x 10.5" tires, plus other "off-road" options). The combination of the MDX and the Cherokee got me pretty much anywhere I ever wanted to go.
 
#20 ·
I’m glad you appreciate your Cherokee, our last one was totaled and my wife misses it deeply. Good ones that haven’t been modified to Hell are almost impossible to find anymore because everybody knows how incredible they are! It’s funny looking at your picture Habbyguy, 5 yrs ago that was EXACTLY my garage pair. With those two vehicles I felt the same way! Snow storms/ rain (Pfffff) “I’m good!” As long as the AC was working in both cars I was 12 month ready!
 
#21 ·
Wait...@Habbyguy. Is that a 2 door Jeep Cherokee?! Hahaha!! You rare dog you!
 
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