w/ the RSB at a steady state limit, the car will understeer. the tire pressures can be adjusted, but you'd need 40+ in the rear to make it oversteer and that's unrealistic for street driving.

You can get the back to come around if you whip the car or unsettle it through a slalom, but you could do that w/ even the OEM bar if you tried hard enough. I'd say there's nearly no chance of making it oversteer in street conditions.

 

Even with the stockies at 35 all around and the comptech RSB I was able to get the back end to over rotate a little if I pushed it too hard. It was never an uncontrollable thing and would get right back in shape without too much fuss so maybe this is just a differentiation on what we consider "oversteer"

Or maybe I got the super secret beta version of the comptech RSB.

 

I'm guessing you broke it during the install and its not working properly.

 

Most likely.

 

 

Better check yours too.

 

uh oh.

 

Dan et. al.,

Thanks for the answers. I think this may be my first ever car mod (if you don't count after-market rims!).

I just came back from a day trip to Banff, the car's first real drive out of the city. While the handling is very good, you can definitely feel that this is a heavier car than my Civic. This sounds like just the ticket to minimize body roll, especially if it's still safe, as I think you've convinced me it is.

I noticed my dealer has some Comptech stuff on display around the parts deparement, so I'll see what they'll charge me to bring this in.

 

There are many things you can do to reduce understeer and even induce oversteer with a lot of Honda/Acura FWD vehicles. Most of my knowledge applies to Integras, Preludes, Civics, and CRXs, but the concepts should apply similarly to the TSX, especially since the suspension setups are fairly similar (especially in the front).

The easiest and cheapest thing you can do is to add a thicker rear sway bar, such as the Comptech. This provides a similar effect to increasing the spring rates in the rear. I don't know the exact spring rates for a stock TSX, but there is a definite bias towards the front that contributes to the cars tendency to understeer. The stock front swaybar is also thicker than the stock rear swaybar, further increasing the tendency to understeer.

The next step is a shock/spring combo that allows you to increase oversteer and improve turning ability. This can be accomplished with adjustable shocks and choosing custom spring rates. In my opinion, the best combination for under $1000 would be Koni Yellows and Ground Control coil overs. Ground Control exclusively uses and supplies Eibach Race Springs, which come in a variety of rates, lengths, and diameters.

On my Integra GSR, which I primarily use for the track, I'm running rates of 450lb/in Front (F) and 550lb/in (R). By comparison, the stock springs are 212 F and 117 R. By running stiffer springs and rear, you are changing the front-to-rear bias, and can greatly reduce understeer. The rates I am running are much stiffer than stock, which greatly reduces body roll but does not provide a smooth ride, so they are not recommended for the street. However, the important part is the 100lb/in differential between the front and rear spring rates. If you call up Ground Control and tell them what you are looking to get out of the car, I am sure they will be able to provide advice on choosing spring rates to suit your needs.

The Konis Yellows, like many other shocks and coilover setups, are also adjustable. Shock adjustments allow you to tune the car's handling characteristics by changing the front-to-rear bias. By setting the front firmness towards the middle and the rear firmness at full stiff, you are further changing the bias and reducing understeer.

One of the most important steps is a quality alignment. Running 0 toe in the rear is recommended, but slight toe out (1/16" total toe out) will help increase turn in without causing too much tire wear). Camber is also very important... by running more camber in the front than in the rear, you can cause the car to oversteer. For example, in my GSR, I'm running -2.3 F camber and -1.8 R camber. If you live out in So Cal, I'd highly recommend getting your car performance aligned at West End Alignment by Darren. He is extremely knowledgeably about cars, racing, and handling, and does everything by hand using hand tools and measurement devices (no alignment machine).

If any of you get the opportunity to either build, drive, or ride in a properly setup Honda/Acura at the track, you will see that it IS indeed possible to make these cars not only neutral, but even a little tail happy. I'll be out at Buttonwillow Raceway on July 6th with Redline Track Events if anyone wants a ride!

Finally, I definitely do not recommend setting up a car to oversteer if you are going to be driving "spirited" on the streets. If you want to push your car towards its limits (or your personal limits), do it on a track where you are not endangering anyone else on the road.

 

BTW, I have read but haven't confirmed that the stock TSX rates are approx. 300lb/in in front and 200lb/in in rear (the rates are much higher than the Integra stock rates because the TSX is a much heavier car). Selecting spring rates that will give you stiffer springs in the rear than in the front will definitely help to reduce understeer.

 

Holy thread resurrection... good info, but there's a million threads since this one that have discussed the topic

 

Wow, didn't realize it was that old. It was like the 5th thread down on the front page...