The first thing you have to do is check your vacuum routing. On the underside of your hood there should be a vacuum diagram. If there isn’t a diagram under there, there is one in a Helms, Chilton’s, or Haynes manual for your car (If you don’t have one already, it is suggested that you buy one before beginning). Remember, ANY extra air will confuse the ECU. Check for cracked or bad vacuum hoses. If in doubt, just replace the damage hose; they aren’t very expensive. The PCV valve could also be the culprit. Take it out and examine it. If it is cracked it could be causing a vacuum leak. Replace the piece if you aren’t completely sure that it’s okay (the Helms / Chilton’s / Haynes manuals tell you how to check it).

Next, check to see that your throttle plate is closed all the way. Take your intake off at the TB and check to see that nothing is blocking the plate. If nothing is in the way and it isn’t closed all the way, loosen your throttle cable. Check to see if the nuts holding the TB and the IM on are tight, this was the source of my idle problem. If they are loose, tighten them. After that, check the idle screw. It’s on the top of the TB right next to the red vacuum line in the first picture. It’s a flat-tip screw and most TB’s have it epoxied over. If your screw is not epoxied over try adjusting it. Some air bubbles may throw the FITV off and keep the valve open, so bleed your coolant by draining small amounts and pouring more in

Take the 3 10mm bolts out of the FITV (you don’t have to take off the coolant lines). Then take off the two 8mm bolts from the plate on the back of the FITV. Once the plate is off you will see a white plastic thing, screw that all the way in. This causes a lot of people’s hunting idle problems (it’s a source of a vacuum leak). Put the FITV back on and start the car up. If it still idles badly continue onto the next step.

Here is a write-up on the FITV. Clean the IACV screen(s). See Oz’s write up on G2IC. Make sure your car is completely warmed up. With it running, take the intake off the TB. There are 2 holes right in front of the throttle plate; these are the holes that feed the IACV (top hole) and the FITV (bottom hole). With your finger, cover up the bottom hole (there should not be any suction if your car is at operating temperature). If the idle goes down, the FITV is to blame; either get a new one or take it apart and screw the valve completely closed (I have only read of people doing this, so I don’t know exactly how). Also, you will have to keep the engine speed up yourself when the car is cold.

Next cover both holes up with your fingers. The car should sputter and die (or almost die). If it does then the source of your faulty idle is the IACV. Replace it. If you want you can test the IACV. Shut the car off and put Positive battery voltage to the black/yellow terminal (on the valve) and momentarily touch ground to the blue/yellow side. When doing this the valve should click, if it doesn’t, replace it. If when covering both holes the car still has a high idle, you have a vacuum leak somewhere. Again check the IM and TB nuts. You can spray carburetor ******* around those areas and if any gets sucked in (the engine will rev) you have found your leak. Another source of vacuum leaks are where the FITV and IACV connect to the IM. Either replace the gaskets or use silicone gasket sealant. If nothing has worked you should test your TPS. Probe the middle wire on the TPS plug (with the key on but not running, and the plug still connected to the sensor) with the positive probe on the voltmeter, and the negative probe to ground. You should have .5v with a fully closed throttle plate and 4.8v with it wide open. If the TPS is off, replace it. If, still, nothing has worked you might want to try a new ECU. This also is very unlikely, but worth a try. So now, if it still idles badly, go through the steps again.

It is very unlikely that you will end up needing to do all of these steps, you will usually have your problem fixed within the first few steps, but these are all of the possible causes to your problem. Remember, if you have problems with all of these abbreviations then search online, the best place to look is www.honda-tech.com, I’ve found most of the abbreviations in Helms and Chilton manuals before, so you can look there also.

I spent some time in my life before this web development gig as a car salesman, in fact, a Honda/Acura car salesman. The dealership that I worked for will remain anonymous. During my time there I sold a lot of new cars, used cars, and took in a number of trades so I got to know the inner workings of the dealership pretty well. With this knowledge it gives me an upper hand as a consumer when I go out to purchase a new or used vehicle and I want to share these secrets with you in hopes you too, can get a good deal.

