Dual LS-Powered Acura RSX is an Incredible Work in Progress

Acura RSX could end up with more than 1,700 horsepower from four turbochargers and sixteen cylinders.

The video above comes to us from the Standkes Garage YouTube channel via the folks at Motor1 and it features the most unique Acura RSX we have ever seen. This RSX is owned and built by a YouTuber named Ryan Standke, who decided that having a front-wheel-drive, turbocharged, LS4-powered Acura coupe wasn’t enough, so he is making it all-wheel-drive, but not by the “conventional” means of adding a transfer case and such.

Instead, Standke is adding a second turbocharged LS4 that will drive the rear wheels, with the overall plan to have an Acura RSX with dual twin-turbocharged GM LS4 engines; one driving each set of wheels with a goal of roughly 1,750 horsepower.

Meet the LSRSX

The video begins with Standke talking about his new wheel-and-tire package, featuring big, fat drag slicks at all four corners. This Acura RSX has an LS4 under the hood which made around 600 wheel horsepower when the car only had one V8, but now it has two.

The second engine is not operational just yet, but Standke has it positioned between the rear wheels. To do this, he had to cut the rear unibody supports and then reconfigure them to provide the structural rigidity needed to handle all of this power. He also added lateral supports for the chassis which also help hold the engine in place, along with addition tubes running with width of the rear engine bay area. Standke points out that he had to route the headers upwards because there is no room below the engine with the rear suspension, so he will eventually have two gigantic turbochargers hovering above this new-to-him LS4.

Finally, he gives us a look at the fuel cell, which is currently configured for just one engine, but Standke points out where and how the cell will be modified for the addition engine in the near future.

Turbo Dilemma

At the end of the video, Standke gives us a look at the complete engine up front, fitted with a Garrett turbo that is soon to be removed. He explains that he originally planned on running twin Borg Warner S480 turbos in the front and rear, but that is “too cliché”, so he instead plans on running HX82 turbos with 127-millimeter compressor wheels.

To be clear, we are talking about four gigantic turbochargers that are usually used on big diesel trucks, situated in pairs on dual LS4 V8 engines. Having made around 600 wheel horsepower with the single engine and the relatively small turbocharger, the twin setup and the extra engine should allow him to meet his goals of 1,700+ all-wheel-horsepower. In the meantime, check out the video above for a closer look the Acura LSRSX in progress.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com