Final Stage Auto

CT Engineering - 09+ Acura TSX Replacement Grill (740-039)

2009-05-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

For those who aren't too keen on Acura's new grill design, CT engineering has got you covered with a new grill replacement that should alleviate some of the gripes people have with the new grill design. MSRP is $219.00.

CT Engineering, a manufacturer of high quality automotive components, is proud to announce the release of the 2009 TSX Carbon Fiber Grill Replacement. This OEM styled full replacement grill is constructed with high grade carbon fiber and will give your TSX a cleaner, more subtle appearance over the factory piece. The clear coat finish is as smooth as glass and its one piece construction ensures rigidity. Factory mounting locations were also utilized making installation simple.

Parts Roundup - CT Engineering

2009-05-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

CT Engineering I believe has only been around for about an year but its company basically comprises of old Comptech USA employees. Those who were sad to see Comptech shut down should be happy to know that their parts live on through CT Engineering. For the Acura TSX owner, CT Engineering has quite a few parts avaialble for the first gen 04-08 models.

Stainless Steel Header - (210-060)

4-2-1 header
Stainless Steel
TIG welded
50 state legal
Application: 04-08 Acura TSX
Installation time: 1.5 hours +/-

Stainless Cat-Back Exhaust - (230-050)

304 Stainless-Steel Dual-Muffler Cat-Back
Smooth, Low, and deep tone
Polished Stainless-Steel mufflers
3.5" Polished Stainless-Steel Resonated tips
Application: 04-07 Acura TSX
Installation time: 1 hour +/-

Rear Sway Bar - (140-145)

Rear Sport Sway-Bar replacement
Diameter increased from 15mm (stock) to 22mm
Helps reduce understeer and improves cornering response
Manufactured from 6150 steel with a silver powdercoat finish
Includes bushings, brackets and instructions
Reuses factory End-Links
Application: 04-08 Acura TSX
Installation time: 1.5 Hours +/-

Rear Camber Adjuster - (160-068)

Camber adjuster-rear (-1.5 to +3 deg.)
Uses a rubber bushing
SOLD INDIVIDUALLY (One kit per wheel)
Application: 04-07 Acura TSX
Installation time: 1/2 hour +/-

Icebox Cold Air Intake - (330-155)

IceBox Cold Air Intake
High volume lid with internal velocity stack
Increases airflow to engine
Lower air horn draws cooler air from behind the bumper and eliminates
restriction of standard inlet
Includes High flow reusable foam filter element
All necessary hardware included
Application: 04-08 Acura TSX
Installation time: 2 Hours +/-

CT Engineering Supercharger Kit - (see website for multiple apps)

Adds approximately 50 Horsepower and 30 lb/ft. of Torque at the wheels
Torque band is widened to between 3,000 and 7,000 RPM
Very linear increase in boost as RPMs increase
Impressive mid-range throttle response and top-end performance
Completely "bolt-on" kit requires no engine modifications
Includes tool to modify factory Fuel Pressure Regulator (located in the fuel tank) to the exact pressure required by the Supercharger, and a new Intake Tube to connect either the stock air intake or CT Engineering Cold Air Intake Kit
Utilizes the Eaton M62 blower, making approximately 5psi of boost
Tuning is handled by both the CT Engineering ACM (Advanced Control Module) and by a Re-Flash of the stock ECU.
ACM comes with complete wiring harness. No cutting or splicing of wires is required
VTEC is lowered to 3,000 RPM from 6,000, and Camshaft Angle is advanced to 20 degrees between 2,000 to 7,000 RPM only under boost conditions
Requires customer to send in ECU, Immobilizer Module, and Keys
50 State Street Legal, and CARB Certified for street use in California
Installation time: 7 hours +/-
Shipping dimensions: 30 X 18 X 13 (inches) (56 lbs.) (www.ups.com)
Further Performance Gains can be realized by adding CT Engineering Cold Air Intake Kit, CT Engineering Header, and CT Engineering Cat-Back Exhaust System
Other model year TSX kits are under development. Please stay tuned to the New Products Page for updates

For you 04-08 Acura TSX owners, CT Engineering has you covered on almost all fronts, Performance and suspension. For more informaion visit the CT Engineering site here.

Testing

2009-04-28T10:10:00.001-07:00

Doing some testing with twitter-friendfeed integration with blogger. I'm trying to connect all my little social sites into 1.

Long hiatus.

