ironlung1948

Hi guys im new to this forum and I have a question. I want to enhance my driving experience with better grip handling. I was considering purchasing the A spec suspension kit but for just struts and a minimal drop not sure if its worth it. I then began looking into anti roll bars. Will anti roll bars create tighter turning and handling? What are its limitations?

btw I have an o6 manual TL.

thanks in advance!

I hate cars

I've practically written a book on a-spec and swaybars. Try a search of my username, I've done extensive testing. Too tired of writing it over and over.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

You can spend the night reading his replies, but it will be worth the effort as it will point you in the right direction.

sjo

iTrader: (2)

Yes sir!

ironlung1948

Thanks bro but im still on my probation period and not sure if theres any easy way to search ? can you tell me how to do that? or provide a link to it. appreciate it

ttribe

Short answer - get the A-Spec suspension AND an rear anti-sway bar. You'll thank us later.

ironlung1948

cool what type of anti sway bars work the best?

ttribe

I have the CT one. Others swear by the Progress bar. Your call - http://store.excelerateperformance.c...s/c-10114.aspx

I hate cars

You can use google with the keywords and acurazine.com in the search.

Short answer, it depends on your goals. A-spec spring and shocks will firm up the ride slightly and give you less squat, dive, and roll. It's a very worthwhile upgrade. Just enough lowering but not too much, a stiffer ride but not too stiff. It's very well balanced front to rear. The only downside to stiffer springs and shocks is a stiffer ride. Swaybars won't do a thing for squat and dive.

A swaybar on the other hand is a torsional spring that ties the left and right side suspension together. They are a compromise though. They have less of an impact on ride quality for the same increase in roll stiffness than springs. However, since they tie the left and right sides together they take some of the independence out of the independent suspension.

When you enter a corner with a large swaybar it will keep the car flatter but it will also try and lift up the inside tire which is not good.

Swaybars have a large effect on the balance of the car. Run a large front bar and the car will understeer more. This is where you enter a corner and the front tires break free and the car tries to keep going straight.

Run a large rear bar and the car oversteers where the rear slides out.

You're looking for a balance. Since the TL understeers from the factory you can improve handling quite a bit by a larger rear bar. However, go too large and the car will become tail happy.

I ended up upgrading both the front and rear.

What trim level you have make a big difference in your choice of swaybars.

The 5at has smaller swaybars front and rear. If you only plan on upgrading the rear bar, the Progress 24mm bar will work ok but you want to keep it in the soft setting to keep the car from becoming tail happy. The CT 22mm bar would likely be a better choice for a 5at. You will have a little more bodyroll but the better balance will more than make up for it.

If you have a 6mt, you have larger swaybars from the factory. A Progress 24mm rear might be better.

If you have a TL-S you have a large solid front bar and the Progress 24mm rear is the easy choice.

Bodyroll is not the end of the world with the TL. It goes into negative camber when the body leans so a little roll is not going to hurt anything.

There's a lot more to it than this but it gives you an idea. It's not just a one size fits all if you care about the actual handling vs only less body roll.

ironlung1948

Well said. Tx bro.. More importantly I think I need to figure out all this auto jargon before I start spending money on performance parts!

I hate cars

Anything you need help on, just ask. It's good that you want to learn about why you need something rather than spending money on something because everyone else tells you to.

If it were me I would do the Progress 24mm rear bar along with the a-spec springs/shocks. Ride quality would be almost as good as stock with a significant handling improvement.

If you just have the money for one or the other, it's a tough choice. I think the rear sway bar would be the biggest bang for the buck.

djbonsu

iTrader: (3)

best addition to my suspension yet! TL-s front sway bar with progress rear sway combo is all you need for this car

binhsterbinh

I have the A-Spec Suspension on my '05 Auto with the Progress RSB on track setting. What 'I hate cars' said is spot on. Those 2 upgrades are by far my favorite upgrade and transforms the TL into a very fun to drive car yet still comfortable enough to enjoy every day of the year.
I started with Progress RSB first on track setting and drove for about 6 months before adding the full A-Spec suspension. Try the RSB first for $150 and if you want more, install the A-Spec. I have not had a chance to switch my bar to the street (softer) setting but I don't mind a little oversteer either. I've yet to lose control as our vehicle's VSA usually fixes most of the fishtailing at the limit if I get a little too aggressive (knock on wood).
Good luck.

RBsilver05TL

Hi all. I'm new here but have been lurking for a while. I've done a bit of research here and, thanks in large part to I Hate Cars, I think I know what I need to do. I have an 05 TL A/T. I'm going to go with the Progress rear sway, either first, or in conjuction with the A-Spec springs and shocks (the Progress bar being the one recommended for use with the A-spec). The questions I have are: 1) If I have a decent set of ultra high performance tires on the stock 17's, will I benefit greatly from jumping up to the 18" A-spec wheels. (If I did I'd put dedicated summers on them and swap back to the A/S tires in the winter.) Obviously the summer tires would be better, but the question is with the suspension upgrade, am I really going to "need" those summer 18" tires? 2) I've seen discussion about going with the A-Spec 6 M/T set up for the A/T car. What's the difference? Why is there a difference? 3) One non-suspension related question: Does a CAI for this car dramatically increase noise? This car, at the end of the day, is a sales guys' daily driver. It looks worth while, and the car could use a liitle more growl under acceleration, but not too much! Thanks in advance for the help!

