Meh new PWP TSX w/Sport Bumper
04-20-2009, 02:27 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Meh new PWP TSX w/Sport Bumper
Howdy peeps,
Well I took delivery of my new Premium White Pearl/Ebony '09 TSX 6MT w/Tech Pkg on Friday afternoon. Totally loving it. Got the car home and 3 hours later I removed the bumper and intake resonator, then replaced the bumper with the OEM Sport Bumper. It felt so wrong to be immediately de-flowering my beautiful new 30k car, but eh, what are you gonna do? Its gotta happen eventually... lol
Here are pix of the destruction...
Yes thats a bunch of clips and screws haphazardly strewn about my garage floor, don't worry I didn't have any parts left over when I was done.
All of the pieces that detach from the bumper, waiting to be transferred to the new bumper. Its quite impressive how much engineering went into funneling air into the radiator.
Bare front end w/resonator removed.
Afterwards:
Hope you all enjoy the pix. My wife and I are loving the car.
The intake sounds great with the resonator removed. After examining the pieces that came out of the car, I have some ideas about how to possibly build a ram air system out of the stock intake pieces. I'll report back if I have any success.
Well I took delivery of my new Premium White Pearl/Ebony '09 TSX 6MT w/Tech Pkg on Friday afternoon. Totally loving it. Got the car home and 3 hours later I removed the bumper and intake resonator, then replaced the bumper with the OEM Sport Bumper. It felt so wrong to be immediately de-flowering my beautiful new 30k car, but eh, what are you gonna do? Its gotta happen eventually... lol
Here are pix of the destruction...
Yes thats a bunch of clips and screws haphazardly strewn about my garage floor, don't worry I didn't have any parts left over when I was done.
All of the pieces that detach from the bumper, waiting to be transferred to the new bumper. Its quite impressive how much engineering went into funneling air into the radiator.
Bare front end w/resonator removed.
Afterwards:
Hope you all enjoy the pix. My wife and I are loving the car.
The intake sounds great with the resonator removed. After examining the pieces that came out of the car, I have some ideas about how to possibly build a ram air system out of the stock intake pieces. I'll report back if I have any success.
04-20-2009, 11:08 AM
#6
Racer
Thread Starter
Thanks guys.
I didn't really care too much for the OEM bumper, and when I saw the sport bumper on another TSX, that's what sealed the deal for me on buying a TSX.
I paid $600 from my dealer for the bumper. Retail is $780 or something. I just told them that I could get it off the internet for about $600 shipped and they matched the price. It didn't hurt that I was buying my car from them the same day though.
It took a couple hours to do the swap, maybe an extra 30 minutes to get the resonator out. Not a difficult job.
And FYI, the bumper will not fit inside the TSX, so if you go to buy one, take a car with a larger cargo area... haha
I didn't really care too much for the OEM bumper, and when I saw the sport bumper on another TSX, that's what sealed the deal for me on buying a TSX.
I paid $600 from my dealer for the bumper. Retail is $780 or something. I just told them that I could get it off the internet for about $600 shipped and they matched the price. It didn't hurt that I was buying my car from them the same day though.
It took a couple hours to do the swap, maybe an extra 30 minutes to get the resonator out. Not a difficult job.
And FYI, the bumper will not fit inside the TSX, so if you go to buy one, take a car with a larger cargo area... haha
Last edited by mucter; 04-20-2009 at 11:10 AM.
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04-20-2009, 02:02 PM
#8
wow very sexy looking car. PWP was a good choice 
Just one question though, why did you remove the white styrofoam on the rebar?
Just one question though, why did you remove the white styrofoam on the rebar?
04-20-2009, 02:11 PM
#10
Racer
Thread Starter
04-20-2009, 06:02 PM
#15
Racer
Thread Starter
Removing the intake resonator makes the engine sound SO much more mean. Its located in the driver side wheel well. With it removed it makes the intake pull air from the wheel well, like a CAI, and it removes a ton of restriction. So I'd be really surprised if it didn't make an extra 8-10hp with it removed, yeah I don't have anything more than the butt dyno to tell me that, but based on the results of the aFe CAI, its probably not far off. AND ITS FREE, lol.
-
I sold my '02 RSX Type-S to buy the TSX. It had CAI, IMG, DCRH, 05-06 Exhaust, KPRO, A-Spec Suspension, etc..
It was quick. But ultimately, I need to have a 4dr car for some excursions, and the '08 Civic Si my wife drives is so much like the RSX, we couldn't justify having both.
-
I sold my '02 RSX Type-S to buy the TSX. It had CAI, IMG, DCRH, 05-06 Exhaust, KPRO, A-Spec Suspension, etc..
It was quick. But ultimately, I need to have a 4dr car for some excursions, and the '08 Civic Si my wife drives is so much like the RSX, we couldn't justify having both.
