Having become highly sought-after for his ECU tuning abilities, Turtle did a quick but effective tune on his RSX big block street beast that resulted in over 250whp and 200 ft-lbs of at-the-wheel twist. Transferring all this pump gas tuned grunt to a sticky set of Toyo tires – mounted on gorgeous bronze 17x8-inch Mugen MF10’s – is a JDM K20A Type R transmission equipped with a JDM CR-V 5.0 final drive, along with an Exedy chromoly flywheel and Stage 2 clutch kit. The stock Type R limited slip differential was also pulled in favor of a 1.5 way clutch-type LSD from KAAZ, an aggressive unit that transfers power more aggressively than the OE torsen-style diff.
Having won races and championships in a wide variety of motorsports from Time Attack to Touring GT, Turtle has plenty of experience making cars stop and turn as well as make big power. In the case of his street-legal DC5, a car that sees as much track action as it does city use, its suspension has received every bit as much attention as the powertrain. Starting with a set of Tein N1 double-adjustable dampers, spring rate choice was dialled in with the help of friend and Real Time Racing driver Pierre Kleinubing, who tested this RSX on highway on-ramps and any other twisty bits available, resulting in a 16 kg/mm front and 38 kg/mm rear spring rate choice. The astronomically high rear spring rates, which may surprise some, is a necessity to eliminate the understeer caused by the rear trailing arm design of the RSX, particularly how far inboard the location of the rear shocks and springs are. Rear roll stiffness has been further adjusted by a 27mm Hotchkis anti-sway bar, while front Mugen and Cusco strut tower braces and rear Cusco strut tower brace prevent suspension deflection during hard cornering. Further reducing unwanted changes to suspension geometry are custom heim-jointed front and rear lower control arms and trailing arm bushings. The front control arm heim-joints are offset, adding some much needed caster and associated cornering stability.
When you’ve built a RSX with a seriously powerful K24 and a full-out race suspension, brakes that are equally up to the task of heavy and repeated track use are a must. Turtle has addressed this area of his super clean speed machine by replacing the stock front brakes with 330mm two-piece rotors and 4-pot AP Racing calipers. The rotor hubs are custom billet pieces that widen the front track by 25mm on each side, just one of many small tuner tricks Turtle has used to overcome the handling deficiencies inherent to a McPherson front strut design. JDM DC5 Type R calipers are used on the rear of the car along with 310mm Project ? rotors that also have a wider offset, increasing the rear track by approximately 20mm on each side. Earl’s stainless steel brake lines, Motul RBF600 brake fluid and Hawk Performance DTC-70 brake pads combined with the upgraded rotor and caliper combination ensure that Turtle has race car quality stopping power with fade-free performance lap after Porsche embarrassing lap.
The interior of Turtle’s RSX has seen subtle and performance-oriented upgrades. Extremely rare black JDM DC5 Type R Recaro front seats – featuring large side bolsters and racing harness pass-throughs – replace the black leather Type S units. A Mugen suede-covered 360mm steering wheel and hub spacer provide improved feel and a superior driving position by moving the wheel 30mm closer to the driver. In place of the factory pedal covers are non-slip Mugen offerings that provide tighter pedal spacing for easier ‘heel and toe’ downshifts. A well-trained eye will also notice the Defi oil pressure and oil temperature gauges installed on either side of the main gauge cluster, but anyone unfamiliar with RSX’s stock dash would almost certainly assume these gauges are factory original given how seamlessly they’ve been integrated.
The sleeper theme continues on the exterior of this purpose-built RSX, where understated JDM upgrades are likely to be spotted by only the most educated of Hondaphiles. Black housing HiD headlights, amber corner lights and front lip and rear lips are all JDM DC5 Type R upgrades that subtly distinguish the car from a stock Type S. The lightweight carbon fiber hood has been paint-matched to keep the exterior looking stock, while Vision carbon fiber side view mirrors and a genuine Mugen carbon fiber spoiler give the all-black appearance package some texture as well as real aerodynamic benefits.
The end result of Turtle’s ever-evolving vision for his ’02 RSX Type S is a big block stealth bomber equally capable of cutting through traffic with four adults onboard, evading unwanted attention on the street with its blacked out exterior, and laying down lap times at his favorite racing circuit that rival full-blown race cars. Somehow, we think the engineers behind the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber would approve.