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Whats it like owning a high mile nsx street/track car

I had the chance to drive a Cayman S that was equipped with PDK, LSD and 3 sport modes of driving this last weekend at a PCA track event for longer sessions and some comparison testing. Was very impressed with the car for the most part. Felt a lot like the NSX in it's handling characteristic's.

I tried out all 3 modes on track. did 3 laps in each mode first in the PDK mode. In the street mode the car was very docile, drove just like a street car and even went into 7th gear down the straightaway just cruising. In the sport mode, 7th gear got dropped and the shifts were a little quicker, the suspension firmed up a bit and the TCS started taking more of an active role. In the race mode, for lack of a better term, again no 7th gear, car firmed up even more and the TCS got very active. Amazing how the car could be thrown around and recover on it's own. Don't have to be much of a driver to drive this car fast, it pretty much drives itself. What I didn't like about the PDK mode was the gearbox hesitation coming off the corners, felt like I was driving a turbo experiencing a little lag.

The next session I drove the car using the shift paddles on the steering wheel. Car was much more responsive and the hesitation was gone off the corners. What I didn't like about the shift paddles on the steering wheel was where they are located. Made it very easy to hit them with your hands if you drive in the 3-9 position when you didn't want to in and out of corners since they are actually on the steering wheel and not paddles behind the wheel. Then I tried the Sequential mode using the gear shift lever up and down to change gears. Found this by far the best way to drive the car harder on track, IMO. All and all was a very easy to drive car, very neutral and responsive. I was told by the owner that if I was considering getting one, get a 2009 or up. Anything below that had continual problems with the rear main seal.

As for the NSX, IMO, for what its worth...Having raced my NSX hard enough to win the 2012 UMS TA Series in TA-C, also finished 3rd in TTR and 6th in TTU for 2012, finish 3rd in TTU in 2013 and have won the season championship in 2014 in TTU, I can say I've humbly learned a great deal about the NSX with doing 12+ weekend events a year, over 384 - 20 minute sessions in the last 4 years alone. The NSX is a great car for the track if you actually do it on a regular basis as long as you keep your power levels around the 400 to 450 rwhp mark. They run flawlessly and give you very little problems. It's when you you start running the car over the 475+ rwhp mark that the gremlins start rearing their ugly head. There's a big difference and mindset in building a time attack car that goes out and does 3-4 laps and comes off the track and does maybe 2 sessions of maybe 15 minutes for the day or even 3-4 sessions for the weekend, than doing 4 full 20 minute sessions, 80 minutes a day, or 8 sessions/160 minutes in a weekend. Big big difference on wear and tear and how fast and often things break comparing the usage of the two event structures.

Now if your just building a high HP dyno queen, a show car, or street light racer or a poser, (to each his own) then the NSX is a great car, throw all the power you want at it since you'll never use it to it's full potential for any long periods of time other than on a race track. When you do the track routine, then there becomes a very fine line to be walked when you use the NSX with high HP (500+) on track for extended periods of time. All the power in the world is useless if you can't keep it on the ground. Running a lot of power through NT-01's is easy to lose grip anytime you want or coming off the corners when the power over powers the tires. Gearbox doesn't have a problem with this since the tires break loose and there's no shock to speak off. Run true slicks such as Hoosiers or A005's and start getting the grip your looking for, now the gearbox isn't happy since the shock is so much greater with the added grip and things start to happen in the box from all the added stress lap after lap, over and over again.....and it's not just limited to the gearbox either, it filters though a lot of things, engine internals, bushings, cooling, brakes, chassis, etc, etc, etc. I've run my NSX at 601 and 568 rwhp for the last 4 years on track. Its been tough, a lot of work, a lot of $$$ and a lot of repairs keeping it on track all this time for every event....and the cost of mods to help makes things better, nuts....As they say, if you can't start or finish, you can't win.

