TheMirror

OK, so I ended up not being able to resist the $575 bargain for the A-Spec spring and shock setup. My heart was originally set on Koni's and HR OE Sport spring set, but I couldn't engineer a satisfactory way to adjust the rear shocks and the combo was more expensive.

So......

I had it installed with a Comptech rear sway bar that I had laying around.

No Ingalls camber kit in the rear, and with my current 17x7.5 Gram Lights and stock tires.

Keep in mind the Gram Lights are a full 5lbs. lighter than stock per wheel, so that may factor in to the ride quality a bit.

My stock suspension at 40K miles was starting to go a bit soft. More brake dive, transitional reactions weren't as sharp, turn-in was starting to require a correction to maintain direction, etc. etc.

Ladies and gentlemen, A-Spec suspension and a Comptech RSB solves all of the above problems.

Turn-in is now quite direct and much much sharper. Brake dive has been reduced significantly, almost eliminated completely. This was huge for me, because it was the #1 reason for changing the suspension. Its not just brake dive, its how turn in is affected with the nose plowing the ground as well, throttle on and throttle off, you get the picture.

Steady state cornering is predictable with greatly reduced body roll. This is also a significant improvement over stock, where body roll and soft damping meant lots of gyration through corners....especially bumpy corners. Now its predictable and precise. So much better.

The car ended up with about a 1/2 inch drop. Certainly no more than that. The front end is still fairly high, which probably won't satisfy some folks. For me its perfect, I wanted to retain as much ground clearance as possible.

The ride is about 20% firmer than stock. Its most noticeable with low-speed (under 40mph) high frequency road imperfections. The big dips don't upset much, but you can definitely feel the increased rebound. The little jiggles are more pronounced, but I stopped feeling that after a week or so.

All in all, its an incredibly effective upgrade for the $575 + $129 I spent for the A-Spec plus Comptech RSB. One of the best I've ever put in a car. HIGHLY recommended for those that want to retain virtually stock ride and ride-height, yet need improved handling characteristics.

OK, so it doesn't handle as good as my Porsche 968, but that's why I have the 968 I guess.

Is this the suspension that goes into the Euro Accord Sport models?

-Mirror

EuRTSX

Sounds good. Im sure the suspension will settle and you'll get a bit more of a drop.

Glad you like it though. I'm planning on getting A-Spec as well as soon as my wheels are here.

jwood_06TSX

^ mine was only like 3/8" when i put her down but settled to over 1" now

TheMirror

Wow! I'll keep an eye on that. How long did that take?

My car is an '05 TSX 5AT by the way.

mltk53

good god! ure soo specific! lol. good info though.

undefined.tae

thanks for the review! i plan on getting the aspecs soons.
btw, what year is your tsx?

EuRTSX

Newplay1

How long did the installation take you? And any plans for rear camber kit and wheel alignments?

mrgold35

Do you need a camber kit with A-spec? I thought the drop wasn't low enough to need one.

jwood_06TSX

It took about 2 weeks total to settle in to where it finally stand now! It was around 80 miles....i have a short commute....lol

jwood_06TSX

It seems that all the new people that get the 06-07 lower the car a little more it really kicks the passenger side rear tire out and you need the camber kit to bring it back in.

TheMirror

I had it done by a local shop, due to my lack of adequate working space. Only took a couple of hours for them to do. No plans for a rear camber kit just yet, the car doesn't exhibit any bad alignment characteristics so far. I will be watching rear tire wear closely. I'm waiting on a 4 wheel alignment until my stock tires are used up (probably by summer's end).

Cheers,
-Mirror

CarbonGray Earl

Great review, I can vouch for the RSB part....steady state cornering is probably its best overall benefit....I can literally steer the car with one finger. I can really attack cloverleafs now.

About the Aspec install - when you handed it over to a local shop, did you know if they were real diligent about torque specs? Need we be real diligent about torque specs in the Aspec install? I'm only wondering because I'm deciding whether to get it done by a local shop or just DIY it.

jlukja

Funny you should ask about the torque specs. I had mine done by a recommended local shop. A few days later I found that they had only finger-tightened the top of front left assembly.