2009-04-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything on the blog. I've been busy with many other things at the moment and haven't really had time to update anything. Quick update however:

JDM lip is on the car. Modulo sides and rear are on the car. JDM grill is also on the car. Other then that, no other updates have been made. I will probably be picking up a Yakima roof rack later this year for the car.

Euro-R Lip Status

2008-06-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Looks like my Euro-R lip finally has shipped out and is heading to me right now. Estimated time for delivery will be next Friday. Just in time for the weekend. All in all, I'd have to say BoomPlusToys did a great job with getting my order placed and shipped. They were very responsive to all my emails and kept me well informed on the status of my order. The order was slightly delayed in the middle but it falls between the estimated times.

DC5 Type-R Rear H Emblem

2008-06-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

So I received my package from JHPUSA today. It came within 3 days by USPS. It was just a Type-R Red H Emblem that I got in order to use up my $50.00 credit.

Euro-R Grill Received and Installed

2008-06-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

So I got a surprise from USPS today. My Euro-R grill came a day early. That means this sucker arrived to me in 2 days. That's fast! Installation was pretty straight forward. All you need to do is remove the radiator cooling cover to get to the rest of the clips for the Acura grill. The grill is a little trickier to get off if you don't take off your front bumper. I was in no mood to remove my bumper so i just had to finesse it a little to remove the 4 clips holding the grill on.

Installing the Euro-R grill is the reverse of the process. Putting the clips back on the grill is even harder then taking them off. Again, you need to put some elbow grease into it and you should be able to pop the clips back in. All-in-all though, it was a very simple install.

I'm not going to list the Honda part numbers up on here as I'm contemplating selling the whole set here; the grill, garnish, Honda emblem, Euro-R emblem, and all the little parts needed to assemble it. I know there are dealers who already sell this item, but if I got mine as fast as I did, I think most of you wouldn't mind paying a little more to be able to get a JDM grill in less then a week instead of 3 months.

JDM Euro-R Grill Update

2008-06-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

I had ordered my Accord Euro-R grill from JHPUSA in California. I decided to order from them because I had dealt with them in the past when I use to have Finalstageauto.com store front and they were pretty good about filling orders on time.

The original estimated time of when they would have the grill in was a month. That was back in March. It is now June. The only reason I ordered the grill from then is because I thought I would get it quickly. Boy was that a mistake. If I wanted to wait this long, I should have just added the order in with Boomplustoys in Canada. At least then I would have been prepared for the 3 month wait. Instead, I was getting run arounds since it seems that JHPUSA doesn't import their own JDM parts anymore and it comes from a third part distributor. If you own a RSX. Civic or Integra, they stock a lot of parts. If you own a TSX, forget about it. They don't have anything in stock and they also don't know that much about parts for the TSX.

Last week, in a last ditch move, I asked my friend who lives in Japan if he could look for the grill for me at his local Honda dealership. Well, to make a long story short, my friend found it, ordered it, it arrived to him on Friday last week and he already shipped it out to me today. I should be seeing it this Thursday or Friday! In a matter of just asking him last week, I am already going to receive it this week. Now here is the kicker....ITS ACTUALLY CAME OUT CHEAPER!!! Somehow, getting it direct from a Honda dealership in Japan and shipping it my insured post, it came out to almost $50-60 less then me ordering it from any of the US dealers. This includes Healtoeauto and others. Now, post only came out cheaper because of the fact that it doesn't really weigh to much so shipping isn't that bad. Now, I wouldn't order my front lip from my friend in Japan because air post on something like that would be through the roof. So for thsoe of you who might have friends in Japan, ask them to look up the part for you, you might save some money.

As for JHPUSA, I tried canceling my order but instead got stuck with a $50 credit at the store. Since they don't carry and TSX/CL7 specific items there, I ended up just getting the DC5 Type-R rear H emblem so I could get my money out of there. I would have got the Euro-R rear emblem but the one they have there is just the front emblem so that was another disappointment. Anyone out there with a TSX, if you want to buy Euro-R parts, do not order from JHPUSA. If you own a RSX, Integra, Civic, or FiT, then be my guest. They most likely will have parts for you in stock, but for the TSX, they don't got jack shit. You are better off ordering from Heeltoeauto, Boomplustoys, or AJ Racing.

Now I'm going to recieve a red H that I really didn't want to spend money on, but I guess it'll make a nice unexpected addition to the rear of the TSX.

As for my recommendations for JHPUSA, I say if you own a Civic, Integra, RSX, or Fit, then definitely buy from them but if you have a TSX, they don't really have much to offer.