I hate cars

The manual trans a-spec will make the front sit a little lower, that's all. The front won't actually be lower, it will just be more even.

Tires make the biggest single difference of anything you can do for the handling so choose wisely.

There is no performance benefit to the 18". If performance is what you want I would go with an aggressive tire on the stock 17s.

Or in other words, you could do all of these suspension mods and put it on winter tires and still get beat at the track by someone with an ultra performance summer tire on stock suspension. The suspension does add performance and especially change the dynamics for the better but for outright grip, the tires play the largest role.

This is the reason I run the Nitto NT05. It's about the most aggressive tire you can run on the street and get acceptable treadwear.

RBsilver05TL

I guess what I'm trying to achieve is a more settled, in control feel when really pushing the car or at high speed.(Read: BMW. OK, how 'bout Audi. I know its a nose heavy front driver.) I totaly agree that the tires make the biggest differance. When I swapped out the OEM's for Pirelli P-Zero Nero A/S it made a very significant differance. What I want to do now is continue to dial out the remaining sloppiness. The car is still a bit too unsettled sometimes. And yes, I'd prefer "beating" that guy with the stock suspension and the ulta high performance summers after spending all this money! I can imagine that the "sloppiness" I feel is attributable to the A/S tires, but what the hell do I know!

S PAW 1

Personally, I have an '07 TL-S 5A/T with A spec suspension. I have upgraded to the Progress 24mm RSB. I could not be happier with the setup.

I have done a few laps at th MidOhio course, and I was able to compare to the modified TSX's when I completed the two day Acura High Performance driving school in 2007.

Little understeer still, no oversteer (with RSB set on firmest setting). Could have used a stickier tire compound than the Michelin Pilot A/S's, but was a last minute decision to put the car on the track.

Just my

'07 TL-S CBP 5 A/T
FUJITA F5
PROGRESS RSB
P2R TBS
Braille battery
V1 on the lookout

S PAW 1

Correct that:
I do NOT have the A-Spec suspension. Just the TL-S suspension with upgraded RSB.
I have no idea why my fingers printed that

saersxlr8

I have a 2006 base AT. I called acura with the type S rear sway part number 52300-SEP-A11 and bushings 52306-SEP-A11 . I asked if this will fit my vehicle and parts guy says no. Is this true?

I hate cars

He's right. You have to buy the $15 bushings to make it fit.

The answer is yes, it's a bolt-on, make sure to buy the Type-S bushings too.

saersxlr8

what all parts do i need? if you can list part numbers that'd be awesome. (sorry for the tread jack heh heh)

I hate cars

You're right, most of the sloppiness is from the stock suspension, not the A/S tires.

What I meant before is you could throw on a set of ultra high performance tires on a stock car and roll your way to a quicker lap time but it would not be fun and as you said, sloppy. The dynamics would not be that great, it would take longer to take a set in a corner, it would become uncomposed over bumps, etc. The upgraded suspension will really allow you to take advantage of good tires.

The more I think about it, the more I remember the issues I had with the stock suspension and sticky tires. It had a major problem hitting the rear bumpstops due to body roll and getting VERY tailhappy at the limit due to hitting the bumpstops.

RBsilver05TL

Great info, thanks! I'm really looking forward to setting this thing up the way it should have come from the factory. A couple last (maybe) questions: I see referances to the control arm bushings. Will the Progress Bar come with the proper bushings? And to clarify, I order the Type-S bushings when I order the FSB? I might go with the H&R 28mm for the front. I assume they too would come with the proper bushings? The only other question I can think of now is were do I get this installed? I go to a pretty good tire shop where I am. They said they can do it. Anything special I need to tell them about an alinement? I guess I'd rather avoid the dealer If I can.

RBsilver05TL

OK, someone up in my neck of the woods has 07 type-S springs for sale. If I got these, what shocks would I match to them and does that affect the sway bar recommndation?

I hate cars

Type S springs are somewhere between stock and a-spec in firmness. Are you sure you want to go that route instead of a-spec?

Type-S shocks would work fine, stock would likely work fine.

However, it's not mandatory but it's nice to be able to firm up the shocks with the larger swaybars. Especially when I installed my front H&R 28mm bar, I had to firm up the Konis to properly control it. Believe it or not the ride seemed less choppy with the shocks set stiffer.

Again, it's not madatory but it's nice to be able to tune a little with the adjsutables.