What's it like?

[modarr]

Just wondering whether any of you stripped out racers/track day fiends have any feedback on your cars. Namely the handling traits/performance gains and your opinions on the car compared to stock.
Please feel free to be as verbose as possible. I need a good NSX fix.

Darren, your posts are usually superbly detailed. How about an update in your 'Darren's Car' section.Have you been slaying cars since you stripped the NSX? would you recommend it? Gory details of any noteable kills always very digestable.

Suffering withdrawal symptoms.

Mo

[UltraViolet]

IMO it is difficult to judge whether your car is better by comparing to 'kills' as different drivers/aims/commitment come to play.

For example man A takes his pristine, immaculate NSX around Donington just for the experience and to enjoy a bit of a speed fix - but no intention of pushing his luck due to his inexperience and fear of damaging it.

Man B takes his elderly 320 beemer out and thrashes the pants off it just as he does every weekend at the same track. The car cost him £500 and he doesn't care if he bins it.

Could you judge the NSX on the basis of the differential between it's and the beemer's pace that day?

So really, (IMO) rather than Darren quoting loads of cars he has passed (some of which may have been driven by Mr A) ... it is better he sticks with factual comparisions of what he feels the benefits have been from driving both stock and stripped and then more.

[ctrlaltdelboy]

I've been looking at the 'Darren's car' section recently with a 'must put some new posts up there soon' head on :)

I'm not sure that the stripped-out aspect of the car really brings any real benefit at all to be honest, at least none that's particularly noticable to me!

mind you, it has to be said that the interior bits that have gone really do weigh a heck of a lot so it must make some difference I guess.

the changes I have made to my car have taken place of a very long period, and tbh I don't take it out as often as I should, so it's very difficult for me to state any differences noticed from this, but what I would say is that I reckon they are tiny compared with the differences that stiffening the suspension and adding a (decent) LSD have made - these are the real worthwhile mods IMO.

[forumadmin]

Hi Mo,

My car is lighter than normal too, and so is yours. I'd agree with Darren, as to much how much difference it makes. If you're racing, an extra second a lap gained from emptying out the insides is going to make a difference. That second may win you a race. Is a second going to make that much difference on a track day? No. My general rule is to keep the car looking nice on the inside, so I can enjoy driving it while off the track too.

I'd also say that a good LSD will be of big benefit. More and more time is now spent wishing the car will come out of a corner quicker. Though I might be looking into a new gearbox as well.

Haven't been on a track this year though. Like you, other things to do this year.

[forumadmin]

Incidentally: A friend of mine has started MR2 racing. Basic car costs £500, some £800 for a roll cage and few other bits.

His immediate competitors are tenths of second apart, the whole field by 1 or two seconds. Now this is close.

[modarr]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the insight on stripping the car right out Darren, sounds like its not the route I'll be taking. I probably go down Kevin's route and leave the stereo A/C etc.
Its very easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when thinking about track performance. I feel enlightened again (for a while).

Darren, what exactly is the benefit of your LSD. I know my inside rear will light up on tight corners and allows an easy to control slide. I have experience of torque sensing LSD's and can feel these working. I never feel the NSX LSD doing much at all.

As for comparing cars and kills. I fully accept that there are to many variables to give any meaning full comparison, however, a little bit of juvenile track talk is being missed. Its harmless if not taken too seriously. Suppose its what you drinkers would call the equivalent of 'beer talk'. Still need a fix so any juvenile deliquents out there?

PS read the 'NSX is slow' thread on Prime. Fantastic to see the spread of human reaction to an inflammatory statement. I'm thinking of starting a similar thread and the buggering off for a week. :wink:
MO

[ctrlaltdelboy]

Mo
the OSG LSD is just wicked - that wheelspin you get out of most turns when putting down the power is admittedly fun (for a while) but after the novelty has worn off, the difference you get with the OSG is welcome and awesome!!

basically you can floor it out of the turns and your head snaps back into the headrest as the tyres 'bite' into the tarmac and refuse to let go, launching you out of the turn at a pace you never thought possible before :twisted:

you'll have to give it a try next time we meet at the track ;)

re: kills - at Donington last year I killed everything on the circuit except for a couple of Radicals - that includes a Ford GT and some other nice machinery ;) - Matt Neal made a point of commenting on my speed and in particular my 'commitment' to the corners :lol: 8)

[Senninha]

Darren,

Matt Neal made a point of commenting on my speed and in particular my 'commitment' to the corners

Fair praise indeed; was this from a passenger/trainer ride with Matt?

regards

[simonprelude]

You can't count that one, so I was told when I lapped him in the S2000 anyway ;)

This was at an OnTrack with Matt Neal experience track day.
Best track day (I did 2 of them) I have done, all with expert over seeing by Matt. He looks a little funny in the S2000, head sitting above the roof line.


re: kills - at Donington last year I killed everything on the circuit except for a couple of Radicals - that includes a Ford GT and some other nice machinery ;) - Matt Neal made a point of commenting on my speed and in particular my 'commitment' to the corners :lol: 8)

[kowalski]

There are a few 'cheapy mods' that make a noticable difference,

The Cantrell Air Intake System is a good cheap mod (aprox $130) adds a bit of power and you get a nice noise from the intake! Takes about half an hour to fit DIY.