Euro-R Grill Diagram

2008-05-24T04:53:00.001-07:00

Got this diagram from my friend in Japan. If you want to do the Euro-R grill conversion for the 06-08 TSX, the parts you basically need would be the following:
(1) #2
(1) #6
(1) #1
(1) #8
(4) #13
(2) #9

I have no idea what part# 4,5 are and the radiator cover you do not need on the 06-08 because they are the same as the TSX spec ones.

T1R:Type One Racing Parts

2008-05-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

I don't really know too much about T1R:Type One Racing. I've only heard of them through AJ Racing and the the TSX boards. Their parts are comparable to that of J's Racing parts and their quality seems to be top notch. Here are parts that will fit on the TSX from T1R:

T1R Earthing System : The T1R Earthing System provides valuable grounding for your vehicle's electrical system. This 4 point grounding system substantially reduces electrical noise in your vehicle, which can intefere with the performance of components such as the ignition, distributor, etc. Consequently, the earthing system helps minimize inefficiency and power loss, allowing the engine to perform optimally. Noticeable effects include smoother power delivery and improved throttle response.

T1R Hyper Silicone Radiator Hose Set : Made out of premium quality silicon rubber to enhance appearance and longivity. Superb integrity and superior performance reduces the risk of component failure and enables higher temperatures and pressures to be maintained with complete confidence.

T1R Racing Converter : For maxiumum exhaust flow and power gain, the stock catalytic converter must be replaced with a free flowing test pipe. T1R offers the Racing Converter, a high flowing non-resonated test pipe designed for racing purpose only. Comes with T1R O2 fix to eliminate CEL and brackets to fit the stock heat sheilds off your stock catalytic convertor.
Dyno proven +8.8whp at peak. +11.8hp with +11 lbs ot torque at 6000rpm.

T1R Sparrow Exhaust System : Special dual exhaust for maximum power maintaining low sound decibles and superior quality sound. The Sparrow exhaust offers maximum torque for acceleration and mid-range response. Dynoproven 7whp gains with this exhaust alone. Made out of SUS304 aircraft stainless, ensuring highest quality and durablilty. Exhaust silencers and necessity hardware equipped for installation.

T1R also has a variety of other items that are universal fit such as oilcaps, radiator caps, forged lug nuts, reservoir covers and a few other items here and there.

Website [Type One Racing]

Swift Sport Springs

2008-05-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

So another spring alternative for those who want to lower their TSX comes from Swift Springs. They are also a Japanese manufacturer of springs that have been around since 1924. I believe they are heavily into motorsports so their springs should be fairly good considering I see more and more people utilizing their springs for road racing and time attack. The part# for the TSX springs are 4H906. These springs lower about 1.3 inches with a spring rate of f:6.0kg/mm; r:2.5-3.6kg/mm.

Website [Swift Springs]

A Bit of Weirdness.

2008-05-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a weird factoid I just discovered. I was looking into getting a NR>G Harness Bar for the TSX. I've seen a couple of members on the TSXClub boards that have this installed and I thought it looked pretty slick. Well, here's the bit of weirdness I discovered. On the 04-05 model TSX, the passenger side seatbelt is bolted to the side of the car at the bottom where the carpet is. This allows for the harness bar to bolt into 4 points. Well, on the 06+ TSX, for some reason Acura saw fit to completely move the bottom of the seatbelt and now it is attached to the passenger seat. I don't know what safety benefits this incurs but this kind of screws up installation of the NR>G harness bar.

Well, I PM'd another member of the TSXClub forum who had it on a 06+ TSX and discovered that if you just cut the carpet where the bolt is suppose to be on the side, tada, the bolt is still there. So for those of you who want to install the NR>G bar, that's how you would do it. Thanks to CCColtsicehocky and PWP06ssshh for their help and input.

For those interested, here's the cheapest place I found online at $199.00. Robear Racing. Anyplace cheaper then that?

Signal Auto Carbon Fiber Plug Cover

2008-05-14T13:51:00.001-07:00

More-Japan.com has the Signal Auto Carbon Fiber Plug Cover for the K20/K24 engines on sale for $82.60. This item is on clearance now but is still a nice item to pick up for those who want a good carbon fiber plug cover. This one is similar to the Vision Technica one that is now discontinued here. Click here to purchase.

Import Tuner Feature

2008-05-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

So this guy I know who works for Mackin Industries, Phillip, had a feature in Import Tuner. I just saw it today even though he was featured last July. Anyways, I thought I'd post it up for those who haven't read it. Take a look at it here. He has a lot of really nice mods on his Civic. I only wish that one day, the support for the TSX will be there like it is for the Civic.

