KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

So this is a topic that I asked a several people many questions about before I did the install and that many have asked me about since. This isn’t a complete DIY per se, but rather just some tips about what I did differently to get the Base A-Spec front lip on my Type-S.



First, you will need to cut out just a little section of the lip so that it wraps around the front bumper. We just guessed a little bit when we cut, so hopefully this close-up pic will help others make it a little cleaner.


Once you have the lip in front of you, you will see that all you are cutting out is maybe a 0.25” - 0.5” square so that the lip curves around the bumper.


Next, I applied an extra length of 3M doublesided tape along the top of the sides of the lip. Due to the shape of the bumper and how tightly the lip fits, it is prone to pop out a little here, so I figured an extra layer of tape could only help.



From what I recall, you will also need to measure and adjust where you drill for the following screws:


They aren’t a big deal to adjust, and even if you drill first and realize you need to re-drill, the area is covered anyway.


Finally, there is a zip-tie style tab sticking out right around here:


Our bumpers will have a faint crosshair on them to show you where you would drill for the Type-S A-Spec lip. This goes without saying, but DO NOT DRILL THERE. For our install of the Base lip, you will need to measure out and mark where the hole will need to be by seeing where the zip-tie tab hits the bumper in a mock-up fitting.
Also, as I said above, this is the exact area where the lip wants to pop out from the bumper, so it is very important that when securing the zip-tie you get it as tight as you possibly can.

From what I remember, those were the only major differences to the install. The lip fits very very tightly over the bumper and can be a pain to get on, but it does fit.



In my opinion, it is well worth the small amount of extra effort. It makes for a very clean, classy look:




Big thanks to RainSupreme, CubanLynx84, and Beat-Freak… for tackling this before me and answering my many questions.

Hopefully this will help a few out of you out!

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

looks great!! if i ever do the a-spec kit, i will do it this way!

saip15

Stick with the original Type-S A-Spec lip

JD TL-S

iTrader: (1)

Thankyou very much !!!!

Looks so much better then the Type-S front BULGING LIP

I want to cut it to fit the fog light. But figure I need to get some type of polyurthene instead of Bondo to mold it good .

saip15

Have you seen one in person?

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

To each his own. But also, for us ASM Type-S's, the decision is that much easier given that the ASM Type-S front is discontinued.

No problem. I'd like to get mine fit like jptl04's at some point, but I don't really like the thought of upwards of $700 ($300 for lip, $400 for molding/paint) for a front lip at the moment. His really looks fantastic though. In my opinion, this is a great compromise without the added cost.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Thanks KJ-I'm with you, I do not like the Aspec Type S lip either.

MR_FRESHH

Where did you get you lip from? Ack?

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

I got mine from OEMAcuraPartsTim here on AZ. Great price and no need to wait for a group buy

shenrie

appreciate the info man! thank you! exactly what I was wanting to know

mY sLOW UA6

That looks so much better than the Type S A Spec lip

El Hefe

Looks dope! I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I don't think I'm gonna use the zip ties though, maybe just use some more adhesive.

ATLS_666

Op you should go all out and match the corner to the angle of the lower grill. Like how our Type S' have the opposite slant compared to base.

LockDots

+1 I love everything about the Type-S A-Spec kit EXCEPT for the front lip.

Very nice OP

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

all the type-s front lip haters.

looks good OP.

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Out of curiosity, why don't you plan on using the zip ties? It is already a part of the A-Spec lip, so it will be sticking out and pushing against the bumper if you don't drill the hole. As a result, I'm pretty sure you would have a big gap that extra adhesive wouldn't be able to hold together.

I would love to one day. jptl04 has maybe my favorite car on the site, his looks perfect:

I just didn't want to spend another $400 on the front lip right now to have it done. That is certainly the best way to go about it though if you are willing to spend the cash. The best part about the way I did mine was the price - Free

Thanks - I wouldn't say I hated the Type-S front, I just was on the fence about it and couldn't decide. But I can definitely say i have no regrets

JD TL-S

iTrader: (1)

I bought a new ASM 07 TL Type-S back in 2006 and had the A-Spec kit installed. The MASSIVE front lip was OK
After I went to an AZ meet at Boston Skate Park on LSD, there were many Older 3rg gen TL's there with the A-Spec kit and I LOVED their front lip compaired to my MASSIVE-BULGING-HUGE-SUPERSIZED UGLY FRONT LIP

Modded Base Lip for me

mushroom08

Can I ask how much lower the A spec sides compare to the Type S sides? Do they come down a lot lower?

thanks for the DIY. I plan to do this in the future also.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Well guys-I finally did it!

