benben01

Since it's popular thread. Think I should start one to keep track of progress.. These pics where taken my by 10 yr. daughter who wants to pick up photography as a hobby. Oh yeah, she's got dips on the TSX when she's ready to drive lol.

Mods to date:

- CT-E Icebox
- P2R Throttle body spacer
- 4300K HID fogs
- CF wrapped rear diffuser, door pillars, outer grille surround
- Nano Fusion clear bra
- 2nd Cat delete
- Forgestar F-14 wheels: 19x8.5 +45, 19x9.5 +42
- Tires: F 245/40/19 (with 3mm spacer), R 275/35/19
- Rear fenders rolled and slightly pulled
- C63 real carbon fiber rear fender flares
- Megan EZ coilovers
- OEM PWP mud guards

Next Mod:

Custom rewrap of the steering wheel with thicker padding in alcantera/perforated leather combo....

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

very nice. do you have a side shot of the car? rims look nice...

MrOtocinclus

Hot.

spdandpwr

Do you have any more pics of your car's rear? Im liking the way the painted rear bumper looks (the part that you painted black). Overall, nice ride.

ed_423

mhmm those rimsssss

and im also starting to like the cf flare!

benben01

Here are some more shots. Since my daughter is home sick today, I sent her out to take some more pics I wrapped the back diffuser area in a single sheet of 3M CF vinyl. It's way better than paint... Oh BTW, my tint is 35% up front and 20% all the way back.







The white residue on the CF vinyl is dried up soap residue...















P2R throttle body spacer



CT-E ice box. Works well and growls nicely and not ricey sounding like most short ram or cold air intakes.

spdandpwr

Did you notice gains with the performance mods? also, did you wrap the rear chrome strip in cf wrap? it is easy to pull it off if I decide to remove it? Im really liking the way the rear of the car came together. also, how did you do the wrap, it it just a whole bunch of cutting with an exacto knife? or did you remove the bumper, etc

sorry for all the questions

benben01

All the power mods produced noticeable power gains. The best bang for the buck was the 2nd cat delete. The TB spacer was a cheap mod that yielded better throttle response and the ice box added some nice music to the ears when you get on it.

I did CF wrap the rear chrome trim on the trunk as well as the lic. plate frame. The CF comes off easily with a heat gun. As for the bumper area, i used a single sheet of CF vinyl did some careful masking with vinyl specific masking tape. The rest were patience and a steady hand to trim off the excess and make it look OEM. I did removed the reflective bumper markers on the bumper to get the vinyl tucked in there for a 1 piece look. That project along took almost 4 hours. I do this stuff on the side if anyone is interested.

tobwac

nice progress
how is the ride with 275 on the back

benben01

Ride quality hasn't change at all. The 275/35 have the same profile/side wall thickness as the 245/40 i had back there before. Tell ya what, the 275s makes a world of difference in the way it looks. I was at the dealership the other day getting a TSB validated for Navi replacement and saw my TSX being pulled up for delivery... It looked hawt!!!

Mr. NC

Your daughter takes better pictures than many people on the boards me included lol

Clean TSX sir, didn't know you did so many mods already

benben01

She said "Thanks!"

I work from home so I have plenty of time to mod when I get bored BTW, my daughter wants it boosted before she gets the keys. She misses the "Whoooooosh..Pssssssst" sound of the BOV in my Speed3.

spongebill

Looks great. Good job.

spdandpwr

how far is md from ct? lol, might have to plan a trip to get the pieces carbon fibered. I might actually try to plan it black...still undecided.

benben01

That's a 5+ hour hike my friend

ssjoeboe9

2002? you are old my friend! Car looks really clean. I know how hard that vinyl is to work with and I commend your efforts, it turned out great! Wheels look awesome. Engine is spotless, Good call with the CF cover! Love the ride. Just wondering how you deleted your 2nd cat? I wants gains without going to russia lol

spdandpwr

iirc, he went to a shop and had them make a pipe. you can also buy the p2r pipe for $250.

ssjoeboe9

Figured lol... I have access to SolidWorks at my University so maybe I can just fab my own part. But probably not... anyone just bang the shit out of their cat until it was hollow??

