925tsx

i can tell u one thing, my 04 handled WAY better than my 08 does. Does anyone know if any thing was changed suspension wise. I know for a face that the 04 handles better cuz when i had the 04, my cousin bought an o6 and he said mine handled better. now that i have the 08 i know what he means.

mltk53

what? really??? wow hmm maybe u did some mods on your 04 and u forgot about it. lol?

925tsx

i wish. i know it may sound retarded, but its so true. The 04 handled better. It was so much tighter, less body roll. i really dont know how this can be, but like i said my cousin bought a 06 and he drove my car plenty of times, and we have driven together plenty of times, he always said.."your car is tighter, handles better" and ive always told him " no its the same as yours bro, nothing was changed" Now that i have the 08, and ive been driving it for a week, its true, it just doesnt handle like the 04 did.
im confused.

mltk53

mmm very interesting...i wonder whats making the difference.

TSX2345

Tire pressure make a diffrence also were they both either AT's or MT's?

wackura

I'm thinking the tires had something to do with it.

msmching

me too....

925tsx

the 04 was at and the 08 is 6MT

SoCaliTrojan

Maybe the later models are heavier (more equipment like memory seats, etc). So when you turn, there's more weight that moves around

LuvMyTSX

Would break-in have anything to do with it? Maybe your bro's 06 had less miles on it when you drove it, compared to your 04.

SoCaliTrojan

No, more miles will wear out the struts so that they don't perform as well. If you put two struts side by side (one supporting a car for 2 years and one that's brand new), I'd expect the newer strut to handle better.

Suspension-wise, the car should be the same. I think it's just the weight from all of the midcycle refresh

wackura

What did they add in '06 that would weigh much?

frescagod

weird....when i got an '04 loaner, it felt like it handled better than my '05 at the time. less nose dive when braking, less body roll, etc.

hmmm.

925tsx

so im not crazy!!

batman

I would tend to agree with you. The loaner I had never handled like my 04.

925tsx

uuuuuugh i need to know what has changed so i can fix it!
lol.
good thing i have the RSB comming monday!

SoCaliTrojan

Bigger intake and throttle body? bluetooth? Motors for memory seats? LED's & wires to power them for steering wheel buttons? Steering wheel's HFL stuff? Maybe his 04 didn't have navi, and now his 06-08 has it (with all the wiring and stuff). *shrugs* I was just tossing ideas in. The 2004 and 2006 are the same generation TSX. The suspension equipment is interchangeable (if they're the same, why would Honda spend more money to design and stock a new suspension system), so it shouldn't be a factor. So the only other thing would be what the suspension is holding up...the car.

I googled for curb weights, and I saw that the 06 does weigh slightly more than the 04.

I think it's all psychological. The cousin probably figured the 04 handled better because it had been modded. Or if it was stock, probably imagined it and then implanted the thought into the OP's head.

Or maybe OP weighs more now =P

wackura

Those new things can't weight more than 50 pounds collectively.

I drove a TSX loaner AT and I think it was a bit lighter to stear than my 07 mt. If I wasn't imagining things I'd guess it had to do with the condition or type of tire not being as grippy and allowing the car to move more freely. I bet the '04 had had the tires replaced along the line, but who knows with what.

drkabe

IMO: my 04 Auto (traded in) never came close to handling compared to 06 MT (stock), 06 MT handling improved much better once Aspec Suspension was installed.

I did over 25K on 04 Auto and currently I am on 23K 06 MT. I believe the 06 MT kicks ass of the 04 Auto.

BlackTSXer

of course! =P

jlukja

I remember comments a year ago or so, from more than just one member, that the 06 ride seemed to be "less harsh" than the 04. One persons "harsh" is another persons "firm". I bet Acura did tweak the suspension a little bit (shock/spring rates?) in the later model years.

TodaSi

That's what I'm thinking. A manufacturer will fine tune a car through it's life cycle (for example, re-valving the shocks...which they could have and would be the result of a slightly different ride) without ever changing part numbers, etc. Suppliers could have changed the firmness of bushings, it's all part of "continuous improvement". Remember a lot of the 'common' TSX buyers thought the stock ride a little harsh or abrupt. when the TSX came out in '04. While the 5-10% of us enthusiasts enjoy a slightly firmer ride, the majority don't.
This of course is just speculation, but something to consider.

925tsx

i wish i knew what changed, so i can change it on the new car.
the 04 was tight.

TinkySD

get the a-spec springs and shocks!

mltk53

hhmm if that is true. darn. i woulda like a bit more stiffness in my 07. a bit of body roll here and there bothers me, though a rsb is on my list of things to get

matvey

Definitely get an RSB if you want improved handling!

MBA

jwood_06TSX

I started with an 04 5AT and then put Tein Basics on it and i then traded up for a 06 5AT and then put the aspec suspension on it and here are my thoughts....

The 04 stock was actually a little tighter than the 06. I go over rail road tracks every day and i noticed a difference in just that. The 06 was more "chushy" than the 04 was. However, the 06 apsec with 18's and 225/40 tires honestly feels VERY similar to my 04 with Tien basics with 215/50 tires (yoko tires) on it. The Tein Basics were a little to stiff for me and i am starting to get a little annoyed with the 06 aspec as well because it actually is pretty rough at times. I am waiting to see how it rides once i put the stock wheels and tires back on for winter. However, the 06 apsec with RSB handles VERY well and is a lot of fun and i think its perfect setup for the people that are looking to increase the stiffness.......i called Acura 3 times too to try and get the spring rates on the 06 apsec suspension and NO one could tell me or find anything. One lady even searched the archives and all types of stuff but couldn't come up with anything but its def different than the 04-05 aspec especially after i went for a ride with Jeff and the Ron Jon meet

925tsx

RSB should be delivered today.

TommySalami

Which one did you go with? I've got the progress one and like it a lot.

Roffles

After getting my '07 and taking some hard corners, I remember thinking, "what the hell is everyone talking about this car handling good". I got new tires and A-spec ASAP to make it handle better....stock TSX feels like a boat in my opinion.

TommySalami

The brake dive you get with the stock suspension is what I really hate. Tein CS will get rid of that though

matvey

Progress RSB is the way to go. There were a few cases where Comptech RSB caused enlinks to fail and it doesn't work with all aftermarket exhausts.

MBA

925tsx

i have the progress

LukeaTron

I read somewhere on this site that the front lower control arms were substantially beefed up with the '06 refresh. I don't know how true this is. More steel hanging around down by the wheel is going have a big effect on sprung weight and mushy up the ride as a result. I drive a '04 MT and every time I go to the dealer I end up with a '07 AT which I find to be more tuned towards the luxury ride than my car, though I've never been able to tell for sure how much of that is a result of ye old slushbox.

There is this weird off camber kink in the road near my house and the loaners always feel a bit less settled in the rear coming out of that turn compared to my car which follows the contour quite closely. There's a sharp turn in the opposite direction shortly after and my car is always squared off and ready for braking while the loaners always feel like the ass end is still coming back to center.

This is all anecdotal of course but that particular corner offers a relatively repeatable experience that really forces the suspension to earn it's keep. For what it's worth, my experiences support the position that pre-'06 refresh models were somewhat better handling when pushed. My suspicion is that it was a conscious design decision to make the ride more supple with most (all?) the changes coming by way of shock valving and spring rates. Changing those components should have the most influence on handling (duh).

925tsx

well, the sway bar is in and its a major difference in handling. The car feels just like my 2004 did. So happy right now.