As most dealers wont let me take a TSX up to highway speed, myabe some of you with Automatics can answers this. At about 75-80, how many rpm are you turning over? How quiet is the car? I have a 2002 A4 1.8t and my biggest complaint is that 5th is too low, turning over 4k at 80 gets tiring! TIA - Rick

 

Someone wondered about this a couple of months ago, and we had some discussion of it. Final consensus was about 2400 to 2500 at 75. I think that at 80, it's 3000, but not sure.

About "quiet," can't tell if you mean in general, or at that speed. In general it's very quiet, including at that speed. In fact, the car plays its best "music" (and I'm not talking about the sound system ) at that speed and slightly above.

 

Larch is right. My 5AT rarely goes above 3000 (unless I'm pushing it) and I average 80 on the highways. I find most Japanese cars have very little engine noise, including the TSX, but personally, I find the road noise bothersome. I just crank up the stereo and then it doesn't bother me anymore.

 

I'm surprised about the road noise. I don't experience it that way, or maybe it's just that I like it -- maybe for me it's "music," then you don't notice it -- really! Actually I think most people feel there's little road noise, except of course on rough road or when you hit those bad bumps. But I know that some of the reviewers agree with you.

Edit, afterthought: Maybe do you mean, when you have the windows open??? Yeah, then it's like forget about it.

BTW, siliobear -- Are you ever going to let us know what the name means?

 

Find a dealer that will let you take the TSX onto the highway. I had no problem. RPM's don't always equate to noise. This is a quiet and smooth car at 80mph.

 

Windows are always up. Sometimes sunroof open but I expect extra noise.

Didn't know anyone was curious... sorry to be such a girl, but I'm a Pooh fan (aka Silly Ol' Bear). It's also my screenname on ebay. It's been tempting to add Pooh decals and license plate frame on my TSX, but I've fought the urge to make it into a girlie car.

 

Actually I wondered out loud about it a couple of times before.....

I really did read Pooh, don't remember Silly Ol' Bear. But I do remember the horrible heffalump, I mean a heffable horralump.....
Not to mention others too numerous to mention of course.

 

I take that I95 near NY and CT border has been smoothed out. Good for you!

Come to southern California to see how the road noise from the lousy I-10 (which may be called highway from hell). When I first came to California, I was surprised at the bad roads sound starting from 105 out of LAX. Compared with that, I-95 between CT/RI border and New Haven was almost whispering sounding.

 

I agree with the "find a better dealer" advice. That seems really weird (unless you are very young?) that no one would let you go for a highway drive.

When I was shopping, I called up my Acura dealer and explained that I had a short road trip to do (2 hrs each way) and could I have a TSX to try for the trip? No problem, they had the car ready for me the next day. And I was a new customer for them too, it's not like they knew me or all my relatives had bought cars there or something. So, accomodating dealers are out there...

Regarding the noise, I find the car generally very quiet, especially on the highway (sunroof and windows closed of course). The exception would be that I think there is more road noise than I'd like on rough pavement. I think that's mostly the tires though and when the stockers wear out I'll try something else and see if there is a difference. Even if there isn't, I can live with the noise as it is.

Don't know if I'd go as far as to call the tire noise "music" - the engine noise, sure. Sometimes, I think the engine is too quiet, I'd like to hear that growl just a wee bit more.

 

cruising at 80mph the at is turning 2700rpms...ifyou floor it the torque converter will slip up to about 3200

 

Naptown reporting...

Cruising at around 80 or 85mph, I haven't noticed the tach go over 3k RPM.

I was incredibly surprised how tame the engine sounds. That's not meant to be a knock on the car. I was just expecting something louder considering it's a 4-cylinder.

I've been driving with the sunroof tilted and opened at times, but even then, there's much less noise than I would expect.

Naptown out.

 

But it almost sounds like one.

I remember in the early days on the old site, when I was looking into the TSX, one of the main complaints that I saw (I'm not kidding) was that it was too quiet.

Given the things that I already knew about the car, this pretty much told me that the TSX was gonna be pretty special .

 

Silobear, what kind of noise are your talking about? I know the tires are kind of noisy.

 

You havent riden in an ITR, Evo, or STi huh? You wont like it.

:shakehd:

 

Thanks folks for the input. I was able to get a TSX up to 80 in the 73 in OC today. Much quieter that than my A4, although it didnt feel as "planted". As I work for Aucra's advertisign agency, i feel sort of obligated to get one, so look for an Arctic or Carbon Navi car in my driveway soon.

 

If your company had anything to do with the "Actually it is rocket science" print ad for the TL, props to you. Just saw it for the first time -- Tremendous job!

And of course good luck with the TSX. Can't go wrong with either color. As you see, I have the CG, but actually I probably would have chosen the Arctic Blue if it would have been available to me real fast, which it wasn't (CG and Black were the only ones I could have gotten fast). But no regrets about the CG -- I loved it within about 2 minutes.

 

It's our "freeways" not highways. :P I know what your're talking about. The 105 was just built about 5-6 years ago. Get on the I-10 right before the 111 in Palm Springs. That part of the freeway makes the car jump up and down. Like the tires are jumping off the cement. It's neat.

