Acura RSX (All years/types)

beowulf7 · January 2003

I don't know what options you'd be interested in or even where in the US you live. But here are some options I'd suggest:

* Titanium interior (expensive, but looks cool in either interior trim)
* Rubber (all weather) floor mats (useful in bad climates)
* Luggage/Cargo net (useful to keep small items from rolling around in hatch)
* Fog lights (nicely covers up those holes - and is 55 W strong)

Don't get mud guards, moonroof visor, or that crappy spoiler. Get a trunk tray if you like to keep dirty items (boots, etc.) in the hatch. Hope this helps!

beowulf7 · January 2003

Since the 2003 model of the RSX changed virtually nothing from the 2002 version (except replacing Firepepper Red w/ Redondo Red), expect some more signficiant (but no major) changes to the 2004 model. Engine and body style should be similar, if not the same, but tweaks will be made.

rascallove · January 2003

Hey what kind of car do you drive? WHat is so great about foglight most people don't even get them and it get annoyin turnin them on and off. Why does the mud guards suck? I thought they prevent the bottom of you car from being dirty and rusty. I just want to know your opinions on these questions cuz my parent are going to get me one soon and I don't know what options I will need or make my car look better. The car is going to be auto with leather. I want white but I hear it gets dirty easily. I dont have a garage so I think I will get black.

revka · January 2003

In addition to the feedback here, you may also want to check out Edmunds.com's The buzz and Future Vehicles sections. Good luck.

Revka
Hatchbacks & Wagons Host

nippononly · January 2003

what folks think here about how long Acura will let this version of RSX run? They had the same integra for seven years ('94-'01)...will that happen again with the RSX?

billnjill · January 2003

How comfortable is this car without the arm rest? I'm a big guy and wonder how that would work out. Is there an aftermarket arm rest that will fit?

zombo · January 2003

I've been away from this board for awhile,but I remember early on someone posting that a company might make an aftermarket center console for the RSX. Is there one made by anyone yet? For the price of this car a center console should be standard as the absense of one sort of gives the interior a cheap look. This is a modern sports car from Honda's upscale division after all,not an 85 Civic.

dsm6 · January 2003

I'm fairly big guy as well. I don't have a problem with the lack of arm rest, but tastes vary so don't take my word for it. Give it a good long test drive if possible.

beowulf7 · January 2003

I have a desert silver RSX-S.

The OEM foglights are not rated that great. But they look good on the car and are better than regular headlights in fog and snow. HID head lights are the best, but they cost $500-600 to get an aftermarket replacement. Mudguards belong on SUVs and pickup trucks, not on sports coupes. That's why I made that comment.

There's nothing wrong w/ an auto if you a.) can't drive MT or b.) need to share your car w/ others who can't. Especially if your parents are getting it, or at least co-sign for it, consider yourself lucky. White and black are hardest to keep clean. Silver is a very popular color, but too "faddy", IMO. The eternal blue pearl (EBP) is a VERY HOT color. I'm not a fan of red.

I like desert silver metallic the best, obviously, since I got it. But I will admit that it's probably the least flashiest of the colors. Also, it comes w/ a "titanium" (grayish tannish color), where as some other exteriors come w/ "ebony" (black) interior. Good luck!

acbe · January 2003

I personally prefer the titanium over the completely black interior. My Type-S is Pearl white. You are right, it seems like I have to wash it at least twice a week for it to look clean! Although I do love the color next to its tinted windows...SHARP!!! Regarding the $500-$600 fog lights you mentioned, is that from the dealer? If not, I wonder what the dealer charges for that? Also-I just received a magazine from acura "Acura Style"....So what does everyone think of the new TSX coming out? Oh, and what about the RSX type-R...no word of that yet, if ever...

nippononly · January 2003

I read someplace they had decided to bring over a Civic type R rather than a RSX type R?

dsm6 · January 2003

I read that the two, Civic and RSX Type Rs, are tied together. Supposedly they want to make sure there is always a more powerful RSX relative to the Civic. So, bring over a 200 hp Civic Type R only when there is a 220+ hp RSX Type R.

