BROlando

About 8 or 9 months ago...my GF drove a S2000 for the summer and a 8G Si as a daily driver. She decided that she wanted to consolidate into a larger, more practical vehicle.


I agreed because a car with a big boot meant I got to take my road bike and MTB on road trips instead of choosing between the two like I had to do when we went to the Adirondacks/NYC/Utah.


Plus, we have two of these little jerks who have cages, toys, etc that we sometimes need to transport. And neither of them ever wants to drive anywhere or get a job or move out or pay taxes.







We tried a 2014 RAV4 for about 6 months. I have a few friends that work at the Toyota dealer...so we pretty much stole it off the lot. That's why we didn't buy a CRV.


She liked the RAV4 more or less...no real strong feelings, I don't think. I hated it. So we decided to go wagon shopping lol. We both fell in love with the wagon after a test drive.


Since I bought the aforementioned RAV4 for the aforementioned ridiculous price...the trade in offer was about $700 less than we paid for it 6 months and 8500 miles ago lol.


Here the wagon sits. Bone stock the night we bought it.







First thing I did was tint the windows to match the rears. 15% tint so you can't see up in her window. The tint guy was all "you sure?". But she's probably as gangster (if not MORE gangster) as I am. So....yeah...I was sure, and I'm very happy with the result.


Then I ended up with a deal I couldn't refuse on some KW ST's, Enkei Raijins, and Dunlop Z2's. So no more talky talky. Here it is:



























Fitment is near perfect. I'm leaving the camber where it falls naturally. I don't mind a little camber because it helps handling...and it doesn't really wear tires...and I'm not going to roll the fenders on a car that's driven through the salty winter.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

very well done!

BROlando

Thanks bud! I'm happy with how it turned out as well....and so is she.

slim_tsx

Nice ride. Rims and drop is perfect. ����

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Jaheri_cbp

Clean wagon!!! What offset and width are those enkei's?! Super!!

usdmJON

Can I see more of the Type Rawr?!
mmmm Love me some PY.

M.I.N.O.

iTrader: (1)

Wow, well done! Very tasteful and not too over the top. Wish they sold these wagons in Canada.

BROlando

Thanks guys! And yes.... I was going for a "factory" look. Hopefully, to the casual passer-by, the car just looks like it came that way from Acura lol.

The wheels are 18x8.5 +38

BROlando

Sure!

iSeeYouTwo

Nicely done! Cool bird too. Lol

Jakes_tl

I am not a fan of the TSX wagon but I really love the way yours look!

By the way the Type is AWESOME! I love it!

xtcnrice

ITR.. arguably the best Honda/Acura ever made. S2000... RWD, VTEC, 8.X K redline. What more can you ask for? I'm so jealous.

Clean, great looking wagon! Fitment/stance is perfect for a DD wagon with a personality. How are you coping with the 5AT? I wish my TSX was in 6MT

Since you're so good at DIYs/writeups, and you have a knack for performance... if you ever decide to 6MT swap your CW2, please list all the parts and a DIY LOL I kid... sorta not really.

What's next? RL calipers?

BROlando

Lol yeah. He cool.


Thanks. I actually prefer the wagon over the sedan. This proves that nobody sees things in the same way haha.


S2000 = 9200RPM rev limit. But...it's been up to 11,500 before. MY BAD, S2000. MY BAD.


Manual swapping the CW2 would be involved...but very do-able. Welding = easy. Wiring = easy. Hard part installs = easy.


Except...my GF doesn't want to drive stick anymore...so, there lies the hurdle lol. She prefers automatic. I look at her funny every time she says that. But. You know.....


I have never owned an automatic car, and I never plan to. BUT...the trans is surprisingly good in the 2G. The shifts are crisp, and the car's overall package makes up for the fact that it's auto. I *think* that if it were my DD....I might be able to deal with the autotragic trans.


IDK though.


Nevermind. I couldn't do it. I changed my mind already. lol.


My TSX DD is MT and that's one of the reasons why I love it as much as I do.


And yeah, RL calipers might be next for the wagon. Maybe I'll pick a set up this weekend if I'm bored.

waaasobe

great write up man, i also have the raijins absolutely love them but i wish i bought a wider set !

god all you're care look stunning though so jealous !

oh and nice bird haha, love bird right ?

BROlando

Thanks! And the bird is a conure.

Jaheri_cbp

Sniff sniff... I smell a Honda fan boy.... And swisher sweets.... Mannnnnn That ITR doe!! You hopping on that new civic R when it comes stateside??

BROlando

Idunno. The new CTR hasn't given me a boner yet. The next car I buy will probably be a BMW M3 (the european Honda) or possibly a CTS-V, pending a test drive.

We'll see, though. Every time I buy something that's not a Honda, I sell it to buy a Honda lol. I sold my ITR a while back. Someone flew from Italy to buy it....and then took it back to Italy. I really want to pick up another ITR and the NSX has always been something I've lusted after.

I need a bigger place. And more money. :'(

Lol.

PS. The swisher sweet comment is accurate.

Jaheri_cbp

My buddy/best friend/biz partner scooped a mint 09 cts-v... That car performance wise is serious!! Doesn't hurt that it has a nuclear powerplant under the hood.. 500+hp and magnetic suspension on a great chassis for just over 30 grand is a steal.. But you take a corner hard or soft and you can hear the cheap ass american interior trim pieces squeak and rub against eachother.. He just had the sc swapped out under a recall too (made a strange noise at idle)... I have only ever owned Honda/Acuras and two subarus in my life and only recently could figure getting a Bimmer just because of what these dudes are getting out of their n54's with nothing but a COBB flash.. but then I start to think about all the maintenance I helped my buddy with his e46 and I'm like nahhh nevermind...

