Acura engineers a wide ride.

When the engineers who were working on developing the process to produce the 2004 Acura TL--the third generation of what is arguably the brand's bread-and-butter vehicle--they used some of the most advanced computer-aided design and engineering tools available. They also used something a bit less high-tech. They used pieces of foam. Plain foam.

That is, although the TL is based on the Honda Accord, this time they wanted to make a significant styling break. To enhance its sporty nature, Honda engineers made the 2004 TL 30 mm wider than the Accord. The only problem was that the Marysville Auto Plant where both cars are manufactured--which is over 20 years old and originally designed to build Accords that were significantly smaller than today's Civic--was bumping up against its dimensional limits for vehicle size. Luckily, the wider TL was anticipated when new carriers were installed for the 2003 Accord, but doubts remained as to whether the TL could make it through the line smoothly. So, according to Jim Macaluso, the manufacturing project leader for the TL, foam pieces were crafted to mimic the girth of the new model and then attached to a 2003 TL before it went down the assembly line. This exercise (coupled with extensive computer simulations of the line) allowed the TL team to make the adjustments necessary to run the new models without disrupting production or getting their fenders scraped.

Acura also wanted to address the recurring criticism of their cars being "undertired": having too big a gap between the tires and the wheel arches, giving the impression that the tires are too small for the car. But to do this and still maintain the requisite clearance between the tire and the wheel well required another manufacturing change. After studying how German makers like BMW and Mercedes achieved the desired effect, Honda engineers incorporated a radical inward bend on the rear wheel flange. This required adding new equipment and an additional process in the weld shop, but succeeded in reducing the wheel arch gap by 25mm and giving Honda the know-how to do the same of future vehicles.--KEW