After everything I've gone though in the last 4 years, I'm going to pretty much take this year off with the NSX other than just instruct, run some DE4 sessions for testing and do DE group leadership duties. Through this next year I plan on making several changes. The turbo is coming off and I'm going back to SC. Can't stand the lag and to get rid of the lag you have to stay in the upper RPM ranges, more constant wear and tear. I plan on bring my car down to around the 450 rwhp mark, installing a OS Giken with shorter gears and running full slicks on track when I finally bring it back to steady track use at some point. Less HP and more grip is where I see longevity and faster times in a NSX. I believe my NSX will still be just as fast for me, my times will improve and there will be less wear and tear if the last 4 years have taught me anything at all. Fast times don't happen in the straightaways, they happen in corners. Having been this high HP route, it's not worth what it costs or the headaches involved, for a street car that see's a lot of track time. When I think back many moons ago when I had my stock bodied 94 NSX with the CT 1.7 SC making 401 rwhp, short gears and all the suspension mods, it was by far the most reliable NSX I've ever owned street and track wise. Never had any real problems with it, it just ran and ran and ran and the tires were a lot cheaper too. Thats where I wish I stayed in hindsight. Not that I don't love what I have now :)

The point being, if you want a dependable car, something that you can track here and there, spend a lot less money and still have a great time, it's always better to keep it simple and stay as close to limits the car was originally built for with a few mods here and there that don't cost a fortune and that parts are easier to come by that also don't cost a fortune when you do break something.

I still think the Cayman S offer's the best bang for the buck in today's market, especially now that I've had the opportunity to throw one around of track for awhile :)
 
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Tried the new Cayman GTS at the Porsche World Road Show this weekend (Thunderhill West). Wow wow wow wow wow. Can't wait for theses to depreciate so I can scoop one....
 
I've heard it was a WOW car. I also heard that it was going to be a very limited production which means we'll get old waiting for them to depreciate ;-)
Porsche doesn't want it to replace the 911 series, which could easily happen.

Tried the new Cayman GTS at the Porsche World Road Show this weekend (Thunderhill West). Wow wow wow wow wow. Can't wait for theses to depreciate so I can scoop one....

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks Hugh...
Thats not to say I'm totally right or totally wrong, it very well could be different for others.
These are just some of my thoughts from experience from years of being out there constantly with my NSX doing this stuff and should be taken as such :)

Excellent post Coz. You just shared an encyclopaedia's worth of knowledge with the community. Thanks!
 
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I've heard it was a WOW car. I also heard that it was going to be a very limited production which means we'll get old waiting for them to depreciate ;-)

So it is. 340hp, 2910lbs, 235 section Pirelli P Zero up front on incredible dampers, fast light communicative steering rack, soul-stirring sound... ticks all the boxes. If you have $75k and the track bug I can't think of a better choice.
 
As for the NSX, IMO, for what its worth...Having raced my NSX hard enough to win the 2012 UMS TA Series in TA-C, also finished 3rd in TTR and 6th in TTU for 2012, finish 3rd in TTU in 2013 and have won the season championship in 2014 in TTU, I can say I've humbly learned a great deal about the NSX with doing 12+ weekend events a year, over 384 - 20 minute sessions in the last 4 years alone. The NSX is a great car for the track if you actually do it on a regular basis as long as you keep your power levels around the 400 to 450 rwhp mark. They run flawlessly and give you very little problems. It's when you you start running the car over the 475+ rwhp mark that the gremlins start rearing their ugly head. There's a big difference and mindset in building a time attack car that goes out and does 3-4 laps and comes off the track and does maybe 2 sessions of maybe 15 minutes for the day or even 3-4 sessions for the weekend, than doing 4 full 20 minute sessions, 80 minutes a day, or 8 sessions/160 minutes in a weekend. Big big difference on wear and tear and how fast and often things break comparing the usage of the two event structures.

