jiggaman

JTSO i can't wait to hear your impressions of how the car handles with the new shocks/springs. I won't be buying any mods for my car for a while now but I still think like a mod addict.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

I got the shocks and springs installed over the weekend. the removal and installation was actually pretty easy if you have the right tools. My cheap spring compressors broke after the rear ones were installed so I had to rent a set of spring comrpressors the next day. Additional to the shocks and springs, I also installed SPC front and rear camber kits. I spent a total of two days for the entire process (I took my time). The process wasn't difficult, but I had to remove and reinstall for rear setup multiple times to set the correct dampering rate and ride height and trimming the bump stop. I'm in the process of making a custom adjuster for the rear so all I have to do is to remove the rear seats for the adjustment. Another option is to drill a hole on top of the rear cover and stick a custom adjuster down for adjustment.

The advertised Neuspeed sports lowering height is 1.5"F and 1.0"R. However, the actual drop on my car with a full tank of gas is 1.8" to 1.9" F and 1.0"R. Thank goodness for the Koni height adjuster. I was able to lower the rear ride height by another .5" to a total of 1.5"R for a more balanced look without affect spring rate.

The Koni front dampering adjustment is 2-1/8 turns and the rear is 2-1/4 turns. I set my front to 1.0 and the rear to 1.5 for now.
The ride is very good and firm with the current setting. I will need to get the alignment done before I can evaluate the handling capability. I have some pictures during the install and will take some more once the alignment is done, hopefully this weekend.

21_in_az

nice work jt-so!

cant wait for the pics!

JTso

iTrader: (2)

The alignment is still not done yet but here are some pics. Enjoy!

Ball joint removal tool
This tool is a must when installing the rear camber kit.


Koni and Neuspeed sport spring


SPC rear camber kit installed


Rear shock bottom mount
The bottom has a build-in support which makes installing the rear shocks easy.


Koni/Neuspeed installed


Ball joint tool for the front upper ball joint


Stock ball joint removed


SPC camber kit installed on CA


SPC complete front camber kit installed
Note the range of adjustment


Front Koni/Neuspeed installed


TSX lowered


Front height


Rear height


Rear angle view


Front view


Side view


Side tire view
Note 17x8 +45 is sitting flush with the fender

Dan Martin

Love it! Those TL wheels look great on the TSX.

cmf

JTso--your car looks sick...nice work!

accsuperstar

sweet jtso! what did you use for the ball bearing removal tool for the rear joint? i need to install my camber kit once it comes in.

also did you change the height adjustments on the konis? is your drop the same as it was with stock shock + spring combo?

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Thanks guys! The rear ball joint tool is a Honda factory item. Part # 07MAC-SL00200. It's the same tool used on almost all Honda/Acura ball joints.

xizor

I sweat your car, just hope mine can look that good, definately in need of body kit now

xizor

pw question, does lowering with the shocks affect the camber the same way lowering springs do? try to skimp by w/o a rear camber kit if I'm that lucky.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Yes, it still affects camber but not spring rate.

accsuperstar

how much did that ball joint remover cost you? and did you buy it at the dealership?

Sturm

Wow. Your car looks amazing JTso. I really like the look of the TL wheels too. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the handling once you get the alignment done.

dom

JTso is the man

Looks sweet. When and where did you get the TL wheels? I had no idea you swtiched.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Thanks domn! I got the TL wheels last November off ebay shortly after I bought the car. The wheel weights 22.4 lbs, which is slightly heavier than the TSX stock wheels. I also switched to Yoko ES100 tires 225/45/17. The combined weight is about the same as the stock setup. Btw, the wheels/tires setup is only temporary while I can find some lighter wheels. This setup gives me a good idea what size/width to get.

accsuperstar, I got the ball joint tool from www.hparts.com for around $125. It may seem expensive but it's well worth it. It removed the ball joints effortlessly in a matter of seconds without damaging anything.

al8818

JTso,

Looks really good. Just had mine fitted. Do you have a harsh low speed ride especially at 1.5 turns firmness. I am experiencing more road noise and harshness and its on standard/original springs only. (worse than my Teins)

I must say the high speed damping is excellent. Just the low speed harshness was a surprise. Have you a solution?