First off I’d like to give a little direction of what you as a consumer need to know before you consider going into the dealership. Know what car you want, what make, model, and mileage, then stick to it. Dealerships will take advantage of rogue customers who don’t know what they want and shoe horn them into something that is over their budget. This brings me to my second point, know your budget, know how much money you can spend and negotiate UP to that amount, this means never start your negotiations at the highest price you’re willing to go. If you simply cannot afford the car you want, then wait a while until you can afford it or re-evaluate what you want.

Research your vehicle, know all of the packages that come in the model you want, look up the invoice value on Kelly Blue Book (http://www.kbb.com). 9 – 10 times you will not get down to invoice but it’s always good to know what invoice is since it can help you determine a good deal from a bad deal. If you’re looking at a used car and you’re at a dealership look up the trade-in value on Kelly Blue Book (http://www.kbb.com), this is what you can expect to pay. For more consumer information just search Google.

Lets get into the good stuff, how does a dealership work. Most dealerships purchase their cars from the manufacturer at what we know as “invoice.” Generally a dealership has a large line of credit that they use to purchase these cars and they do make monthly payments on their inventory. This is true of used cars as well. The dealer is in-fact purchasing your car from you when you trade it in. Knowing this you can understand why invoice can be a pretty hard number to obtain, but with some work you can get damn close to it.

Dealers have a lot of wiggle room on used cars, this means that the MSRP you see on the window label has a good amount of mark-up attached to it. Generally speaking, most used cars can have anywhere from $3,000 – $8,000 of mark up attached to their price tags. This is like equity in your home, you can sell your personal home for less than a builder can sell a brand new home because you have equity in that home, meaning – you purchased your home for less than it’s worth at the date of sale.

So how does a Dealer take in a trade-in? Again, this is heavily based off of the blue book value of the vehicle. Trade-in value is always less than private party value and I’m not going to digress into why. In blue book there are 3 levels of vehicle quality, excellent, good, and fair. Fair being the lowest on the list means there is significant body damage and the vehicle is mechanically unsound or simply does not run. Good is average wear and tear for that car and excellent would be little old lady style. A dealerships goal is to take your car in for UNDER fair value. That’s where they’ll start their negotiations for your car.

Their vehicle on the other hand is always priced at Private Party value excellent. They claim this is because they detail every car on the lot, put new tires on it, gave it some sort of inspection and slapped a 90 day warranty on it. However; the truth to be known is that the dealership is generally at most into the car at blue book good condition, trade-in value. This would leave approx. $4000.00 or more on many popular vehicles in money they can negotiate with.

If you like to buy used, start your negotiation for that car at blue book fair trade-in value and bring in that document with you, you can print off a copy at www.kbb.com. Be sure your salesman understands that you are not about to pay private-party value for a vehicle they took in at trade-in value. Also be sure your salesman is aware you are ONLY concerned with the overall price of the vehicle and you are NOT concerned with payments at this time.

Financing is a hazy grey area that gives the dealership more room to move. You pick up a car at a 5-year loan at 6.5% interest on average and the dealership is able to play with some of that interest to change your monthly payment until they hit the bank wall. Example; if you went to the bank and qualified for 2.99% APR and then went to a dealership and tried to qualify for the same loan, they would most likely tell you that your interest rate should be 4.99% or higher assessing an additional 2.0% of interest as profit for themselves. Don’t be fooled by the smoke and mirrors, if your dealer tells you they can’t give you the car at the price you want but can get your payments to where you want to be you best stand up and walk out.

What about new cars? New cars are a bit different, remember the home equity analogy I used above? Same is true here. Say a dealer pays the manufacturer $20,000 for that car fresh off the assembly line, they are now in that car to $20,000 and will probably price it around $22,000 – $26,000 based on supply and demand. Every manufacturer handles this differently and so does every dealership, there are a few exceptions like Scions.