Suspension wise, ive got the full Type R set up, shocks & anti roll bars etc

Bit expensive but the best thing you can do to an NSX is stiffen the suspension, Aftermarket shocks etc are cheaper and probably as good or better.

The Type R anti Roll bars are cheap as well, again about $140 each from Dali.

Strut braces can be got quite cheaply, Dali & Dirk sell them on here and do make a difference to handling and are easy to install yourself.

Power wise, the best mod i did was change the manifold to a set of headers (SOS) then change out the exhaust (Taitec) also gives a great sound for embarasing Ferraris at club meets!

Cost about £2500 for the full package but a massive improvement in power, torque & noise! as well as being a lot lighter than standard exhaust.

You can get cheaper systems from Dali & SOS as well.

I modded mine to be quicker and handle better, but wanted to keep the luxury & comfort of the nice interior and Air con as I drive long distances across europe on a regular basis.

leigh

[Lankstarr]

The Cantrell Air Intake System is a good cheap mod (aprox $130) adds a bit of power and you get a nice noise from the intake! Takes about half an hour to fit DIY.

$350 with a dual stage air filter from science of speed:

http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exhaust_airflow_products/NSX/Cantrell_Concepts/AIS/

Is it much cheaper than this elsewhere or was that a typo?

I am v inteerested in improving the air intake but cant fork out a g for the gruppe m carbon fibre job. Is this intake a good one (i.e nice noise / performance) when compared with other more affordable intakes?


Cheers

L*[/quote]

[ctrlaltdelboy]

Fair praise indeed; was this from a passenger/trainer ride with Matt?
no, he commented from an 'outside the car' perspective, partly watching from trackside and partly from being on track in other cars while I was lapping.

[trackdemon]

I have a passing interest in the LSD - do you find this makes oversteer more controllable under power? I'm concerned that any substantial mods would compromise the car too much for road use - do you think thats a fair comment in your experience? (Your car sounds like a great track weapon but overly stiff suspension can of course ruin road performance).

[kowalski]

Sorry Lankstar, got the price wrong!! I bought mine for about £120 but from a private seller, not SOS.

Still think its a good mod, i have kept the original airbox as I couldnt justify the cost to upgrade and i dont think theres that much difference in performance, except it looks nicer and weighs less. Could be wrong though.

The Cantrell AIS does make a difference, especially if you compare the pics of the standard versus Cantrell on the SOS site.

leigh

[ctrlaltdelboy]

re: LSD - I find that it virtually eliminates power-oversteer out of corners except when deliberately induced (but you need to try a heck of a lot harder!)

downside for a street car is the VERY loud 'clacking' sounds that it makes when pottering around slowly (from the clutch plates) - the looks you get, people think your engine is about to fall out or something!! some members may have witnessed this from being around my car at various circuits?

[modarr]

Aaah! That's better. Much better. Thirst is being quenched.

Darren, the LSD mod sounds like the next thing to aim for. Not so sure about the noise, I wonder whether one day enough of us could get together and get a Torsen Diff made by Quaife?
I do hope to see you and Kevin on track soon. The recent baby has placed things on hold for now. Keep slaying in the name of NSX.

Kowalski, is that a passing reference to Vanishing Point or Monsters Inc :wink: in the name?

I've got the R suspension but not the anti-roll bars. I'm using mismatched tyres to create the desired front/rear grip balance. I have the front braces. Intake is standard, will stay that way. I have a set of 3.2 tubular manifolds and am waiting to get an exhaust and test pipes to fit the newer exhaust. The car is chipped. So most of the mods on your list are covered.

Wish list; lightened flywheel, LSD upgrade and higher final drive.

Mo

[ctrlaltdelboy]

the OSG LSD comes complete with a 4.4 final drive

details here (http://www.daliracing.com/v666-5/catalog/boy_racer/os-giken-lsd/index.cfm?focus=1380)

here's some relevant discussions on the OSG LSD from Prime:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36003

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39249

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62049


N.B. - I went for this package (http://www.daliracing.com/v666-5/catalog/index_browse_part.cfm?focus=1802), prebuilt complete and delivered ready for bolt-on installation

[Lankstarr]

The car is chipped. Mo

I wouldn't have thought that your std superchip would benefit an NSX... is this just something that you have done to remap because of your other mods?