AL

JTso

iTrader: (2)

I had my front set to 1.0 turn and the rear to 1.5 as starter. It's a little firmer but not necessarily hash. Btw, the front stock springs are actually very stiff. That's what broke my spring compressor when I tried to compress it.

al8818

JT,

According to the Mugen catalog, the stock spring rates are 5kg/mm in front and 3.1 kg/mm in back and Mugen's own CL7 springs are 5.7kg/mm front and 3.6kg/mm rear. Similar to Comptech's. Do you mean to say the Neuspeeds are softer?

Hmmm. think my Teins at 10kg/mm fornt and 8kg/mm rear have a better ride. Maybe I am mising something. Repaired roads and expansion joints are rather jarring. Can you share your experiences at speeds below 50 km/h or 30mph?

Anyway for what its worth, to save you the hassle of taking off the rears to adjust, here is what I did. I took the Koni plastic adjuster knob, cut it down flush to the rim(ie about a third of an inch of the center stalk left), pushed/cut out the keyed insert and slipped it into the shortened knob/stalk. May have to do a bit of cutting/milling to fit the anti-rotational slot. With the reduced height it can just slip over and between the Konis and the rear parcel shelf/housing.

Methinks 1.5 at the back a bit severe, the rear stays down after the bump and slowly recovers ride height. Hope I can remedy this harshness and clonking. Thank goodness local agent had the dampers here. Its only SG $160 making it about US $90 /pc and no shipping.

Can I ask if you put back the original bump stops(suitably shortened) or left it clear?

JTso

iTrader: (2)

I have shorten the original bump stop to restore suspension travel for the reduced ride height. I didn't shorten it enough the first time and the ride was a little hash, even at the softest setting (0).

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Hey al8818, thanks for the suggestion on the adjuster. Here is the result.



Now, adjusting the rear shocks should be a little easier.

al8818

Thats a good version, good hands!. I just left he knurled flange(less work) and so the insert goes right in after I milled out the center to allow the semi circular anti rotational slot to go in. Same effect but have more grip. Height the same tho.

Could you post a close up of the front tower mounting from the engine bay view. Thanks

al8818

Also it cannot be that we(JT and I) are the only two persons who have fitted KONIs. How about it? anyone out there care to share their experiences?

AL

JRock

Those would SEEM like logical choices for mods for a V6 or larger engine.

IMO, the ideal FIRST mods to improve a stock 6spd TSX would be:

17" forged lightweight wheels w/ summer tires in at least 235 width
comptech rear sway bar
lightweight flywheel
aftermarket clutch & pressureplate.

Headers, intake, and exhaust all seem to be almost pointless looking at the dyno results posted around here. Ditch those for the transmission parts. Ditch the struts, replacement tiebar, camber kits, head gasket, and springs for the wheels&tires.

Ideally add springs and struts at some point, and after improving the car's rev capability with the flywheel and clutch work, perhaps the I/H/E would be slightly more beneficial. Maybe then also set of performance pulleys, the headgasket, and an ECU flash or piggyback to change iVTEC, rev limiter, etc. Then you get some cams and cam gears and go wild.

Dan Martin

You must be looking at different dyno results than I am because I think 10hp from a $200 intake is pretty good bang for your buck.

JRock

OMG hahahaha those TL wheels actually look proper on the TSX! That's awesome. Just saw the pics on page three.

Pretty neat idea. I like how it looks with the drop. Now if ONLY those wheels were lightweight instead of heavy OEM stockers. =\

xizor

Buy a TSX before you talk trash about modding one. You haven't tried those parts you are dissing.

I have a front tie bar and it was a great addition. Intake was an awesome addon, I'd have a DC header if I had the money. Exhaust is a marignal upgrade as they show no dyno improvement, but I don't believe Jtso has one.

I think the transmission mods are the best ones you can do for the TSX. Its not a powerhouse, but it handles marvelously, so springs, sway bars, camber, etc. are all very good mods.

If you are trying to get your car to rev, why would it be ideal to buy rear sway anyways? And as far as



There is no TSX specific applications, so its not an option IMO.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Haha... you crack me up dude! You obvously don't own a 6MT TSX or test driven one. Why would you want a lightweight flywheel on a 6MT with low gear ratio and has no problem reving? Also, why would you want an aftermarket clutch setup when the stock clutch is perfectly cabaple of handling the power the engine puts out and not slipping? Do some home work first. I don't mean reading Stupid Street magazines....

