So I am really considering going for this ... in the near future. Not sure what kind of labor I am looking at, but the local Acura dealer is willing to do some good stuff on the parts.

I have read some of the past threads, but anyone have this setup that can explain the differences vs. stock? I have never had a modified suspension, but the TSX just seems to beg to push the limits on its best quality. Then 2-3 years from now I can think about S/C if the TSX isn't on its way out for that SH-AWD TL

Any thoughts? Is the rest of the A-Spec package a waste? The wheels seem pricey for sure and as much as the aero kit might be nice ... would rather have I/H/E

 

Hey Provench,

I have the aspec suspension, and i like alot. ride is almost as good as stock, and handling is much improved. the drop is minimal, i think it is somewhat unnoticable. my only complaint about the aspec suspension is the modest drop. I would of liked it to be a LITTLE bit more, but not much. I may end up selling it for the buddy clubs in a few weeks. =D

 

cool ... is the drop about 1"? I love the way BMW's sit on their wheels .... just wanna get as close to that as possible w/o making the TSX ride like garbage.

 

yea, drop is bout 1". yah i want to get the drop like the bwms too.

 

i also have the a-spec package and am very pleased...i would've thought lanny had replied by now to give you the whole review! Lowers the car about 1-1.25", significantly decreases body roll and increases cornering all without affecting the factory ride. I installed mine myself with a buddy and it took about 2.5 hours with a lift and prety much all the air tools. You can get just the suspension on ebay ($670 shipped to Hawaii, cheaper for you probably), reputable seller and quick shipping.

As for the rest of the package, personally i'm out of the bodykit phase, i don't like the spoilers available and you can find the same yokohama es100's at a cheap price on tirerack for $115/tire.

I was not impressed at all by the i/h/e dyno numbers. At most, I'd jump for the intake either injen or k&n after seeing what numbers they pulled on the dyno.

 

I'm debating the a-spec too, but am most concerned about the long term effects of the camber. Everyone else has said it's slightly out-of-spec. Can't decide, can't decide...

 

Looks like dealer on e-bay has suspension kit for $600 ... but $50 shipping. I think the big decision factor for me is gonna be install labor as I wouldn't feel comfortable trying to do this one myself.

With the 4-wheel alignment seeming to be needed ... this isn't gonna be cheap is it? Did anyone else have dealer do the install of suspension kit? Price?

 

I checked for A-Spec posts at 10:50 so I didn't see this one til this morning ...

But yeah, I would concur with everything in Gavinn's post. I did a complete write up of all my thoughts here. I paid $300 for install at the dealer; this way everything is covered by your factory warrantee. The deal is supposed to be 12 months/12k miles unless it's installed when the car is new, but my dealer signed my paperwork that way, so it was worth it.

The rims are really pricey for a heavy 17"; I do like the body kit, but it's the same as the OEM kit. There was supposed to be a lip spoiler, but it's not out as of yet.

 

provench,
i would recommned the tein flex coilovers if you had the cash.

the adjustability is incredible! the ride quality is fantastic - even at a lowered height over 2 inches.

i keep mine at the softest setting and it rides so smooth.

imo, the aspec package is a waste of money.

for ~700USD you can go two options.

1. tein SS dampers - i dont think you can adjust the dampeneing of the ride?!?! not sure. if you can't it might be too stiff.

2. eibach/comptech springs + koni shocks.

i will put my money on the line to say that option 2 will def be better than the a spec performance package.

 

My dealer just told me $489 for install

Edit: Oh wait ... he just decided that doesn't include the alignment and the above is 6 hrs labor .... $583 total for LABOR ONLY !!! Give me a friggin break ...

I think my journey to get A-Spec stuff from my dealer has just ended ...

dzuy - I will have to check in to #2 above ... my biggest fear is impact on warranty/longevity, but I might have to dig deeper (no idea who can install that stuff here locally for me and what they will charge me ... my guess is it won't be $600!!!)