04-20-2009, 06:07 PM
#17
Racer
Thread Starter
yup, only the front. I like the stock rear bumper, yeah the sport rear is better than stock, but I didn't -need- it. And after dropping a $6k down payment on the car, I didn't have a lot extra for accessories.
04-20-2009, 06:16 PM
#19
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After that, if I can, Maybe a CAI.
04-20-2009, 06:54 PM
#20
Congrats mucter, you work FAST! The bumper looks great, and the car pretty much confirms for me that the TSX is the best execution of the power plenum (even though technically, it was an afterthought).
As for the resonator delete,good work. I know this might be blasphemous for some, but if you want to DIY a system, I saw some ready made parts at either Pep Boys, Kragen or whatever car parts retailer is by you. Some tubing, a couple of elbows, some hose clamps and a velocity stack facing into the wind might be all you need.
As for the resonator delete,good work. I know this might be blasphemous for some, but if you want to DIY a system, I saw some ready made parts at either Pep Boys, Kragen or whatever car parts retailer is by you. Some tubing, a couple of elbows, some hose clamps and a velocity stack facing into the wind might be all you need.
04-20-2009, 07:40 PM
#21
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Removing the intake resonator makes the engine sound SO much more mean. Its located in the driver side wheel well. With it removed it makes the intake pull air from the wheel well, like a CAI, and it removes a ton of restriction. So I'd be really surprised if it didn't make an extra 8-10hp with it removed, yeah I don't have anything more than the butt dyno to tell me that, but based on the results of the aFe CAI, its probably not far off. AND ITS FREE, lol.
-
I sold my '02 RSX Type-S to buy the TSX. It had CAI, IMG, DCRH, 05-06 Exhaust, KPRO, A-Spec Suspension, etc..
It was quick. But ultimately, I need to have a 4dr car for some excursions, and the '08 Civic Si my wife drives is so much like the RSX, we couldn't justify having both.
-
I sold my '02 RSX Type-S to buy the TSX. It had CAI, IMG, DCRH, 05-06 Exhaust, KPRO, A-Spec Suspension, etc..
It was quick. But ultimately, I need to have a 4dr car for some excursions, and the '08 Civic Si my wife drives is so much like the RSX, we couldn't justify having both.
also, how would you compare straight line performance of your old rsx vs. the tsx. im asking because im about to trade in my rsx for the tsx for the same reason (need 4 doors.)
04-20-2009, 08:36 PM
#22
Three Wheelin'
yea the resonator definitely makes a sound difference and seems to kick in a bit harder while at WOT, i was planning to do a short ram or CAI by cutting the box near the tube part, and then go out and buy a K&N cone filter sticking it in. The sensor should be fine since you'll be cutting after the sensor.
or just wait for the CAI lol
or just wait for the CAI lol
04-20-2009, 09:20 PM
#23
thanks man, ill def be removing the resonator when i get the car, and ill install the hid fogs while i have the bumper removed i guess.
also, how would you compare straight line performance of your old rsx vs. the tsx. im asking because im about to trade in my rsx for the tsx for the same reason (need 4 doors.)
also, how would you compare straight line performance of your old rsx vs. the tsx. im asking because im about to trade in my rsx for the tsx for the same reason (need 4 doors.)
Look into a used TL, IMO...just an idea.
04-20-2009, 09:54 PM
#24
Racer
Thread Starter
Yeah the 4300rpm VTEC and 8600rpm redline that my RSX had w/KPro was addictive. The RSX was significantly faster than the TSX. I sold the RSX to a friend, so sooner than later we'll do a drag and I'll be able to give you guys a good realistic comparison of performance.
I have to say that I do feel the extra 30ft lbs of torque on the TSX vs the RSX, but the top end pull of the RSX makes a huge difference. I doubt that a stock RSX would be much if any faster than the new TSX, but mine was far from stock
The TSX has 2, yes 2 Cats, so I can imagine that removing just one of them would make a good dent in extracting some more oomph from this engine. I'm excited for an aftermarket company to come along and make a downpipe to replace the cat that's attached directly to the block.
I have to say that I do feel the extra 30ft lbs of torque on the TSX vs the RSX, but the top end pull of the RSX makes a huge difference. I doubt that a stock RSX would be much if any faster than the new TSX, but mine was far from stock
The TSX has 2, yes 2 Cats, so I can imagine that removing just one of them would make a good dent in extracting some more oomph from this engine. I'm excited for an aftermarket company to come along and make a downpipe to replace the cat that's attached directly to the block.
04-20-2009, 11:04 PM
#26
Racer
Thread Starter
There is a cat attached directly to the head instead of a normal header, then about a foot farther down the exhaust line, theres another cat. It's so they could achieve a CARB certified ULEV rating for this vehicle.