Who knows, though.

beowulf7 · January 2003

Yes, the titanium leather had a "growing" affect on me, and now I love it. Especially in the summer when the black leather folks are literally burning their asses and I'm not.

The $500-600 I mentioned is for HID (Xenon) head lights (aftermarket, installation not included). Like the ones you see on TLs and CLs. OEM fog lights are almost as expensive as that cost, too, if you buy from the dealer. But half that cost is for installation.

I went to the Philly Auto Show a couple weeks ago. The Acura booth mentioned that the TSX is coming out in April. They didn't say if there will be a Type-S option or not. But what I do know is that it will have a 2.4 L engine that produced 200 HP. Also it's got 17" tires/wheels as an option, and has a nice set of dual exhaust tail pipes.

I haven't heard anything about a Type-R. Who knows if it will ever come out in North America. My prediction is that if and when the RSX sales fall - say in a few years - Honda will be interested in jump starting sales via the RSX-R.

thedog4 · February 2003

Hey folks. I am in the market to buy a car in the next few weeks. After comparing, pricing, and test driving, my short list is now down to the RSX-type S, WRX, and the Celica GTS. I am looking for comments, good, bad, or ugly (more worried about the bad and ugly) about RSX. I removed the GTI from the list due to issues with ignition coils, breaking power windows, lack of replacement parts, and more. Thanks for you time.

himiler · February 2003

It depends on if you're looking to buy a sport coupe or a sport sedan/wagon. Between the RSX-S and the Celica GTS, the RSX is clearly dominant in nearly all categories, save for brakes and tires. (I suspect the RSX's braking distances -- not to mention skidpad numbers -- would improve markedly with some real tires on the car.)

Between the WRX and the RSX-S, you can't go wrong either way. The Acura gives you superior build quality and some interior niceties that are unavailable (until the 2004 WRX debuts, anyway) in the Subaru. The Subaru counters with better space utilization, gobs more torque, and AWD, not to mention cheaper insurance (on the average).

If you're a gear-head, you can't beat the inexpensive power gains that exist for the WRX. If you place more of an emphasis on comfort, fuel economy and style, then the RSX-S is the right choice.

For my money, I'd say the WRX wagon rules in terms of value, utility and perfomance. But, your money is your money, so just make sure you're really satisfied with your choice before you sign.

thedog4 · February 2003

I have broke down and made the decision. I am going with a black WRX wagon. Looks nice, practical for a 30+ year-old, and the insurance and price a little more forgiving.

Thanks again for the help.

beowulf7 · February 2003

I would vote for the RSX-S, but then again, I'm under 30, so my interests and needs are probably different than yours. I agree w/ himiler that the WRX will give you better performance and utility (carrying passenger and luggage). The RSX was a winner, in my book, for styling, creature comfort, and badge recognition. Good luck on negotiating for your Subaru.

dsm6 · February 2003

Same decision I had to make (isn't life rough?!). I chose the RSX-S based upon quality and comfort as well as fuel efficiency/tail pipe emissions. It's not that the WRX is bad, but it isn't to the level of the RSX IMO, and I'm getting soft as I get old. ;-)

That, and the wife drives a minivan that takes care of any practical needs much better than a compact sedan.

You can't go wrong with either if you ask me.

juliano1 · February 2003

i have a 2003 rsx type s and i want to replace the tires and mags with either:
215/45 17" or 225/45 17"
im just wondering which would be the better choice? i dont plan to lower the car and i dont mind having a bumpy ride as well. my only concern with going 225s is if there's any chance the tire's sidewall would touch the body?

also, my friend just bought a 2003 accord sedan, ex-v6... also plans to change with bigger and wider 17" or 18" tires and mags. please give suggestions.

himiler · February 2003

http://www.tirerack.com

Your car's wheels are not mags. Mags are magnesium wheels. Your RSX has aluminum-alloy wheels, just like your friend's Accord.

ratass_2002 · February 2003

My door speaker on the driver side is buzzing when I put a CD in today(I used to play the same CD with no problem). Anyone experiencing the same problem? At first I thought something is loose around the speaker like paper, CDs, but then when I clear the surrending it is still buzzing. I hope it's because of louse connection that cause the problem. How can it break I bought this RSX last July(26,000km now). I have to do some more testing on it. My leather sit starts to see wrinkles and dry cracks on it. I don't like the look of it. Is there a way to save the leather? The cold weather is not helping.

