New Owner! - Zanardi #2

[EricC]

Well I did it, I'm the new owner of the 99 #2 Zanardi that Greenwich has been trying to sell for a year. This car is awsome to drive. I've made some observations compairing the NSX to my 93 MR2 Turbo. It leaves the Mr2 in the dust accelerating. The manual steering is much heavier yet it feels slower geared. At first I did not like the slower gearing of the NSX, untill I drove it up a twisting mountain drive, and the steering felt just right. My arms and shoulders were sore and fatigued after an hour of driving, but it was the most fun I've had in a long, long time!

Next, the clutch pedal requires much less effort to depress than the MR2, and I fear the clutch is already starting to slip a little, with less than 4000 miles! One time I tried a launch with 5000 rpms and the clutch just slipped untill I got off the gas.

From initial observations, I like the Mr2 brakes more than the Zanardi. The Mr2 feels like it has more pad bite, or grip. I'll have to drive them more to be sure. Perhaps a change in pad material will help.

I have the OEM Bridgestone tires. Tire wear is not excessive, but I fear with the tires being 3 years old that the rubber has turned harder. The NSX kind of felt like it was giving up grip, untill I drove the mountain drive. I got a bit of heat in the tires, around 120 to 150 F I think, and the tires felt like they got a lot more grip. Is it possible I wore away a layer of harder rubber?

Finally, the CD changer doesn't work. some CDs don't play at all, others play with a lot of noise and static. Will the dealer warrenty this? Low Priority, I'd rather turn the tunes off and listen to the music from the engine.

I have a few questions now.....
If I wanted to, can I change the steering rack and/or pinion gears to change the steering ratio? I've heard of only changing the pinion gear and leaving the same rack gear, would this work?

I'm going to have the clutch checked out, maybe at NSX Modified. If it's really worn out, should I have it replaced under warranty or install an aftermarket clutch. I would really like to have a stiffer pedal if it allows me to have a clutch with more bite. After all, this is a man's car, I have no idea why Honda wanted to use a clutch with such a whimpy spring.

I'd like to get stickier tires, but I'll probably wait untill the bridgestones are at the warning bars. I went to The Tirerack.com, but they did not show many tire choices with the OEM tire size, and no DOT competion tires. Are there more tire choices with the OEM size, or will I need to change sizes? I would prefer Yokohama, maybe the OEM A022 (which is what I ran on the MR2 for a while ((OEM on MR2 too, but not corner specific)). Are there other grippy Yokos besides the A022 for the OEM sizes?

Last question, what's the best Acura dealer for warrenty work in CA, either Orange or San Diego County? I don't plan on having the car serviced at the Acura dealer much, hopefully only for warranty. I'd prefer to do my own maintanence or take it to a speciality shop like NSX Modified or the like.

Thanks, that's all

-Eric C.
[email protected]

-99 NSX Zanardi #2 - new formula red
-93 MR2 Turbo - super white

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by EricC:
Well I did it, I'm the new owner of the 99 #2 Zanardi that Greenwich has been trying to sell for a year.

Congratulations!

Originally posted by EricC:
the clutch pedal requires much less effort to depress than the MR2, and I fear the clutch is already starting to slip a little, with less than 4000 miles! One time I tried a launch with 5000 rpms and the clutch just slipped untill I got off the gas.

The clutch shouldn't be slipping. But I don't think you should be launching with 5000 rpms (unless you are trying to toast the clutch).

Originally posted by EricC:
From initial observations, I like the Mr2 brakes more than the Zanardi. The Mr2 feels like it has more pad bite, or grip. I'll have to drive them more to be sure. Perhaps a change in pad material will help.

I can't speak for the MR2 brakes, but the stock brakes shoudl have plenty of bite.

Originally posted by EricC:
I have the OEM Bridgestone tires. Tire wear is not excessive, but I fear with the tires being 3 years old that the rubber has turned harder. The NSX kind of felt like it was giving up grip, untill I drove the mountain drive. I got a bit of heat in the tires, around 120 to 150 F I think, and the tires felt like they got a lot more grip. Is it possible I wore away a layer of harder rubber?

I doubt it. I think the tires just have more grip when they're warmer.

Originally posted by EricC:
Finally, the CD changer doesn't work. some CDs don't play at all, others play with a lot of noise and static. Will the dealer warrenty this?