After everything I've gone though in the last 4 years, I'm going to pretty much take this year off with the NSX other than just instruct, run some DE4 sessions for testing and do DE group leadership duties. Through this next year I plan on making several changes. The turbo is coming off and I'm going back to SC. Can't stand the lag and to get rid of the lag you have to stay in the upper RPM ranges, more constant wear and tear. I plan on bring my car down to around the 450 rwhp mark, installing a OS Giken with shorter gears and running full slicks on track when I finally bring it back to steady track use at some point. Less HP and more grip is where I see longevity and faster times in a NSX. I believe my NSX will still be just as fast for me, my times will improve and there will be less wear and tear if the last 4 years have taught me anything at all. Fast times don't happen in the straightaways, they happen in corners. Having been this high HP route, it's not worth what it costs or the headaches involved, for a street car that see's a lot of track time. When I think back many moons ago when I had my stock bodied 94 NSX with the CT 1.7 SC making 401 rwhp, short gears and all the suspension mods, it was by far the most reliable NSX I've ever owned street and track wise. Never had any real problems with it, it just ran and ran and ran and the tires were a lot cheaper too. Thats where I wish I stayed in hindsight. Not that I don't love what I have now :)

-BINGO-

You are were I was four years ago when I decided to go back to the track after a few years off. When I stopped tracking my old NSX I was convinced that I needed 600whp to continue to try and compete with the other high HP cars (ie. Vipers and C6s). Fortunately for my wallet I decided to stop the HP war before I really got started. Once I got my head straight and started working on me instead of my car I realized that 400whp was the place to be on NT-01s and 450whp would work well with R6 or similar tire. I had to step back and look at the problem and be willing to admit that I may be the problem, and in fact I was. I am not saying this is the case for you or questioning your ability to drive, it is obvious by your accomplishments you know how to drive. This is just what I needed to do. I set the car up to be 400whp and made the suspension as neutral as possible then went to work on myself. I would push, study, read logs, listen, and then learn. Then I went out and did it again. I also found that the gap between a great driver in a S2000, a well driven 400whp NSX, and a good driver in a 500whp C6 is really not that far and can be overcome by the better driver. I will not likely win my battle on the straights but then again like you said that is not were the speed is found.

I have been very lucky with the reliability of my car, oil changes, tires and brakes are the main cost drivers for my hobby in the past four years. I have had to rebuild the half shafts but I blame that on the 6 puck clutch and my ability to rev match. Lets hope it stays that way. I am glade you have had the success you have had with the NSX, it is no small feat and was a hard challenge I'm sure. I am going to continue to work on my skill set and I think one of the things that we would both benefit from is to spend a lot of time on track in a lot of different cars to learn more even faster. The skills I have learned in the NSX may or may not translate to other cars and I want to learn what I can about this hobby of mine. I do know this, there are guys that are fast by raw talent and there are guys that have to work at being fast, I am forced to work and work hard. I tried building my car to be fast and all I did was build a fast car. I was still not a fast driver.

I wish you all the best on your journey. I do know your wallet will be heavier going this route over the HP route. I wish I had learned my lesson 15 years ago.

Dave
 
-BINGO-

I started back in the late 70's and through most of the 80's with SCCA in Formula Vee, then Super V and finally S2000. Yes, I'm an old guy, 62 in November. Back then the Cortina and Pinto motors we used weren't very fast, but boy the cars sure did have grip. It was fun back then...now it's just a lot of work, LOL.

When I came back after a 20 year break, yup, chased that big HP. Big mistake. Fun because I could chase and pass many Z06's, C6's and various other high end cars, but I now know there is a better way to do it as I've learned without working so hard at it. You think you need more, but the fact is you need less, the key is a better balance between HP, set up and grip, thats what makes for fast driving. Getting off a corner sooner and faster means more speed at the end of a straight as we both know. I've watched many lower HP cars start pulling away from off the corner while I've had my hands full just keeping it pointed in the right direction down track. High HP can quickly become a PIA to manage. Skill comes with seat time as we both well know, the more the better. Your numbers are right on tire wise, same numbers I come to realize after beating my head against the wall for all this time...:) I could go a little more and still have great grip since I run 275/315 tires sizes. Probably in the 475-480 range

Don't sell yourself short, I've seen your video's Dave, you have skills for sure.
As drivers, there's always room for improvement, I learned something new every time I go out on track. Like you, I have to work harder at being fast, mostly since I lack the balls to push my car any further than I do now because I always feel like I'm trying to stay in control of the power and the car, minus the grip, a constant fight instead of just driving it. There is no ROI at this level of power really that makes any sense that I see either. Not to mention I can't afford to put my NSX into a wall if at all possible. I have proved to myself a few times this year when I was down on power for one reason or the other that I am faster with less power and turned some of my best laps. Car was much easier to drive and my times showed it.
I never built this car to be a race car or even spend so much time on the track. Somehow thats just how it turned out.
Now it's time for a change that makes total sense and continue on.

