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
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