After having had my RSX-S for a week, here are some initial impressions. (Keep in mind that I'm in a way contrasting with a '00 NSX Coupe, '01 MDX, '95 Prelude VTEC, '02 CRV EX 5 speed, '01 S2000 (though I no longer have the Prelude)).

I am very very impressed with the suspension tuning on this car! for a FWD car, it rotates very well - Honda did the right thing with the rear suspension. The rear does feel less planted/stable than the Prelude or an S2000, but it rotates well. It is easier to get the car into a 4 wheel drift than any other FWD car I've driven...

The turn-in response could be better - this is probably a function of the OEM Michelin MXM4's - but a set of S02 or S03's should solve that problem even in stock size. Another thing I will try is to dial a bit of toe out into the front. The S2000 and NSX turn in much much better with their respective stock tires but the RSX-S does do better than the Prelude in that department.

The suspension is a bit soft as is roll stiffness - but for what I am using this car for, it's a great compromise.

The one thing I am not impressed with is the tire noise! The car is well insulated in general - no where near as quiet as an MDX or even a stock NSX but better than an S2000 and about equal to the Prelude. The tire noise is bothersome - I suspect this is caused by that huge hole leading from the engine bay into the front wheel wells (more on that later).

The interior switch feel is great - like all the other Hondas. The one thing I still need to get used to is Honda's decision to change the stalk controls! The controls are now similar to the S2000 but different from the other Hondas/Acuras. The push forward for high beams is something that is very easy to accidentally do and not realize. The wipers are more easy to accidentally turn on if you push the stalk down accidentally - just like in the S2000 at autocrosses. I preferred the old controls better.

The steering feel is very impressive - just weighty enough - much better than the Prelude and actually a tad better feel than the S2000 even.

The auto climate control is a nice touch but unnecessary to me. It tends to blow too much hot air (just like in the MDX). My NSX and my prev Odyssey EX did a much better job in maintaining temps without just blowing hot air at different speeds.

The stock Bose stereo is really the worst stereo I've ever had in terms of sound quality! The stereo imaging is great with CD's but with FM channels it's a little muddy. The stock base stereo is actually better and has more bass! the subwoofer in the trunk has almost no effect - even when bass is set to max... But since I'm really waiting for a Type R, I'm not going to bother changing this.

The rear seats actually have good legroom. Much better than the Prelude though I wish it seated 3 in the rear (the new Civic Si does).

The suspension pieces on this car look very beefy and heavy - more so than the Prelude... in fact more like the MDX! This cannot be good for unsprung weight - the JDM Type R suspension arms will probably be a good suspension mod...

The big holes from the engine bay into the front wheel wells are going to be a source of problems. First, they let a lot of tire/road noise into the car. I am mainly concerned about the mud, sand, snow, salt, dirt etc that will get thrown in there when driving in inclement weather. Has anyone encountered this yet? How do you keep the engine bay clean? The '02 CRV has the same problem.

I'll follow up with a dynamic performance impression once the car is more broken in....

 

Hmm ... The one thing that really makes me curious is ... Isn't Bose suppose to produce very good or superb sound systems for any given situation? Then again, obviously I'm not doing quite right ... Even the folks at RSXWorld mentioned about some wiring issue with the stock woofer or something that is wrong.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by s2ktaxi
[B]The wipers are more easy to accidentally turn on if you push the stalk down accidentally - just like in the S2000 at autocrosses.

 

The subwoofer problem is now resolved and the system sounds as good as that in my Prelude. The polarity of the wires was switched at the factory - the first few thousand RSX-S have the problem!

 

I've driven the rsx type s a few times and have really enjoyed it - it is a great car - bang for the buck, handles well, revs well, incredible 6 speed...my friend already has 10k miles on one purchased in august 2001. congrats on your ownership of all these great cars.

 

There's a saying in the audiophile world, "Bose, there are no highs, there are no lows, there's only BOSE." Frankly, most audiophiles think Bose is a yuppies's image of high fi, when in fact, Bose is low-fi, med-fi at best.

The problems you mention also occured on late model Maximas equipped with the Bose option. Bose equipped vehicles are notoriously difficult to upgrade and tune. It often takes an overhaul to rid of the Bose pandemic .

 

Can you tell me if your S2000 gear knob fits your RSX?

--Muz

 

I never trusted Bose, I always go with Alpine or Sony's Xplod System...