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread guys...
 
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Whats it like owning a high mile nsx street/track car

I will tell you, it's just awesome
and then there are guys like Coz, Dave, Billy etc that make it more so by all the wisdom/info they share
But it does cost money to keep them running at the track but any car does
 
THIS! 1st, I do not track my car. I definitely want to, but the fear of killing my car has prevented from get it out there. I do however drive it hard; everyday, rain or shine. After almost 250k miles on the clock, at 100k of it SC'd, the NSX has exceeded my dreams. I have friends with modded Supras and Cobras that are ALWAYS down for one reason or another. Other than needing a new radiator, no unplanned expenses. I've owned 2 turbo Supras, and wanted to do the same with "Reiko", but I can't because she's so damn reliable as she is! If the time does come for a rebuild, I'll likely stay with the CTSC high boost. This with the 4.23 and NSX-R gears make it too much fun to sell anytime soon!

<snip> When I think back many moons ago when I had my stock bodied 94 NSX with the CT 1.7 SC making 401 rwhp, short gears and all the suspension mods, it was by far the most reliable NSX I've ever owned street and track wise. Never had any real problems with it, it just ran and ran and ran and the tires were a lot cheaper too.<snip> :)
 
how about a nice nsx... medium miles in good shape for about 38,000 all in with belt service..... and a$4000.00 125cc shifter kart!!!!!

not trying to be a smart ass.... but a nice nsx is sooooo nice it seems a shame to thrash it..... when a 42hp/6 speed/140 pound shifter kart will stun you with it hellish capabilities!!!
 
THANK YOU for the great information on this thread throughout... Very appreciative to DDozier, Coz and others... I don't think I'll miss the track days of my EVO once behind the wheel of a well-maintained NSX.
 
Well said Coz, I could not agree more. This should be required reading for anyone considering performance upgrades for regular track use.
I had the chance to drive a Cayman S that was equipped with PDK, LSD and 3 sport modes of driving this last weekend at a PCA track event for longer sessions and some comparison testing. Was very impressed with the car for the most part. Felt a lot like the NSX in it's handling characteristic's.

I tried out all 3 modes on track. did 3 laps in each mode first in the PDK mode. In the street mode the car was very docile, drove just like a street car and even went into 7th gear down the straightaway just cruising. In the sport mode, 7th gear got dropped and the shifts were a little quicker, the suspension firmed up a bit and the TCS started taking more of an active role. In the race mode, for lack of a better term, again no 7th gear, car firmed up even more and the TCS got very active. Amazing how the car could be thrown around and recover on it's own. Don't have to be much of a driver to drive this car fast, it pretty much drives itself. What I didn't like about the PDK mode was the gearbox hesitation coming off the corners, felt like I was driving a turbo experiencing a little lag.

The next session I drove the car using the shift paddles on the steering wheel. Car was much more responsive and the hesitation was gone off the corners. What I didn't like about the shift paddles on the steering wheel was where they are located. Made it very easy to hit them with your hands if you drive in the 3-9 position when you didn't want to in and out of corners since they are actually on the steering wheel and not paddles behind the wheel. Then I tried the Sequential mode using the gear shift lever up and down to change gears. Found this by far the best way to drive the car harder on track, IMO. All and all was a very easy to drive car, very neutral and responsive. I was told by the owner that if I was considering getting one, get a 2009 or up. Anything below that had continual problems with the rear main seal.

As for the NSX, IMO, for what its worth...Having raced my NSX hard enough to win the 2012 UMS TA Series in TA-C, also finished 3rd in TTR and 6th in TTU for 2012, finish 3rd in TTU in 2013 and have won the season championship in 2014 in TTU, I can say I've humbly learned a great deal about the NSX with doing 12+ weekend events a year, over 384 - 20 minute sessions in the last 4 years alone. The NSX is a great car for the track if you actually do it on a regular basis as long as you keep your power levels around the 400 to 450 rwhp mark. They run flawlessly and give you very little problems. It's when you you start running the car over the 475+ rwhp mark that the gremlins start rearing their ugly head. There's a big difference and mindset in building a time attack car that goes out and does 3-4 laps and comes off the track and does maybe 2 sessions of maybe 15 minutes for the day or even 3-4 sessions for the weekend, than doing 4 full 20 minute sessions, 80 minutes a day, or 8 sessions/160 minutes in a weekend. Big big difference on wear and tear and how fast and often things break comparing the usage of the two event structures.