CarbonGray Earl

Whoa....now that's what I'm worried about. what shop?

TheMirror

Geez, that's the kind of thing that gives shop owners FITS.

I had mine done by a local guy who really knows his stuff. No worry in my case.

That being said, I bought the factory service manual and always keep it on the front seat of my car when I get anything done to it.

All the torque specs for the various suspension components are in there, here's the best place I've found to buy the manual:

2005 TSX Service Manual

CarbonGray Earl

thanks. I figured that as well, that most of those guys want to go in torque it til its tight. Something I might have to live with if I don't do it myself.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

Aspecs isn't bad at all I went autocross with mephisrheins and he running teins flex, I didn't do too bad for my first time at it. Aspec gave a better performace than the stock tsx that was there. He had some troubles with weaving in and out, but he sure didn't handle the course too bad for a stock car. Actually the stock tsx look pretty good out there althought it did roll alot.

I happy with the aspec till i get enough money for a better suspension =P

jlukja

Team Honda in Buena Park. They gave me a great price and seemed to do a good job but the handling felt "loose" so I started poking around under the hood and discovered the bolts weren't torqued down.

Sclass88

My '04 TSX with 40K miles and stock suspension is also starting to show some signs of weakening and it's becomming more soft by the day so I was thinking about A-Spec for it but I have a few questions.

1.) Would I have to also invest in a RSB?

2.) Would I need to get a rear camber kit? I don't want to start screwing around with that kind of stuff, I just want to get the A-Spec and call it a day

3.) I looked on eBay and there were a few different kits on there but some of them said for Manual and others said for Automatic. Are the suspensions actually different depending on the transmission?

jlukja

1. No. You don't have to invest in a RSB. Its a very worthwhile upgrade, IMHO, but you an certainly do without it. Your choice.

2. Depends on how your car settles. My 04 settled down to about a 3/4-inch drop and my right rear camber was definitely out of spec. However, I had the right rear camber TSB performed by the dealer and the rears are now within spec without the need for a camber kit. Some 04 owners need it and some don't. I think its the luck of the draw.

3. The suspensions are different depending on whether its an AT or MT. The AT is heavier in the front due to the heavier transmission sitting bolted to the engine so the front shocks/struts are different to compensate for that weight difference. On the other hand, I've read of AT owners buying the MT suspension because the MT version will allow the front end to sit down slightly lower than the AT version would. Personally, I wouldn't do that. Mine is an AT and I have the AT version.

jwood_06TSX

1) Same as Jan above

2) Depends however, the newer 06-07's seem to need camber kits due to the slightly lower stance it ends up providing and kicking that right rear wheel out.

3) EXACT same as Jan stated above


I think you'll be happy with the apsec. I did the installation myself of my Tein Basics on my 04 and now my 06 aspec and it really isn't that bad if you DIY (no spring compressor needed). The whole theory on tightening it til its tight is better than the loose problem that Jan had, that sucks but at least you caught it Jan!!!

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

i want to eventually change my suspension as well, but i'm not sure if i should go for the a-spec or something like the tien basics or tien SS. regardless, i'm going to save up for it.

Sclass88

Thanks fellas. I know there was a TSB that went out for the the rear camber on the '04's. My '04 was a late model (VIN of 44,000) so when I bring mine up to the dealership on Friday, I'm gonna' see what they have to say about it. I want to get this suspension upgrade.

One additional question... If I were to buy the kit elsewhere from the Acura dealership, they won't install it for me, correct?

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

Dealers overcharge if you have enough hands and tools you can do it yourself, if not a shop will charge you about 210 labor.

jlukja

The TSB (06-007) covers all the 04 and a certain VIN range of 05 models so your 04 definitely falls under the TSB.

michael1284

I have an 04 TSX and I was thinking about getting the 06-07 ASPEC since it seems to lower more. Will I run into any problems?

Also, could I still go and get that TSB fix if I'm out of warranty and just act like the previous owner never did it? (I bought the car at 42,000 miles about 8 months ago)