2002 Acura RSX Base (DC5)
... Or, as the rest of the world might better know this car, Honda Integra iS. With the Accord gone for the engine build, I needed something reliable to get me around. I love Honda, so I kept it in the family with a car I've always thought looked really cool. While I'm not concerned with making power in this ride, there's no way I'm letting it stay looking like 'some car' in traffic.
Day One...
- Purchased 9.10.2012 @ 96k miles
- K20A3 (EP3 Civic Si engine + 10 lb-ft due to a different intake manifold)
- 160 hp / 140 lb-ft
- Redline @ 6800 rpm / economy-tuned iVTEC at 2200 rpm
- Automatic / sequential SportShift transmisson
- Desert Silver Metallic paint
- "Titanium" leather interior
TODAY...
- Mugen Sports Suspension coilovers (1.4" static drop)
- Mugen front strut & rear "mid" bars
- Eibach sway bars, 26mm front + 23mm rear
- Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings (rears still need installing)
- Skunk2 rear lower control arms w/urethane bushings
- EBC Blackdash slotted discs
- Hawk HPS pads
- StopTech stainless brake lines (not yet installed)
- 16" 02-04 RSX wheels w/Firestone Winterforce
- 17" 05-06 RSX Type-S wheels w/Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500
- Mugen air box (not installed; needs modifying to fit a LHD car)
- Magnaflow oval muffler
- A-spec style front lip (needs paint)
- Mugen-style hood (horrible Carbon Creations replica, to be replaced)
- Aerocatch carbon-look locking hood pins
- Depo black-housed headlights
> TheRetrofitSource.com Mini H1 bi-xenon projector retrofit
> Morimoto XB35 5000k HID bulbs
> Morimoto 3Five 35 watt ballasts
> TRS HD Relay harness
> TRS high-beam splitter harnesses (not yet installed)
- 20% tint all around w/windshield banner
- 'Acura' & 'RSX' trunk badges removed
- 'Integra' badge (not sure I even want to install it anymore)
- A-spec/Type-R style wing (carbon fiber, paint-matched)
- Kenwood deck from the old Accord (bought in 2009, and still kicking!)
- Replaced a couple worn/missing interior pieces
- Black carpet swap w/factory floor mats
- Kicker 5.25" speakers
- Kenwood 12" sub + Rockford 200 watt amp
- Taillight turn signal "red-outs"
** Click here to read my 5-year ownership review
What the Future Holds...
Goals are still just in the looks and handling. With the Accord build going, I don't yet care to make power in the RSX. The suspension's pretty much done, there are just a couple small upgrades left. The car has eclipsed 200,000 miles, so for a while I'll be tackling a bunch of critical maintenance items. Maybe one day I'll swap the Mugen SS for adjustable coilovers simply so I can further lower the ride height in the warmer months, and after I get around to installing my braided steel brake lines I'll see if a big brake kit would be worth the cost. After the maintenance is out of the way, the next real stage in this car's future will be transforming the look, and I do have a solid plan for the car's exterior. I'll leave that a surprise for now, but it will look completely different. Beyond that, the interior needs a similarly thorough resto-mod, and I'm sure after the Accord's in a good spot I've been thinking about lightly turbocharging, or swapping in a better K-series for simple bolt-ons and tune.
For the story between that initial purchase and the present result of all my labor, check out Chapter 1 below. I think Chapter 2 will begin when I start tackling that major exterior overhaul. Fair warning: these chapters are quite lengthy and photo-dense.
Chapter 1 : Getting Situated
Bonus Round!
