Greetings Primers! I'll try and keep the length within reason.....
About me: car guy through and through. Currently in the stable: 996 turbo (completely modded inside and out, makes 585 whp on 91 oct), 07 STi (completely modded, makes 440 whp on 91 oct), '96 993 cabrio 6 speed, '86 911 cabrio 5 speed, recently sold '12 GTR (full bolt-ons, 605 whp, 9.99 1/4 on street tires). Gone but not forgotten... 06 STi, 06 WRX, 04 STi, GMC Typhoon, and LOTS more. As you can see, I can't stop modifying!!!
First some background on the car... 1992 5 speed NSX, 89,000 miles, red w/ black interior. I'm the 4th owner. The first owner had the car religiously serviced by Ben Shafer (the 'NSX Whisperer' who goes by Redbird92 on prime) at Daisy Auto and eventually sold it to him. Here's where it gets interesting... Ben proceeded to COMPLETELY restore the car, to the tune of $68,000 (yes, that's correct) in PARTS ALONE... not counting labor. He replaced ALL PARTS WITH BRAND NEW OEM ACURA/HONDA. The only thing not touched??? The paint (which is in excellent condition).
Short list of what Ben replaced:
-3.2 shortblock/3.0 heads w/MLS head gaskets, ARP head studs, SOS LMA, SOS billet oil pump and pan baffle, and TODA timing belt. All typical engine dress items (coil packs, plugs, etc.)
-complete front and rear suspension (ALL wishbones, bushings, shafts, etc.) w/Zanardi shocks and Tein springs
-complete trans rebuild w/ TODA LWFW, new clutch discs/PP
-complete interior rebuild w/ new leather, headliner, ALL INTERIOR PANELS, updated center console and radio, Zanardi steering wheel and hand brake lever
-complete cooling system overhaul (all 6 trillion hoses) w/ Ron Davis 2 core radiator and ?Mugen 160deg thermostat
-brand new manual steering rack (per Ben, the last new one on earth!)
-97+ brakes
-SOS non compliance toe links and beam
-Carbing rear strut bar
-CT engineering headers, exhaust, custom test pipes, and airbox
Fast forward... Ben had to sell the car and did so to a physician in LA. The guy happened to be about 70 years old and stood roughly 6'5". Needless to say, he didn't keep it long and I was the lucky 4th custodian! I flew out to pick it up, drove PCH and Mulholland for a couple days, then drove 1200+ miles back to Tulsa, OK, loving every mile. I also received EVERY SINGLE SERVICE RECEIPT since purchase, (I kid you not) a folder 3 INCHES THICK OF RECEIPTS FROM PARTS BEN BOUGHT, and a trunk full of spare, new OEM Acura parts!
The beginning.... Started with an off the shelf CTSC (latest kit with latest supercharger). Great bump in power, keeping the NSX powerband. HOWEVER, I HATED the CT fueling solution. I know it "works", but it's a band-aid and it really killed the daily driving habits... jerky, unstable idle at times, hard hot starts at times. Not bashing, but forcing 90+psi fuel rail pressures is a sure fire way to kill the fuel pump, not to mention God only knows what AFR were. Also, the CT solution was to make the factory ECU pull the necessary timing under boost by counting on heat/high AIT. If you got on it before AIT rose and the ECU pulled timing, the car was liable to detonate... not good on hypereutectic cast pistons.
The next step.... Decided I wasn't comfortable with the CT fueling solution (especially with Tulsa summer temps consistently 100 deg+) so I decided to DO IT RIGHT.
I added:
-SOS aftercooler (Laminova cores), separate coolant reservoir, front mount radiator
-AEM Infinity 8 standalone (since I still have split front and rear banks, I decided the 2 inboard wideband controllers on the Infinity 8 were preferable compared to the Infinity 6 witch only has one)
-2 AEM wideband 02 sensors, AEM fuel pressure/oil pressure and temp/AIT/MAP sensors
-ID 1000 injectors (used these on at least 5 other cars I've owned... super linear!)
-"high boost" pulley
-SOS "big bore" throttle body
-Walbro 255lph fuel pump
-SOS fuel pump hard wire kit
-step colder Iridium plugs
-OEM pod w/ SOS LCD screen and GaugeArt module for monitoring parameters (including oil pressure, oil temp, fuel pressure, boost, front/rear widebands)
-Tuned by Tony at UMS tuning in Arizona
The results? Everything I'd hoped for and more! 385 whp with a flat torque curve. Couldn't get anymore out of the 1.7 CT Whipple blower... it's maxed on the 3.2! Although I probably only gained 30-40whp by going to the "high boost", the real difference is in the drivability and AIT. I have yet to see ANY MORE THAN 30 deg AIT OVER AMBIENT... no matter how hard or long I wail on it! The car drives exactly like it did STOCK. Easy start ups, warm or cold, no jerkiness and I'm getting 3mpg more than stock!
Discussion: although this was an expensive endeavor, I did it for peace of mind and to insure the car doesn't grenade on me. Tony programmed in numerous failsafes including fuel pressure, AFR, oil pressure, and of course knock. I told him to be aggressive pulling timing as the AIT climbed, but I've yet to see ANY AIT value over 135 degF, even with heat indexes over 105 deg. In short, SOS AFTERCOOLER WORKS and so does the AEM Infinity standalone!!!!
I want to thank Ben for building/restoring an amazing car, Science Of Speed for doing an EXCEPTIONAL job of modifying said car, and Tony (at UMS) and Chris (at SOS) for the great tune!