Canadian winter is killing this car, I think I should have bought the anti-rust package. How could one know that it won't even survive the first winter. I already got rust on the wiper, and some copper oxidation(green spots, I think copper leave green stuff when rusting I might be wrong) on the rear Acura logo. This year is the worst winter ever.

Thank you for reading my rant

juliano1 · February 2003

himiler, sorry for not being technically correct, but the general idea of my question was regarding a better tires and wheels upgrade. any comments from those people who have done so please post. again, which would be a better choice between 215/45s and 225/45s. i would probably go 17". thanks...

juliano1 · February 2003

i live in vancouver where we dont get snow that much... cant even remember if it snowed this year except that it rains alot

himiler · February 2003

If you're going to lower your car, you might get some rubbing with the 225 tire. If you haven't already checked the link I posted, give it a shot. The Tire Rack is pretty much has the best info on plus-one upgrades. It's a great company that I have been dealing with for about 10 years.

Good luck!

juliano1 · February 2003

although i dont want to sacrifice too much on comfort and treadwear, i have no plans to lower it but just to enhance its appearance by getting big tires and wheels. the website you suggested was very helpful mostly in other makes, thanks, but i didnt find most of the answers im looking for. they seem to have very few posts regarding rsx's in both 215s and 225s and i got too lazy to research (sorry). anyway, will the 225s be ok, no rubbing or anything, with my car since i have no intention of lowering it? or will the 215s be the better all around choice? i hope you understand my predicamt.

juliano1 · February 2003

also the air conditioning is always turned "ON". I have read in this discussion board on how to shut it off, but before I try this, do you guys recommend this? It does change the sound of the engine when switch "on" and "off" during idle. And if I succeed, will I have control over the switch then if I want it back "on"? That button seems useless when I can't even turn it "off".

beowulf7 · February 2003

225s should be good for a 17" set of tires. You won't get any wheel-well rubbing since the car sits so high up. Even if you lower the car 1" you should be OK.

About the A/C switch, you can turn it back on by default by going through the same procedure I mentioned a couple months ago (which is what I'm assuming you read). I haven't tried that procedure yet, so I'm just passing along second-hand info.

edberg_dc · February 2003

Does anybody know the 0 to 60 times for the 5-speed RSX? I can find plenty of info on the Type S but not the "base" model. I am curious how much slower it really is, I mean with a 160hp doesn't it have to make it to 60mph in less than at least 8 seconds?

gsgman69 · February 2003

Motortrend tested a Civic SI with basically the same engine/transmission/chasis and it got to 60mph in 7.56 seconds. SVT Focus was 7.39; Sentra Spec V was 7.22; and VW GTI 1.8t was 6.82.

I too was shopping last year for an RSX and was dismayed that I couldn't find any articles or tests on the base model. There's no one to blame but the auto mags and their subscribers who only want to see the fastest out there while ignoring what people are actually buying.

Is 7.56 adequate for you? If not my advice is to ignore all the hormone-induced ricers out there and enjoy this nice car on it own merits.

himiler · February 2003

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the 160hp RSX can snap off a 0-60 run in just a tick over seven seconds. It's got decent torque and doesn't weigh much.

But, if you're really concerned with 0-60 times, just buy the Type-S.

bobst · February 2003

According to the sales brochure, under 5500 RPM the base RSX engine has more horsepower and torque than the RSX-S, so it may have lower 0-60 times.

himiler · February 2003

Um, no. The RSX-S will smoke a 160hp RSX 0-60, 0-100, 1/4 mile, etc. Because of the tight ratios in the 6 speed tranny, I'd have to think the RSX-S is also quicker 0-30 and from a rolling start (5-60).

beowulf7 · February 2003

At least you admitted you know little about what you said. ;-) Technically speaking, there is a certain (very small) range of the HP and torque curves where the base RSX, does indeed, have very slightly higher numbers than the RSX-S. But this in no way means that a stock RSX can out-accelerate a stock RSX-S, assuming same driver skills.

