I'm going to look at a car for sale at a dealership. Not an Acura dealer.

they have a 06 RL that has the aspec kit and aspec wheels. the photos do not show any a spec badging.

i am going to assume the car has a spec wheels and body kit but stock suspension...but how can I tell?

is there any kindo fo tell tale sign you can visually see like markings or something on the shock if you look in teh wheel wells?

is the ride height obvioulsy lowered vs a non a spec car?

 

The A-spec kit, per postings in the site, lower's the car buy close to 1 inch, if my memory is correct. Do a search and you'll find the answer....

 

.75 inch, but I do not know how you would tell otherwise. The body kit, the suspension and the wheels are all available separately. Maybe the VIN and an Acura dealer might be able to indicate what was put on the car? I think that is hoping for way too much data integration.

 

When I had the A-Spec suspension put on my 05 RL there was an A-Spec form that got filled out and stamped with some official Acura seal, and the VIN was registered with Acura . I believe it was all for warranty purposes and to sort out the folks who would just slap the A-Spec emblem on a car.

 

The easiest way to tell would be to have the salesfolk get hold of the previous owner, if at all possible, to ascertain the information for certain. Chas' suggestion is the next best suggestion.

 

I believe the suggestion above is correct if you take the VIN to Acura they will be able to tell you if the car was deemed an A-spec or non A-spec.

 

Drive a non Aspec car from Acura and test drive the one in the lot if you can. The Aspec suspension is stiffer and you'll bounce around much less. You can usually tell that way, even with the sport tires. You'll feel more in control of where the car goes...

 

How to know if RL has A spec suspension?

Answer: By the smile on Neuronbob's face.

 

Good answer!

 

You betcha.

 

Pull the part number off of one of the shocks and cross reference it to determine which part it is.

On a related note, I had mine in for a state inspection the other day and the tech that did the road test had very favorable things to say about the way my car handled....

 

The, uh, stiffer it is the bumpier the ride, ya?

 

Sort of. The normal car feels very floaty. It's kind of like on a boat persay, like it's still good, but you can tell because you feel less bumps but you also feel it as if it's gliding.

The stiffer in a sense would be a bumpier, yes, but not by too much. I prefer the Aspec because you feel the road, and you feel that you are on it, rather than hovering over it.

Since it's tighter, you'll feel bigger bumps more, but you should go over the smaller ones without noticing them much.

 

Is the handling improved by much? or should i just get the H&R's since the price is a lot cheaper.

 

Yes.

A-Spec for the RL is an undermarketed, virtually unknown feature outside of online forums.
Too bad, because the handling is significantly improved, especially if you use decent performance all-season rubber or summer tires. The ride quality is not significantly worsened....it's still a smooth ride.
On top of that, you get 12 months of warranty as it's genuine Acura parts you are installing. Even better if you install at a dealer (shop around for a decent price, though...)

 

does anyone do what to expect when it comes to pricing for the install of the Suspension Kit? any ideas

 

bump

I see the parts on eBay for $575 or so, and I can probably do better with the Honda discount (which is why I married my wife ;-), but I too was wondering on a guestimate for installation either via a dealer or via a 3rd party.

I think I can get labor for $50/hr at the employee shop near the one of the plants, but I'm not sure if they do accessories (our new vehicles get them installed via dealer). Either way, I'm itching to take the plunge.

 

Can you get more than one set at Honda discount?

 

I wish, they're kinda funny with how they handle things, and my wife has ethics in excess.

 

$575 is not bad for A-Spec, I paid $600 three years ago.

Rev, mine was installed at the dealer for a reasonable price. I paid less than $350 for install and alignment IIRC.

I say, do it! It gives the car more sporty handling without loss of ride quality. I loved it.

 

I want to change my RL to an A-spec RL with wheels, badge, suspension and body kit, as far I know, those are the things that make an RL, A-spec. Is there anything that I missed?