integraguy04

Hi Everyone. Been a fan of this forum for quite some time. I have been on TSXclub for a while and figured I would say hello to everyone on here. Here are the specs and some pictures of my 2004 Acura TSX.


2004 Acura TSX
Engine:
Stock internal K24A2
CT Engineering Intake
Throttle Body Coolant Bypass
Hondata Intake Manifold Gasket
PLM Long Tube Header
Test Pipe
Stock Exhaust with Mid Muffler/Resonator deleted
Hondata Reflash ECU
Ingalls Engine Torque Dampner


Made 179 WHP & 156 TQ (before header & reflash)
Made 197 WHP & 167 TQ (after header/reflash)


Suspension:
Stock Shocks
Tein H-Tech Springs (1" drop)
Ingalls Rear Camber Kit


Springs to be replaced with Buddy Club Coilovers in spring.


Brakes:
RB Performance Slotted Rotors w/ RB Street Pads (Front)
Cross Drilled/Slotted Rotors w/ceramic pads (Rear)


Inside:
Stock Interior w/Navigation
Comptech Short Shifter
FD2 Type R Shift Knob
OEM TSX All Weather Floor Mats


Outside:
AP2 S2000 Exhaust Tips
Clear Fog Lights
Painted OEM TSX Wheels
Rear Window Spoiler

Pghpizzaman

looks good. god numbers to outta your mods.

seen your car on tsx club

xenonhid

Very unique take on a more stealthy OEM yet clean look. I like.

BTW, Chicago has some strong winters! wow

integraguy04

Thanks man now just gotta get the stance down. I'm getting buddy club coils in the spring and I want a classy looking wheel - like a silver\chrome kinda like a BBS style - any suggestions??

integraguy04

They do for real!

Gallic Gun

Clean!
Has the engine damper made a significant difference for you?

integraguy04

Yes it does make a difference - you can tell the motor is solid and it does improve shifting on a manual.


You do get vibration though but only really at idle - I have mine set in the middle for stiffness and you can tell that it is there when u are at a stop light


Very good mod for the money

integraguy04

Just picked up MOOG front lower control arms and a CT RSB - just waiting for winter to be done!

A-Spec-Fan

Your car's beautiful bud! Just the way I like it, clean and not "look at me" flashy. Keep it up!

integraguy04

Thanks! i cant wait to get my coils and get it even a little bit more lower.

There is a road racing event in May and i wanna take it there and see how it does for a session or two

integraguy04

Got some goodies waiting to be installed once the weather gets better:

MOOG Front Lower Control Arms
MOOG Rear Sway Bar End Links
CT Engineering 24mm RSB with Poly Bushings

integraguy04

It was nice out this weekend so i was able to install my Comptech Eng rear sway bar and Moog Sway bar end links. Also opted to be some prothane sway bar bushings that have grease fittings.

Such a big difference between stock and this bar...



Installed pictures...









I will say that i do feel a difference in the car..the rear just feels much more planted and stable. However it doesnt really help when i went to go and install this sway bar that one of the end links was snapped already lol...

I would recommend this to anyone that wants to get a better handling car - it really doesnt affect ride quality either.

Only thing that concerns me is the people that have this bar or similar and have reported they have torn the subrame...

Overall though - good setup.

integraguy04

It was nicer out today so I went ahead and put my MOOG front lower control arms on. Only come to find out my Driver's side lower ball joint is bad. Have to deal with that tomorrow.

Overall to do both sides it took me about 2 hours. Wasn't that bad - if anyone does this i highly recommend heating up the bolts so they come out easier.

Here are some pics of the install/finished product - sorry for the bad cell phone pics.

Old...



New Installed...

integraguy04

Got my replacement ball joint in today - was very stubborn lol.

As the saying goes when you fix one thing, another breaks. In trying to take off my ABS sensor (Front Left) the sensor had seized to the metal in the spindle and snapped in half. I had to drill out all the plastic so i can get a new one in there.

I was lucky enough to find someone on ebay selling a used one for on $40 so i went ahead and grabbed that.

integraguy04

So i guess Murphy's law went into place today - if something can go wrong it will go wrong.

The infamous clutch bracket decided to give way to me today....luckly i was almost home and was able to make it. This is a common occurrence for these cars from what i read...

Took me about 15 min to take it off and found this...






My car has almost 160K on it so i guess it was its time to go. I will be ordering a new one from Acura and having a shop re-enforce it with additional welding.

integraguy04

Got the new pedal assembly and had One6 Motorsports do some small reinforcement welds on the bracket. Got it installed late today and it feels so much better. The car shifts so much more smoother than before.

