Looking for my 1st NSX and informed input....

[jcs]

Have owned all sorts of sports cars including a 993 Porsche, Ferrari 308, M cars, etc....Intrigued by the engineering and performance potential of an NSX. Have started looking for a car to purchase in S. Cal...Looking to spend between 30 and 38k and have been counseled to try to get a 93 or later..Have a number of questions...
Please bear with me as I am new to this marque and am looking for a quick education beyond the FAQs section...Your opinions and input are valued...thanks.

-Tires, 17s and 18s are the way to go? I am looking to lower a car by an inch or so but not screw up the geometry or create too harsh of a ride...
-Headers, are they worth the effort? Are you better off concentrating on cold air induction and a modified exhaust only? I find the stock Hondaesque sound of the motor to be overwhelmingly unexciting...
-Who runs the trick shops in S.Cal? I tried the NSX shop in Huntington Beach that is mentioned in the forums but the phone number is out of service.
-Lastly, any knowledge you have of a clean, non-red, no stories car....(beyond cars.com and autotrader) would be appreciated.

Cheers, and happy holidays!!

[jackmac]

Hi JSC,
First, I would like to welcome you to the forum. I am pretty sure you will learn a lot about NSX here. As for your questions....let me try to give it a shot.

1) You sould have no problems running 17 and 18's. However, if you want to go with this setup, make sure you use lower profile tires, else you might expereince some "rubbing" of the tires against your fenders. I used to run 18x7 and 19x10, but that was mostly for aesthetics only.
2)You won't see a "sudden" gain in hp and torque with mods you mentioned. If I were you, I would just get the exhaust and intake....headers are not really necessary unless you want to go wtih supercharger.
3)I think you are talking about NSXmodified....yeah Larry (the owner) does not really answer the phone. It might be best to swing by his shop...if you need to directions let me know.
4) Good luck with your search....I am sure you will find the right car.

Well, JSC
If you live in Orange County, you are more than welcome to come to the monthly meetings at NSX modified...usually there are about 10-15 cars that show up, and it is a great time to ask your questions. Trust me, all of the Sol.Cal onwers are friendly and helpful. I can also take you for a ride on my single turbo setup...it is pretty fun......Hope this helps.
JACK

[5inchfatlip]

I would go with the full headers, intake and exhaust...you will gain something but the car will sound SO much better.

I personally like the 18" all around look, you may have a harsh ride but I still like it...

there are MANY NSX right now on autotrader, check it out, alot of good ones from what I've seen.

[jcs]

If you run the 18s all around how bad is the ride? I have changed Porsches out from 17s to 18s and the change is tolerable? Also, test drove a car with Toyo (spelling?) tires on 17s, tons of noise (looked like a great water dispersion tire though). Is that typical in these cars?
Is there any issue with contaminants or water coming through modified intakes??

[5inchfatlip]

JCS-
The ride is tolerable...I am not picky about ride quality too much, if I wanted a luxury ride, I would of bought a luxury car...

Its normal with a 35 series tire that you feel all the bumps thats all...my car is real low so it makes it a little worse, but it doesnt bother me...

There is some noise, but its either drowned out by my radio or exhaust...

I wouldnt worry about water in the intake unless you have some scoop type of thing in the vents....you can see my mod list I posted in the general nsx discussion....thanks

[grippgoat]

Headers will only increase peak torque a little bit (5 or less ft-lbs comparing same-day same-dyno runs between three cars, all with comptech exhaust, 1 stock headers, 1 comptech headers, 1 DC Sports headers), however, it makes a pretty big difference at the top of the powerband, especially from about 7500rpm to redline. Both cars with headers showed a 13hp peak improvement over stock, and had much less torque falloff to redline. Whether it's worth the money to you, when you could just buy a supercharger is another matter.

I'd definitely get an exhaust, but listen to other owners' cars before deciding which to get, as sounds very quite a bit.

As for intake, I don't think anyone's ever shown dyno results for an intake that actually beat stock. In my car, I've got the Cantrell Concepts AIS (http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exhaust_airflow_products/NSX/Cantrell_Concepts/AIS/), and it may or may not improve power or throttle response (some people claim it does, I've never paid that much attention, and was coming from a non-stock intake already), but it most definitely gives a VERY sweet intake sound, especially with the driver's window open. This retains the factory airbox, so I don't have to worry about cleaning a filter or anything. I used to live in seattle and drive in the dirty mist kicked up off the wet roads, and my air filter never seemed to get any dirtier than it used to.

As for wheels/tires... I run 215/40/17 255/35/18, and it works well. However, I think my traction control doesn't quite like it, as it seems a little more prone to engagement than it should. But I always turn it off anyway. If you went with 205/40/17 and 255/35/18, you probably wouldn't have that problem. Fitment is not a problem with the 215/40/17, even with my car lowered (not sure how much, exactly, but it's pretty low). You'll want to find an offset between 40 and 45mm (closer to 45mm would be better, at least in the front).

-Mike

[jcs]

Mike,
Thanks for the detailed input..What shop do you use. I noticed that your post says MDR..

[grippgoat]

I'm new to Southern California (only been here 6 weeks), so I haven't taken my NSX anywhere down here yet. :/

-Mike

[ANYTIME]

Originally posted by grippgoat:
I'm new to Southern California (only been here 6 weeks), so I haven't taken my NSX anywhere down here yet. :/

-Mike

You are welcome at this Thurdays meeting. Not to far from you and usually the turn out is great(weather permitting!). Check my post here.
John

[grippgoat]

I flew back to CT for the holidays on the 19th. I do want to try to make the January dinner. Maybe I'll get off my ass and get all dirt off my car that I brought down with it from Seattle.

-Mike