Is the car still under warranty? (I assume yes, since it's a '99 and the factory warranty is 4 year, 50K miles.) Is the CD changer the OEM Acura one? If so, then it should be covered by Acura's warranty, and any dealer should be able to fix it under warranty.

Originally posted by EricC:
If I wanted to, can I change the steering rack and/or pinion gears to change the steering ratio? I've heard of only changing the pinion gear and leaving the same rack gear, would this work?

I've never heard of anyone doing this. But I've also never heard of anyone being unhappy with the steering on the NSX.

Originally posted by EricC:
I'm going to have the clutch checked out, maybe at NSX Modified. If it's really worn out, should I have it replaced under warranty or install an aftermarket clutch. I would really like to have a stiffer pedal if it allows me to have a clutch with more bite. After all, this is a man's car, I have no idea why Honda wanted to use a clutch with such a whimpy spring.

Do a "search" on these forums and you'll get opinions on aftermarket clutches. Basically, the advantages of aftermarket clutches are more bite and stiffer pedal; the advantages of the stock clutch are the price, the reliability, and the ease of engagement.

Originally posted by EricC:
I'd like to get stickier tires, but I'll probably wait untill the bridgestones are at the warning bars. I went to The Tirerack.com, but they did not show many tire choices with the OEM tire size, and no DOT competion tires. Are there more tire choices with the OEM size, or will I need to change sizes? I would prefer Yokohama, maybe the OEM A022 (which is what I ran on the MR2 for a while ((OEM on MR2 too, but not corner specific)). Are there other grippy Yokos besides the A022 for the OEM sizes?

Basically, the OEM tires are going to give you the most precise handling and are going to be about as grippy as any street tire. Try the A022H. If that doesn't give you enough grip, then you're probably going to have to go to an R-compound track tire (but good luck finding sizes to fit, and of course track tires don't last long and aren't great in the rain).

Originally posted by EricC:
Last question, what's the best Acura dealer for warrenty work in CA, either Orange or San Diego County? I don't plan on having the car serviced at the Acura dealer much, hopefully only for warranty. I'd prefer to do my own maintanence or take it to a speciality shop like NSX Modified or the like.

I'll leave the dealer question to the locals. But for a specialty shop, you're actually closer to Dali Racing, where Mark Basch can work on your car. Mark is the best - lucky you!

 

[EricC]

>>>>>
The clutch shouldn't be slipping. But I don't think you should be launching with 5000 rpms (unless you are trying to toast the clutch).
<<<<<<

very good advice, which I know. But I was a little cought in the "moment" when I was giving a friend a ride, and I got a little carried away. I knew it wasn't good when the cabin filled with the smell of burnt clutch!

I appreciate all the advice, I'll check with Dali Racing about having my car checked.

I'll probably go with the Yoko A022HO. I had the more generic A022 on my MR2 and they were great, but a little expensive. I started using the AVS-Intermediate on the MR2 because they were about 1/4 of the price. I have a connection with Trackside Service who supplies all the Yoko racing rubber for Toyota Atlantics and IMSA series, he might be able to get me a deal cheaper than tire rack. Can only hope, as I'll be putting a lot of rubber on this car.

-Eric C

 

[Veleno]

If your clutch is slipping, why don't you just have a reputable dealer fix it while it's still under warranty? I'm not sure how things work out there, but I can't see a dealer approving a warranty job if the initial inspection wasn't done by them.

Have the dealer check out the cd changer, if it's toast they'll replace it under warranty.

I suggest you turn the car in to a dealership that's known for working on NSX's(and are good at it) and have them check out everything you suspect is wrong(troublesome) with the car. They'll fix everything provided it's still under warranty.

I know NSX Modified is very good at what they do, and I don't doubt they know what they're doing. But for warranty repair, the dealer would be the place to go IMO.

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the club

------------------
Richard
NSXTASY

[This message has been edited by Veleno (edited 11 May 2002).]

 

[NSXLNT]

Hey Eric, Congrats and good luck/happy driving. Too bad I wasn't able to drive it out there to you-I would have volunteered

 

[Craig]

Well you know your going to have to bring it to the Prime Cyn Run II on June 2nd to show everyone.

 

[Number9]

Eric, I agree with you about the slow steering ratio, but if you make it faster, then the steering effort will get even worse, necessitating the addition of power assist - a complex and weighty (pun intended) project.