 

I installed the front struts myself. It was pretty straightforward. Jack up the car, remove two bolts on the bottom of the strut and 5 nuts on the top. Replace strut and tighten up the two bolts and 5 nuts.

To do the back, I removed the rear seat to expose the 2 nuts on top of each rear strut. However, after jacking up the car, I had trouble removing the nut that connects the rear stabilizer link to the wheel hub (not sure if this is the right terminology). You're supposed to undo the nut while holding the bolt in place with a hex key. Unfortunately, there was a fair amount of rust on both the nut and the bolt, and I ended up stripping the hex hole in the bolt.

At this point of the rear install, it's literally undoing and redoing 4 bolts for each side. (After taking out the rear seat, jacking up the car and removing the wheels). I took it to a dealer, and they finished the job for $200, at $100 an hour labor (!).

So doing the front and removing the rear seat yourself probably saves you a quoted 4 hours of labor.

 

you should check some car shops to see how much they charge.

to put in the aspec suspension is pretty easy b/c you can take off you stock strut assembly (spring and shock) and then just drop in the new a spec.

dont get it from the dealer.

the only warranty issue you will face if you buy aftermarket suspension is - well, the suspension warranty. and who cares? you will already have a different suspension anyway

the suspension and drivetrain are independent of each other - longevity of the motor will not be an issue.

 

provench, I wouldn't worry too much about suspension warranty if going with better aftermarket suspension. Here is why... There are only a few wear & tear items on the suspension system. They are ball joints, control arm bushings, shocks, shock mounting bushings, springs, and swaybar bushings. The factory warranty is only good for 40k miles and none of those wear & tear items is going to go bad within that period. Also, most name brand aftermarket suspension shocks and springs carry a lifetime warranty on them, which is way better than the factory warranty. The only thing you have to pay is the labor for R&R, which you have to do anyway after the warranty is expired.

 

Awesome points guys ... time to compare some options ... and read some threads more closely that I didn't follow before.

Anyone wanna post up their latest view on suspension setups that achieve 3 things ... lower more aggressive look (1-1.5" maybe?), close to stock ride quality, and of course .... cornering on rails

I am trying to get something done $1K range with professional install if possible. Right now it looks like $1K on suspension is the best money spent on the TSX given ... to be honest ... short of a supercharger ... I don't think power mods are best suited for this car. It's just not build to straight line race with the V/I-6's

 

My cousin put H&R springs and KYB struts on his WRX a couple of years ago. Two months later, his ABS sensor failed. Subaru denied the warranty claim, because they said that the sensor is not bolted where it meant to be. They charged him like $300 to replace it.

Now, I know that is bullshit- but he didn't feel like mounting a legal battle againt them, so he just paid it. But at the same time, I know people up here in the Northeast that had rusting/corrosion problems with Tein stuff, and Tein never did anything for them.

It all depends on your relationship with your dealer; if they're fine with mods you should be fine.

 

dude, where have you been?

i just got tein flex coilovers with tein edfc

tein flex review - https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...highlight=dzuy
tein edfc review - https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...highlight=dzuy

pics of tein flex and edfc uninstalled (see page 2)
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...highlight=dzuy

review of comptech titanium strut bar
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...highlight=dzuy

comptech intake, exhuast and header review
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...highlight=dzuy

you make me so sad i spent alot of time coming up with my reviews.

hope they help.

 

People post all the time about how great the ride is with their new lowering springs or their coilovers. I fail to see how giving up 2" of your 3" of suspension travel, and suspending the car with spring rates that are double the factory rates can still provide any type of ride comfort. I notice that many of these people later switch to something else.

My advice- if ride quality is important to you, find someone local with the setup you're interested in and try it on your local roads. Only you know what is and isn't acceptable in terms or ride comfort and performance increase.

 

He's been busy tearing it up in the Ody.

 

And since the Ody will still hand you your ass

 

is it as fast as my comptech equipped tsx 6MT?

hehe.

