'08 Acura TSX: Supercharge?

[OptimumSlinky]

I have a 2008 Acura TSX with 42K miles on the clock and zero money owed (paid off last year). It's been through 3 minor fender benders (rear bumper replaced, front headlight backed into, left driver's door backed into and repainted), so the resale value is naturally shot.

The car has been bulletproof reliable, so I have been considering tinkering with it and possibly supercharging it. Never done anything like this before, so I am curious if anyone else out there has any experience with supercharging the 2.4L K series motor and would be willing to share their experience.

 

[fstime]

What are you trying to accomplish, faster 0-60 times? You may find like myself that it will get old quick. It is very difficult to enjoy a high horsepower car in the United States responsibly where you are so limited. One reckless driving ticket and your driving history is done.

Either way, doesn't seem like the type of car you would even want to bother.

I don't think you can say the value is "shot" unless your autobody did a horrible job, 42K miles in nothing. Still should be able to get north of $15K for it.

I suggest Acurazine.com or AcuraWorld.com, they have a pretty good community.

 

[power_hour]

*removed*

 

[ballmode]

If you wanna be a FWD tire spinning entry luxury machine get an Audi A3/A4 2.0T and chip it

 

[OptimumSlinky]

What are you trying to accomplish, faster 0-60 times? You may find like myself that it will get old quick. It is very difficult to enjoy a high horsepower car in the United States responsibly where you are so limited. One reckless driving ticket and your driving history is done.

I don't really care about 0-60 times or any kind of graded performance metric. I was simply thinking it would be a fun "project" or hobby to tinker with. I enjoy the car as is; I just wish it had a bit more mid-range power for passing and general "seat of your pants" feeling. Would only probably boost the power to about 260/260 hp/lbs-ft at around 4,000-rpm. The gearbox is lovely, but having to shift from 4th straight to 2nd to generate any oomph gets old.

I haven't had a speeding ticket in over eight years. I spent the last three years living in Germany and driving in German roads. I see no need to try and show off or prove anything here, and there is nowhere you can really open it up safely like in Europe. US roads just aren't good enough, and American drivers do too much stupid shit.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

I will give you 20 bucks for it. :awe:

 

[jlee]

What are you trying to accomplish, faster 0-60 times? You may find like myself that it will get old quick. It is very difficult to enjoy a high horsepower car in the United States responsibly where you are so limited. One reckless driving ticket and your driving history is done.

Either way, doesn't seem like the type of car you would even want to bother.

I don't think you can say the value is "shot" unless your autobody did a horrible job, 42K miles in nothing. Still should be able to get north of $15K for it.

I suggest Acurazine.com or AcuraWorld.com, they have a pretty good community.

Nonsense. More power (especially from an n/a 4cyl) is always fun. If you were talking 1200whp vs 700whp, then I may agree...but at that point it's likely built for track use too.

 

[BassBomb]

Comptech is your option, but no good if you aren't going to do simple bolt-on with it as well along with a K-Pro

 

[Zenmervolt]

The car has been bulletproof reliable, so I have been considering tinkering with it and possibly supercharging it.

You're prepared to sacrifice the reliability then?

I'm not saying that it'll suddenly become a heap of junk, but just pointing out that added power tends to mean added stress so you'll need to be prepared to accept at least some amount of tradeoff in reliability.

My general rule is that a project should never be a person's only transportation.

ZV

 

[AdamK47]

Isn't the TSX just a rebadged Accord?

I say don't do it.

 

[BassBomb]

Isn't the TSX just a rebadged Accord?

I say don't do it.

It has features not available on the Accord, there are size differences too.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Isn't the TSX just a rebadged Accord?

Yes and no. It's a rebadged European Accord, which is an entirely different platform from the larger US Accord.

ZV

 

[halik]

Wrong wheel drive for that, imo

 

[m0r1san]

I supercharged my RSX at about 260whp (7psi) and it's no doubt tons of fun for everyday driving and was just barely faster than 335i's, etc, if you're into that. It's essentially a bolt-on and easily revertable. Look for a used one.. I bought mine used and sold it for the same price 15k miles later. Still running strong at 120k miles on the odo. and auto-crossing every month on an NA setup.

The TSX is heavier, but with the 2.4L and properly tuned setup (you'll need kpro for sure), I'd say your 260whp are conservative. So ya.. do you're research. In the RSX at least, the transmission is the biggest point of concern - 300whp is kind of the boundary before transmission issues. I'd worry about that before any engine issues.. just make sure you are properly tuned!

