I am officially official!!
#1
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
I am officially official!!
Yes, as of yesterday at 4:30, I am finally an official member with my own RDX. I searched long and hard for this bad boy with tech! Got SO CLOSE to purchasing an MDX elite, but thankfully got this instead. Truth be told, I haven't gotten to drive it yet because I have to wait till tuesday to insure it and register it....I shall then post a full personal review.
Last edited by RDX10; 09-14-2015 at 01:14 AM.
#2
mrgold35
Congrats!! I still love to drive my 08 RDX after almost 6 years and +120,000 miles. It is my weapon of choice when running around town.
#3
Years? Miles?
I still love my '09. Even with 150k miles, it drives like a new car.
I washed, clay bared, and waxed it yesterday (in addition to leather cleaning and 303 on the plastics).
Aside from the door dings and rock chips that come with 150k miles, it looks great.
I still love my '09. Even with 150k miles, it drives like a new car.
I washed, clay bared, and waxed it yesterday (in addition to leather cleaning and 303 on the plastics).
Aside from the door dings and rock chips that come with 150k miles, it looks great.
#4
Yes, as of yesterday at 4:30, I am finally an official member with my own RDX. I searched long and hard for this bad boy with tech! Got SO CLOSE to purchasing an MDX elite, but thankfully got this instead. Truth be told, I haven't gotten to drive it yet because I have to wait till tuesday to insure it and register it....I shall then post a full personal review.
NBP is my favorite color. I did a clay, two step polish with the dual action, and finally a sealant. It went from dull w/swirl marks to gorgeous. The blue sparkle pops so much now it looks like a dark midnight blue in the sun.
See this great DIY on NBP paint:
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...-pearl-part-1/
#5
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
Congrats RDX10!
NBP is my favorite color. I did a clay, two step polish with the dual action, and finally a sealant. It went from dull w/swirl marks to gorgeous. The blue sparkle pops so much now it looks like a dark midnight blue in the sun.
See this great DIY on NBP paint:
2006 Acura TL in Nighthawk Black Pearl (part 1) | Ask a Pro Blog
NBP is my favorite color. I did a clay, two step polish with the dual action, and finally a sealant. It went from dull w/swirl marks to gorgeous. The blue sparkle pops so much now it looks like a dark midnight blue in the sun.
See this great DIY on NBP paint:
2006 Acura TL in Nighthawk Black Pearl (part 1) | Ask a Pro Blog
Also know how to flip the pics? Why did they come up sideways?
Last edited by RDX10; 09-14-2015 at 02:11 PM.
#7
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
I will post more pics soon, just haven't had much time to take it to some nice scenic places.
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#8
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
So I have gotten a chance to drive it around quite a bit now and really like it, I will split my personal review into sections.
Looks:
Everywhere I go people are checking out my RDX, I have gotten MANY compliments on it so far as well. Friends and family love the interior and I personally find it very well done and I really like those blue ambient LED's that shine down on the console. My console cover was torn as expected, I used the DIY on here and changed it to a new one. Honda has always known how to make good seats, and the sports seats are amazing, the bolstering is not too aggressive, but feels like a glove to me.
Ride and Handling:
I find the ride actually really good, I don't find it even mildly harsh at all, it has a good satisfying weight to it when going over road imperfections. There are zero suspension knocks or rattles or squeaks. Handling is also really good, except when cornering, I feel like the steering wants to kick back and I have to fight it, taking it to the dealer to get it looked at, I suspect bent control arm or tie rod. Something I found AMAZING, was I took a really sharp turn yesterday and on dry tarmac, managed to swing the tail out...so the SHAWD must have sent the 70% to the one wheel during that application. Very unexpected on a FWD based cross over.
speed:
The turbo boost is highly addictive, I added a can of seafoam and have been using that as an excuse to drive like a hooligan and hoon the RDX....it has been an amazing driving partner. I only wish there wasn't that slight throttle lag, but overall not too bad at all. It has been impressing everyone who has ridden with me. The throttle is surprisingly easy to modulate, some reviews called it peaky, and I simply disagree.
Future wants:
The sway bar upgrade, 20 inch vossen cv3 wheels, and last but not least, hondata or flashpro.
Looks:
Everywhere I go people are checking out my RDX, I have gotten MANY compliments on it so far as well. Friends and family love the interior and I personally find it very well done and I really like those blue ambient LED's that shine down on the console. My console cover was torn as expected, I used the DIY on here and changed it to a new one. Honda has always known how to make good seats, and the sports seats are amazing, the bolstering is not too aggressive, but feels like a glove to me.
Ride and Handling:
I find the ride actually really good, I don't find it even mildly harsh at all, it has a good satisfying weight to it when going over road imperfections. There are zero suspension knocks or rattles or squeaks. Handling is also really good, except when cornering, I feel like the steering wants to kick back and I have to fight it, taking it to the dealer to get it looked at, I suspect bent control arm or tie rod. Something I found AMAZING, was I took a really sharp turn yesterday and on dry tarmac, managed to swing the tail out...so the SHAWD must have sent the 70% to the one wheel during that application. Very unexpected on a FWD based cross over.
speed:
The turbo boost is highly addictive, I added a can of seafoam and have been using that as an excuse to drive like a hooligan and hoon the RDX....it has been an amazing driving partner. I only wish there wasn't that slight throttle lag, but overall not too bad at all. It has been impressing everyone who has ridden with me. The throttle is surprisingly easy to modulate, some reviews called it peaky, and I simply disagree.
