There was a point in time when we thought the Acura Integra couldn't get any better. With 170 hp (we're talking '94-'00 models) as a basis, you really couldn't have asked for more. Then the Type R was released and life instantly became a boner and a half. It was so easy to tweak the B18C or C5 and gain results. And the array of readily available parts out there made this twin-cam engine the most sought-after piece of equipment for a Honda fanatic to own. (No, scratch that-this is a must-have, if you're a true Honda fanatic.) Then one day, Honda decided to throw a curveball with the RSX, and suddenly we were on to a new game: the K20.
With the K20 came a whole new engine design, I-VTEC, and the challenge of figuring out how to make power without upsetting that balance of nature. It wouldn't be easy, and American Honda offered up the Pepsi challenge-sans a bad Sammy Sosa host-to a few key players in the industry. The RSX you see here is a result of Jon Kuroyama and Howard Hoshiko, who are both part of the HKS R&D/engineering department. Since they were dealing with such a new platform, they decided not to go internal, but rather go the pressurized route with a turbocharger kit. We know it's hard to tell from the pictures, but somewhere underneath it all lies an HKS GT2835 ball-bearing turbo. A turbine of this size seems inadequate when you compare it to the gargantuan, John Holmes-like T04R or GT3037 slugs that HKS also carries, but its small stature allows for a quick spool-up that can hang with the best of them. This turbo sits on a custom prototype exhaust manifold, but you should expect a nice piece once the final product is ready for sale. Wasted exhaust gases are released through a Hiper exhaust. Fresh air is inhaled with a Super Mega Flow intake and cooled through an HKS intercooler. To maintain stocklike efficiency with the newfound power, an F-CON S engine-management system was added to fine-tune all the engine parameters, especially since it was discovered that the biggest headache for the HKS staff would be fuel issues. They also employed a limited-edition EVC-IV Silver to electronically adjust boost control and a Turbo Timer Type-1 for shutdown mode. The last essential piece of HKS hardware in the engine bay is a Super Sequential Blow-Off Valve to relieve any unwanted boost pressure within the system.
With more than just speed and bologna sandwiches on their minds, the guys felt they needed to pretty up this car a little bit. Easier said than done. It wasn't long until they discovered that a full body kit from C-West would make this car pop like Josh Gilman working the late shift at Swingers. As you can see, these new accents add quite a bit of flavor without detracting a whole lot from the original body shape. (At least it's better looking than my hair's been the past couple of months.) A carbon-fiber hood from CARisma sheds a few pounds off the body, and the rear deck spoiler is a Honda Optional Equipment original. The slight drop in ride height is achieved with lowering springs from Sprint Suspension, and a new wheel package comes courtesy of Racing Hart with 18x7.5 CP-035Rs and Toyo Proxes rubber. The interior features a few enhancements as well, with modest upgrades coming in the form of a titanium shift knob and trim from Honda Optional Equipment. Razo lent its talent with its latest shift knob and pedal designs, and Katzkin provided the material used to reupholster the seats.
Also worthy of high praise is the audio system from Pioneer Electronics, a hi-fi, no-nonsense plethora of sound, power, and Jenteal look-alikes-well, maybe not the Jenteal look-alikes, but there's enough sound and power to feed a small third-world country.
Let's start from the dashboard and work our way back. First, there's the AVD-W6000 LCD screen. It's 6.5 inches in size and plays a widescreen format to accompany your favorite Samuel L. Jackson films, which are played through an SDV-P7 DVD player. You can adjust all volume, video, and miscellaneous functions through the AVM-P9000R Visual Audio Master unit, which is fully equipped with Dolby Digital/DTS processing. One bonus feature we'd like to point out is the XM satellite radio add-on tuner. With XM satellite radio, you can tune in 24 hours a day, seven days a week for crisp, clear digital jams from a variety of music genres-totally commercial-free. Lose your way around town? Not anymore with the AVIC-9DVD GPS navigation unit with voice recognition-just yell out "Dan's a jerk, and so am I," and you'll be pointed in the correct direction. A mass quantity of wattage flows throughout a host of Pioneer's latest amplifiers, including the Premier series, and pours out to your ears through just as many speakers-most notably, the new REV-edition speakers designed to look like a set of tuner wheels. We're just thrilled that they sound 10 times better than stock. We'd be even more thrilled if we had a setup like this of our own. Or if Dan would quit flipping me the bird every time he passes my office. (For the full monty on the HKS RSX audio system, check out "Get Wired!" elsewhere in this issue.)
With less than a year's presence in the U.S., the RSX has already surpassed its Integra predecessors. It'll take some time to make it go a lot faster, but at least HKS is one step ahead, not only for speed, but visually as well. B18C this! And for crying out loud, Dan-pull up your pants.