Acura TSX First-Gen CL9 Project Finale
This is the finale to the year-long project to rejuvenate my old 2006 Acura TSX, a once daily-driver vehicle that was sitting in the garage when COVID hit.
The journey included replacing common wear-and-tear components, fixing many annoyances (such as lighting and cooling related), and introducing a couple of new ones that I will eventually fix (mostly minor electrical issues). I learned a lot along the way, especially on improving the throttle response and upgrading the suspension and handling.
Overall, I am happy with the results. The vehicle performs better than when I first purchased it used with 75K KM on the odometer (now triple that). It is back to being an enjoyable manual-shifting, high-revving sedan while I look forward to switching to an quiet electric car one day and these mechanic skills becoming obsolete - seriously!
In just a couple more years, this TSX will be a classic.
List of upgrades and modifications:
Magnaflow catalytic converter with upgraded heat shield
Akrapovič carbon fiber exhaust tips
New upstream and downstream oxygen (O2) sensors (to improve fuel consumption)
Exedy Stage 1 racing clutch kit
Exedy HF02 8.9lbs lightweight flywheel (for quicker rev-matching)
Hybrid Racing shifter cable bushings
New 3-points manual transmission mounts
Innovative polyurethane motor mounts @ 75A stiffness for front, rear and passenger side (increases power transfer to driveline and engine feel/sound into cabin)
Cross-drilled and slotted brake rotors
Painted calipers and ceramic brake pads
TEIN Flex Z adjustable coilovers lowered by ~2cm
New suspension control arms, ball joints, tie rods, and sway bar links
New front CV axles (to resolve vibrations at high speeds)
New power steering rack and pinion assembly (to resolve a fluid leak)
Enkei PF01 17" lightweight rims (trivia: the stock rims were also designed by Enkei since the CL9-gen TSX were manufactured in Japan)
Continental ExtremeContact Sport lightweight performance tires 235/45R17
Adjustable camber arms for rear wheels positioned with negative camber (to improve cornering)
12mm hub-centric spacers for rear wheels (to widen vehicle stance)
5mm hub-centric spacers for front wheels
Extended wheel studs and open-ended lug nuts (to compensate for using wheel spacers)
Ultra Racing front lower tie bar brace
Ultra Racing rear anti-roll sway bar (to improve cornering)
CUSCO front strut tower bar brace
CUSCO lower reinforcement arm bar (to stiffen chassis)
New fuel injectors
New iridium spark plugs
New ignition coils (previous three replacements resolved engine knocks at wide-open throttle or under heavy engine load)
New VTEC spool valve solenoid (to resolve a common oil leak)
New valve cover gasket
New oil pan gasket
New starter motor
New engine harmonic balancer pully
LED low beam headlight projectors (15000LM @ 6000K) with custom centrifugal cooling/exhaust fans
LED fog lights with dual switchable colors (8000LM @ 6000K/3200K)
LED conversion for all interior and exterior lighting (except for high beams that were replaced with 55W 6000K gas halogens)
LED blinker relay to remove hyper-flashing (a better alternative to trick resistors)
LED rear bumper reflectors (synchronized to brake and nighttime running lights)
HELLA dual frequency horns with custom red LED halo rings (synchronized to door lock/unlock actions and nighttime running lights)
New air conditioning (AC) condenser and R134A refrigerant (to fix my AC issues)
Reconditioned coolant radiator
New serpentine belt
ValvoMax quick twist oil drain valve
Flushed MTF, coolant, brake and power steering fluids
Reconditioned throttle body
K&N washable intake filter
K&N washable cabin filter
Removed intake resonator (that resulted in a burlier engine sound)
New windshield wipers
Skunk2 Racing weighted manual shift knob (IMO, a comparable weighted feel to the stock Type R/S shift knob)
Skunk2 Racing billet oil cap
Bonnet hood conversion to gas strut bar with shock dampers
New metallic pedal pads
Heads-up display (HUD) projecting onto the windshield vehicle speed, RPM, engine temp, and battery voltage
Android infotainment system with 9" IPS touchscreen and HVAC center console
Supports Wi-Fi, GPS, 4G carrier network, Bluetooth, MP3 and video player, Google Maps, Google Play, 128GB internal storage, and 2 x USB ports
Wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Amazon Alexa Auto
Reverse camera
Custom phone mount with wireless charging and motorized clamps
New 12V AGM battery with quick connect terminals
Water-resistant cabin and trunk floor mats
Engine bay clean and wax dressing
CandyCoat ceramic coating with paint correction (for enhanced glossy mirror shine)
SmartThings arrival sensor with custom extended battery pack (to run Smart Home routines when the vehicle arrives home)
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