Future wants:
The sway bar upgrade, 20 inch vossen cv3 wheels, and last but not least, hondata or flashpro.
#9
mrgold35
I would go for Hondata or flashpro AND ETS intercooler as a minimum. The extra HP and faster spool time will improve drive-ability and has a nice side effect of improvement of mpgs. You can feel the HP increase on the butt dyno in winter with the ETS intercooler.
#10
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
My intercooler has MASSIVELY bent fins as a factor of the imho poorly thought out top mount design, I need to replace it for sure soon. Leaving it till next summer, along with the 20" wheels and hondata. I plan on ordering the rear bar tomorrow hopefully.
#11
Moderator
Chapter Leader (South Florida Region)
Chapter Leader (South Florida Region)
iTrader: (6)
wouldn't 20" heavy wheels be counter intuitive on a car with small displacement turbo?
Congrats on the car, man...sounds like a great purchase! I always see MDX but have to double take when I see an RDX. I might do a little research on the only turbo honda!
I look forward to more updates!
Congrats on the car, man...sounds like a great purchase! I always see MDX but have to double take when I see an RDX. I might do a little research on the only turbo honda!
I look forward to more updates!
#12
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
wouldn't 20" heavy wheels be counter intuitive on a car with small displacement turbo?
Congrats on the car, man...sounds like a great purchase! I always see MDX but have to double take when I see an RDX. I might do a little research on the only turbo honda!
I look forward to more updates!
Congrats on the car, man...sounds like a great purchase! I always see MDX but have to double take when I see an RDX. I might do a little research on the only turbo honda!
I look forward to more updates!
Thanks man, I love it so far. Only 2 complaints are that I wish it wasn't so loud, and I wish the suspension was more germanic vs being more "japanese?" in nature.
It is much rarer for sure, I plan on keeping it for a couple years at least and then selling and buying an MDX, I want something that still handles decently, is cheap to repair vs a german suv, and is more luxurious. The rdx easily outhandles an mdx, but the rdx can't touch the mdx luxury.
#13
For me, 20" inch rims look too big on the RDX. The wrong wheel style can look downright goofy due to the tiny rotors. The handling might be fun - but the additional ride harshness and maybe noise too? All just IMO of course.
I'd like to find the optional 19" Acura wheel that was available in the polished silver look.
#14
Senior Moderator
Congrats on the new ride.
#15
mrgold35
My RDX is the loudest compared to my MDX or TSX. All three vehicles have Conti DWS tires which make much less road noise compared to OEM; but, still louder in the RDX. My RDX is the best fun factor to drive because of the turbo TQ, smaller size, and sh-awd. The only thing holding the RDX back in the 5AT. It can be in the wrong gear and slow to accelerate if you don't use the paddles and/or sport mode.
I also had to learn to drive the RDX differently compared to my TSX (with A-spec suspension+Progress RSB). Sh-awd only works with engine power or you just have a top heavy CUV hitting the corners. I usually downshift to slow, get the rpms up for faster turbo spool, slowly add power to ensure sh-awd stays engaged during the entire turn, and then pour on the power when I start to feel the G-force to help rotate the RDX out of the corner.
I can't drive my MDX like the RDX; but, the MDX can handle pretty good for her size. I don't think there are very many full size +4500lbs 7 passenger SUV within $10,000-$15,000 of the MDX that can handle the curves (especially the 10-13 Adv model with larger front/rear stabilizer bars and magnetic struts/shocks). I still leave a lot of trucks and SUVs on the curves in the MDX when the road get curvy.
I also had to learn to drive the RDX differently compared to my TSX (with A-spec suspension+Progress RSB). Sh-awd only works with engine power or you just have a top heavy CUV hitting the corners. I usually downshift to slow, get the rpms up for faster turbo spool, slowly add power to ensure sh-awd stays engaged during the entire turn, and then pour on the power when I start to feel the G-force to help rotate the RDX out of the corner.
I can't drive my MDX like the RDX; but, the MDX can handle pretty good for her size. I don't think there are very many full size +4500lbs 7 passenger SUV within $10,000-$15,000 of the MDX that can handle the curves (especially the 10-13 Adv model with larger front/rear stabilizer bars and magnetic struts/shocks). I still leave a lot of trucks and SUVs on the curves in the MDX when the road get curvy.
#16
Moderator
Chapter Leader (South Florida Region)
Chapter Leader (South Florida Region)
iTrader: (6)
Curious and only because I've got them on my S2000 and your comment about the suspension not being germanic enough rang out in my head...
have you looked into if H&R Street Performance Coilovers are made for the RDX? My S feels overdampened like a German car and I fuckin love it!
Anyway...thanks for the review...great information!
have you looked into if H&R Street Performance Coilovers are made for the RDX? My S feels overdampened like a German car and I fuckin love it!