Granted, the base RSX weighs less than the Type-S. But again, nowhere light enough to make up the 40 lb deficit.

edberg_dc · February 2003

gsgman,

Thanks for the info. It is unfortunate that all anyone tests on these auto sites is the Type S... I believe that the Type S only accounts for 20% of their sales. It (the base RSX) is definitely an adequate time... coming from my 94 Accord EX I will take anything at this point.

I liked the RSX when I sat in it at the Washington Auto Show, I was actually really surprised how nice it was. Not to mention the hatchback is great.

And I won't just buy a Type S because it's another $3K - which I think is a lot of money. I am keeping myself to $20K on this car.

In terms of the HP vs. TQ argument, from what I read the base's dyno curves indicate more torque is available lower in the RPM range, which is better for city driving and since I live in a city I think it's preferable. thanks everyone for the replies.

njcar1 · February 2003

Does anyone know what the 2003 RSX-S is going for in NJ (or anywhere in the Northeast). Did anyone recently receive invoice on a purchase of a 2003 model. I see that in some dealerships there is a large pile of them, so I was wondering whether anyone had the experience of getting a really good deal in my area.

bobst · February 2003

Beowulf agrees that the Base RSX has both more HP and torque over what he calls a "very small" range. Well, according to the catalog, that range is 0-5500 rpm.

In addition, the torque curve looks pretty flat to me, so I doubt a 6-speed tranny will help much in going from 0-60 mph. It takes time to shift gears, you know.

nippononly · February 2003

it's extremely important when you have a narrow powerband - need more gears to keep the engine in its "sweet spot".

michiganman · February 2003

No one has mentioned the fact that the S revs significantly higher than the Base, which is the key. When the Base hits redline and is forced to shift to 2nd gear, the S is still accelerating in 1st. Because of the effect of gearing ratios, 1st gear "pulls" much harder than 2nd, 2nd gear "pulls" much harder than 3rd, etc. Because of its high redline, the S can stay in 1st gear longer than the Base (i.e. it pulls "longer" in each gear).

Bobst, you would be correct *if* the race was done from 0-5500 in 1st gear only (for example, in a 0-20 I would not be surprised to see the Base win because it is lighter and has slightly more torque from 0-5500), but that is not the case for 0-60, which requires max revs and 2 gears. Because of the S's higher redline, it should smoke the Base in 0-60, like everyone else is saying.

A quick search on horsepower and torque will reveal a multitude of good info about the subject.

michiganman · February 2003

For example:

www.allpar.com/eek/hp-vs-torque.html
vettenet.org/torquehp.html

sgrd0q · February 2003

Well, put simply, when the Base needs to shift 1 to 2, the type S is still pulling very hard. The Base then goes to fairly low RPM after the shift and does not pull very hard at all. At that point the type S will be well ahead. In addition, when the type S is redlined and shifts - it doesn't go that low in the RPM range (due to close gearing and the fact that the shift was done at a higher point in the RPM range to begin with). So the shift to second puts the car in a fairly high RPM range where the car still pulls hard.

The bottom line is - the whole curve is important - not just the maximum.

In fact, theoretically, you can have car A with a very steep curve and a very high maximum, and car B with much lower maximum but flatter and longer curve (higher RPM range), where car B is faster.

tnjrobi1 · February 2003

Are there going to be any new colors for rhe RSX-S next year?

The RSX-S is on my short list to buy this year, but I'm a little unsure about what color I would get.

I like the black with black interior, but I've had a black car before and their to hard to keep clean.

I kinda like the silver with black interior, but it looks a little plain.

I would consider the desert silver if it came with black interior

If they would offer the RSX-S in a Silverstone with black interior I would go for it.

Does anyone know if this color will be available in the future?

michiganman · February 2003

nippononly and sgrd0q, very good comments about the closer gearing ratios on the type S - I neglected to mention that.

bobst · March 2003

I made you look at the facts instead of basing your opinions on your prejudices. How about that!

We still love our 1997 Accord, but we will probably buy an RSX sometime in the next year. We don't drive fast and we definitely like cloth seats more than leather, so we will most likely get the base model.

The only thing that concerns me is engine noise. We drove one on a cold day in January, and it sounded kind of loud when we started it up. However, once it warmed up, it was much better.

I was at another dealer a few weeks later looking at colors, and I wanted to sit in a car with a beige interior. It was a Type S, and the salesman started it up for some reason. It didn't sound loud at all. Do you think the Type S is quieter, or was it just because the weather was a little warmer that day?

nippononly · March 2003

a lot of the new 4-cylinder engines in the last couple of years, especially the Japanese ones, and including the RSX, are very noisy little suckers! They don't sound as smooth any more - they sound more like sewing machines now with one loose screw. I wonder very much why that is.

A lady at work has the type S, and it is just as loud as the base RSX, IMO. When it is cold and she starts it up, you can hear it across a parking lot with other cars in between being started up.

himiler · March 2003

Some of that extra noise is from the timing chain.

beowulf7 · March 2003

I originally posted #1683, which you'll notice is blank). I had a link to it which had a URL for a competing auto forum, so I am reposting my message here with a link that complies with Edmunds' rules and regulations. Revka, could you please put this as Post #1683? Thanks.

Below is my original message about the HP/torque plots for RSX and RSX-S with the only modification being the URL has been renamed.

***

You really did it now! You've made me refer to the 2002 Acura RSX brochure and scan the RSX vs. RSX-S Power and Torque plots as a function of RPM. I am posting a link to a picture for all to see, but basically, here's the summary.

The base has higher numbers than the Type-S for torque from ~1500-5300 RPM, w/ a maximum advantage of ~10 ft-lbs at around 3700 RPM. For HP, the base is better than the Type-S from ~3000-5000 RPM, with a maximum advantage of ~10 HP.

So while the power/torque advantages of the base vs. Type-S could be considered nontrivial, it does not affect most races for the reasons nippononly, michiganman, and sgrd0q mentioned. (BTW, kudos to that triumvirate for explaining the advantages of the Type-S' high-revving engine so well.)

http://216.40.247.61/attachment.php?s=&postid=884729

revka · March 2003

Also, sorry, but messages cannot be moved around in a given discussion, and we can't change post numbers. We can only move them from one discussion to another.

I think at this point, people will get the idea: Your message was meant to be post #1683 (now missing), and post #1684 is bobst's response to your message.... Thanks again!

And let's continue now with the subject of the Acura RSX!

Revka
Host/Hatchbacks & Wagons

beowulf7 · March 2003

No problem, thanks for trying though! However, perhaps being able to renumber posts is something that Edmunds should let you moderators do.

revka · March 2003

Also, good suggestion about the numbers; I'll forward the idea on. Also, so we don't take this discussion off topic, let's continue any further thoughts on this subject via email. Okay? ;-)

Also, if anyone else has any questions/comments about our Town Hall policies and procedures, feel free to send me an email. You can also fill out this feedback form from our About Section. Thanks!

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

revka · March 2003

It would be interesting to see some vehicle updates in here. Haven't seen any in a while. Anyone interested in listing their total miles to date, current mpg (city/highway), new accessories/mods, road trips, maintenance to date, and overall impressions (pro/cons) of your RSX... compared to when you first purchased? Who's game? ;-)

I'm sure others passing through here would find the information quite helpful. Also, you report back every 3k-5K to update again.

If you want share your RSX purchase cost, or see what others paid, check out our "Acura RSX - What did you pay?" discussion. Look for a direct link to this discussion, in the Helpful Links, on the left side of this page.

Thanks for your participation!

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

Acura RSX (All years/types)

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