Mokos23

I have yet to drive the TSX on busy highway/expressway driving yet, but I'm going on a roadtrip to visit my cousin probably this weekend: Had a few questions,

1. How do you guys feel when driving the TSX around huge semis, suvs, and 18 wheeler trucks on the highway/expressway? I know its not too small of a car, but smaller than the US Accord and TL, Do you feel safe?
2. Is the wind noise really pronounced when on the TSX is on the expressway?
3. How is the passing power of the TSX? Is there the situation why you guys said the TSX needs more torque maybe
4. What mph speed do you guys travel on the expressway for best fuel efficiency based on your experiences?

If a repost I apologize.

fdl

1/ nothing is safe around those things.
2/ tsx is a bit noisey on the highway (for its class). I its road/tire noise is a bigger problem than wind noise though.
3/ in the 6mt, passing power is great. dont even have to downshift.
4/ 55 should be about best. basically keep yoru revs as low as you can. and try to stay at a steady speed (dont brake or accel unless u absolutely must)

Dan Martin

I think the TSX really shows its true colors once you're on the highway. It doesn't feel all that quick around town but the passing power is great on the highway.

djtrancetastic

Love it...feels very nimble and responsive...

Kawaii

1. i feel like i own the road in this thing- but my last car was an integra hatchback and before that a del sol
2. there is no wind/tire/any noice whatsoever...its hard to hear sirens with the windows up
3. plenty of passing power, even in 6th!...tq is a big jump from teg though
4. i just go with the flow of the left lane, unless i'm in a rush..i'm not a fuel-effiecency conscious person lol

ostrich

I love the TSX on the freeway! It's very stable and the wind noise is very well-controlled. There is plenty of passing power, especially at higher revs. The gas consumption is probably at its best between 55-60 mph. However, it's so quiet and smooth that you can easily go beyond 60 mph and hardly realize it.

TSX 'R' US

Well...you've probably been on these roads before... I've travelled to Chicago from Rockford (90) and Rockford to Aurora (39-88)
I love it on the highway... Everyone whose ridden in my car says its pretty quiet. I'd have to say I feel pretty safe in the TSX around trucks...but a truck is a truck...pass them as quick as possible.
I've got no problems with passing power...if I need more power, I'll just go to SS mode and downshift to fourth.
On the hwy...going with the flow of traffic is around 10/15 over... I get around 27mpg every time I travel on the highway...it includes mashing on the gas trying to merge back from paying a toll...

Schizm70

Highway speeds are the best! I'm love the feel of quick lane changes in my TSX. Merging on the interstate is one of the most dangerous things you do while driving. With this car it's become my favorite thing to do

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

1. Yup couldn't be safer. Try driving inches away from an Armco barrier. That's scary.
2. Nope. Not unless you've got the moonroof or the windows open (duh!!).
3. Surprisingly good. I don't do too much acceleration to pass on the freeways, but when I do, the TSX feels pretty good. The K24 is surprisingly flexible once you're already moving.
4. I usually get on the freeway and set the cruise control between 70-72 mph. Returns pretty good fuel economy.

kaikai114

1. I try to pass them asap, dont like to stay near them because they kick off stones and chips my paint, so you can say my ride is in danger near those big trucks.
2. like what fdl said, tsx is aerodynamically slippery so there isnt much windnoise at all, but the noise from the wheels is very noticeable. try running ur car on asphault then on concrete and you'll be able to tell how it is really quiet on asphault then noisy from the wheels on concrete.
3. I've got the automatic, passing power is extremely good once you've built up speed, so if you got manual tran, it'd even give you more power. What some of us mean by the car needs more torque is starting out from a fullstop the car is a bit slow (tsx isnt exactly light in weight), but once it builds speed, passing power is impressive.
4. I've read couple of posts up here and most people would agree that 55mph-60mph will get u the best gas mileage. And that's also through my own observation, keep the rev below 3000rpm or 2500 preferably, you'll see a significant gain in mileage, and use freeway instead of local driving will give u a big plus as we all know.

amurobo

I love TSX on highway except for stone and bugs,

I'm afraid to drive fast, I get a lot of dead bugs on the front
I'm afraid to follow too close to the car in front, I am scare of stone chipped
I'm afraid of big truck, I try to pass them when I see a long distance of free road to make sure I have the lowest probability of getting stone chipped

I guess I just love this car too much that I don't want anything to hurt it...

But yes, I agree that TSX has tons of power on highway and I always keep redlining until fifth and it is just too fun

Mokos23

Gosh guys thanks for all the information! I'm going to take into account all of what you guys said. Remember the same friend who told me that I should've gotten the Accord coupe V6? Now he said that if I did a lot of highway driving I would've been safer driving an SUV like a Murano or 4Runner than the TSX

TSX 'R' US

Bah.. I'll take a car that can maneuver over an SUV anyday... Then again, anything can happen..

fdl

untill you roll it. or go poor from gas bills.

jginnane

>> Remember the same friend who told me that I should've gotten the Accord coupe V6? Now he said that if I did a lot of highway driving I would've been safer driving an SUV like a Murano or 4Runner than the TSX

We traded my wife's ML-320 for the TSX. 235hp vs 200; 3.2L vs 2.4L; 17.5MPG vs 27MPH. Here's the kicker: 5300 lbs. vs. 3300 lbs.

In 75,000 miles -- 3 trips around the equator -- she carried an extra ton of dead metal with her (through a lot of starts and stops). 90% of the time there were no passengers.