JRock

Look I won't get into a flame war with you guys, I just judge by the information I have and I have yet to see a dyno posted for a TSX where intake, headers, or exhaust or any combination of those, has led to decent gains in power.

Yes, I have test driven the TSX, both auto and manual. No, I do not have to buy a car before I can comment on modding it. No, I did not 'talk trash' about the mods - I said only that they do not offer much performance gain. Please show me otherwise if I am wrong instead of trying to attack me. I like to learn and I'd be happy to see gains from those mods.

I hypothesized about a lightened flywheel because they seem to work consistently to improve revving no matter what car's transmission is the subject.

Of course the suspension mods are good. Most people overlook wheels and tires though, and the tires have a huge impact on how the car handles. A swaybar upgrade and tires will do much more for most cars toward improving times through a slalom than springs would, yet many people get springs as their first (and often only) suspension upgrade.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Is this what you want to see?



Btw, my adjuster v1 has been recalled (too ghetto) and now replaced by v2, which i like a lot better.


You were right about more grip. Thanks again!

jiggaman

V2 looks MUCH better Jtso. I think you got a little carried on V1 huh? So how are the Koni shocks when you hit pot holes and the type of bumps that you would avoid if you could but sometimes have no choice or don't see until its too late. Those are the situations where i feel like my stock shocks leave a little to be desired after lowering my car. If i hadn't gone nutz with my audio upgrades the Koni shocks were going to be the next install.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Hey JiggaMan, I was driving around yesterday purposely hitting small potholes to test out the shocks. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the shocks absorbed the bumps. The ride is firm but not bouncy even at the current ride height and shock settings.

JRock

So I take it you're just going to ignore my post. That's fine.

The best TSX dyno I can find is over $1600 worth of Comptech parts (intake, headers, exhaust)(not including shipping and installation) that barely nets a peak 20whp gain. That is over $80/whp. (It climbs to almost $100 per whp when you include shipping and installation but we'll ignore that.) And that's whp gained at the peak, not throughout the rev range.

I mean maybe that's all you want and that's fine, but that can barely be considered "decent" when Comptech's headers alone for the 3.2L J32A2 engine produced a peak hp gain of 32whp for less than $1100. (And other brands of headers go as low as half the cost of the Comptechs while maintaining at least 3/4ths of the whp gains - less refined products but bang-for-the-buck is stronger).
Not to mention forced induction applications which tend to net a dollar-to-horsepower cost as low as half the TSX bolt-ons while offering much more area under the curve. (This time estimating high on cost and low on output, the opposite of what I did for the TSX parts and numbers, figure $4500-5000 for an SC kit and 75-90whp gain. That's $56-$60/whp, and with a smaller pulley it drops significantly more.)

That's why I said I feel the money is better spent in suspension, rolling, and transmission upgrades, at least until we see some FI upgrades. And when they do come out, depending on if it's SC or turbo, they might require different parts for the intake and exhaust system so the money you dropped into basic NA bolt-ons is often lost (or sold at half price to another forum member). So for 20whp, a number adding barely noticeable performance in any real world testing, it might be wiser to wait.

That's all. Not a hater, not a ricer, not a keyboard TSX driver. Just a simple statement from someone with some experience in modding Acuras (and other cars as well). Don't act like someone's attacking you when they aren't. Have a conversation or don't, but don't start flaming.

cmf

How are you not trying to start a flame war with these guys, but start your post with......so you're gonna ignore my post. Maybe they read what you had to say and didn't want to carry on......give up, trust me, no point in going back and forth!

oh yeah....since when is everyone buying Comptech parts...I am sure it has been said before that Comptceh would not be the best bang for the buck...try another brand, ie: Injen, DC Sports, Fujitsubo, etc...etc...

JRock

Come on now. What did I write? I wrote: "So I take it you're just going to ignore my post. That's fine." I did not write anything inflammatory or trollish. Stop with the nonsense and read it like an adult, okay?

I presented my opinion, I was attacked for it, I replied maturely and have not heard anything since, and now I have bolstered my first opinion with more background and factual information.

Dan Martin

Hey JTso,

Do you think that the Tein EDFC would work on the Konis?