About me: car guy through and through. Currently in the stable: 996 turbo (completely modded inside and out, makes 585 whp on 91 oct), 07 STi (completely modded, makes 440 whp on 91 oct), '96 993 cabrio 6 speed, '86 911 cabrio 5 speed, recently sold '12 GTR (full bolt-ons, 605 whp, 9.99 1/4 on street tires). Gone but not forgotten... 06 STi, 06 WRX, 04 STi, GMC Typhoon, and LOTS more. As you can see, I can't stop modifying!!!
First some background on the car... 1992 5 speed NSX, 89,000 miles, red w/ black interior. I'm the 4th owner. The first owner had the car religiously serviced by Ben Shafer (the 'NSX Whisperer' who goes by Redbird92 on prime) at Daisy Auto and eventually sold it to him. Here's where it gets interesting... Ben proceeded to COMPLETELY restore the car, to the tune of $68,000 (yes, that's correct) in PARTS ALONE... not counting labor. He replaced ALL PARTS WITH BRAND NEW OEM ACURA/HONDA. The only thing not touched??? The paint (which is in excellent condition).
Short list of what Ben replaced:
-3.2 shortblock/3.0 heads w/MLS head gaskets, ARP head studs, SOS LMA, SOS billet oil pump and pan baffle, and TODA timing belt. All typical engine dress items (coil packs, plugs, etc.)
-complete front and rear suspension (ALL wishbones, bushings, shafts, etc.) w/Zanardi shocks and Tein springs
-complete trans rebuild w/ TODA LWFW, new clutch discs/PP
-complete interior rebuild w/ new leather, headliner, ALL INTERIOR PANELS, updated center console and radio, Zanardi steering wheel and hand brake lever
-complete cooling system overhaul (all 6 trillion hoses) w/ Ron Davis 2 core radiator and ?Mugen 160deg thermostat
-brand new manual steering rack (per Ben, the last new one on earth!)
-97+ brakes
-SOS non compliance toe links and beam
-Carbing rear strut bar
-CT engineering headers, exhaust, custom test pipes, and airbox
Fast forward... Ben had to sell the car and did so to a physician in LA. The guy happened to be about 70 years old and stood roughly 6'5". Needless to say, he didn't keep it long and I was the lucky 4th custodian! I flew out to pick it up, drove PCH and Mulholland for a couple days, then drove 1200+ miles back to Tulsa, OK, loving every mile. I also received EVERY SINGLE SERVICE RECEIPT since purchase, (I kid you not) a folder 3 INCHES THICK OF RECEIPTS FROM PARTS BEN BOUGHT, and a trunk full of spare, new OEM Acura parts!
The beginning.... Started with an off the shelf CTSC (latest kit with latest supercharger). Great bump in power, keeping the NSX powerband. HOWEVER, I HATED the CT fueling solution. I know it "works", but it's a band-aid and it really killed the daily driving habits... jerky, unstable idle at times, hard hot starts at times. Not bashing, but forcing 90+psi fuel rail pressures is a sure fire way to kill the fuel pump, not to mention God only knows what AFR were. Also, the CT solution was to make the factory ECU pull the necessary timing under boost by counting on heat/high AIT. If you got on it before AIT rose and the ECU pulled timing, the car was liable to detonate... not good on hypereutectic cast pistons.
The next step.... Decided I wasn't comfortable with the CT fueling solution (especially with Tulsa summer temps consistently 100 deg+) so I decided to DO IT RIGHT.
I added:
-SOS aftercooler (Laminova cores), separate coolant reservoir, front mount radiator
-AEM Infinity 8 standalone (since I still have split front and rear banks, I decided the 2 inboard wideband controllers on the Infinity 8 were preferable compared to the Infinity 6 witch only has one)
-2 AEM wideband 02 sensors, AEM fuel pressure/oil pressure and temp/AIT/MAP sensors
-ID 1000 injectors (used these on at least 5 other cars I've owned... super linear!)
-"high boost" pulley
-SOS "big bore" throttle body
-Walbro 255lph fuel pump
-SOS fuel pump hard wire kit
-step colder Iridium plugs
-OEM pod w/ SOS LCD screen and GaugeArt module for monitoring parameters (including oil pressure, oil temp, fuel pressure, boost, front/rear widebands)
-Tuned by Tony at UMS tuning in Arizona
The results? Everything I'd hoped for and more! 385 whp with a flat torque curve. Couldn't get anymore out of the 1.7 CT Whipple blower... it's maxed on the 3.2! Although I probably only gained 30-40whp by going to the "high boost", the real difference is in the drivability and AIT. I have yet to see ANY MORE THAN 30 deg AIT OVER AMBIENT... no matter how hard or long I wail on it! The car drives exactly like it did STOCK. Easy start ups, warm or cold, no jerkiness and I'm getting 3mpg more than stock!
Discussion: although this was an expensive endeavor, I did it for peace of mind and to insure the car doesn't grenade on me. Tony programmed in numerous failsafes including fuel pressure, AFR, oil pressure, and of course knock. I told him to be aggressive pulling timing as the AIT climbed, but I've yet to see ANY AIT value over 135 degF, even with heat indexes over 105 deg. In short, SOS AFTERCOOLER WORKS and so does the AEM Infinity standalone!!!!
I want to thank Ben for building/restoring an amazing car, Science Of Speed for doing an EXCEPTIONAL job of modifying said car, and Tony (at UMS) and Chris (at SOS) for the great tune!
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