DIY Repair Guides
I'll start this out by transferring in a pair of parts replacement guides I wrote for ClubRSX, but from here on out I'll try to document all the work I perform on the car in DIY fashion to hopefully help some people out. Click the links below to visit each walkthrough:
- CEL P0325: Knock Sensor (& Starter) Replacement
- CEL P1259: VTEC Solenoid + Oil Pressure Switch Replacment
- CV Axle Shaft Replacement
- Strut Bar Install (includes Mugen rear "mid bar" for DC5s)
Literature
I geeked out on factory RSX information and ordered some books off eBay. Except for this first one, the images can be clicked on to zoom in; I took photos of some of the more interesting pages:
DIY Repair Guides
I'll start this out by transferring in a pair of parts replacement guides I wrote for ClubRSX, but from here on out I'll try to document all the work I perform on the car in DIY fashion to hopefully help some people out. Click the links below to visit each walkthrough:
- CEL P0325: Knock Sensor (& Starter) Replacement
- CEL P1259: VTEC Solenoid + Oil Pressure Switch Replacment
- CV Axle Shaft Replacement
- Strut Bar Install (includes Mugen rear "mid bar" for DC5s)
Literature
I geeked out on factory RSX information and ordered some books off eBay. Except for this first one, the images can be clicked on to zoom in; I took photos of some of the more interesting pages:
The big group on the left side, including the window sticker, all came with the owner's manual:
- leather case
- original owner's anti-theft radio code
- original owner's roadside assistance card
- "Owner's Guide to Acura Total Luxury Care," basically a list of owner services: roadside, warranty, concierge service, owner updates from Acura, etc.
- smog rating for a 2002 base automatic (0.27, if you were curious )
- owner's manual and warranty packet for the original tires
- a guide breaking down the language of collision/body work
- 2002 RSX owner's manual
- dealer directory
- business card from original owner's place of purchase (this manual happens to be from Metro Acura/Volkswagen of Philadelphia)
- detailed warranty manual
- SRS guide (this one's actually really interesting, too; with info on different types of airbags, and how my passenger seat can tell if the person in it is leaning, like if they're asleep against the door, so it can turn the side airbag off)
- window sticker for an '02 base automatic (original owner's being Satin Silver Metallic with an Ebony interior, whereas mine's Desert Silver Metallic with a Titanium interior)
Silver packet is a pre-release (dated January 8, 2001) press kit for some of Acura's 2002 model year lineup: 2002 Acura RS-X (notice the hyphen!) Prototype, 2002 Acura 3.2 TL (incl. Type S), and 2002 Acura 3.5 RL. Inside is typed media info for each car, as well as a CD-ROM with the same text plus some photos of the three cars.
Big blue booklet is a dealership brochure for the 2002 RSX. It's even got full specs inside, including individual gear ratios, a dyno graph comparing the base and Type S (before the Type S's VTEC crossover, the base actually has more power, and noticeably more torque, lol), dimensions, fluid capacities, etc.
The three in the bottom-right all look to be Canadian market specific. Up top is a very brief, four-page flier. Narrow yellow book is a factory accessories guide. Large pink book looks to be a slightly less comprehensive dealership brochure.
These next three photos are taken from the US market dealership brochure. The first is of a dyno graph comparing the base model's K20A3 to the Type S's K20A2; notice how before the VTEC crossover on the Type S, the base model has more power, and a pretty decent amount more torque!
Here we have the full spec sheet comparing the two trim levels, as well as some optional accessories:
Getting into the pre-release press kit, dated January 8, 2001, we find the RSX was originally slated to be badged "RS-X." Also noteworthy is the planned 18" BBS alloys. I think Enkei ended up making the 17" Type S wheels for the 2005 facelift, as well as both of the optional 17" A-spec wheels, but I'm not sure who made the 2002-2004's 16" five-spokes. The only branding on the wheel itself is Honda. I've heard people say that "Recaro" can be found stamped on the inner seat frame, but I've yet to dig around under the covers to confirm this.
That CD-ROM is where things get interesting. As it turns out, the American RS-X actually should have gotten the Recaros and Brembos that the Japanese Type R came with. So sad. Here's a look at those parts installed on a factory Acura RS-X Prototype, along with those BBSs: