Tsx536

I'm at about 48,500 miles now on my 04 AT/CGP with Supercharger. I'm right at the end of warranty, so I brought my TSX in to take care of the trunk harness recall and a problem that I recently had with one of the door locks sticking. They gave me a 06 AT/PWP/Navi as a loaner. I've been driving it like I stole it and I thought I would post some impressions.

Performance:
Well coming from a TSX with engine mods and Supercharger it's hard to really make a comparision. The 06 model has more umph then my 04 TSX did when it was stock though. I was driving it hard like I usually do with my car and although it's definitely not even close to as fast, it was still better than I though it would be. On the freeway I could tell my SC TSX would blows the doors off of the loaner, but that's expected. Overall I think it has sufficient power and I was still able to take off on many cars that I encountered. The Vtec on the 06 is very nice and the engagement is more noticeable than the older models. I think an 06 with a Hondata reflash with Icebox/Header/Hiflow cat would be a close to ideal setup.

Sound:
This is one of the first things I noticed. The 06 seems to have a more distinct exhaust tone then my TSX when it was stock. I like the sound of it. Definitely very nice!

Handling/Ride Quality:
The car actually handles very nicely stock. It takes corners well and you don't feel like you're in a car that is super high or anything. The bumps were a lot harsher than I thought they would be with stock suspension. It helps me realize how good the Tanabe Suspension actually is. My car on Tanabe and 225/40 18's is probably only a little worse in terms of ride comfort. I'll have to drive some more to really determine this, but this is my initial impression.

Navi:
Very nice navi system. This is the first time that I've really gotten to play with it alot. It has a nice display and I like the use of the joystick and the colors. I like the ease of use. It was very easy to find a gas station or restaraunt, and I like how it can sort by distance from you location. Also the calendar and calculator are cool features. I wish you could control the fan speed without having to go to the onscreen menu, but that's just a minor inconvience. The Zagat ratings and descriptions are cool, although I found out that they didnt' have very many ratings in my area. I think it would be very useful in big cities like SF though. Overall it's a very nice system. I still don't regret not getting the navi model though. I just don't use navi very often and I've found that I'd rather just let the navi screen turn off or go to the audio screen. Also, I like my setup because of the integration of the multiple audio/video entertainment sources.

XM radio/stereo:
I switched out my entire system about a week after getting my TSX, so I really haven't heard a stock TSX in a long time. Overall I think the stock system actually sounds pretty good. It was bumping pretty good and it sounds a lot of better than I remember. The XM radio is cool too. I like the integration with the factory HU. Very nice song info and large screen.

MID:
The gauges are cool and I like how it tells you what kind of mileage you are getting at the moment. Definitely an improvement over the 04/05. I haven't paired my phone to it yet and not sure if I will since I don't have an owners manual. Is it hard to pair your phone and/or phonebook?

Well, I have the car for one more day, so I'll post some more comparisions if anything comes to mind!

Tsx536

One more thing that I liked was the 06 steering wheel. It's a little smaller, thicker, and sporty than the 04/05 steering wheel. I would even consider a retrofit, but I know that would cost big dough, so it wouldn't be worth it.

Black_6spd

At first, I thought it was just my imagination. I guess this confirms it. The 06 definately has more of a growl under WOT. You could even notice it in one of the gay "TSX Diaries" videos.:ghey:

lito

The steering wheel itself only cost $424 just swap the 04 airbag

http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org/...prddisplay.jsp


569188 007 1 WHEEL, STEERING (LEATHER) GRAPHITE BLACK 499.27 424.38

jlukja

^^ or, add ductape.

Tsx536

That's what I thought at first too. I remember CG mentioning it too in one his writeups. Guess that pretty much confirms it.

Tsx536

Actually someone just PMed me asking me if I wanted to buy an 06 steering wheel. I gotta resist and do my brakes first though

Still, I don't think it would be worth the swap, it's not all that different.

fintracity

I had an 04 and now have an 06 - and have followed your addition of a s/c


If they every come out with a s/c for an 06 I will seriously consider it: but you comment about the the other mods gives me pause...

I question parting with 5 grand or so on a s/c an wonder why not just get a g35 or other...

what do you think the reflash ice header high flow will do for an 06 at?

