Hey all, I've had my 04 TL 6MT for a few years now, and decided to dive deeper into what I could do to tweak and customize the car to be more of my idea of a perfect daily. When I bought the car I didn't do that deep a dive on all the varieties of the car, and now that I know there were sportier models available, I'd like to get as much of those OEM upgrades as possible onto mine. I'm planning on getting a new exhaust and either aftermarkets coilovers, or if possible, some OEM ASpec parts instead, but I was also wondering what the remaining differences are between what I have, and the Type-S. I've also heard rumors of a clutch check valve delete that I'm now looking into. Ok, so onto the specific questions I hope people can answer:

What OEM Type-S parts are swappable for performance/cosmetic enhancement?
Are OEM ASpec shocks available to buy somewhere, or should I be looking for used ones?
If so, are those better than new aftermarket coilovers? I've heard Tein is a good name for those.

In general the previous (first) owner took good care of the car, but at over 150k miles, I'm wondering if there's any TL specific maintenance I should look into doing to make sure everything keeps running the way it has been. Thanks in advance everyone!

 

All this is Googleable and/or available in this website. Just search and read.

Otherwise no one will take you to be a serious enthusiast that will actually do any of the mods you posted above.

The check valve delete isn’t a rumor. There are Many threads including mine that has a step by step guide on completing it.

Search and read.

 

Check this site out for a variety of OEM/Aftermarket parts. https://www.endlessrpm.com/3rd-gen/ Few friends of mine with 3G's have used this and recommended them and I myself have also been looking in to them as I'm buying a 3G this year. There's also already a few threads on the check valve delete if you look around a bit.

 

Performance, very few unless wanting to get into engine internals. Cosmetic...quite a few.
Not sure they are easy to find anymore...if at all.
No idea...not my realm.
Timing Belt, Compliance Bushings, Mirror Actuators, and Power Steering Leaks are the more common.

This is fact.

 

 

I've found a good number of threads but all of them so far link back to a, admittedly very detailed, post about it that has all of its pictures removed. I can't seem to find your thread on it in your started threads, but that could be unfamiliarity with the forum. I'll keep looking.

I keep running into the classic old forum problem of dead links and removed pictures, which makes sorting through info a lot more time consuming.

Unfortunate but not too surprising. I'll start looking into aftermarket upgrades then, thanks.
I'm also looking to get a beefier rear sway bar, but that's a pretty straight forward upgrade.

 

One thing to keep in mind regarding a beefier rear stabilizer bar is you already have the same bar which came with the Type-S; I have seen several reports here from folks who've upgraded to a stiffer bar regarding damage or cracking of the frame member the bar is bolted to.

 

If you want to use Google to search the forums, use the "site:" syntax to help.

"site:acurazine.com/forums/third-generation-tl-2004-2008-93 coilovers"
"site:acurazine.com/forums/third-generation-tl-2004-2008-93 clutch valve"

 

Aspec only has shocks and cosmetics over type-s as far as I know. Contact acura for a new set, that's where they come from.
Type S parts that are upgradeable.... here's a short incomplete list
crankshaft
rods
Heads
Camshaft
Intake manifold
sway bars
bumpers
shocks
rims (model dependent)
exhaust system
interior parts

most of the car is better on the Type-S
Research, there's a thread with a few hundred pages of documentation on the check valve delete in this forum less than 3 clicks away from this thread. If you want to buy the bolt on parts and just make the car good, open up a credit line with www.heeltoeauto.com and www.endlessrpm.com