 

Tell Acura it needs to make some of those Acura films. Like at www.bmwfilms.com. I can star in at least one of them and make Acura millions and I, a few bucks. Think about it. We can make it happen.

 

Hey, jackspat: May I possibly draw your attention to this post by somebody-or-other:

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...0139#post50139



Or, do you mean I convinced you???

 

I was just pullin' your leg that night. I guess you can say, I'm usin' the "eye-friendly" technique right now.

 

yep, that all comes out of us in Santa Monica...we do good work for AHM.

 

Jackspat2, I realize you are all of 16 years old, but the 105 is nearly 10 years old, finished when you were still in Underoos! What Jamba do you work at? I am SoBay myself.

 

Ahh. the 105 Freeway. Coming out of LAX, that portion of the freeway is very "rough" so it's very noisy. I myself is fluent in all freeways in Los Angeles, while 105 is nice and fast, it's a bit bumpy and rough. If you want to try "quiet" try the brand new 210 freeway east of the 57. That part is smooth and straight, and 80mph is the average speed for motorists.

I myself is awaiting my Arctic Blue to be built this month, and shipped next month. Can't wait to try it out on the newer freeways

 

Oh man. I wasn't thinking. It was built in 1995 and it's 2003 now, almost 2004! Time flies. Trivia Question: Why does the 105 go to LAX, but the Greenline does not(the train in the center of the 105)?

I work at the Jamba Juice in Palos Verdes. It's a wonderful job.

 

ahh...you have hot a nerve. The green line does not go to LAX because the airport planning commission did not want to loose parking revenues. You can thank a man named Tom Bradley (he was the mayor when you werent even conceived) for that. Where in PV is Jamba?

 

You forgot all the Bus and Taxi companies . It's funny. I've only been on that thing once or twice and where it makes a 90 degree turn, on a good day, you can just see LAX over the distance. That train goes no where (Norwalk).

I work at the one in the Peninsula Center on Hawthorne Blvd. and Silver Spurs. It's the best one in the South Bay.

 

OUT OF THREAD POST

JSpat - I never seem to be on when you are. All I got to say is thanks. That link for ?.com, where the dude kills the big corps and exposes the BS was sweet. I get that same feeling when someone recommends a CD(RARE!) and I buy it and love it. I find that listening and learning from all ages is the best schooling one can partake in.

And BTW, can I book your dad to wash my Hummer H2 with 30" spinning rims? It got a bird doo-doo on it.

Bless

 

change dealers... what dealers won't let you get up to highway speeds. when I test drove the car the salesperson was asking me to punch it.

 

This doesn't sound right at all. The MT turns 3500 or so RPM @ 80 mph, and in every 5-speed Audi and VW I've driven, the MT is shorter than the AT.

I wonder if you're not shifting from 4-5. If I can dig up the tranny ratios I can find out for certain.

EDIT: This doesn't add up. Here are the ratios. That car shouldn't be turning anywhere near 4000 RPM in 5th gear (AT or MT) ...

Manual (Automatic)
3.778:1 (3.665:1)
2.176:1 (1.999:1)
1.429:1 (1.407:1)
1.029:1 (1.000:1)
0.838:1 (0.742:1)

3.889:1 (3.730:1)

 

The most noise you will hear on the highway is from the tires on certain types of pavement.

With the MT, the 6th gear is very willing. I don't have to shift down, even on an incline.

On really really bad highway pavement, such as 880 North from the Oakland city limit toward the SF Bay Bridge or Berkeley, the car is a very tumbly. I don't know why the pavement turns particularly bad in Oakland (really!). Given the special interests that have run California, I've wondered if the car repair, alignment, and tire shops have mandated that certain freeways NOT be fixed. Bad pavement means more out-of-whack front-end alignment, blown and damaged tires, and hence more jobs at repair shops.

I guess that stretch of highway should be called the "Economic Stimulus Freeway" or the "Freeway of Economic Opportunities".

 

just read my original post, I meant to say, just UNDER 4k rpm at 80, right around 3800, still too high and too booming.

 

It's still way too high for the AT.

If I use my 5-speed as a reference (it turns 3500@80mph), if I dropped your AT into the car and changed nothing else, it would turn 2950 RPM @ 80mph with your gear ratios.

I think something might be wrong with your transmission and it might not be shifting into 5th for some reason.

 

Sorry, but I get into this geek stuff.

I found a speed/tire/RPM calculator. With 205-55R16 tires, your car should turn a hair over 2900 RPM at 80 mph. Although feel free to calculate your exact tire diameter.

http://www.mgbexperience.com/misc/tirecalc.html

 

I have the 17 on the sport package. Also, I know for a fact that my car is shifting in to 5th, it is a manual transmission

 

Well, you were asking about the AT so I just assumed that's what you had.

 

I will be switching to the AT in the TSX, easier to commute with

 

Sorry...showing my age (my son is almost old enuf to drive). Yup, not my style (I was referring to Toyota, Lexus, Infiniti, ...).

 

*GASP*

I thought siliobear was a dude all along and that was his chick standing next to the car.

 

Sorry to disappoint you...just a chick who likes cars.