Tsx536

I think that mod combo would give the TSX about 25 whp and make the average TSX modder very happy with their car. For a serious modder that might want to drag race or visit the track then this setup might be lacking. But for someone who wants a car with a great balance of performance and good sound (not too quiet or loud) I think it would be close to ideal. There's enough mods there to give you that extra kick when you want to do some spirited driving, but still keep the car practical in terms of gas mileage, sound, comfort, and reliability. Your TSX wouldn't sound like a boy racers car but you would be able to take some of them if you encounter any

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I did indeed. I'm impressed you remembered.

Pretty sure this is due to the updated intake and exhaust tracts...

SoCaliTrojan

What do you mean? Having a separate dial for it?

You could always use the voice recognition to change it..."fan speed 2"

Practically everything is accessible...there are even stuff that aren't listed in the manual. Like if you're in map mode and you're looking at the destination or some other location, and then you want to display your current location, you can say "where am I" lol...

juicygirljen

subdued

funny today in the 06 AT TSX NAVI loaner I had for today (new windshield for me already) I was looking for the fan button on the controls. but nope wasn't there. I did find it in the NAV under AC (not very intuitive)

BTW I have a 06 Non NAV and we get the fan speed button single button with UP/Down ^s.

Tsx536

^^ Cool I'll try it out.

subdued

Sorry for the newbeenessocity:
I thought a Hiflow Cat was part of an aftermarket exhaust? you can do this without changing the exhaust. not looking to have something drown out my tunes or scarin babies is not my aim and bigger tips don't phase me.
so if moderate gains can be had and this is a simple bolt on, I'd consider it if it could be used with a stock exhaust on 06 MT with a reflash ofcourse

Tsx536

Yeah, the Cat is seperate from the exhaust. It goes in between the header and OEM exhaust, basically connecting the two. From what I've heard if you keep the OEM exhaust, it will only increase sound a little bit. Make the exhaust sound a little deeper. I didn't get a noticeable increase in noise when I did mine, but it was hard for me to tell because I did some other mods at the same time.

Tsx536

Some pics:

The steering wheel first

jiggaman

i want that steering wheel

dom

I really don't think the wheel is any thicker than the 04/05. I made a point of testing that at the dealer a few weeks back and my hand wrapped around each equally. If it is thicker its really not by much at all. Altough those thicker sections at 10 and 2 are very nice.

David Muny

How is that Valentine One treating you?

jpt

FWIW, I called Comptech a while ago to ask if they had any plans for a 2006 supercharger. They said it should be out around the end of this summer.

Decided I'm not gonna get one anyway. I only ever care about hp when I get caught up in the pissing match -- the TSX is plenty fast enough for me already.

Tsx536

It's great. I've had it for like 4 years now and it has saved me many times. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good radar. It's pricey but I think that it pays for itself over time. The arrows really help you identify where the radar is coming from.

Yeah if anything I would say it's just a little thicker. It definitely feels different to me though. I can't quite put my finger on exactly why it feels different.


Just call a call from the dealership. The part didn't come in on time, so they're need to keep my car another day. This loaner is great and all, but I want my car back

Also, after driving someone I take back my statement saying that the Tanabe with my wheels/tires was very close to the stock ride comfort. I can tell that with the stock suspension the ride is definitely more "cushiony". It's not apparent on big bumps, but when you go a series of small bumps you can really tell.

Also, I'm pretty impressed with the amount of power that an 06 AT has. I had 5 people in the car today at lunch include a big ass 250 pound dude and the car still moved pretty well. I had to rev it up high to get moveing of course, but I don't mind.

waTSX

Nice comparo, Tsx536.

xjdmb16a2six

wow. white comes with black interior now.

kenzo

Maturity will not be tolerated on this board. You have been warned.

Newplay1

wow and thats a loaner too, you know what people put in that thing at the gas stations..

AamirCWITR

I have a 2006 Steering Wheel with 18 miles on it for sale. I got the accessory metallic wheel at delivery that is why I am selling the OEM wheel.

2006 78501-SEC-A91ZA WHEEL, STEERING (LEATHER)
( GRAPHITE BLACK ) 2006 TSX 499.27

I am pretty sure it is interchangeable with 04/05 TSX's.

The 2004-2005 wheel is made of a lesser quality leather as well being thinner(2mm) and lacking reinforcements at 10 and 2 o'clock. The differences are reflected in its price.