You will need to stiffen up the engine mounts and get summer tires to get rid of wheel hop / a lot of the torque steer issues. I absolutely loved 3rd and 4th gears when supercharged. 1st gear was fairly useless, though, and 2nd would still spin a bit even with summer tires. But our cars have no LSD, so that's a big part of the problem, too.

Good luck!

*Oh, and this was my daily driver, but I have job where I can work from home whenever needed, so it wasn't a problem if the car was down for a day or 2 while I took my time through something tricky / needed a part.

 

[thomsbrain]

Personally I would get an Acura TL-S rear sway bar for $50 before doing anything else to that car. Next step would be sticky summer tires. Enjoy some back roads and then decide if you really need more power.

 

[T2urtle]

Looking into things a TL-S should be on par with a TSX w/ a blower, in terms of power. Used car prices shouldn't be too far off and its reliable.

A TSX is good at handling, accept it and enjoy it, mod it for it to be that. You dont buy a TSX for its power. Yea small power mods like Race header, hondata IMG, a hondata flash and intake is about all your going to get in terms of power.

Some car logic never adds up to me. People who opt for the smaller engine ( not sure if 08 offered the v6 motor yet) like the guys with the IS250, G25 or V6 pony cars put blowers on for. Why dont you start off the the 50-100 higher HP car if you wanted to get more performance out of the car. Only acceptation would be if you were boosted stock like a A4/A3 or a 335 compared to the S4/M3 counter parts.

OP, Like a couple people have mentioned, its sometimes not worth the money especially if its your DD/only car. Random things go bad more often and you need to be able to fork over money in parts and time. the comptech kit is pretty easy to install as i've seen a DIY on a K20 from a RSX.

 

[CraigRT]

I would do it. I have been day dreaming of a K20/SC setup.. (Civic Si) It's not all about buying the faster car to start, modding is fun, and SCing a K24 should be as reliable as any modded car would ever be, while being really fun at the same time.

I personally love the TSX and its a contender for a next car for me (older generation) I just think they are great cars with a good overall mix of everything.

 

[T2urtle]

Why not get a TL, if u were going to get a tsx with a SC.

I was looking to get a vortech for my g35. It will put me in the 13s. But a stock newer 35/37 could be had for equal price after all supporting mods and be in the same 13s. Yea I don't get to say I did it or the ooo effect or sleeper.

The only thing I liked and understood was when people went for higher numbers like 400whp in a SI with a custom turbo. I put on a turbo in my fwd sr20 got about 300whp from 120ish stock. Cost me roughly $2500 in parts. While it was fun for a year, it didnt seem worth it in the end. I told myself it would be easier and cheaper to start with a car with FI or something meant to be fast.

 

[m0r1san]

As an exercise for yourself, I'd price out the options.. probably comparing your car SC'd vs. a TL-S. I'm curious to see which one is cheaper, but I think probably the TL-S? I'm guessing it's pretty close, though.

Who knows.. buying/selling a car might just as much hassle as installing the SC!

If you open yourself up to buying an entirely new car, the possibilities are endless. The dilemma I faced when considering new cars is that while new cars may have higher HP, they often add so much weight it doesn't make sense to upgrade from a performance standpoint. Those cars that made sense, are often MUCH more expensive. This was the case for my 2800lbs RSX, maybe not so much for your 3300lbs TSX.

Do whatever excites you. No sense doing something that's boring.

 

[OptimumSlinky]

Man, some of you guys didn't read the original post do you?

I am not looking to buy a TSX, or a TL. I already own the vehicle, it is paid off, and I was thinking about getting under the hood and tinkering for the FUN of it, not because I am trying to drag race 335i's or want to destroy my transmission by pushing everything to the limits.

And for the record, I didn't want the TL because back in '08, the TSX was still quite a bit smaller, lighter, and more energetic to drive than the TL. I purposefully chose the 2.4-L 4-cylinder and the 6-speed manual because I care more about way the care fits me than reading off the specs for bragging rights.

My problem with new cars is to get a car with equivalent or better features than my TSX (ie, REAL leather, 6-speed manual, more than 210-hp) all cost north of $36,000, easy. The new ATS, 3 Series, and G37 with the 6-speed stick are all $45k.

Anyways, I would have to get something else to serve as a back up daily driver, so it's all probably rather moot. Appreciate the insight.

 

[rsutoratosu]

have you checked the tsx forums ? back when i used to own a tsx 05, there were a couple of people selling their kit

 

[camoxiong]

it's not worth the money to go supercharge, just slap a k20a2/k20a head and you'll have yourself a k24/k20 frankenstein.