P.s. I switched from dutchies to swishers recently cuz dutchies tasting like shit and super harsh these days fyi

BROlando

Lol. Yeah, german car maintenance is out of control...and that's mainly why we didn't buy her the cert'd X3 that we were originally looking at. N/A BMW's are more solid than Audi/VW's, though. I think if I were to buy one...I'd buy a new or cert'd used one. Then I'd figure out how to fix all of it by the time the warranty ran out.

For now, I'm trying to be a bit more minimalistic. I love my TSX, and it does everything I want it to do. Its paid off...and having no payments is very nice. I'll hang on to my TSX a while. I love it

Jaheri_cbp

Lol seriously!! Changing front lower control arms at 80k miles is not my ideal.. Not to mention replacing that stupid aggregate oil filter support gasket, or brake sensors. To change the cabin air filter is like two hours of removing plastic smh, just the general maintenance is more agonizing.. Over-engineering at its finest... But if I were to nazi sled it bmw is still the best option and the most of a "driver's car" than merc/audi

2012wagon

Beautiful wagon and mods. Love the look.


Is it the pic angle or do the front wheels stick out more than the rear wheels?

xtcnrice

Oh your S is an AP1? Geez 11.5k downshift? Did something break? lmao

Harper

Normal practice for cu2s. Square wheel setup = rear is usually sunk in and front is flush.

Jaheri_cbp

Sounds like a money shift to me.. 5th to 2nd??

iCrap

holy shit lol. 11.5k?! Yeah sounds like a money shift... but I guess you can save it if you go into like 6th REALLY quick.

2012wagon

Got it. Makes sense why so many people are not doing the square setup these days.


It woul bother the heck out of me for the front to stick out more


HOpe al is well

BROlando

The front sticks out more because there's more camber curve on the rear. I'm glad. Otherwise, I'd have to roll fenders...which would mean I wouldn't have lowered it or put wheels on it. I would absolutely not roll fenders on this car since its driven through winter.

Yes....the 11.5k RPM in the S2000 was due to a 3rd to 2nd "upshift" lol. It was at the start of a 3 day track weekend and I was just out there warming up and screwing around. I have it up on youtube, I think. VROOOOOOM. whoops.

The car started misfiring and I brought it into the pits right away. I then turned it off...checked my lugnuts (unrelated)....turned it back on, and went back out there knowing full well that I probably cracked some retainers. I wasn't going home. I would blow it up before I went home.

The car ran fine after I turned it back on and got a bigggg puff of smoke.

I only cracked one retainer...miraculously. The retainer was CRACKED AS SHIT. But it held lol. I swapped them with AP2 retainers and thought all was good.

Fast forward 1 year. The car was feeling sluggish and I was sure my ITR was faster...which is a really weird feeling. Then I drove it from the Chicago burbs to Myrtle Beach...no f&#ks given. I decided to hit up "The Dragon" on the way home. The misfire light came on.

I got home. Checked the compression. Discovered some bent valves on the #4 cylinder that had been eating away at the head for a year lol.

Changed the cylinder head out....and went on living my life.

The car still has the original bottom end like....10000000 track days later. Still perfect 240psi compression.

World's strongest AP1.

Jaheri_cbp

Don't feel bad money shifts in s2k's are pretty common.. Deals gap is amazing!! My ex's parents had a cabin up in the smokeys and I used to hit the dragon anytime we were up there in my 04 GD WRX... Used to go up for big nasioc rally's at least once a year for three years straight. I've had old friends run right off the side of the road and flip into some trees.. Another who trashed his CBR 600rr (when they first came out) along with the whole left side of his body... Good times!! In 2005 I was up there five times in just that one year. You should go check out the cherohala skyway if your in that area again, not as intense as deals gap, but you can actually get your car out of that 2nd to 3rd gear limbo like you always find yourself on the dragon cuz it has some decent straights and softer swooping turns... Plus the skyway is such an amazingly gorgeous drive.. Even though it's a bit away from deals gap.. Totally worth it.. This dude "kilboy" used to park his evo on the run offs taking pictures of randoms running on the dragon. That dude could drive the hell out of that evo too. I haven't been since 2008 and am long overdue... Used to love screwing with those old camping greasy bikers at the bottom of the tail near that crusty gas station. Plus it's just gorgeous and so stress relieving there.... Ahhhhh memories.. You are taking me back in time dude..

NJ SHAWD

Beautiful wagon. Well done. I'd hit it

BROlando

Nice! I honestly didn't go all that fast at the dragon. I went there on a whim because it was only a 1hr detour. My friend happened to have moved to Knoxville a few months prior to this trip...so I said "why not?".

I wasn't finna go nuts on some unknown road, 8+hrs from home lol.

I save all my hooliganisms for the track, for the most part.

BROlando

Thanks. I'd take it out to breakfast the morning after.

tsx type pm

Not to hijack a thread that has gone the ITR route but what color are the Raijins? They seem to match the acura center caps pretty close. I have been trying to get my wife to steal by TSX for awhile and lut Raijins on it. What was your gf's secret?

BROlando

Secret? The conversation was more or less:
"BRB...gonna lower the wagon".
"Cool."

Lol. I think we had owned it for under 2 months at that point. I just like modding cars and all these parts fell into my lap.

I find it incredibly difficult to leave a car stock. And I have close friends working in the aftermarket parts and distribution industries. It usually works out.

They are a custom colour powdercoat. Its called Heavy Charcoal by Prismatic Powders. They're a tiny bit darker than the centre caps. They're about as dark as the accent portions on the stock wheels' spokes.

They have a lot more "depth" in person.

tsx type pm

Thanks. Wheels look good.