I'd put money down that the cat attached to the head is the sole reason the '09 TSX makes less BHP than the '08 TSX. Stupid emissions standards.
But it means there should be easy power to get out of this engine as soon as someone develops a downpipe to replace the first cat. You could probably take out the second cat and get a straight pipe welded in, the 02 sensors are both attached to the first cat, not the second.
With no cat, single exhaust and simple intake resonator removal, there's probably 25-30 more HP to be had out of this engine. SOMEONE MAKE THE PARTS... lol
I'd put money down that the cat attached to the head is the sole reason the '09 TSX makes less BHP than the '08 TSX. Stupid emissions standards.
But it means there should be easy power to get out of this engine as soon as someone develops a downpipe to replace the first cat. You could probably take out the second cat and get a straight pipe welded in, the 02 sensors are both attached to the first cat, not the second.
With no cat, single exhaust and simple intake resonator removal, there's probably 25-30 more HP to be had out of this engine. SOMEONE MAKE THE PARTS... lol
04-20-2009, 11:13 PM
#28
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WOW nice post you have!!! I want that bumper so much but I spent money on 2 cars so couldnt feed more with my salary ...
btw, does it have any negative effect to remove the intake resonator??? How long did you remove that thing?
btw, does it have any negative effect to remove the intake resonator??? How long did you remove that thing?
04-20-2009, 11:16 PM
#30
Racer
Thread Starter
ZERO negative effects. It just makes it louder, and its a good louder. It makes the engine sound tasty. I really don't see any reason to spend any money on a CAI, the car sounds great. And by removing the resonator, you get rid of most of the restriction in the system. So it has to make more power, now we just need to open up the exhaust.
04-20-2009, 11:26 PM
#32
Racer
Thread Starter
Dunno if any of you are into suspension, but I pulled off the wheel to have another look at my intake ideas, and I took some pix of the suspension. After dealing with Honda's stupid MacPherson Strut setup on the RSX and 7th gen Civic, its refreshing to get back to the tried and true Double Wishbone setup that the Civic/Integra made so famous in the 90's 
There's an interesting thing in this picture, if you look right under the transmission casing, you can see that there is a torque dampener connected to the bottom of the transmission that sits in a recession on the subframe. Its cool how over the last few years, Honda has fixed their wheel hop problems related to engine movement.
That was a huge problem on the RSX, so much so that it would damage aftermarket headers if not kept in check.
There's an interesting thing in this picture, if you look right under the transmission casing, you can see that there is a torque dampener connected to the bottom of the transmission that sits in a recession on the subframe. Its cool how over the last few years, Honda has fixed their wheel hop problems related to engine movement.
That was a huge problem on the RSX, so much so that it would damage aftermarket headers if not kept in check.
04-20-2009, 11:28 PM
#33
Racer
Thread Starter
lol, yeah I still have the stock RSX intake in my garage. It does not have a separate resonator, just a HUGE airbox with multiple chambers that do the job all in one package.
04-20-2009, 11:36 PM
#34
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wow thats awesome with the dampener. i got my motor mounts replaced by the dealer last month because of all the engine movement lol. the vibration in the car was terrible with the busted mounts! now its as smooth as butter.
04-21-2009, 07:22 PM
#36
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ZERO negative effects. It just makes it louder, and its a good louder. It makes the engine sound tasty. I really don't see any reason to spend any money on a CAI, the car sounds great. And by removing the resonator, you get rid of most of the restriction in the system. So it has to make more power, now we just need to open up the exhaust.
Sorry about asking so many Qs but I wanna do this mod safely! And how long did you do it after all?
04-21-2009, 07:24 PM
#37
Racer
Thread Starter
I talked to my car shop today, he is wondering if the engine light turns on. Cuz everything is controling by car computer now and it may affect the sensor to go error...huh...
Sorry about asking so many Qs but I wanna do this mod safely! And how long did you do it after all?
Sorry about asking so many Qs but I wanna do this mod safely! And how long did you do it after all?
04-21-2009, 07:34 PM
#38
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No it won't affect the Mass Air Flow sensor, as that is located after the filter, and this doesn't affect the filter at all. It just removes the box below the filter that makes the engine quiet and restricts the flow of air to the filter box. I've put 200 miles on the car since I removed it and haven't had a single issue.
Thx for reply bro!
Damn you make me thinking about purchasing bront bumper now...
Oh one more thing...
Do you feel our PWP TSX a bit yellowish color if park beside some IS or civic white? I felt a bit weird to my car, dont know if you feel that way too.
04-21-2009, 08:10 PM
#39
Racer
Thread Starter
Yeah the PWP is definitely a pearly color, not just the pearl clear coat, but the color itself. It really depends on the lighting. It's not a stark white color. All the same, I think its sexy as hell and am 100% satisfied with "white" on this car. It is exactly what I wanted.