Upon further research it looks like people who installed TRD springs have had issues with noise, squeaks, etc. same deal with the TRD sway bars. I like the way my car sounds now. the suspension is quiet and smooth and bumps are no problem - the suspension makes a nice hiss. i dont want annoying metal squeaking...

should i just pass on these two suspension upgrades then?

 

Can't decide on the mods i really want to do yet.
Going to cross TRD springs off my list because 1. i could use the extra height for things like cargo, and for the rare cases when i have to drive my car off the road on dirt roads, etc. Plus i don't want a noisy suspension. stock sounds very nice to me. Also maybe the TRD springs will make the ride too stiff. one of the major reasons i bought this tC over the mazdaspeed3 was because the mazda was not very comfortable to be in. I'd like to keep it that way.

Also going to pass on the underdrive pulley. sounds too risky for engine longevity. i might get amazing power results as a short term effect, but if its going to wear down any components prematurely, i would rather give up my power gain. even if it does gain us 10+hp.

I will be adding sway bars and maybe a strut bar to my list instead. i dont know if i should let the dealer install the sways though...we'll have to see their price. I realize I'll need an alignment after the install.

still keeping the headers, SRI and exhaust plans.
My rims are slightly scratched(unnoticeable) from driving on gravel and rocky roads, so the planned rim mods are staying. i will have to stay away from those roads though!

 

I've had the TRD springs installed for about a year now and have never had any problems with the noise issue that you are referring to. They do make the ride a little bit more stiff than it used to be but I still don't worry about going over bumps. The roads where I live are not very good but the car is still a pleasure to ride it. I've had several people ride in my car and comment on how smooth it seems.

The drop is just enough to get rid of most of the gap between where the tire ends and fender starts. That means you still have plenty of room to compensate for added luggage.

Just my $0.02

 

i have the sway bars, no issues here either.

 

ok thanks for easing my concerns. i talked with another friend of mine and he said he can help me with the TRD spring install and then when i can afford the part, even the sway bar install (which should be easier). So all i have to do now is afford my springs and i have to find a spring compressor. i heard i can rent them?

I also will be adding a TRD strut brace eventually.

Time to get a better idea of exactly which parts to get.
For exhaust i have been thinking about all the different options and would really love the megan racing catback except i am concerned about police attention. So i think I'll go for the TRD axleback after all. It will sound fine with the Dezod Headers.

Not sold on an intake yet. maybe cold air, maybe short ram. maybe a cold air that can be turned into a short ram...I also do not want a CAI that gives me CELs...is there one that is less problematic than the others?

I might try the pulley after all, but it would probably be one of the last things done to my engine. by that time the warranty on my car should have run out (the 2 year one) so it shouldn't matter.

Thoughts on mods?

 

New pics, same old stock car lol

 

Ok finally decided on all the exact parts I will want:
TRD springs
TRD Sway Bars
Injen Cold Air Intake
TRD Exhaust
Dezod Header

The pulley will be last as I planned. Maybe I'll add a S-pipe if that part of the exhaust does anything special for the sound or to ease up the restricted flow.

Question: The S pipe doesn't have a cat attached to it right? is it the mid-pipe that has the second cat? And should I even bother with the S-pipe(as in it won't do anything for my car)? i do not want to take out my cats. I believe the Dezod header keeps the first cat and the second stock cat is part of the mid-pipe? Can someone help me understand that better?

And should I replace the stock S-pipe with something better to free up the flow more? suggestions?

 

Did some research and it sounds like people had major O2 sensor issues when they decided to replace the S pipe. I may just pass on that. stock can't be that restrictive.(haha)

 

I've also got the strut brace. I will say that it added a little bit of stability, but I feel that it is more there for looks than anything else. Check out my build thread, I prefer the TRD parts. Mostly because the color matches my theme, but partly because of the warranty.

 

So you're saying I could save money and skip the strut brace since it doesn't do much?

 

Its up to you and how you drive. I can't tell you for sure if having that strut brace would help your cornering. I know that with the springs, sway bars, and strut brace you've done just about as much as you can to your suspension as you can with out paying the money for coilovers.

 

I will probably pass on the strut bar then unless i have extra $$ in the future and nothing to do with it haha.

Another thing i am constantly second guessing is the NST pulley. I don't want to mess with engine balance tbh...

 

Judging by your posts in this thread, it sounds like aftermarket parts may not be for you. My advice to you is to just get some dealer installed TRD parts and be happy with your car

 

Dealer installed will cost way too much money. I will hopefully be installing everything on my list myself and certain things with the help of some friends.

And you are right, most of my parts will end up being TRD. Not a very large list of parts either...

 

The warranty is only extended to that of the car if you get it installed by the dealer. Otherwise, its like any other aftermarket part and you get the regular manufacturers warranty.

 

I understand that. I am trying to do my research and choose parts carefully so that they do not cause me any problems. the list I have chosen should hold up well past the car's warantees.

 

Finally got the TRD sway bars. I definitely underestimated the install on these...after reading the instructions, it looks like I'll be spending a long time unbolting all the stuff surrounding the sway bar itself. the back sway seems easier. For the front it looks like i have to take off a bunch of stuff before i even get to it. I'm estimating well over 2 hours including jacking the car up.
Hopefully I'll get a friend to help.
I'll try to get extra silicone grease for the bushings because TRD includes a tiny amount. the included amount *should* ideally be enough, but I want to make sure it doesn't squeak so I'm going to go overboard with it. Lets see if CarQuest has that grease...

Also the back sway only has one set of holes so it has only one setting. The front has 3 sets of holes and i was wondering what those mean exactly? which one is street setting and which ones is race setting? and what about the one in the middle? what's that? I think I should either use the middle setting or w/e the race setting is going to end up being.

 

450 installed I paid from dealership, warrantied and labor
I think it's worth it over the effort. Sounds like its somewhat tedious.

 

Install took an hour and a half. The included amount of grease was more than enough. I did it by myself and there were no problems.

 

I've had my 13 Tc for about 6200 miles and the dealer wanted 500$ just in labor costs to install the TRD lowering springs. Plus cost of parts. I've decided to install my self I've installed coil overs on previous Honda I've had.

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