I think that the old bracket was partially broken for a while - my clutch pedal would always squeak and i always had to put lithium grease on it every month or so....

If anyone has the squeaky clutch pedal - i recommend checking out the condition of the brace. Cost me $90 for the clutch assembly and to have the welds done.

Here are some pics.

waaasobe

nice car, i can't wait to see more !

integraguy04

Thanks! Cant wait to get moar Low

jiggaman

respect, want to buy another 04 TSX?

integraguy04

Why? you dont like yours anymore?

waaasobe

i feel you man. I'm on s techs but my car is my daily and i can't be driving it around slammed in the winter haha.

jiggaman

i love it

just time to move on i think and get something new. the tough part will be knowing that any new car i get will not have a stereo that sounds like mine.

integraguy04

What do you want to get? Gonna get outta the Acura Scene?

integraguy04

Mine is a daily too - im hoping when i get my buddy clubs that i can have a good balance between stance and driveability.

Im with you though - cant have it too low b/c of winter.

jiggaman

waiting to see what this TLX is like but also might look at getting out of Acura scene altogether. would really love to pick up an Audi S4.

waaasobe

winter ruining one day at a time lol.

integraguy04

Audi's are all the rave right now - they are a really nice car and Acura doesn't even come close to offering the same HP.
If I were to get another 4 Door Sedan and not get Acura, i would prolly get Audi.

Yeah - really sucks...have to get two sets of wheels too some day...just cost more $$$

tsx_kid415

nice tsx good choice of coor

acrdr

hey love the tsx but
why did you replace your lower control arms as an assembly ?
all of those bushings are replaceable
and why did you install end links that need to be constantly greased ?
why not get the sealed end links ?

integraguy04

I replaced the lower control arms as an assembly because it is a lot cheaper. I believe I got both control arms for around $100 shipped to my door from Rock Auto. And Moog is just as good of quality as OEM for a good price. If i were to buy all the bushings and had someone replace them it would have cost more money. If you figure each bushing is 15$/each - that's around $50 just for bushings and then someone is going to have to press them in which would be around $30-50 dollars and i would have to wait for someone to do them and have my car out of commission.

I rather just buy a new assembly and me do everything my self.

For the endlinks, i like endlinks that i know and can regulate how much grease is in them. It is more maintenance for me but atleast i know they are being serviced properly.

If you ever get a chance, when you open up a sealed bushing like that (which i have), there is very little grease that the MFG puts inside them and as the grease breaks down it deteriorates the part.

It cost more down the road to keep greasing them, but at least i am in control of regulating them.

integraguy04

Thanks!

MuGen7Modulo

Looking good sir, hope to see it soon.

integraguy04

So did some more work over the weekend - put in a new lower ball joint on the other side but the real project was getting my Buddy club Coilovers on

I got them from a guy off TSXClub - as he is going to a bag setup.

Here are some pics of the finished stance... enjoy.

waaasobe

yea dude, having a second set of wheels is key. i can tell you its not cheap though but, there are deals out there you just have to look.

integraguy04

I really like these stock TSX Wheels that are painted but i would like something that has more offset to them.

I have been looking for deals but im not in a position to buy new shoes for the car at the moment. Im sure i will get another pair soon for the summer and leave the stock tsx wheels for winter.

poissonn

Just bought some AP2 exhaust tips, still not sure if I should install them before having my lip painted. Do they look better in person without the lip?

integraguy04

I think they look fine without the lip. I have never had the lip so i wouldnt know. I think it makes the car look a lot more sporty from the rear just with bigger exhaust tips. Its a good cosmetic add if you want a look of a better exhaust as oppose to buying a whole new kit.

integraguy04

Got around to installing my Rock Chip Deflector from EGR.

Say NO to rock Chips!

integraguy04

did another small mod - the rubber lip.

I saw the kits on ebay and then someone told me at a meet that they just used garage rubber from a hardware store. So $16 dollars later i got the mod done.




Its an ok mod, i think i will try it again once i get the a-spec kit and put that underneath it.

integraguy04

So here is a little update - havent done one in about a month.

Car is still same as what it has been, but last weekend i decided to take it auto-x'ing with another TSXclub Member.

We were in the STF Class, with 2 RSX's, a Fiat, and an EP3 Civic.

At the end of the day, the 2 TSX's took podium finishes. My TSX in First Place and the other one in Second.

I was very impressed the way my car handled, even with it having all season tires on it. It tended to understeer a decent amount. Since i have the Comptech RSB, i adjusted my dampening to stiffen the rear up and the car was much more balanced. Actually couple of times i even got the back end to slide which was fun.

Here is a video and the results.

Video