[ctrlaltdelboy]

Mo has a chip with the Mugen NSX map on it - there are a few threads here where it has been discussed before, and there is a performance benefit

[kowalski]

Yep Kowalski is a reference to Vanishing Point, "the greatest driver in the known universe" (ok maybe not!) :?

Just got to watch out for Bulldozers! :wink:

I also have one of the Mugen chips, but never got round to fitting it. Probably do it soon. Where did you get yours fitted?

leigh

[forumadmin]

Re: the Superchip. You'd be right in thinking they do nothing. Been there done that. I have a Mugen chip in now too. Also have the Uni filter/Dali scoop.

Peter has been asking for a diff for Quaife to make a LSD with. He says they would be about £500? each, but would need to place an order for 10.

I have been thinking about a LSD as well, there's no point in getting more power to the engine, until it can get the power down to the road. I was also thinking though of changing the gearbox to a 6 speed one instead. They have a different type of LSD, and of course lower ratios. My gearbox is getting rather notchy, so maybe the synchros are getting worn, just replacing the diff isn't going to help long term.

Has anyone got decent experience of the 5 speed and 6 speed on a track?

One more thing...looky what the nice guys at DHL brought for me this morning

[modarr]

Kowalski, Primal Scream have a track called 'Vanishing Point'. Cool film.

Expect a re-make one day. I used Sanspeed in Bexleyheath. any superchips dealer should be able to do it for around £60.

Kevin,
How about a sticky post to gather potential buyers for the Quaife LSD. If we had ten serious buyers, I could look into using my car as a test mule or getting hold of a cream crackered diff/gearbox.

Darren, what tyres do run on track?

I've just had a shiny coolant tank delivered from Dali Racing. Plus service kit, window motor and windscreen moulding. Damn car sits there all year and demands I throw money at it.

[Senninha]

Kevin,

She is going to be SOOOOOOO loud with your new toys fitted! :shock:

Would like to see the coolant tank installed, please post pics when done. Is that the Dali or SOS model?

regards

Paul

[kowalski]

Unfortunately Mo they have already re-made it with the guy from Lord of the Rings. The 70's original is best!

I have the primal scream album but won't play it in the car as I crashed a prelude whilst listening to it! :cry:

Nice Headers Kev!

leigh

[forumadmin]

Re: The LSD. Peter did try to get interest in it before but didn't get anywhere. However as the LSD is a part that will fit US and UK cars, there's more chance to sell them to the yanks on Prime.

The Quaife diff would be a different type to Darren's. I would like to know the performance difference between them. I do realise Quaife have a huge name and reputation in the racing world, probably more so than the OS diff that Darren has (no offence).

Peter (710 on here) did say that he would stump up the purchase of 10 should someone else get a standard unit for Quaife to look at. He would then worry about selling the rest.

Tank is a SOS model, and so are the headers.

Also got an oil sandwich plate with the delivery. I will be fabricating an oil cooler system at some point in the future.

[modarr]

I need tofind the newer version of the film. Original is often best.

Kevin, I did look into the differences between LSD types. Quaife do the Torsen or helical type diff. The differences are in the way the LSD affects corner entry/corner exit etc, also how the diff behaves when one wheel totally loses traction. I think the Torsen diff only works when both wheels have a degree of traction. Just my 2p worth, others may be better informed.

Having read the links Darren posted up, the OS Giken sounds very tempting. Costs are a bit high though.

[Senninha]

The Cantrell Air Intake System is a good cheap mod (aprox $130) adds a bit of power and you get a nice noise from the intake!

It would appear several of you are running with this upgrade and I have a couple of questions;

1. do you need/recommend an upgrade to the air filter at the same time?

2. I've read (on Prime I think) that you need to exercise caution if out in heavy rain. Is this the case and has anyone had any problems?

regards

[forumadmin]

I use the Comptech Uni filter with the air scoop. After driving in the rain, actually driving fairly quickly at Spa in the rain, I have a water/oil mix come out from the airbox down the left rear damper.

There is a hole in the lower airbox half for drainage.

However, the intake upstream of the filter was dry, and really no water should get through anyway. If some did would it hurt? It's not like there's going to be a stream of water heading into the engine.

[kowalski]

I currently use the standard OEM filter with mine and have no problems. I also drove through a major thunderstorm in France last week on the way to Le Mans, with about 2-3 inches of standing water on the motorway and lots of traffic spray. No problems at all with water in the intake.

leigh

[ctrlaltdelboy]

and believe me, out of all of us, Leigh is probably the most likely to be over-cautious about water ingress :shock:

so if he is happy to run with it, then I reckon we all should be :wink:

[Senninha]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys, looks like that mod is now even higher on the list. Should compliment the H&S system nicely :D

regards

[kowalski]

LOL, thought you'd forgotten that! :D

Though at least this guy has a few more problems with water in the engine! (and the rest!) Anyone here?

leigh

[ctrlaltdelboy]

lol - that was Suneil Jassal back in 2003 in Bedford