Tanabe Suspension

2008-05-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Tanabe has many lowering options available for the Acura TSX/Accord CL9. These include both lowering springs and full coilovers. Right now our project TSX is using Tanabe DF210 lowering springs for a 1.8" drop. I have personally used Tanabe springs in my last 3 projects so I can vouch for the quality of these springs.

DF210 - Part#TDF075 - $230.00 MSRP
NF210 - Part#TNF075 - $250.00 MSRP

Sustec Pro S-0C - Part#TSC075 - $890.00 MSRP
Sustec Pro S-0C Type II - Part#TSC075X - $850.00 MSRP

Website [Tanabe Racing USA]

5Zigen Proracer Racing Harness

2008-05-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

5Zigen Japan has a grounding system that seems to work in conjunction with their exhaust systems.

PRORACER earthing system preferred over others. Exclusive wiring directly to the exhaust system. This specialized wiring system utilizes the negative flow from the main body frame to the exhaust system for added stabilized performance. The separator for the battery uses aluminum, as well as the central block. On the top plate: uses a carbon plate for a racy appearance. With these components, there is maximum current flow and power supply throughout the vehicle at all times.

The part# for the Accord CL7/CL9 is PREH-060. More info can be found here.

5Zigen Super Lowering Springs

2008-05-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

5Zigen seems to have lowering springs for the Accord/CL9/TSX. If you click here you will see an application list. There is an application part# ZGH-709 for the Accord CL9 which is our TSX. Lowering data seems to suggest it is a 1.5" drop. I don't think 5Zigen USA stocks this item here but would be interesting to see it installed.

GReddy SP2 Exhaust

2008-05-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Looks like the GReddy SP2 exhaust for the TSX is discontinued now. That's a shame seeing as it was a pretty good price for dual muffler option (Part#10157060) at only $859.00. GReddy still has the Evolution 2 exhaust available which is also a dual muffler (Part#10156740) at $989.00.

If I were to get a GReddy Exhaust, I would have liked to have the SP2 instead of the Evolution 2 exhaust as the SP2 has a more classic muffler canister and tip.

5Zigen Parts

2008-05-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

I was just looking over some 5Zigen parts online to see what they had for the TSX and noticed that they have a lip kit listed under "custom parts" for the Accord Wagon. I'm assuming the front lip and side skirts would fit on the sedan. This kit looks like it would only fit the 04-05 TSX however.

Click here for the page.

It looks like a pretty clean looking kit. Very similar to the OEM kit for looks like it sits a lot lower at the bottom. Also the front grill looks like the Mugen grill. The kit is ABS material.

5Zigen also carries a couple of exhausts for the TSX:

5Zigen ProRacerZZ which is a full stainless steel exhaust. It comes in either a single ($850) or dual outlet ($1350) version.
5Zigen Proracer A-Spec which is a stainless steel exhaust with inconel tips. This too comes in a single outlet ($1150) or dual outlet ($1700) version.
5Zigen ProRacer Titanium Race Muffler. It looks like there is an application for the CL7 however I do not see a part# for it or pricing.

I used to own a 5Zigen Fireball dual exhaust for my 98 Honda Accord V6 and it was very quiet. It was by far one of the quietest exhausts I've ever had on any of my cars. I might consider a single outlet 5Zigen ProRacerZZ exhaust but I'd have to see what kind of canister it uses and what a single outlet TSX actually looks like.

Installed Rear Under Spoiler

2008-05-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

So I installed the rear under-spoiler today. I decided I might as well start installing pieces of my kit before my JDM lip arrives so I don't have to do everything at one time. I was a little worried how just having the rear on might look. Thankfully, it doesn't look too bad actually. Everything lines up perfectly and in my opinion makes the rear look so much better now. I don't know if you can see it in the picture but the Honda emblem and Accord emblem are also on the back trunk now. Honda centercaps are also on the wheels as well.

So far, everything is coming along nicely. Hopefully my Euro-R grill and the rest of the Euro-R emblems show up within the next week or so and then my front lip a little towards the end of this month. I'll probably wait to install the side skirts as the new ones sit a little lower then the stock ones do and I don't want my sides to look lower then the front is. That might look really strange. Side skirts are the easiest to install so I can wait to do those.