Research what people in your area are paying on average for that new car and then subtract an extra $2500.00 from that as your base for negotiations. You could walk away paying $1000.00 less or more below what others are paying for the car just based on that knowledge.

Dealers have manufacturer quotas to meet each month on different models of cars, if they miss those quotas at the end of the month it will effect their manufacturer allocation of more popular new vehicles the next month. What this equals to is that dealers are more willing to deal at the end of every month. Also, if a car has been on the lot for more than 30 days the dealer starts having to make payments + interest payments to it’s lenders on the car, and they hate to do that. Imagine if you sit on a car for one year, you took out a $20,000 line of credit to buy it, then mark it up $2000.00 to try and make a profit, by the end of the year you could end up owing more than the car is worth, and dealerships hate to be upside down.

On every show floor there is a spot where the managers sit, and in that spot there is generally a board charting the sales quantities of each sales person. Often times manufacturers and dealerships offer salesmen who sold a lot of vehicles rewards. If you’re in the dealership at the end of the month you may want to try and work with the salesman who’s ranked in the top 3 – 4 on that board because they may be chasing that reward.

Finally, one last consideration, dealerships pick up accessories for almost nothing. If every dealer you have worked with is unwilling to get to your price point but you still want the car and it’s not over your budget ask them to give you some accessories for free as part of the deal. Maybe some new wheels, racks, box, lip kit, etc… Let them know that you are dissatisfied with the cost of the vehicle but would still be willing to buy if you get some accessory at no cost. Often times the dealer will agree to these conditions to make the sale.

I could go on for pages about dealerships and the internal workings, but I hope this bit gives you some insight on how a dealership works and little extra ammunition for those intense negotiations. Remember, a dealership will deny up and down any of my allegations here but I can assure you they all operate the same.

If you have questions feel free to post them below and if you found this to be helpful share it with your friends or use the bookmarks below.

Good luck!

First the story so you can all laugh at my expense, then the proper way so you all can learn after you are done laughing. Like anyone who just put on a new set of adjustable coilovers I wanted to go lower. The shop left me with a .5 finger gap from fender to the top of the tire and I ended up wanting about an eighth inch tuck. So I worked up some courage and thought how hard can it be, lifted up the car and got to work. Once I lowered each side by the same rings I stepped back, looked at it, and thought oh no, this is visibly not level! So for the course of a week every night I’d end up in my garage trying to get my car leveled out, all to no avail. I ended taking the car to a local shop to have them level it off once and for all.

The mechanic had a good laugh when I told him the story of why I was there only a week after he installed the coil overs and he went about leveling them off. About 20 minutes later he came out and said that I really wasn’t that far off and should feel pretty good about it but come out here and let me show you how to do it the right way.

To adjust your ride height properly you must first measure each corner as the baseline, then decide how much lower you want to go, we’ll go with a half an inch (1.27cm) for this example, be sure you are on a flat surface. Now raise the car with a jack and stands and remove the wheels. Adjust each side a half an inch (1.27cm) and measure the amount of threads you have adjusted on each corner to assure that you allowed for half an inch (1.27cm). Now put the wheels back on, tighten the lugs but don’t torque them and lower the car. Measure all four corners again to make sure they are even and you indeed did get a half an inch drop over your baseline. It is completely acceptable to be an 1/8 inch (.3175cm) lower on side depending on which side of the engine by the engine sits. If you have a corner or side that is off by over a quarter of an inch like I did, try again making small adjustments.

Here’s a more ordered checklist:

1. Measure all four corners on a flat surface from floor to the bottom of the fender in the center to get a baseline.
2. Raise the car up with a jack and stands then remove the wheels.
3. Decide on the amount you with lower or raise the vehicle (half an inch in this example), then adjust your coil overs by that amount being sure to measure the thread you adjusted.
4. Put the wheels back on and tighten the lugs (do not torque), take the car off of jackstands.
5. Measure all four corners to be sure they are even with one another, if one corner is off by more than an eighth of an inch raise the car and adjust again. Some of us appreciate at more raked appearance so just be sure the front wheels from fender to ground are even and the back wheels fender to ground are even.
6. Once you are even, torque your lugs down to manufacturer specs.

