Hi guys,

I have about 100, 000 km on my 06 TSX and it is time for me to change my suspension. I'm planning on going switching to the A-Spec suspension. I'm wondering two things:

1) Where would you recommend buying the the A-Spec suspension on line?

2) Do you need to change anything else like bushings or end-links that get worn out and need to be changed along with my suspension?

Thanks!

 

Your only around 67k miles. I wouldn't change the bushings yet. Are you looking for after OEM or aftermarket? Honestly your going to want to modify your ride height later on down the road. I would recommend getting Form & Functions coil overs. It rides smooth and you have the availability to raise and lower.

Also how do you like the RDX? I'm in the market for one soon.

 

we have a couple of vendors available to us on this forum.

If you PM Acktl05, he can get you the aspec suspension.

also, if you head to http://www.oemacuraparts.com/ call and ask for Tim.
he is also a vendor on acurazine.com

furthermore, you could possibly find a set on ebay.
Sometimes, dealers have ebay pages that sell the suspension.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll probably just get my mechanic to check my suspension before he takes anything apart.

Got my A-Spec at Acura of Curry.

I have the 07. Good acceleration, handles like a car. Haven't had any issues at all with it. Only complaint is that it is not great on gas. I think the 2nd gen is supposed to have better fuel economy.

 

Ya my car's crap on gas too and with the Canadian gas prices is so high, it doesn't help us... especially since we have to fill supreme.

 

I'd recommend upgrading to the TEIN Street Basis. They offer ride height adjustment and are firmer than stock but not stiff. They will be a bit firmer than the A-Spec suspension but you will be able to adjust the ride height.

 

To save time on the install, I hope you ordered some endlinks from Curry Acura, aswell. I had to cut off 2 or 3 endlinks, and found out that Canadian prices are considerably higher; other members here pointed out that there are non-Acura alternatives which are a better bargain.

I had to drive around for a couple of days with the rsb disconnected, until I had time to get the replacements, and go back under the car, but it was no big deal driving that way (...but the rsb is there for a reason, of course).

 

Ya, parts are such a rip off in Canada vs the US. The A-Spec suspension ended up costing me literally 1/2 what they wanted up here.

So, why did you have to cut off the endlinks? Was it just worn out or was it just a preventative thing?

 

I replaced the shocks on an 8 yr old Protege, and then the struts on my then 4 yr old 06 TSX; the nuts on the endlinks were "rusted" tight, and on either one side or the other I'd usually just end up stripping the allen key hole. The Mazda service Manager said, "No, we don't bother doing that, we just cut them off...", and the Acura technician said, "...those nuts are designed to go on and not come off." I replied, "Tell me about it," and bought the new endlinks and/or additional nuts because I had to dremel/grinder/nut-splitter things apart.

 

Well, got my A-Spec suspension put in. I have to say I am really enjoying it. My goal was to improve the handling of the car without too much more harshness to the ride and maybe get rid of a bit of the wheel gap without changing the look of the car too much. I have to say the A-Spec was exactly what I was looking for.

The car feels really connected to the road and it seems like the steering is more responsive. Overall, the car has a much more stable feel to it.

It has really tightened up the handling, less body roll and squat/dive. With everyday driving, you feel bumps in the road more but just a little and not in a negative way. However, you really notice the difference vs. the stock suspensiton when you choose to tackle a corner. Then the car just feels planted.

As many have said, it doesn't really change the look of the car with a maximum drop of 3/4 inch.

Got a wheel alignment done. Everything was within spec except for the rear camber which is -1.7 and -1.9. (Spec is -.05 to -1.5) I think that is okay, not planning on getting a camber kit.

One little surprise for me was that the car feels a bit peppier now. I think it's because there is less squat when I accelerate and it gives more of a sensation of being thrown back into your seat.

For those of you 1st gen TSXers who are getting up there in mileage and you've decided to swap out your suspension, I would consider the A-Spec. It has made me want to keep my TSX for a little bit longer than I may have otherwise.