Special note on rear under spoiler install: The instructions tell you to remove the bumper brace that are on opposite sides of the rear bumper. You do need to take off the bumper to remove them. I decided however to keep them installed for a little added support to the bumper. In order to do this, you have to replace one of the OEM bolts with a new one that is longer. I just picked up some at Autozone and it worked perfectly.

PowerChamber by zero1000

2008-05-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Part#: U-102-A0050

I found this on the web today. I don't think I've seen anyone with this in their TSX so I am kind of curious how well this intake does in the TSX.

"The ZERO-1000 POWER CHAMBER intake system is a must upgrade for naturally aspirated engines. The uniqueness of this intake system is its design. POWER CHAMBER utilizes an enlarged dry-carbon chamber and a spiraled filter. The air is sucked in through the spiraled designed filter resulting in a swirling effect. This swirled air is then captured in the chamber where it becomes compressed, therefore cause the air to become denser. Increased density in the combustion chamber means an increase in horsepower. On tests of stock vehicles, we have seen a average increase of 5 hoursepower. With slightly modified vehicles we have seen an added increase of 6-8 horsepower."

Other items of interest by zero1000 (TopFuel) are the following:

Part# U-U2000 Oil Catch Can

" ZERO 1000 Oil Catch Cans collects the oil, moisture, and blow-by gases which causes carbon and sludge build-up in the intake system and engine in the hardest driving conditions. ZERO 1000 Oil Catch Cans are made from 6061 aluminum and designed in a octagon dimension. ZERO 1000 Oil Catch Can Kits include hose and hardware."

Part# U-U0010 PowerNEO Waterline

" Power NEO Waterline is an epoch-making product. Only by installing Power NEO Waterline the properties of the cooling water is changed to the water that has excellent electrolysis-material photoconduction property. Moreover, the grounding effect is improved with the magnetic processing water that flows in the water jacket in the engine. As a result, the complete combustion is promoted and the fuel consumption is improved. Moreover, the exhaust emission is cleaned."

Part# U-U0001 PowerNEO Professional

"Power Neo uses a Neodymium magnet, which has the highest magnetism of any magnet available. This heat resistant magnet is used to breakdown fuel molecules into ultra fine particles. These particles create a perfect combustion environment with very explosive results. The five fundamental effects of the Power NEO are power, torque, response, mpg, and emissions - cleaner. Due to the nature of this unit, there are also no detrimental effects to the engine. One unique aspect of the Power Neo is its ability to work on any gasoline or diesel powered vehicle. The unit is simply attached directly to the fuel line between the fuel filter and the fuel rail. For diesel engine vehicles added improvements are a reduced amount of the black exhaust gas as welll as reduced engine noise. These effects are noticeable immediately. We encourage you to try the Power Neo by all means."

Installed Honda Centercaps

2008-05-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

So I installed the Honda centercaps today. I tried to take off the Acura caps without taking off the wheel, but that didnt work at all so I ended up having to take off each wheel for 5 seconds just to pop out the Acura centercaps. The Honda centercaps match up perfecctly to the Acura wheels. Color is dead on.

Recieved Honda Center Caps

2008-04-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

So I got my Honda center caps for my wheels in the mail today. I openned up the package and was relieved to see that they were in relatively new contition with only very minor scratches that can only be seen up close. All in all, I'd say I made a good choice in buying these on Ebay for $24.00 shipped. That's a savings of $56.00 over brand new ones at the Honda dealership. Here is a link to the Ebay acution. You can probably get less then $24, but I didn't feel like bidding on them so I just paid flat price $24 for them through the seller off Ebay.

Order my "H" centercaps

2008-04-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

So I ordered my Honda centercaps for my stock wheels today. I jsut need them to semi complete my Honda conversion as it would look kind of dumb driving my Acura TSX converted to Honda Accord Euro-R specs, but still have Acura centercaps on the stock wheels. I bought them on Ebay. Hopefully they ship out on time and are the right ones. I got them for the cheap ass price of $24.00 shipped. This beats buying new ones at the dealership for $80+tax.

The ones I ordered are used however but who cares. As long as they are still in decent condition, it really doesn't matter to me.

Euro-R Lip Status...

2008-04-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Looks like I won't be getting my lip till maybe around the end of May? Oh well. Hopefully my grill gets here soon though. In the mean time, I bought some Blackout Tape last week. I may attempt to blackout my chrome this weekend on my windows. Otherwise, I'll wait till my grill gets here. I'm picking up my "H" and Accord emblem tomorrow from the Honda dealership. I pretty much have almost everything I need for my exterior conversion.