06TSX6M

I thought everyone who loves their TSX would enjoy the potential performance upgrades you can do with a little bit of time, resources, and cash. Instead of putting my TSX to pasture when it reached high miles, I decided to refresh the car with some needed upgrades with the help of my cousin and nephew. Without the access to their "car barn" and their expertise, I could not have completed many of the modifications on my TSX. Our focus was to up the performance and appearance with the best products for the money on the market that have been tried and tested by other TSX enthusiasts. It took about 6 months to get all the parts without crushing the wallet too much. Countless hours of research was done to properly research the cost/benefit of every modification. We wanted to enhance the makeup of the car while still keep it true to its K24 origin. I created a project timeline with specific mods grouped in order of purchase and installation. Once all the groundwork was done, I headed of to BC to the "barn" to get the project rolling. It took about 3 months in total to finish the project. We wanted an aggressive stance with a stealth look without comprising everyday driving comfort. Of course, once we got started with some repair and replacement parts, we had to add more performance with a few appearance upgrades as well. Now that I’ve had a few months to drive the car, I can only describe it as “UNBELIEVABLE.” Honda should sell the car with what we’ve done to it. It’s so quick during hard acceleration, the suspension so well under hard driving yet offers a compliant ride, and the looks are aggressive without moving to far off the grid with the OEM look. My favorite mods are the Progress Rear Sway Bar, Exedy Flywheel, and the HT Shifter Bushings (best bang for the dollars!). I’ve included the link to my album with just a few pictures I downloaded today. Take a look and let me know what you think of the mods and the finished product. If anyone wants to see more pics or know where I got much of the products at the best deals, I’ve kept all my receipts so I can tell you where I bought the parts. Here’s the list of the modifications/repairs we made to my TSX. If you're interested in getting you car dialed in, let me know. Doesn't look to bad for 155,000 miles. The car is reborn.



Link to Album pics: https://acurazine.com/forums/members/06tsx6m-20927-albums-tsx-mod-pics-11700/

Short Video of sound after K&N, clutch/flywheel install

You Tube

Suspension
Installed Progress rear sway bar including heavy duty bushings (use Shiatsu grease – works well with bushings)
Replaced front OEM sway bar bushings with Energy Suspension bushings
Installed adjustable Fastline end links which firmed up the rear suspension
Installed Koni shocks and Eibach springs with a custom mod on the rear deck so the rear shocks can be adjusted
Modified OEM bump stops with strut assembly
Installed Ingalls rear camber kit (need this if you want your tires to wear evenly)

Drivetrain/Engine
Installed Exedy Stage 2 Organic Clutch and lightweight flywheel resulting in nice acceleration and grip through the gears
Replaced OEM clutch line with steel-braided line (nice for AZ weather)
Replaced all engine mounts with new OEM mounts (good to do with high mileage cars when tranny is out)
Lubricated the clutch assembly in engine bay and pedal linkage with Shiatsu grease (got rid of the pedal clicking sound)
Installed Alutec strut bar (nice look and solid mounting points)
Installed Mugen short-throw shifter
Installed Ingalls Engine Torque Damper (worth every penny as it reduces that torque steer and transfer of energy)
Installed Hybrid HT shifter bushings (amazing feel after installation without Mugen upgrade)
Installed Odyssey lightweight AGM battery
Installed K&N Cold Air Intake and replaced the CT Engineering CAI which had lots of fitment issues (I would recommend K&N for sure over the CT CAI – my nephew loves the sound of the K&N)
Cleaned the radiator and fixed all peeling paint
Installed Hella Supertone High Performance Horns with custom harness modification to retain connectivity for OEM horns
Changed fluids including transmission, Mobil 1 synthetic oil/filter, and brake fluid

Wheels/Tires/Brakes
Repaired and powder-coated G Games Sidewinder wheels in satin black (looks stealth even when dirty)
Installed Stop Tech rotors and brake pads
Replaced OEM rubber brake lines with Stop Tech steel-braided lines (consistent modulation)
Replaced Michelins A/S Plus tires with Nitto Motivos (225/45-18 with the right load rating – all season performance with a smooth and quiet ride – must buy for tires)

Interior/Lighting
Replaced damaged Navi Bezel (my cousin had to take everything apart with unit as it is one piece – he did an amazing job)
USA Spec iPod/iPhone interface (love the ability to use my head unit for iPod/iPhone music and it charges it as well)
Replaced all interior lights changed to SMD LED’s including glove box, center storage, and reverse lights
Replaced broken center console storage opening clips
Replaced bulbs for heated seats
Replaced OEM high beam bulbs with Hella H1 bulbs (cheap mod with big visibility)
Replaced OEM low beam bulbs with 6000K HID bulbs (adjusted lights for suspension drop)
Replaced Nokya Yellow Gold fog lights with new OEM housings
Installed 2003 TLS trunk net with grocery hooks
Replaced air cabin filter with FRAM filter

Exterior
Replaced OEM exhaust tips with AP2 S2000 exhaust tips (tig welds for added security - they look awesome)
Custom Euro-R rear duck tail spoiler with matching paint (bolted on – really finished out the car)
Custom OEM front grill with color match except Acura “A” chrome symbol
Polished headlights to remove hazing (they look like new)
All door, hood, and trunk hinges lubricated with Shiatsu grease

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

What did you use to fix the peeling paint from the radiator?

rossv1

When the video first started out I thought someone was farting.

06TSX6M

The radiator was washed carefully so that the radiator vents didn't get damaged. After completely drying out, the damaged paint was treated with a heat resistant spray paint. You can get it at any auto store.

06TSX6M

The K&N sounds awesome. I had the advantage of comparison to my nephew's identical TSX with a K&N that was already installed. I decided to buy a CT Engineering CAI first. The acceleration and sound were noticeable under WOT, but I liked the K&N fit and finish, throttle response at high revs plus the sound quality under WOT better. To each his own. If anyone wants to buy a practically brand new CT CAI, I would be willing to sell it at a very good price.

06TSX6M

The video was taken with the front bumper off the car since we had the custom body work on the grill in progress. I actually have a TSX A-Spec body kit on it including the front spoiler. I like the Honda OEM look rather than going too aggressive. The rear deck lid spoiler was special ordered from overseas, color-match painted, and bolted on the trunk. Probably the most expensive mod given the shipping, paint, etc.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Lookin real good!

06TSX6M

Special thanks to Marcus and HeeltoeAuto for all their expertise and parts. All the parts worked out real well. Let me know where I can go on the HeeltoeAuto website and provide good reviews for the parts you sold me in this project. They were all top notch with good performance results. My nephew's TSX is also being duplicated this way. Thanks again.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Every part listing has a review tab on it where you can give your valuable feedback on each item. A store testimonial can be submitted in the header of the main site page. Thanks!