 

dzuy ... thanks for the links. It's not that I didn't see them ... it's that when I saw them the first time I wasn't considering a purchase so now I have to read closer

LannyM - Very true ... and I wanna be smart about price as well as many online places can really give good deals on parts, but if I buy them from local store my guess is they are more likely to give me a bit of a break overall. Now all I need is a good performance shop in Raleigh, NC area

domn - Indeed ... the Ody might be the one that gets the power mods . Lately the wife and I have been having a competition who can squeeze the most MPG out of the Ody w/VCM setup. Right now we are on a tank with 24.9 MPG (mixed driving) ... needless to say ... we are not stomping it off the line or passing folks at 5K RPM's lately HAHA

 

Don't miss a shift .... you might get embarrassed

 

feel free to pm me if you have a more specific question.

personally, i wish i would have just purchased the tein flex since the beginning. the eibachs were ok, but my stock shocks eventually gave out - that's why i suggested getting koni's - i've read many reviews from members on the board- and they all have positive things to say.

but i'm telling you - the tein flex is simply amazing.

 

ill be getting some buddy club coilover prolly within the next few weeks hopefully, and ill post my impressions of the bc vs the aspec. only reason im switching is b/c i want it slightly lower, not much though.

 

One of my friend has the airbag pop out after run over a pot hole on his 330Ci, his car have no damage at all, no bend rim, no flat tire, no control arm bend but the stealer blame on his coil over that cause the airbag sensor failure. He end up need to paid $2500 to replace the 2 front airbags.

I paid $120Cdn to have my a-spec suspension installed. So kust drive it to Toronto, I can hook you up!

 

Wow, you must have no faith in the Honda suspension engineers to presume that springs and shocks independently designed by two different companies would produce a better setup than a spring/shock combo designed as a whole BY HONDA. No one on here will tell you that A-spec suspension is the best path for serious auto-xing, but I am sure it does exactly what Honda claims; halve body roll in corners, provide a modest drop, and preserve nearly-stock ride quality. If these fit your requirements, I can't think of a more cost-effective solution than the a-spec suspension at $650 (or less) shipped.

Ride quality is highly subjective, but factors like settling time are a function of both the spring stiffness and shock damping. One could use aftermarket shocks and springs with higher values for both quantities and still end up with a longer settling time (the time it takes for the oscillation magnitude to attenuate some set amount, often 95% or 98%).

 

Yeah - to be honest ... I have no idea what I am going to do. When you see $600 worth of labor flash in front of you ... you tend to lose all hope.

I might go visit Acura to see if I can apply some "in person" pressure. I always feel like negotiating over the phone is impossible. I might just have to bring some Acurazine swag and promises of good press to get them to get "real" on the install price. Because $600 for the parts seems like right on the target ... now if I can get install down around $250-300!

 

i'm a pro. dont worry. ask tsex on 19s or triz08 hehe.

 

well, koni is a company that specifically makes shocks. lotus uses koni shocks stock. and who is to say that honda engineered the a spec suspension? how do you know that they didn't subcontract someone else to design the suspension?

it provides nearly stock ride quality b/c it is essentially stock. sure it may reduce body roll - but i bet a more aggressive spring/shock combo will not only outlast the aspec- it will outperform it hands down.

not to mention that it's extremely overpriced. anything coming from the factory is overpriced. the entire a spec package for the tsx retails for 5 grand? for what? suspension, body kit, wing and badges? whooptie do.

buying the aspec package may satisfy the mild tuner - but dont expect to see any noticeable increase in performance.

 

If you happen to be in the Seattle area, I would hook you up in exchange for some rep points!

 

i think its hard to say what is better when you cant compare the two products directly. the konis prolly are better than the aspec performance wise, but i bet when they are mated with any springs the comfort level is no where the same as the aspec. even if honda subcontracted someone to make the aspec it was prolly built to honda's spec.

the aspec might be for the "mild" tuner, but it will satisfy most daily drivers who never take their car to the track. in all honesty, if someone is looking for a mild drop, and improved handling with minimal decrease in drive quality, the aspec fits the bill PERFECTLY. the tsx ride with the stock shocks and springs are already stiff IMHO. After installing the aspec on I found the car to be a tad bit stiff, so I cant imagine what "Performance" shocks/springs would feel like.