Slade037

Gawd I LOVE those wheels. Wish I wasn't so poor I'd get a set ...

How are Megans treating you? How do they compare to the stock ride?

Beautiful car. I think the sports package would complete the look.

KillerG

more info on vinyl processss pllzzzz

it looks hard but awesome

VortexBlueTSX

agreed on the vinyl i really like the diffuser!

MoaarLow

Loving the look you're pulling off.
A Mod i would love to pull off in the future.
If you were closer i would have asked to do mine.

defconskylude

not bad for a 56 yr old man =)

MoaarLow

Ben, would you have a pic of the headlights and fogs on at night?
Idk if i want the 4300k or 5000k.

ed_423

you are now included in one of my "super clean pwp cu2" list.

ed_423

btw did you cf wrap your spark plug cover as well?

benben01

Thanks peeps for the complements. Actually I am just a couple of years older than Defcon :P I joined way back then when I was modding my Accord V6 and snooped around here on the for sale forum looking for parts. At the same time, the wife got an 02' TL-S which she was adamant that I do NOT mod it and stays stock lol..

Updates on the Megans.. So far so good. They ride well on the settings I have. Overall drop is less than an inch from OEM height. Mine looks low cuz my wheel/tire combo is slightly bigger than the OEM.

There is no magic or special sauce to doing the CF wrapping of the rear diffuser. Just take your time and be extremely patient. The CF vinyl is very forgiving so don't be afraid to stretch it. As always, surface prep is the key. Oh yeah, I got bored and used the left over CF i had and wrapped the spark plug and fuse box covers in the engine bay.

Overall, I am very happy with the looks of the car so far. However, the front bumper feels like it's missing something. Maybe a subtle CF lip the likes of a E92....
I think I have pics with both my headlights and 4300K fogs posted in separate thread. To be honest, I think they are more like 5000K. They appear blue'ish. On a separate note. Since it's icy and slippery here this weekend, should I wrap the roof in CF vinyl? I've been going back and forth on this for a while. Want to keep it clean and not go overboard.


Here's a pic of the 2nd cat delete...



I a really looking forward to have my steering wheel looking like this..

HondoGermany

Great car, like the view from the back.
I got a CF lip at my TypeS front bumper and cf vinyl roof, still like it

apinwp09GBTSX

Man!!! Nice setup CF is definitely hard to work with I just vinyl the front blade in my car took forever and lots of trial and error....gj on the "rear diffuser" it definitely sets it off right and looks aggressive...and the forgestar so clean if I only had the $$$...Im leaning more towards the XXR 530 or enkei EkM3 on my ride...

benben01

What do you all think of this lip? With a bit of massaging, I think I can get it to fit..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-05-08-E9...ht_3065wt_1243

defconskylude

looks good but how often do you scrape? i think its gonna crack pretty quickly.

MoaarLow

Very creative! However, i had a CF lip on my previous STI, and it was a waste of ~$400 bucks. Once its scratched, theres no REALLY repairing it. Its ruined. and it will crack with the slightest Hit. I came down from a speed bump cautiously and BOOM, right down the middle.

Then again, its only $150! Just go for it bro. Make it work

benben01

That's what I am saying.. It's cheap enough to not lose sleep over it. Beside, I am not that low where I am scrapping. What I can also so is reenforce he back of the lip with 3m clean clear bra film for added strength.

KillerG

get that shit

defconskylude

go for it.

let me know when you find some sides.

benben01

yeah.. just need to go and take some measurements on my neighbors 328's bumper and I will pull the trigger if they are similar.

ssjoeboe9

Why not go for the OEM lip kit? they look really good!

Mr. NC

Cool idea with the cf lip, I think your biggest obstacle with fitment here is the TSX fangs after that it's smooth saling

benben01

The fangs are throwing everything off.. Closest lip that will support fangs is the E92 M3.. I would do OEM but i am not feeling the it on the 2011 model. The 2010 aero bumper is nice but I am not feeling the size of the grill on the 2010s...

ed_423

Nice lip idea bro.

For me,-1 on cf roof vinyl. I say either matte or gloss black, I m not sure how I feel about fake cf on roof lol.