Milin

I am wondering this right now:
why does the TSX only have the most basic performance options availiable for it.

I would have thought that the low sale numbers of the TSX were to blame, but lo and behold the TSX is one of acura's best selling cars.

Maybe there aren't gains to be had on the k24?
negative. a guy over at houston-imports.com just made over 600 at the wheels on a k24, albeit with KPRO and inside an RSX type S full interior car.

maybe owners don't want to modify a 30k car?
then why do we see so much aftermarket support for a car like the subaru WRX STi? it costs $33k and there are already a ton of engine management and turbo and intercooler options as well as full kits which are complete overhauls of the turbo system, replacing every stock component.

drive by wire is tought to hack?
oh really? If its so tough, explain why subaru tuning companies seem to have had no problem whatsoever whent he sti and wrx switched to drive-by-wire systems and there were engine management systems out a few months after their introduction.


Why, then, does it seem like the TSX has a very underdeveloped aftermarket compared to other cars? (mainly the lack of engine management)

I want freaking kpro already for this car so I can go buy one and slap it on the day it comes home.

Dan Martin

Demographics. The typical TSX owner just turns the key and enjoys what they have. There are many enthusiasts who want more, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not a big market. STi's are marketed towards enthusiasts which explains the strong aftermarket support.

Milin

this platform has so much more potential.
It is the only honda that still uses double wishbone suspension.

Even the guys from spoon agree that the TSX is a better set up platform for modification than the RSX-S, which is built off of a family van platform

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

with Dan Martin. Plus, because basic tuning options do not require the ECU to be completely retuned, they make for easy bolt-on solutions. Anything more advanced requires additional ECU tuning, which, at this point, is just not available. No one has been able to successfully produce a reprogrammable ECU and, quite honestly, there probably isn't really a huge market to support it.

Milin

don't you think there would be one if someone started making the product: tuners would flock to the platform after a few TSX's break into the 13's with n/a mods?

Honestly at this point all the car needs is a good 75 shot and some falken azenis to get that, don't you think?

edit: wow fast responses...i love this site.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Products won't be made unless a business case can be made for them. Since the general demographic that buys the TSX is probably not buying it to tune it, don't hold your breath for much more beyond what we have seen so far.

CCColtsicehockey

I think you will see more engine management setups and possibly a turbo setup or two available later on down the road. when younger tuners can buy a used tsx with 100 - 120k on them or more in like 5 or 6 yeras for like 10k or less then I think then the aftermarket market might actually increase cause more people will be looking to tune them. however not many of the younger generation goes out and buys a 30k car and mods it.

ACCURATEin

I personally think the TSX has a plethora of aftermarket options to choose from....(coming from a deprived TL owner)

CCColtsicehockey

well maybe you should suck it up and go with a custom one off kit man. just kidding. you gonna have time to do a photo shoot friday afternoon. I want to try to get it on azines.com.

Milin

sigh. Back to the drawing board for car ideas then.

the g35 has plenty of aftermarket support, so it doesn't seem to make sense that the TSX wouldn't.

I always thought honda > nissan, and with all the tranny problems I hear about from the g35 and Z, I'm left wondering if I want another glass gearbox (coming from a 12 sec subaru).

Chris_F

gearbox wise (final drives, clutches, flywheels) tsx is able to use any parts made for the rsx.

engine internal wise the story is the same (cams, pistons etc.)

bolt-ons, a few american made I/H/E options are available and even more when you consider all the options designed for the CL7 that fit the CL9. (huge range of options from comptech to toda to maxim-works, injen, k&n, mugen etc. etc.)

ecu wise:

you have the expensive option of motec which can be optioned up to include DBW

or you have the euro1 or euro4 ecu's from EFI

http://www.compsystems.com.au/efi_technoogy_spa.htm


Pricing wise the euro1 inclusive of DBW module goes for under Australian $2000. It has built in ability to control hondas i-VTEC and offers sequential ignition (wasted spark) and full tuning options. The stock ecu may need to be kept to run the AC and dash etc. haven't found out about that yet.


If anything TSX/euro owners are spoilt for choice when it comes to aftermarket parts - it's a 4 door 4 cylinder sedan afterall. What about the guys driving 4 cylinder camrys and previous model accords they'd have no where near as much support as we currently have.

xizor

Its possible that TSX aftermarket support will shoot up now that the RSX has been killed by Honda, so if buyers want to stay in the family the TSX is the only option. But its possible the next-gen TSX will be on a totally different platform that doesn't share parts.

Stokeless_TSX

I just hope someone somewhere will freakin make a turbo for our car. Until they do ....i guess we just have to wait.

Milin

build your own setup! It may cost a little more but the results will be a lot better.

Apparently you CAN use RSX's K-pro by running 2 ecu's in tandem.
It doesn't sound all that hard and you keep all the stock guages, unlike the SCC (sport compact car) project car.

97AcuraCL

An introduction of a TSX coupe (if ever durring this cycle) i think will change a lotta things.... based on the demographics of people who buy coupes vs. a sedan.

CCColtsicehockey

can I get more info on this running of ecu's in tandem. I mean is that even possible.

jiggaman

sounds like a disaster waiting to happen...

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

not in tandem...has to be piggyback

Stokeless_TSX

hmmm never heard of this...anyone else?

CCColtsicehockey

thats what I was thinking but if he has proof and info proving it then I would be willing to look into it but it just doesnt sound likely.

savage

like the vishnu setup on the EVO...

Milin

well, the reason I say it's possible is a local guy has done it on an automatic RSX.

run kpro on the RSX ecu except let it control only the engine.
Run everything else on the TSX ecu and still let it get the signals IN from the engine to work the guages and yet keep it from getting things out to the engine.

I would think that a few features, however, wouldn't work right anymore. I'm going to have to do a lot more research on this whole thing.

It's just a thought and an idea, although nobody has attempted it yet on this exact platform.


apparently somebody has got it running, though, and has the stock guages running as well. My guess is they aren't going to show up online and tell everyone how to do it, though, since they probably paid a lot to fabricate it.

Tsx536

^^ I would love to see you get all of that working

That is one project I will not be the test car for though

rmpage

This is a little confusing, but I'm pretty sure I've seen what you're talking about. There's a thread on clubrsx about it, I believe. It was a base RSX with an AT. The guy bought a second, MT ECU, added a K-pro and used it to control the engine, then used his original ECU to control the transmission. He needed an expensive custom wiring harness to do that, but it worked. Pretty neat methodology.

This will not work with a TSX until Hondata releases a TSX K-pro though.

savage

http://www.vishnutuning.com/main.htm

this is the link for Vishnu tuning which uses a piggy back called XEDE to tune their cars... remember we talked about this setup at the meet a few weeks ago... unfortunately they do not have any honda support so i dont expect it in the near future anyways...

i have also heard of issues with piggy back systems from EVO users who believe it is not as capable as true ECU tuning, because of the inherent delay in the piggyback having to recompute the output of the ECU before sending it to the engine...

Chris_F

running a paralell ecu is possible, apparently microtech is able to do it with one of their ecu's. It's nothing new really.

No one bothered to check out the EFI ecu's i posted