JTso

iTrader: (2)

JRock, no one is attacking you, just want you to get the facts straight. The Comptech engine parts are probably the worst gain for the dallar and there are plenty of dyno charts on this site that shows other intake, header that provide better gains than Comptechs. We all know that, so what's your point?

Go back and read what you posted and see if it makes any sense.

Here, I'll save you some time.

Can you explain the above statement? Do you have any facts to back it up? I have dyno chart to show the improvement. Just look it up on this site.

You mentioned money should be spent on pullies instead. Show me a dyno chart for a TSX with pullies. I'd like to see the gain you promoting.

You also mentioned flywheel. Show me a dyno chart for a TSX with light weight flywheel.

You also mentioned about clutch. Why would you need it at the TSX current HP level? You don't need it until the engine puts out more power than the clutch can hold. Then you still need to know how heavy of pressure plate and type of disc to match the engine while maintain driveability. Does it provide any HP gain by replacing it? What does it gain?

You mentioned money shouldn't be spent on intake, header until FI comes out. Because we all will waste money.

That's just simply ill-logic like you shouldn't buy the car now until Acura comes out with a turbocharged engine in 2009, or wait until the cows come home.

Life is too short. Buying the car, parts that you can enjoy now is all part of the game. What's wrong with selling the parts you don't need to other people that want them at a good price? I'd like to buy someone elses good used parts when they upgraded to something better.

You seem to think members here don't know about modding a car. I'm sorry to inform you, there are plenty of members here are very knowledeable and will disagree with your comments.

There isn't any point to continue on this...

Dan Martin

Hey JTso, I bought a computer last year but I hear there are faster ones coming out next year. Should I sell this one and wait till the new model comes out?

JTso

iTrader: (2)

I'm not sure, as the space on top of the rear shocks are very limited for the EDFC motor. It would be cool if it works though...

xizor

Like JTso said, the CompTech parts are way overpriced. A $200 intake and $250 DC header should net around ~15-20hp. All of the exhausts are $800+ and dyno about 3-4HP, so obviously thats not a good power bolton. The Hondata gasket is $60 and should net 5hp w/ some elbow grease, that's quite a prospective mod. And all of these are doable self installs.

FI has still an unknown. The k24 has a extremely high compression ratio, so who knows how much boost it can handle. It costs quite a bit, has moving parts that can break, and has risk of detonation. It'll probably void 99% of the engine warranty as well.

The problem here is that the K24 engine is so finely tuned already you wont see massive gains like other cars from just a I/H/E. One thing to look forward to is the Hondata ECU. w/ the right fuel mappings, changed vtec point, etc there could be some awesome gains w/ those I/H/E, it certainly shows on the K20A2 which is also finely tuned.

JRock

Way to quote one line while ignoring the rest of the post which gives exactly what you now ask for - the explanation why I felt that way.

The I/H/E mods listed have shown much more improvement on larger engines and generally only minor improvement on NA 4cylinder engines. The dynos for the TSX (and every other NA 4cylinder) back that up.

Uhm no, I never said I know everything nor that I/H/E are a waste of money or that you shouldn't buy a TSX now or that you don't know about modding or any of the other random things you're trying to heap on me.

Instead of twisting what I said, read it as is: (summary) "I/H/E offer minimal gains and might not be very cost-effective mods. Instead here are a few mods I would suggest as first mods." Yadda yadda, I'm not re-writing everything I already said. Next time just read it and feel free to offer your own suggestions instead of attacking mine like I don't know what I'm talking about, when in fact if you give me a chance you can see I do indeed give more reason behind my suggestions.

Ask yourself:

Do you disagree: that I/H/E on the TSX offers only minimal gains?
Do you disagree: that better tires and a better rear swaybar are often a best first upgrade for handling performance improvement?
Do you disagree: that bang-for-buck FI tends to be as good or better than simple bolt-ons, especially quality ones like Comptechs which cost a lot?
Do you disagree: that a lighter flywheel will improve the way a car revs?

Probably not, because those are all practically fact, considering many educated and experienced people have proven them time and again for years. Yet those are all I've really said. You've put a lot more words in my mouth than I actually said and then found reasons to disagree with those new claims. Instead realize we're probably just coming at the same point from two different angles and you're reading more into my posts than is really there.

If you agree with those listed statements as you probably do, then if you read my first post properly you wouldn't have come at me as an antagonist like you did.