All of you have been after me for 4 years, so I finally pulled the trigger.
And KJ-you helped me decide! Since you were able to successfully install a Base TL Aspec Lip on your Type S, I've ordered the same thing for my Type S. I ordered the front lip and side skirts from Tim at OEM Acura Parts. But he didn't have a rear lip. I found ONE-the only one left (in ASM) in the entire country-at DelRay Acura! It is being shipped today.

So thank you KJ for helping me decide on an Aspec Kit that I will truly enjoy.

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Hey Steven congrats! Glad I could help you make your decision, and it sounds like you made it just in time too!

I think you are really going to like it. It just makes the car feel so much more complete.

D Loke

Not too shabby!

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

A few people have been asking about this so I figured I would bump it up to the top.

Anyone else done this one lately?

FamilyGuy

Aiming for a spring project here

Type-S kit with base front = me like

Hope I dont screw it all up

v|nsan|ty

Can't wait until I can do my install in May. Will definitely post pics after.

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

hey kurt did you ever go back and try to get the passenger side to fit better? i'm very close to springing for an aspec kit but i'm still undecided on base vs. type s front lip. i'm leaning towards base but wanted to get your recent thoughts on it and if you ever went back and fixed it up, or if there's anything you would do different.

thanks!

mtiaz

i'm wondering the same thing!

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

going to be trying this in the next few weeks!

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Good luck!

For those wondering, no I never revisited the lip for better fitment, but I'm still quite happy with it.

mtiaz

did you bite the bullet on the whole kit??

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

maybeee, i've been thinking of you....i feel like i cheated on youhaha.

i purchased the rear and side kits yesterday from my local acura guy at employee price (he always hooks me up)! i'm still deciding on the front but i'm heavily leaning towards the base front. when my credit card resets in a week i'll buy the front

should have rear and sides on by this weekend...

mtiaz

Haha, wow you've been on the fence for quite a while now. Can't wait to see how it looks man, gotta show pictures asap. With your wheel/suspension set-up the Type-S front would look good to but you can't go wrong with the base front.

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

been going and forth on it for 4 years hahaha (first 4 years i didn't even know what it was). i've just been seeing a lot of pics with aspec kit cars and non aspec kit cars and each day it looked better and better.

i've also talked to some people on instagram recently that did good base conversions and i think i can make it work nicely.

i really want the type s for ease of installation but i feel like it just doesn't flow as well and with the almost guaranteed mismatch with wdp i feel the less lip material of the base the less it stands out haha

mvp2765

iTrader: (1)

I hate the type S front lip.. I'll be doing this base lip soon! Thanks KJ for the tips

mtiaz

My front bumper got repainted after the accident and now matches the rest of the vehicle, more tempting to get the a-spec now lol

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

literally went back and forth between the type s lip and the base lip every day for the last month, but with my rear aspec lip having a pretty decent color mismatch on my "faded" wdp bumper, i decided to go with the base lip. i felt it flows better and if there is a color mismatch, the smaller the lip, the less noticeable the mismatch will be



i was mostly worried about the bulging sides that kurt and steven bell have and i wanted to make sure i didn't have that, so i bought extra strong 3m tape and did MANY mock fitups to see where the base lip doesn't fit the type s bumper. i also cleaned the bumper-lip tape interfaces with IPA that removes any wax and other items for better adhesion





the base lip fit on the type s bumper is VERY tight haha. what made it even harder is that i did all modifying and installation by myself! my brother fell asleep at 9pm and couldn't help me, so i was up until 330am today doing everything alone, which was challenging, but possible!!



flush sides, here you can see the wdp mismatch. it looks better in person but i'm so happy i didn't get the huge type s lip, that would have stuck out much more. i also dremeled the clearance that is needed for the fog light and it wasn't much at all and i probably could have done a little less:





i think it turned out great! the only part that doesnt' fit just right is under the license plate. because everything is so tight, that portion of the lip doesn't sit flush with the bumper under the license plate. there's a slight gap but not super noticeable so i'm over it! i don't see any way that could be pulled any more flush.

before base front lip:



after base front lip!

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Looks awesome man, nice work!

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

thanks man! props to you for starting the thread and giving us something to start with

Alex.Leslie

Looks awesome sockr1! I really hope the extra tape will help it to stay put. Congrats on getting it done.

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

thank you! it took a lot of work and lots of cuss words when i did it myself haha. i'm really happy with it hopefully my pics can help others tape it up

mvp2765

iTrader: (1)

^ Looks good man. Nice work! Now that I have my suspension figured out (took longer than planned), I'll be on to this install.