The ML had good handling for an SUV -- I would've called it similar to a small-block Corvette with automatic -- but face it, compared to a TSX it's the difference between wearing good hiking boots and ballet slippers. (Driving my Yukon is like wearing galoshes over a pair of wrong-sized Kmart boots, with a ball & chain attached.)

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Safer in an SUV? Does your friend know anything about cars?

MarkPinTx

The 6MT just ROCKS on the highway. 80mph seems to be the equilibrium speed.

Don't know what the mileage speed should be though. I'm just happy to be getting >21mpg by being on highway.

jlukja

1. I don't like being next to them and I hate being right behind them (kick up too many rocks) so I try to pass em ASAP .

2. The wind noise is almost non-existant. Most road noise is from the tires and that depends greatly on the road surface. I prefer alphalt to concrete as asphalt seems much quieter.

3. Passing power on the AT is fine. If you floor it the AT just shifts down and off you go. Alternatley you can engage SS and downshift yourself. Either way you can go 60mph to 80mph surprisingly quickly.

4. Best fuel efficiency is around 55mph (I admire you if you can keep it there for long) The TSX is VERY happy cruising at 80mph. You will notice that the speed can creep up on you if you don't watch the speedo because the TSX just doesn't feel like its going fast even though it is.

Mighty1

1. Not bad at all, but I am usually not bothered by them. They are still a hazard though and I treat them with care. This car inspires real confidence on the highway. One solid example: Mass Turnpike (I-90) from Weston to Brighton - it's currently under construction, 3-4 lane highway, super-narrow lanes due to construction, speed limit dropped to 45mph (but everyone still does 80 and drives hyper-aggressive), rough pavement, with jersey barriers an inch away on either side... even in the rain, the TSX doesn't even blink at it. I do it every day, stress-free except for the occasional bastard driving a 740i at mach 3. :fingerfawk:

2. Non-existent, I agree with someone else's post, tire noise is the most significant sound and it is not that offensive. In fact, even the wind from the open moonroof is not that bad at highway speeds. Overall a very quiet ride (though I agree, many cars in this class are quieter).

3. With the 6MT it is excellent. I usually do downshift to pass, but that's more because I LOVE to shift this car, it's not really needed except when passing on the occasional steep uphill.

4. I have found that 65-75mph in 6th seems to get the best mileage. Overall I find that with the 6MT, the best performance/economy is found by keeping the car around 3,000 RPM... you get good pull and the fuel economy stays around 27-31.


One thing of note on the highway:
I'm a pretty tall guy and have the seat all the way back when I'm driving. I have noticed that the door pillar blocks the view out of the driver's side just enough to cause an annoying blind spot when other cars are just starting to pass you on the left. Some serious re-adjusting of the side mirror was needed on my part to counter this, but I still double-check it every time before I pull into the left lane.

MarkPinTx

I, too, find that the TSX seems to be at home at 3000 rpm, whatever the speed. The power band tends to be within easy reach, yet noise and fuel consumption seem moderate.

ricecake

I love this analogy. Very descriptive.

Re: driving alongside SUVs--to me, it depends on the actual drivers themselves. You can guage whether someone perceives their SUV as a tank, and if that's the case, I let them do their thing. but i don't feel "unsafe" when driving around SUVs that are driven "reasonably."

I try and stay at or just below 3K rpm these days, mostly to conserve gas, downshifting whenever I need to pass in a pinch--which I try not to do.

I don't love the wind noise when the moonroof is open, but otherwise, it's fine.

kaikai114

wow, how many miles do you get per gallon driving like that?

acuraaddict_RENAMED

I just made a Cleveland/Pittsburgh/Cleveland roundtrip with about 2000 miles on my new TSX. The ride and handling were great, far less noise than my Volvo or Passat and overall gas mileage for the trip was 33.4 mpg.

gfxdave99

I pass semis at all costs, and with more airbags then a mother in law convention i feel safe.

I dont really noticed wind noise.. but then again i usually have the stereo too loud to notice, passing power is very good, you get going faster then it feels because the TSX is more HP then torque so you dont get that push in the back woosh as much as a v6/v8 would give you but trust me you get going plenty fast plenty quick.. I find myself hitting 90 way more often then i should

I have a mixed driving and i usually am around 70-80 on the expressway and then around town 5 over and i have been getting 24 or so....

toddstuh

1. Semi Trucks SUVs and 18 Wheelers.
You're riding fairly low to the ground compared to these vehicles so as with most cars, you are somewhat limited in your visibility. This isn't necessarily a TSX issue...those vehicles are just too big !
I don't feel wind effects though when passing them as I've felt when I've driven smaller cars and the air deflected by the 18 wheelers would buffet the car...I feel safer in the TSX in that regard.

2. Wind Noise is almost non existent...this is a very quiet car, even at speed...This is also partly due to the tires that everyone complains about. They're a relatively quiet tread block design. A softer tire is going to give you a bit more noise as the blocks wear.

3. Passing power is fine. If you really need to move you can downshift but I'm amazed at what the car is capable of in 6th gear. I can't speak for the automatic but if you look at the torque numbers once you're up around 3K which is 70mph you've pretty much got about 90% of your power anyway.

4.Here in the Boston area it's difficult to do. You either drive in the left lane or sit behind trucks and get pelted with stones. I'd say that as with others here, that keeping your speeds around 65-70 would work well for fuel economy. Also by using your cruise if possible. I generally drive 75-80 and I'm still getting 31-33 mpg depending on how my fuel/gas is.

Great car !

SAZABI

put some ground wire and ground stablizer, then it will be uber on highway...

Dan Martin

kaikai114

jlukja