78501-SDP-A51ZA WHEEL, STEERING
( GRAPHITE BLACK ) 2005 TSX 223.84

The rear finger grooves are cut different on the 2006, thus it feels noticeably thicker in many spots, and also the reinforcements at 10 and 2 are much thicker than other portions of the wheel.

If anyone is interested in the steering wheel, PM me, retail is $500, I am entertaining all mature offers..

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

You're also not supposed to be selling stuff here. Next time, just post a link to your sale that should be in the Black Market section...

fintracity

I also wonder what a SC would do to an 06 AT; probabaly a search item, but I also wonder what the basic installed cost of all of those mods would be vs SC installed costs - and how it compares dollar per HP.

Do you have any feelings about how a SC will ultimately affect the long term reliability of your car? Also, have you though how re-sale might be affected?

jpt

Car mods, unlike house mods, never get anywhere their cost back in resale value and are usually a total loss from that perspective. Usually the best you can do is to take the car back to stock and sell the mod parts used (you'll probably get back something less than half the original part cost and none of the labor). As a general rule don't do anything to your car that isn't worth its price in driving enjoyment to you.

As for reliability the biggest risk with the low-boost superchargers seen for the TSX so far is probably to the supercharger itself, and Comptech has been very good about standing behind their product, there's a thread somewhere about a few CTSCs that blew due to a design defect (bearings in the blower I believe) and Comptech replaced them free.

Tsx536

That's a good question. Here's a rough estimate

Reflash $595
Random Tech Hi Flow Cat $295
Comptech Header $595
CAI Intake $205
Total $1690 (Labor Excluded) for about 15-25 whp

Comptech SC w/ SC reflash
Total $3650 (Labor Excluded) for about 50-55 whp

It's hard to really make a comparison without some dynos though. The power curves will also show a lot. Since the SC gives you close to max torque from 3K up, then that should probably be taken into account too.

In terms of reliability, I'm actually pretty confident in it with my car. I'm running a moderate boost, and I'm actually only boosting a small percentage of the time. It's when you try to start running high boost that causes more things to go wrong. I've had my SC on for about 15000 miles now and I recently heard of a S2000 owner who just reached 100,000 miles of Comptech SC ownership. Comptech gives a 3 year warranty with their SC, so that also helps.

In terms of resale, just like JPT said. It's a loss. Cars and mods are a bad investment. I will part out when I ready to sell, and I know that I would not get back full value for my mods. I went through this when I sold my modded civic, so it's no surprise to me. All my mods are purely for my own driving enjoyment.

waTSX

Exactly. Cars are a bad investment from the get go. Mod because you want more driving fun.

dom

So any plans for more boost?

Ronin317

Resurrecting this thread...because I'm in the opposite situation now...

my new '06 has been in the shop for over a week now with paint issues (see my OEM Roof Visor thread), and they gave me an '05 with 9k miles on it...

I've gotta say, if I'd have driven an '05, I would not have purchased it. Granted this car is a Service Loaner that is probably rode pretty hard, I'm surprised in the difference between it and the '06. Now I see where all the complaints about the low end torque and accel from a stop come from. In my '06, I just have to press the gas pedal normally at a red light to accel, on the '05, I have to mash this sucker down.

And the steering wheel...the bumps on the '06 are sorely missed here, and it seems that the '05 wheel is thinner, and I don't like it. Also, I don't know if it's just in my mind or what, but the '06 seems to handle a bit tighter as well.

Overall, I'm disappointed with the '05, but I think most of it has to do with my comfort with the '06...but I'm pretty shocked at the differences being as pronounced as they are.

Before, with my '03 trailblazer, I drove an '05 and couldn't tell the difference at all, except for different molding on the airbag/horn and badge placement inside...but then again, when has GM actually refreshed a vehicle in a meaningful way?

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Part of this has to do with your car being newer and the suspension not having been worked out quite as much. The loaners tend to have quite a few miles on them and thus are pretty worn in. Plus, the '06 cars apparently also got stiffer components on the front suspension so there is a slight improvement in the steering response.

mg7726

this is why you don't buy demo/loaner cars

Tsx536

bradykp

press the top phone button and say "phone setup" then it guides you through it.

Reach

its super easy. "phone setup", then "pair". when you turn it in, "phone setup", "delete".

Tsx536

^^ Hey...thanks guys. I don't have that loaner anymore, just the shift knob