 

I wouldn't under estimate the dampering and adjustability of the Konis...

 

Koni shocks+Eibach Prokit is about $940 shipped from Tirerack. The A-spec suspension is $650 shipped off Ebay. Thats a 45% price premium. Not to mention that installing the Prokit/Koni combo is more difficult since it requires special tools (spring compressor). Some people may even need a rear camber kit with the Prokit/Koni combo, although it seems A-spec might also, so that's a wash.

Could someone post the spring stiffnesses for the Pro-kit, A-spec, and stock TSX springs, in addition to the damping values for the A-spec and stock shocks and damping adjustment range on the Konis?

This debate could go on forever, since I don't think anyone has extensive experience driving all three setups. If someone gets the above values, the comparison will be much easier.

 

fyi, you can rent the spring compressor from autozone or discount auto zone. you just have to leave a deposit and they return it to you when you return the spring compressor.

also you cant compare a price between a vendor site and ebay. ebay will always be lower. but you just have the obvious risks associated with ebay.

 

Well, let's see... Here is another option. If you want to keep the stock ride quality, but a little lower and better handling, then you can get the Neuspeed spec Koni off ebay for $577 shipped, which is cheaper than the A-spec. It also has more ride height adjustment (A-spec has none). You can use the Koni with the stock springs, and adjust the height to lower the car. Then use the dampering adjustment to tune the handling (A-spec has no adjustment). Which do you think is better?

 

The guy from ebay that we all got our a-spec from is actually a Acura dealer in NY. So I dun see ne risk associated with it.

 

tein.

oh wait - that wasn't an option

i totally agree - i think the a spec suspension is crap. i cant believe people actually buy into it.

 

i didn't mean from any particular person on ebay - i meant generally.

i.e. i know of someone who ordered some wheels off ebay and when he recived them - they were the wrong lug pattern.

i rather see something in person before i buy it.

 

Dzuy, do you think the stock suspension is 'crap'? Sure, it may not be tailored for maximum autocross performance or anything, but it provides a blend of sport and comfort not found in any other sedan this side of a Sport Package-equipped Bimmer. By my definition, for something to be 'crap' it would have to break soon after purchase; I haven't heard of anyone's a-spec springs or shocks failing yet.

I would venture that it costs about $600+ to purchase the stock springs and shocks, so the a-spec suspension doesn't qualify as overpriced. Sure, you can pay more to get ride height adjustability, but for those of us that want a 1"-1.25" drop, approximately half the body roll, and and don't want to spend a weekend on a slalom course tuning damper settings, there isn't a better solution than the a-spec (right now).

Putting the stock springs on aftermarket shocks like JTso suggests provides more damping, but since the spring stiffness will be the same, body roll won't be affected (unless the stock springs are progressive, which they may be). In fact, if we assume that the A-spec kit and stock suspension are designed to critically damp the response from a step input (like hitting a pothole), using a higher damping value will result in an overdamped response to a step input, resulting in a longer settling time.

Disclaimer; I have never ridden in an A-spec equipped TSX, so for all I know the ride may be awful. But testimonials from members that do have this kit have been very favorable (except the camber issue). I also like the stock ride, and if the same Honda engineers also designed the A-spec setup, it should appeal to someone like me that wants a moderately more aggressive version of the stock ride right out of the box.

I think those of you bashing the A-spec suspension that have never driven an A-spec-equipped TSX and have completely different needs than the target market for the kit are displaying the same type of automotive elitism that we chastised Gilbo and Sicklex for.

No one knows where to find the stiffness and damping values I mentioned in my prior post? These numbers would be valuable for anyone considering a suspension upgrade.

 

Not really bashing anything but simply providing product comparison and info for provench to make his own decision. It doesn't hurt to explore other options.