Congrats on owning what was the first built of the publicly sold Zanardis!

--twc

99 NSX-Z SC (360 RWHP)
95 Dinan M3 SC (300+ RWHP, aftercooled!)
95 BMW M3 (Bone Stock)

 

[ANYTIME]

Originally posted by Craig:
Well you know your going to have to bring it to the Prime Cyn Run II on June 2nd to show everyone.

forgot the link Craig http://www.nsxprime.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004327.html

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by Veleno:
If your clutch is slipping, why don't you just have a reputable dealer fix it while it's still under warranty? I'm not sure how things work out there, but I can't see a dealer approving a warranty job if the initial inspection wasn't done by them.

Assuming that Acura's warranty is still in effect, your local dealer would cover anything included under Acura's warranty. However, the clutch is usually considered a normal wear item; if it's slipping because it's worn, it might not be covered under Acura's warranty. The selling dealer might cover it if it wasn't supposed to be worn at the time of the sale, but as Richard notes, I'm not sure how that would work if they're not the ones fixing it.

Originally posted by EricC:
he might be able to get me a deal cheaper than tire rack.

Also, if you join the NSX Club of America, you get wholesale pricing from Discount Tire Direct on tires in stock. You have to check against Tire Rack to see which is cheaper, but last time I checked, the OEM NSX tires were significantly less through the member wholesale pricing.

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 11 May 2002).]

 

[Lud]

Congratulations on the new car. Yes, the steering is slower than most cars. You can probably change the pinion gear if you want to throw enough money at it, but I'm not aware of anyone who has ever done it. You will have to find a proper replacement gear first.

Regarding the clutch - The factory warranty does not cover wear items like clutches or brake pads unless they were defective to being with. While anything is possible, it is very unlikely the clutch was defective. It is likely someone just burned or glazed it. If you are really chummy with a dealer they may try to warranty it for you, but they aren't supposed to. Whether you should keep the stock clutch or get an aftermarket one is a question only you can answer. If you want a slightly stiffer pedal and more decisive bite, consider a Comptech PowerGrip II - but even that is not a really stiff clutch. Acura made the OEM clutch light and gave it a smooth engagement to make it more civilized to drive in traffic or in the city.

If the CD changer is OEM (i.e. it says Acura on it), you can probably have that fixed under warranty. Noise and static suggests that it may just be a wiring problem.

Yes, old tires get hard. I once drove an NSX that had just been sitting around for a few years. I had a really exciting moment when the brakes locked unexpectedly (TCS/ABS were disabled on this car) even though I was only braking at what I expected to be about 60%. After driving the car hard for a while the tires did get progressively better - it took more to slide the rear or lock the brakes - but never as good as they should have been. They stayed better when I drove the car again the next day, so I would be inclined to think your theory on wearing away some old oxidized rubber may be correct.

Several aftermarket brake pad compounds will indeed give you more initial bite than OEM, but OEM brakes are pretty decent for street use. You should be able to get good braking if you are heavier on the brake pedal than you may be used to. If you just can't get the grip you expect, make sure the pads aren't glazed or something.

There are two popular NSX-specialist third party shops in you area: Basch Acura Service near San Diego and NSX Modified up in Huntington Beach.

On the NSX, Yoko AVS Intermediates are inferior tires compared to the factory A022. If you want to try another Yoko street tire, try AVS Sport.

 

[Craig]

You do realize who has Zanardi #1 don't you.

 

[EricC]

Yep, I assume Mr. Zanardi still has all his cars. What's the change he would have his NSX fitted with hand controlls for the pedals? I don't know if that would work with a manual transmission.

-Eric

 

[Z18]

Congrats on your purchase -- looks like there's two Zanardis in North County now!

-Z18 (Zanardi #18)

 

[mandrewz]

The NSX has a 'light' feeling clutch if it is not worn. A hard pedal on a stock clutch tells me it's worn out. I find that many new NSX drivers get a bit too excited, and forget to let the clutch out fully, or at least let it out too slowly, which is, of course, not good at full throttle. It is possible to ruin a clutch in only a few miles. I had my first clutch done at 6,000 miles (not my driving), and now at 55,000 I want, but don't need, a new one. I think I will try the Dali 'street racer'. The steering is a slow ratio on purpose, at very high speeds a quick ratio would be dangerous.