Be sure to follow your coil over manufacturer instructions when raising or lowering your car, I and JDMLove.org take no responsibility for damage done to your vehicle. Please observe Local Law Enforcement rules, laws, and regulations regarding vehicle ride height.

A friend of mine and fellow tuner made a good analogy when working with coil overs, he said, “measure adjust, measure, adjust, measure.” If you follow that simple analogy your ride will be even at all times.

Allow your coil overs some time to settle out after an adjustment, you can expect a little extra drop over the course of a week due to settling. Get an alignment after this week and your set to go. Congratulations you didn’t look like and idiot like I did!

JustHitVTECyo
Frank Markovich
pdxzine

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First impression out of the box was that the K-Sports seemed to be built of fairly decent quality regardless of some drivers calling them “K-Mart” coil overs. I would say the quality of these coil overs rivals that of Tein Basics, Tanabe S-OC Type II, and DropZones. I have yet to hear a negative review of K-Sports for the TSX. Also, these coil overs sport the ability to seriously drop your car. Right now I have mine adjusted to leave just a half finger width fender gap and I still have well over 3 inches of thread left to go.

The other nice thing is the base of the shock or the mounts will actually thread up to that 3″ of gap leaving the full amount of suspension travel possible. Most coil over kits only adjust the spring perch and eliminate a lot of suspension travel in the process. This extra travel lends to a smoother rebound rate giving the feel of less “bounce”.

With 36 levels of dampening force adjustment, the K-Sports leave a lot of available options that price competitors like Tein Basics just don’t have. Granted, basics are a great coil over set up, but for the price point, lacking the adjustable dampening force puts K-Sport out ahead. I have yet to try the full range of adjustment, I have just kept them at one full turn off of soft in the front and two full turns off of soft in the rear. I have noticed a significant reduction of brake dive and torque steer alike. The car really hugs the corners well and the rear end is not apt to step out on you.

It’s hard to say how these coil overs will hold up over an Oregon winter with di-icer and salt on the roads, but from the looks of them now they should hold up as well as any set of Teins, Tanabes, or Buddy Clubs out there.

So far I’d rank the K-Sport Kontrol Pro’s for the TSX a 8 – 10. Why not the full 10? With the lack of any kind of electronic dampening force adjustments like Tein EDFC, it’s just a pain to make an adjustment, also these coil overs may be a little stiff for some, even on the softest settings.

Upon first inspection of the exhaust the welds are meticulous, the polished look on the mufflers is amazing, no finger prints from shipping, no digs, no dents. At install the Comptech exhaust fit like a glove. No modifications or “strategic hammer bops” to fit, the hangers were spot on with OEM, and the tips even hang perfectly level in the back without poly hangers. Fired it up, no leaks, no hissing, and a nice quiet tone.

By no means is the cat back by itself loud, in fact it’s not much louder than stock. Under load you can hear it a bit in the back and outside but that’s about it. Unfortunately; that’s about all an exhaust for the TSX is good for. Comptech only promises a gain of 3 horsepower with the addition of the exhaust and most other manufacturers offer the same gain. All in all you are looking for improved sound and little bling on your rear end.

After about 6 months of owning the exhaust I added on the Random Technology (RT) cat to the mix and the exhaust got substantially louder. The tone retains that deep quality but a little bit of rasp is added. To some including myself, this raspy sound is nice, sounds like a nice free flowing exhaust. The RT cat did definitely add some power that the butt dyno could pick up on, but that’s for a different post.

After about 3 months with the RT cat I added the Comptech header as well. Now the exhaust is fairly loud, but there is no drone on the highway and very little in cabin resonance accept under load. A little more rasp was added to the sound but the resonator and mufflers on the Comptech exhaust handle the noise well and suppress it to nice deep grumble as opposed to your typical Honda civic “fart can.”

