As may be evident in these photos, the A-Spec crew sought to buff up the TSX's image. To help foster the impression of a more muscular TSX, a good dose of lower body cladding was applied. Is it effective? Well, it's definitely more of an attention-getter. Depending upon how you look at it, that can be good or bad, but I've generally always been one to go for more of a stealth look on my vehicles. I like a low, mean, purposeful look, but it doesn't necessarily require bulges and plastic appliques. The add-on body pieces of the TSX A-Spec package are certainly high quality components, and in all likelihood, they probably even improve the vehicle's aerodynamic signature, but fall a little bit outside of "stealth". The deep chin spoiler and flared side skirts practicallly shout "LOOK AT ME!!", and the decklid wing seems a bit unnecessary, given the TSX's relatively tall rear end.

Like all preceding A-Spec kits, the TSX A-Spec suspension is said to drop the car by 25mm, but from a quick visual survey of the vehicle, that 1-inch drop is hard to spot. By comparison, if you check out an RSX A-Spec, you can immediately tell it's been lowered. The TSX A-Spec, on the other hand, isn't quite as obvious. Park it side by side with a stock TSX, you can see a reduction in wheel well gap and a slightly lowered stance, but more of a reduction would be even better. The A-Spec EPS-R5 17x7.5" A-spec wheel is the same diameter as the stock wheel, but it's 1/2 inch wider, so you should be able to safely run up to a 235mm width tire, if you want to fill up the wheel wells a bit more and pick up a bit of additional grip.

That's enough of the subjective styling analysis - let's move on to describing how the car drives. As I mentioned earlier, the dynamics of the TSX are so good out of the box, I was rather anxious to try a better TSX. As it turns out, the first few miles were a bit of a surprise to me. While I haven't tried the TL A-Spec yet, I've spent quite a bit of time in the RSX A-Spec and Civic Si Factory Performance, and based upon those experiences I suppose I was expecting more of a noticeable difference in feel. And from a ride perspective, it was rather difficult to discern much of a difference. After taking a few turns and stabbing the brakes a few times, the reduction in body roll and squat and dive were certainly noticeable, however. So far so good.

But as I continued to drive the car, I found myself wondering why this A-Spec suspension calibration wasn't the stock setup. With the vast reduction in dive/squat and improved roll characteristics, how could anybody complain about the ride? After a few more days passed, I had the occasion to fill the car with 4 people, and in that case I did notice a slight increase in ride harshness, but otherwise, it seemed very close to stock in terms of ride comfort. More recently, I took the car on a trip to Alabama for the 2005 Odyssey press event. It was on my way there when I finally encountered some roads in rather poor condition (construction on I-20 outside of Birmingham). Only in that case did the additional compression stiffness become more apparent to me, delivering sharper impacts to the passenger cell. For some people, the stock TSX ride is a bit too stiff, and if you're one of these people who feels that way, then the A-Spec suspension is not for you. But for myself (and I would think most enthusiasts) it's an easy choice - I'll take a modest hit in terms of ride quality for a dramatic improvement in handling any day. I was actually expecting an even more aggressive setup than what the A-Spec package delivers, but so far I'm quite happy with where it is.

If you're considering purchasing this suspension package for your new TSX, I strongly urge you to consider purchasing a good set of high performance tires to go along with it. If it fits your budget, grab a set of lightweight 17" wheels to mount your new tires on as well. Otherwise, you will find that this setup will often remind you of the meager limits of the OEM all-season radials. While the additional roll stiffness and improved squat/dive characteristics are greatly appreciated, the stock Michelins become quite vocal when you start leaning on them harder, and there doesn't seem to be much, if any additional lateral grip. During hard cornering, this additional squealing seems to indicate more of a propensity towards understeer, but if you really push the car, ultimately understeer will indeed prevail, but is not nearly as bad as the ruckus might lead you to believe. As mentioned on the previous page, the rear suspension ended up with a fair amount of negative camber, while the front is slightly positive - a textbook prescription for understeer. It would be nice to be able to tweak the balance by adjusting the camber settings front and rear, but that's not an option without seeking the aftermarket's support. As is, while the TSX A-Spec remains fairly balanced right up to the limits, I would like to be able to be able to rotate the car a bit more.