Hey this is my first post after a long time. I am thinking of getting a TSX and making it into a entertainment system on wheel that can top 160 mph and get the 0-60 down to 5-6 sec range. I wanna put in a nav and dvd entertainment system with 2 lcds in the head rests, and a really good sound system like alpine or someting. Also install the performance parts i can put in without loosing reliability. As looks go i was thinking of going with a Euro R kit or the Kenstyle w/o the stupid logo that says Kenstyle. I was thinking of having a custom built emblem that says ACURA or keep stock acura grill. Tint the windows. and some grafix. So my first question should i get a 04, 05 or wait for a later version of the TSX? What Navi/entertainment system should i go with? Is the body kit thing possible? Any other feedback would be apperciated. Thankx

 

1. Later version is always better

2. Stock navi

3. yes



conclusion..you must have lots of money for a 17 year old....and if you want to mod your car like this...i suggest you start out with a civic maybe? b/c there are big after market support for a civic..

 

You are not going to see 160 MPH and 5-6 second times out of either an 04 or an 05 TSX.

You need to start with something that is faster; perhaps a GTO, Mustang, G35, Corvette, Firebird -- and do they still make the Camaro. For those speeds and acceleration, you also need RWD. Then, you are going to have a serious problem handling the power given your level of experience -- even if you could afford the insurance.

 

5-6 second range....

With added weight... you're gonna need some

 

Let's be realistic.

However, a turbo'd TSX will get you that range or close to it.

 

Making good use of that smiley thread ...and teh cut and paste

 

Just curious, what's your budget for this?

 

Damn, project car at the age of 17...and using a TSX at that! You're going to need some serious dinero to back up all the stuff you want this TSX to be. You could save some money by getting a 2004, but it'll only save you pennies compared to the amount of money you're going to be putting into the TSX to achieve your goals. Good luck with it though and keep us updated.

 

budget is up to like 12000 or so but itll be over few years. I got into MIT and my dad felt like rewarding me. I do feel like i should be rewarded but this was overboard.

 

Whoa! Sweet!

 

Comptech S/C + I/H/E will get you the performance you are looking for. Start on the audio upgrades you have planned. Then in the spring add suspension and wheels. Then make a healthy order at Comptech and you'll be set.

 

kewl! Congrats on getting into MIT

 

You'll probably pay that much over 4 years just to keep the car parked around MIT. You won't even be eligible for the parking lottery for your first year, and it's not unheard of for somebody to not get a desired parking spot at all during the entire 4 years. Common downside to pretty much all big-city schools.

http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena/org/p/.../resident.html

Congrats though. I always sort of regret not going to MIT. Decided at the time that I didn't really want an engineering education. May not have made a difference in the end, but always wondered what would have happened if I had gone to MIT rather than a "regular" Ivy...

 

MIT, very nice. Hard work does pay off huh? Good Job! Well, I'm in the Boston area so keep me updated. Wouldn't mind seeing how your TSX turns out. I might be picking one up in the near future

 

Thankx every one. Yea it was hard work but im sure theres more to come. Ill keep yall updated about the project. im buying the car prob sometime in june.

 

Congrats on the MIT acceptance! You might want to think about something else besides modding your car too much. Or if you do it, do it now before you start school.

It is time consuming to mod a car and you're gonna have to be stuyding a lot. So either mod it up heavy right now or only do mods during the breaks. Not sure if you were playing DIY or pro installs. You could also have shops do your mods, but you have to make sure you have rides to/from class though.
Having a heavily modded car in college can be a problem because you always have to worry about it since you're put soo much money into it. In college parking lots of around the dorms cars seem to get abused (Or that how it was at my college).

Just my 2 cents otherwise...you came too the right spot to find out what can/can't be done to the TSX...Good luck!

 

I'd add to this, expanding on my point above:

1) At MIT as a freshman, you will get no on-campus parking. No exceptions that I am aware of. If you're keeping a car as a freshman you're either parking on the street or paying a small fortune to park in a commercial garage. In either case, you won't have anyplace to do any kind of serious work.

2) Even after your freshman year, MIT tends to discourage students from trying to have cars on campus. Parking spaces are assigned by lottery, with no sure chance of getting one. Even if you do, their parking garages tend to be run like commercial lots, which again puts you in a situation of not having a good place to work. (Most commercial garages have absolute prohibitions on doing any kind of work in them and the same is generally true of school parking facilities.)

3) Like the guy said, you're not going to have a whole lot of time for this even if you are fortunate enough to find a place to safely park your car and where you can work on it as well.

Most Harvard and MIT students don't bother with cars. The costs are high and the hassles are pretty incredible. Even at some of the outlying Boston schools, it's quite common to go without a car for the full four years. Depending on what you do over the summers, you might not need a car then either. (For example, if interning on Wall Street...) If I were going to one of those schools, I'd seriously consider putting the money towards something that was going to be useful in the short term and worrying about the car much later.

Just my .02

 

Seriously, is there a topic you DONT have intimate knowledge about?

 

Yeah. You'll note that I'm not hanging out at all in the mods, parts, racing and other "performance" sections of this site.

Spent a lot of time at Harvard/MIT over the years, at least when I lived on the east coast. Even when I had a car, I usually chose to get there by other means. Boston/Cambridge has got to be one of the worst places in the world to try to keep or drive a car. I do a lot of work for Columbia undergrad admissions, and dealing with kids (and parents) who aren't quite sure what it means to live in the city is part of the job.

Truth is, those issues are pretty common at city schools. Even UCLA doesn't give most students parking priveleges, though things have improved somewhat in the past few years. As a grad student living not far away, I was pretty much limited to bus or bike. Many kids starting at these schools have already had a car for a year or two and convincing them that they should give them up for the next four years can be tough.

(And yeah, I didn have to double check the MIT website to make sure I remembered the rules. Looks like they haven't changed much in 15 years.)