So guys, I'm limiting myself to one mod this summer, the next one probably wont come till around new years. I have two options...

1) Hondata - I have intake/exhaust with no plans for headers before spring
~ $600

2) Suspension - I live in the Boston area, and potholes are a real threat IMO, I would probably go for Neuspeed/Koni or just A-Spec. I do have rims (18" chrome Inspyres) but only from march-late october.
~ $1000 or ~$800

I need some opinions on which I am going to appreciate more from day to day with the things I've mentioned kept in mind. I do rev high, I do go over a lot of bumps, I mostly take short trips, my car is MT and does ride like a 4x4. This is a present to myself for working all summer, I want to make sure I pick the right thing. Based on my situation, what do you guys think?

 

oh, and if I go with hondata....money left over for tint

 

Hondata.

Money left over goes for tint and more importantly, a Comptech rear sway bar. It'll make the car handle a lot better, although won't make it look lower (obviously). It does eliminate body roll and help with higher-speed cornering. Plus it's only $115 shipped.

 

got the RSB, but thanks for the input!

 

Suspension! With all those other mods I am surprised to see you don't have it yet. You will get use out of it even when your car is turned off, since it will make it look 1000x's better.

 

I'd go for suspension. To me it seems like lowering the car would give you overall more bang for the buck than the hondata. Isn't it only a few horsepower bump? I'm not sure that it really makes that big of a difference. To me a lot of mods work on the placebo effect. You know you added something new, so you're REALLY trying to justify it by looking for every tiny increase in performance. If it was a turbo and you got a 50hp bump, that'd be a different story - that would really transform the car. Just my two cents.

 

suspension

 

Yup, suspension. The TSX is NOT a fast car by any measure. The reflash, which is a generic ECU tune, is impressive and very well done. But as the saying goes, you can't polish a turd. Saving something extreme like cams, a stroker kit, T/C or S/C, you're not going to see a lot of power out of this car. However, the TSX does handle like butter, even on stock suspension. Since you already have a RSB I would DEFINTELY put some shocks/springs on. The two will compliment each other amazingly well.

You could do the Neuspeed/Koni setup like virtualbong and I have (you've seen our cars in person) or you could get a set of TEIN Basic coilovers. I would recommend the coilovers up here in MA. The ability to easily adjust ride height through the seasons for different wheels and tires will be invaluable. After doing my suspension, I've been in love with this car. It is a true pleasure to drive in all but the worst traffic. Anytime I take a corner is a blast. If you are worried about ride quality, consensus on the Basics is that they are hardly noticeably harsher than stock despite having much stiffer spring rates, primarily because the shock/spring is matched very well by the folks at TEIN.

So yes, upgrade the suspension and maximize the TSX's strong points. It is not a fast car and without thousands of dollars of work it never will be. For somebody with a budget, suspension is the way to go. Also, it is going to make your car look 1000x better as somebody said above. Suspension is usually the first thing I do to a vehicle I own.

 

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Max, get your suspension done. Your chromes just aren't complete lookwise until you get your car lowered. Forget the Flash man until later.

 

Rmpage,

If you had to do it all over again, would you get the Basics, or stick to the Neuspeed Koni setup? I have yet to swap out my A-Spec, but was pretty focused on going the Neuspeed Koni route with either Neuspeed or Comptech springs... Have you been in a Tein Basics TSX that you can compare the ride quality with your own?

I want improved handling, but ride quality and futher elimination of wheel gap come first for me since the car already handles pretty well.

DAMN all of you! Everytime I think I have it all figured out, y'all say something that makes me go "hmmmmm"...

 

suspension

btw, "-Pink Fuzzy Dice (hung from navi knob)" ??? WTH??

 

I haven't been in a TSX with coilovers of any sort before. They just appeal to me because of their adjustability, since I am a huge nerd.

You may want to consider some Comptech 110-155 springs (the ones for the TL) and a set of Neuspeed Konis. AlterZgo has this setup, his car looks amazing, and he says it rides very well. In another thread recently LannyM (another big suspension goto-guy around here) said that he feels the Konis are best compatible with linear-rate springs. The Comptechs are linear, while the Neuspeed and Eibach springs are progressive. The Comptech spring rates are also very close to stock/A-SPEC. Using them, combined with the Koni's ability to lower the car via the spring perches, might be the ideal solution for you.

Check these threads:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24465
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24649



Neuspeed/Koni works well for me. I actually got a much harsher ride going to a +1 wheel/tire size due to the decreased sidewall/increased tire pressure. I really only notice when I do something like go over a speed bump, which really compresses the spring.

Haha. Welcome to ACURAZINE.

 

Alright guys, you've definitely been a huge help. Suspension is the way I'm goin I guess, with the points you've made I'm sure I wont regret it. Plus, there's nothing to show with the reflash anyway!

Now I know where to get a good price on the neuspeed/koni shocks (550 is good, right?)...does anybody know a good place to buy the Comptech springs (and whats up with those...155 rides better?)

Ry, I'm not planning on changing the height very often (if at all). Do you think the Tein Basic would be softer than the setup I mentioned above?


p.s. mg7726 i take my pink dice very seriously

 

I don't think they would. The 110-155 spring rate is 315F/170R while the TEIN Basics are 559F/336R. Those are in pounds per inch: 315lb/in means if you set a 315 lb weight on the spring, it will compress one inch - 660 lb = 2 inches, and so forth. Both of these are linear springs, so the rate will not change. Provided you set the Koni dampening correctly the Comptech setup will be substantially lighter because the springs are more forgiving.

Starting a thread in the suspension section will no doubt catch the eye of the suspension gurus around here. I suggest doing that and getting some answers before going any further.