dzuy

hondata HSG - pain in the ass to install. had to buy 2 gallons of honda type 2 coolant. (1.4 gallon capacity) 12 USD per gallon. bolts on the bottom of the intake manifold are a bitch to get to - good thing i paid someone to do it for me hehe.

got it done at ASDF motorsports - more info on the shop to follow in the coming weeks.

performace impression - uh, everything feels the same. but hondata says you should expect that. so yup - i didn't feel any change whatsoever.

i drove around - and gunned it a few times - then felt the intake manifold - it's still hot.

being the dummy i am - i never felt the intake manifold before i installed the heat shield - so i dont really know if it made that much of a differece. my hand didn't burn tho - so i'll assume it worked.

anyway.

comptech rear sway bar - make sure you have a 5mm hex key to hold the end link nut in place.

1. take off end link bolt 14mm (hold 5mm screw in place)
2. repeat both sides.
3. take off 4 12mm buts holding bracket
4. remove RSB
5. install comptech RSB ( i scratched mine up. oh well.)

i actually put my end link on first.

6. install end link nuts
7. lube the cracked bushings (:troutslap Dan) with silicon grease.
8. use new washer and install new bracket

voila!

performance impression - to be perfectly honest - at first it wasn't as BIG as an improvement over what my suspension setup was.

then i decided to take a REAL turn.


i took a 90 degree turn of a four way intersection in 2nd gear at 5000 rom (how fast is that?!?!) - no body roll, the car stayed flat on it's feet.

it feels more directed now - turn the wheel and the car will follow.



that's with my suspension set at 3/4 soft.

imagine how well it will turn if i set my tein at full stiff

autox here i come

dzuy

oh btw, i forgot to mention how crappy the comptech rear sway bar paint finish is. mine is silver - but you can see paint runs on the bar. oh well, i eneded up scratching up the bar when i was trying to get it in anyway.

i would have expected a nicer finish from comptech but whatever.

it's alot of bigger and heavier than the stock weenie sway bar.

dom

Thats the best way I can describe it also.

GIBSON6594

I had to really push the car to notice the sway bar affect too. Didn't really feel it at first, but you know its there when you take a fast, hard turn cause the tires can't handle what the car can anymore, at least not as much as they used to...

Dan Martin

I'd like to do the TB mod because I know it's a good thing to have, but it's just hard to get motivated when you really can't feel any difference.

dzuy

the TB mod is a lot of work and a lot of money for a lil gain.

at least the intake manifold gasket was only 60 USD.

i'm still waiting on a high flow cat solution.

cough cough.

:troutslap

weapon-x

Thanks for the review Dzuy. Been debating on this as my next mod. Since my suspension and tires are still stock and will probably remain so for a while, I may have to reconsider this one.

weapon-x

Thanks for the review Dzuy. I've been wanting the Rear Anti-Sway bar as my next mod but since I'm still on stock suspension and tires (and will probably be for a while longer) I may not get much benefit from this mod.

Tsx536

My suspension is stock and I could still feel the benefits

BlackTSXer

actually, with stock suspension you may feel the effects even more than someone with a modified suspension. people with aftermarket suspension already felt a drastic change in handling when they lowered their cars.

dzuy

hey dom, guess what i did today at lunch? i took a turn at 53 mph.

seriously tho - there is a u shaped turn that i had a hard time taking w/o sliding at 50 mph before i got the rear sway.

today - no body roll, turns on a dime.

great mod.

def worth the 100 bucks imo.

:troutslap <- non comptech RSB owners.

LB-TSX

i also put the gasket in a couple weeks ago and you're right, that was a bitch to do.

Still Water

The best bang for the buck! And yes you can really bend those sidewalls. This mod makes the TSX drive like a totally different car.

vidgamer

So, is there a recommended order? Shocks & springs first, or rear sway bar first? If I got the RSB, would I still want to upgrade the other?

xizor

I dyno'd my car before and after (w/ 8000 miles in between ) and picked up 5hp w/o any other mods, I didn't notice anything w/ the butt dyno however. Last time I went to dyno the guys used a heat gun and zapped both sides of the IMG, the guy said the injector base was 30 degrees cooler than the block which was just 0.5in away.

scheißterhöffer

Can someone please explain the following to me, most of the threads I see don't seem to tell me this unless I'm dumb or it's more buried than I have looked and I sort of feel like posting on page 43 of the reflash thread isn't going to get me answers.

<hijack>
Is this something worth doing in conjunction with the hondata reflash not so much for performance but to perhaps preserve the longevity of the engine given that it may run hotter with the reflash or something? I'm not sold on it providing a noticeable performance increase, so I think I would only go that route if I believed it better protected the engine than what is stock.

Also, does the HSG have a lifespan? Would it need to be replaced at some prescribed point?

And what about the coolant bypass step mentioned in the instructions . Is that necessary/recommended/not?
</hijack>

Thanks for the info.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

The HSG doesn't protect the engine or make it last longer. It's intended to be a performance mod to keep the intake air cooler to provide more power. The gasket can be reused over and over again.

I got 3 whp increase from the HSG and TB coolant bypass. It's best to perform this mod along with the CAI and TB bypass at the same time to save labor time, as these mods all targetted for the same result - cooler intake air temp.

iTimmy

Do the RSB first, if you feel the need for something else do it. I did the RSB and have no more desire to do any further suspension mods. The car is nuetral almost to a fault now, and has no decrease in ride quality- its a win win situation I just wish I did it sooner! Besides at $115ish its a steal

dzuy

sweet. i dont plan on getting dynoed again until i get a high flow cat.

dzuy

true. but i would rather save some more money and get hondata.

that is the best mod for the tsx.

iTimmy

Can't argue that I guess it boils down to performance or handling- more pefromance= hondata, better handling= RSB

cconrad

First, I know nothing about car mods, how suspensions work, or anything.

But, I've seen 100 people say that the first thing you should do is replace the RSB with the beefier Comptech one. Is the stock one really that bad? Does the new one really make the car resist body roll that noticeably? (And what's the downside?) I think this car rolls a lot less than my stock Civic EX did, but I wouldn't mind it being even firmer. I was considering the A-spec suspention components (especially in a year or two after I've gotten some wear out of the stock ones), but the RSB seems way simpler and cheaper!

Oh, and don't laugh, but does a RSB wear at all?

leftride

iTrader: (1)

stock one isnt bad, but a thicker one is better. I could definitely tell when i put my Progress RSB on. I would definitely try the RSB before new suspension. Do you mean like wear out? Its just a thick ass metal bar, nothing to wear out.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

The endlinks might snap before the swaybar wears out.

cconrad

And is this something I would be exacerbating by installing the thicker bar? Or only if I was racing?

Exacerbate. That always sounds like a dirty word.

Still Water

I agree with Tireguy & JTso - bang for the buck and all that...

What I do find perplexing is why one would not upgrade the RSB 1st and then, if needed or wanted, start throwing $$$'s at the suspension and playing with the set-up, etc. I've already gone that route before with other cars and wouldn't personally change the TSX OEM set-up other than the RSB upgrade and tires. For a little over a C note you get a 100% return every time you turn the wheel. Not a bad deal. Now if you're into changing the "looks", well that's a different issue and a whole lot more $'s.

P.S. As to the endlink question - I posted an info request in the Tires, etc. Forum concerning any service bulletins. If this raises an eyebrow give it a look and share what you've heard. -Thanks

scheißterhöffer

My mom caught me exacerbating once, in high school. It was awkward.