Now if your just building a high HP dyno queen, a show car, or street light racer or a poser, (to each his own) then the NSX is a great car, throw all the power you want at it since you'll never use it to it's full potential for any long periods of time other than on a race track. When you do the track routine, then there becomes a very fine line to be walked when you use the NSX with high HP (500+) on track for extended periods of time. All the power in the world is useless if you can't keep it on the ground. Running a lot of power through NT-01's is easy to lose grip anytime you want or coming off the corners when the power over powers the tires. Gearbox doesn't have a problem with this since the tires break loose and there's no shock to speak off. Run true slicks such as Hoosiers or A005's and start getting the grip your looking for, now the gearbox isn't happy since the shock is so much greater with the added grip and things start to happen in the box from all the added stress lap after lap, over and over again.....and it's not just limited to the gearbox either, it filters though a lot of things, engine internals, bushings, cooling, brakes, chassis, etc, etc, etc. I've run my NSX at 601 and 568 rwhp for the last 4 years on track. Its been tough, a lot of work, a lot of $$$ and a lot of repairs keeping it on track all this time for every event....and the cost of mods to help makes things better, nuts....As they say, if you can't start or finish, you can't win.

After everything I've gone though in the last 4 years, I'm going to pretty much take this year off with the NSX other than just instruct, run some DE4 sessions for testing and do DE group leadership duties. Through this next year I plan on making several changes. The turbo is coming off and I'm going back to SC. Can't stand the lag and to get rid of the lag you have to stay in the upper RPM ranges, more constant wear and tear. I plan on bring my car down to around the 450 rwhp mark, installing a OS Giken with shorter gears and running full slicks on track when I finally bring it back to steady track use at some point. Less HP and more grip is where I see longevity and faster times in a NSX. I believe my NSX will still be just as fast for me, my times will improve and there will be less wear and tear if the last 4 years have taught me anything at all. Fast times don't happen in the straightaways, they happen in corners. Having been this high HP route, it's not worth what it costs or the headaches involved, for a street car that see's a lot of track time. When I think back many moons ago when I had my stock bodied 94 NSX with the CT 1.7 SC making 401 rwhp, short gears and all the suspension mods, it was by far the most reliable NSX I've ever owned street and track wise. Never had any real problems with it, it just ran and ran and ran and the tires were a lot cheaper too. Thats where I wish I stayed in hindsight. Not that I don't love what I have now :)

The point being, if you want a dependable car, something that you can track here and there, spend a lot less money and still have a great time, it's always better to keep it simple and stay as close to limits the car was originally built for with a few mods here and there that don't cost a fortune and that parts are easier to come by that also don't cost a fortune when you do break something.

I still think the Cayman S offer's the best bang for the buck in today's market, especially now that I've had the opportunity to throw one around of track for awhile :)
 
^^^ This makes me feel very good about the ctsc purchase. The last thing I want is a broken car I cannot enjoy.
I'm loving how I can push to its limit with very little fear of loosing traction.
 
I discovered this thread today as I was searching for information on how to improve the cooling on my NSX.
By chance or wisdom(?) I have kept my horsepower level under the 400 rwhp threshold convinced that it's my driving ability that will make a difference more than anything else.
Given that, I still need to improve the cooling capacity of the car as typically after the 3rd or 4th session on track the car will overheat.
Currently the car is equipped with a Driving Ambition radiator but no oil cooler.
The path to the DA radiator is partially blocked by the I/C radiator...
The bodywork is the later NA2 style with a vented hood.
Would an oil cooler make a big difference or would it be good enough to use a special cooling liquid like Motul's "Mocool"?
https://www.motul.com/fr/fr/products/mocool
 
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