Anyway...thanks for the review...great information!
#17
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
Have you driven a second gen RDX? After that, the 1st Gen RDX definitely feels more like a german sedan to me.
For me, 20" inch rims look too big on the RDX. The wrong wheel style can look downright goofy due to the tiny rotors. The handling might be fun - but the additional ride harshness and maybe noise too? All just IMO of course.
I'd like to find the optional 19" Acura wheel that was available in the polished silver look.
For me, 20" inch rims look too big on the RDX. The wrong wheel style can look downright goofy due to the tiny rotors. The handling might be fun - but the additional ride harshness and maybe noise too? All just IMO of course.
I'd like to find the optional 19" Acura wheel that was available in the polished silver look.
The way I describe a German ride is firm, but heavily damped. Very tight, no rattles, and not at all harsh. They seem to be able to tune in such a way that zero harshness reaches you, yet zero float. The RDX has zero float, however small road inperfections easily upset it. Tiny imperfections are felt and god forbid I hit an ashpalt heave, straight to the buttox!
I agree, 20's can look too much on something so small, but it also really depends and also I like the sort of wide angry tall look they give something so small. The 19's are actually awesome and I love the black chrome sort of finish they have. I would take them for sure.
Thank you!
My RDX is the loudest compared to my MDX or TSX. All three vehicles have Conti DWS tires which make much less road noise compared to OEM; but, still louder in the RDX. My RDX is the best fun factor to drive because of the turbo TQ, smaller size, and sh-awd. The only thing holding the RDX back in the 5AT. It can be in the wrong gear and slow to accelerate if you don't use the paddles and/or sport mode.
I also had to learn to drive the RDX differently compared to my TSX (with A-spec suspension+Progress RSB). Sh-awd only works with engine power or you just have a top heavy CUV hitting the corners. I usually downshift to slow, get the rpms up for faster turbo spool, slowly add power to ensure sh-awd stays engaged during the entire turn, and then pour on the power when I start to feel the G-force to help rotate the RDX out of the corner.
I can't drive my MDX like the RDX; but, the MDX can handle pretty good for her size. I don't think there are very many full size +4500lbs 7 passenger SUV within $10,000-$15,000 of the MDX that can handle the curves (especially the 10-13 Adv model with larger front/rear stabilizer bars and magnetic struts/shocks). I still leave a lot of trucks and SUVs on the curves in the MDX when the road get curvy.
I also had to learn to drive the RDX differently compared to my TSX (with A-spec suspension+Progress RSB). Sh-awd only works with engine power or you just have a top heavy CUV hitting the corners. I usually downshift to slow, get the rpms up for faster turbo spool, slowly add power to ensure sh-awd stays engaged during the entire turn, and then pour on the power when I start to feel the G-force to help rotate the RDX out of the corner.
I can't drive my MDX like the RDX; but, the MDX can handle pretty good for her size. I don't think there are very many full size +4500lbs 7 passenger SUV within $10,000-$15,000 of the MDX that can handle the curves (especially the 10-13 Adv model with larger front/rear stabilizer bars and magnetic struts/shocks). I still leave a lot of trucks and SUVs on the curves in the MDX when the road get curvy.
I don't doubt that the mdx can't handle as well as the rdx, but I imagine it can do rather well. Hoping to get the 2013 mdx loaner when I take my rdx in on wednesday for service and try it out on the very windy road we have here. I WISH the RDX had the megnetic ride control, would be amazing.
Curious and only because I've got them on my S2000 and your comment about the suspension not being germanic enough rang out in my head...
have you looked into if H&R Street Performance Coilovers are made for the RDX? My S feels overdampened like a German car and I fuckin love it!
Anyway...thanks for the review...great information!
have you looked into if H&R Street Performance Coilovers are made for the RDX? My S feels overdampened like a German car and I fuckin love it!
Anyway...thanks for the review...great information!
I think you totally got me, it is that crazy amazingly overdamped feeling I attribute to German suspensions.
#18
Moderator
Chapter Leader (South Florida Region)
Chapter Leader (South Florida Region)
iTrader: (6)
Well...I doubt their starting point for lowering are 3"...on the S2000, I could easily raise it up to stock height if I wanted.
Do not go BC or any other twin tube design if you want the german feel...
read up on it, but I really think the H&R Street Performance will make you happy.
Do not go BC or any other twin tube design if you want the german feel...
read up on it, but I really think the H&R Street Performance will make you happy.
#19
Suzuka Master
Thread Starter
Well...I doubt their starting point for lowering are 3"...on the S2000, I could easily raise it up to stock height if I wanted.
Do not go BC or any other twin tube design if you want the german feel...
read up on it, but I really think the H&R Street Performance will make you happy.
Do not go BC or any other twin tube design if you want the german feel...
read up on it, but I really think the H&R Street Performance will make you happy.
On a related side note, the 2011-13 kia sorento sx has dual flow dampeners, I am wondering if it would be possible to retrofit those in. It also has similar ground clearance to the rdx, but I don't know if the suspension geometry is the same.
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