I would rate the Comptech Cat-Back 10 – 10 for excellent fit and finish and wonderful sound.

*Note: Comptech is now known as CT Engineering

CT Engineering (formerly Comptech) – CT Engineering TSX Catback Exhaust

Comptech Cat-Back – Acura TSX – OEM Header/Cat

First the facts on the springs:

TEIN High.Tech springs utilize the latest spring and material technology to optimize comfort, performance, and quality. Designed and tested in North America to be used in conjunction with OEM or similar shocks for excellent ride comfort and slightly increased handling. The line is produced with Vanadium (SAE9254V), which is durable, lightweight, and has properties to retain more spring stroke. High.Tech springs are designed for those seeking a slightly lowered stance while maintaining high ride quality at a reasonable price. Most vehicles will attain a 1.2 inch drop for a more attractive appearance, added performance, and excellent comfort. Includes a one year limited warranty.

• Chrome Vanadium SAE9254V Construction
• Progressive Spring Rate Design
• Includes Silencer Rubber on certain applications
• Gold Powder Coat Finish
• Developed to be used in conjunction with OEM or OEM replacement dampers
• 1-year Manufacturers Defect and Sag Warranty
Covers over 5mm sag, breakage, deformity, and noise.
Does not cover powder coat finish and rusting.

Spring Rate (F/R, kgf/mm): 5.7/3.4, Lowering F/R: -1.1/-0.7 Inches.
*sourced from Tein’s Web Page

The springs do provide the specified drop, 1.1″ in the front and .7″ in the back, or approximately those numbers. In laymans terms your stock CL9 (TSX) has an average of about 3 – 3.75 finger widths of wheel gap, the H-Techs will reduce that gap to 1.75 – 2 finger widths of gap. With the A-Spec lip kit, or Euro-R lip kit this drop may visually appear to be a bit lower. I do get comments from other CL9 owners with H-Tech’s that mine looks lower with the A-Spec kit, which is somewhat true but mainly due to an optical illusion.

I have the H-Tech’s mounted on my OEM dampers and the springs provide a very soft ride comparable to OEM ride quality. Not much bounce if any, they will stiffen up around the corners being a progressive type spring. My 2 year old and my wife never noticed much of a difference with the H-Techs over OEM springs for comfort. However; they are not intended and do not provide the handling results of a more advanced spring/damper combo. There are times if I lay into a corner to hard I can feel the spring get to a point where it no longer compresses and it feels like a bit of snap over steer may occur which can lead to a lack of confidence in the twisties.

Now that about 3 months have passed I can feel my OEM dampers getting a bit strained with the drop. Tein does not endorse the use of any aftermarket spring with OEM dampers, however; a 1″ drop is usually the maximum you can get away with on OEM dampers. I am beginning to notice some knocking in the front and I am not sure if it’s the damper going bad or something else, but the amount of bouncing has increased which is leading me to believe the dampers are on the way out. You’ll have to acknowledge I put the springs on dampers that were already 32,000 miles in to their lifetime which is not suggested.

I would reccomend that if you are in the market to be lower and are looking for the same drop as the H-Tech’s provide then you should also consider a set of aftermarket dampers like Koni Yellow’s to go with the springs. This way you can get adjustable dampening and longer life out of your set up. The koni’s also provide an additional 20mm of drop (~.8 inches) with their adjustable spring perches. You will get a better handling car and still be able to retain close to OEM comfort.

Also consider the Tein CS coilovers. OEM comfort, up to 2.1″ drop, and EDFC compatible, that would be the ultimate set up for seeking a comfortable ride, moderate drop, and an overall good suspension set up.

Overall I’d rate the H-Techs a 8 – 10 which is by no means bad, and would probably be a 10 – 10 if I had ordered aftermarket dampers at the same time.

Drop with H-Techs on my car:

CL9 (accord, TSX, Euro R) on Tein H-Techs

CL9 (Accord, TSX, Euro R) on Tein H-Techs