The last Accord V6 5AT we tested was a 2003 model and it put down 196whp and 175lb-ft of torque from its 3.0L motor (see the article article_id=58735">here), so the results here aren't particularly impressive, though it should be noted that with less than 500miles on the odometer, the engine in this 2008 is far from being broken in. Also, the 2008 wears heavier 17" wheels than the '03 Accord V6, so that will also cost a few hp on the dyno.

NOTE: Since this car has an automatic transmission with no way to hold 3rd gear for testing, we couldn't dyno test it below around 4000 rpms because it would simply downshift. Ignore the curve to the left of about 4200 rpms, because during that portion of the run we were not at full throttle.

Peak power comes in at 6000rpms, which is in agreement with the spec sheets. Peak torque comes in a hair above 5000 rpms but hovers in the same zone for a few hundred rpms before beginning to taper off. Beyond 6000 rpms, the torque begins to plummet fairly rapidly on the dyno, though on the street it pulls harder up top than the plot might suggest. What's a little odd is the dip in the horsepower curve between 6000 and 6500 rpms - my original thought was that the engine computer may have been sensing some detonation up there and pulling back timing, but article%5fid=714997">Shawn Church reminded me that Honda has a special function that's designed to preserve the health of the catalytic converter - when exhaust gas temps (and thus the catalyst) begin to get too hot, the engine computer will momentarily richen the mixture to cool the EGTs. This is believed to be the source of the dip in power up top.

UPDATE 16.Oct: We took the Accord back to the dyno today to test it with a tank of 93 octane unleaded in it. Continue on to the next page to see the results.

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