Suspension aftermarket or factory replacement? First Post

[91nsxdream]

Hello ALL!!!

I'm sure these questions have been answered many times over on this forum, but I am new and hoping to get some fresh advice... I purchased my 1991 Acura NSX #MT000395 a little less than a year ago from the original owner, she has been a driver with 142k on the odometer currently. The prior owner kept impeccable service history with my local Acura store for past 10yrs. The car has never been modified and was my appeal to this car specifically.

After taking her in for service doing a 4 wheel alignment and a oil change as I have now put 2k of those miles on myself in less than a year, and LOVED every minute of it, we have found some servicing items from reviewing documents and the inspection that should be addressed coming up. So which leads into my questions of how I should prioritize these items.


1. Timing belt last done at 128k miles in 2009---- This to me seems to be the number 1 concern? I am not sure if I should pay the premium for same Acura dealer to do or, use and independent shop that has come recommended by 2 other NSX owners? at this time they will do waterpump,valve gaskets, and oil pan gaskets which are starting to show signs of oil seepage NOT leaks yet.

2.The rubber bushings throughout the suspension are starting to crack.....They tell me I cant order just those bushings but I have to order different suspension parts to keep car factory....Are there aftermarket suspensions available that don't change ride height? as I want to retain my factory integrity. also 2 shocks are ending life..... My thought was to just replace shocks all around and find somewhere that can make poly bushing replacement (but that doesn't seem to be easy as thought)

3.The one modification I really want to do is a Comptech Exhaust and set of headers.....I say comptech because my Love for the NSX started when I worked for an Acura Dealer in 2000 and these where only parts they used... I would also like to keep the factory tips when changing this...does anyone see that to be a problem? Also would anyone recommend a different set up?

My uses of this car are very limited it stays stored and cover in a garage at the Auto Dealership I work for, its driver usually 2-3 times a month up a local car show and some pleasure drives with my wife....I am not looking to make it a race car just upgrading some of the items and maintaining as close to factory as possible within financial reason, as this is a car I will own for decades to come.


Sorry ALL for the long first post....but look forward to speaking with you all about my car and yours

 

[Valhalla]

First of all welcome to the SoCal community. You seem to have a real garage queen on your hands there and I'm sure I won't be there first to tell you that these cars need to be driven. With the mileage acquired to date, it seems as if the car has been. Please keep exercising her. Now on the your questions;

1) Timing Belt/Water pump - General rule is to change the TB every 7 years or 60k miles (if memory servers). You are coming up on the 7 year limit but far off on the mileage. The reason to do the water pump is since the motor has been removed from the car, it's way easier to replace the pump at this time too. I have seen personally a belt that came off a car with many more miles and years and it looked brand spanking new. But you sure don't want to be on the wrong side of this guess as a new top end of the motor will kill your bank/retirement/house accounts. There are a number of very good independent shops that specialize in NSX work in our neck of the woods. Close to you is a guru named Jon Martin who works at the dealership in Commerce. There are several others but be happy he is in your back yard. Tell him Hi for me.

2)There are numerous aftermarket suspension parts and pieces. Same with shocks. You can retain the stock height if you like. Use the search engine on this site and hit the WiKi button above too. Great reference info here.

3) Comptech is a very popular choice and the headers are CARB approved so getting past SMOG on a bi-annual basis will be easier although no one really looks at your headers. The muffler is more a personal choice with many popular. Pride, Comptech, Angus, Taitec, GT1, SOS, HKS, the list goes on. But this is strictly personal preference.

Good luck with the ownership and maintenance. Hope to see you on a drive soon.

 

[davidf]

I'm not sure if your TB is due just yet. But try and find someone that has prior NSX service experience if possible.

 

[DAYTA]

Do you know if you're still on the stock clutch @142k miles?

If yes, I would consider replacing that at the same time as the next TB/WP service. You will have to pay more for parts upfront, but it'll save you $$$ on the labor in the long run if the motor is being dropped anyway.

 

[91nsxdream]

Thank you all for your responses and welcoming me

She is a bit of a garage queen lol.....I wish had more chances to drive....Really looking forward to Octobers NSXPO in Palm springs.....at least the 3 times or so a month I drive her I do take some good long cruises

Luckily I was able to obtain the service records for the car dating back to 2006 from Santa Monica Acura today I thought was 09....The last Timing belt change was done 2/27/08 at 128k miles at that same time the clutch was done..... So I assume I have good life left on my clutch??? but I am at a little over the recommended 6yr life of the timing belt so sure don't want to risk damaging motor...Does anyone know if Dan's Shop in Torrance does good work he quoted me half what the dealer quoted me? I also will reach out to Jon Martin you mentioned as well......

Thanks

 

[Caroline-NSX]

Might as well go aftermarket to get a better performance.

BC Coilover best bang for the bucks!

But if you looking to track the NSX go for the Kw's.

 

[djp5]

I don't think you can buy just an OEM bushing without buying the suspension arm or knuckle that the bushing is pressed into. So that is what makes the cost high. Of course, if you did find aftermarket bushings you could re-use your stock arms & knuckles but you would have to figure in the cost of pressing out the old & pressing in the new bushings. And no matter what, you would need an alignment when finished.

I see you're in CA....that is a rough home for rubber parts due to heat & air pollution. It's possible your bushings just have superficial age cracking, which isn't perfect "new" condition but is fine to drive on. Now if they are actually torn, then that is something I would look at replacing....

 

[Jinks]

Excellent choice for sticking with ct engineering for performance parts. As for BC coilovers,,, Being that your in California, if you are looking to be super low ride height and shake the fillings out of your teeth on our gloriously paved yet beautiful canyon roads then go BC coilovers.

 

[tof]

Some thoughts from the deep South:
1. Timing belt and water pump -- Recommended service interval is 90,000 miles or six years (72 months), but with extremely low mileage I think a longer time interval is acceptable. The maintenance schedule is in your owner's manual and in the Prime wiki. I'm with Valhalla on finding a good local mechanic with extensive NSX experience and references, whether it's at a dealer or a private shop.

2. Suspension--You sound like a real keep-it-OEM kind of guy. If you want to retain the OEM ride height and suspension geometry, I think Bilstein shocks would be a good choice. On the "upper pearch" I believe they provide an OEM ride hight and they are, if anything, an upgrade to the OEM shocks. Or you might be able to source shocks and other suspension parts from a low mileage salvage NSX. Pretty sure any part from any 91-96 will work but you can check part numbers on one of the Acura dealer parts departments that sell on-line, like www.acuraautomotiveparts.org. The diagrams there will help you identify the parts and determine their part numbers.


Your 1991 manifolds


97-2000 headers

3. Can't go far wrong with CT Engineering (formerly Comptech), especially since some Acura dealers offered dealer installed performance packages on the NSX that included comptech headers and exhaust. If you want improved performance and you want to stay as OEM as possible, another alternative would be a set of 97-2000 OEM stainless headers. You will need short adapter pipes to mate up with the 91 cats. Adapters are readily available from SOS and other sources. These are tubular headers with longer runners, compared to the 91-96 cast iron headers, and they provide most of the performance gains of Comptech and other aftermarket headers. Stay away from 2001-05 headers because they changed the cats in 2001 and finding adapters to mate the newest headers to your cats is next to impossible. Brand new AP2 headers are priced at around 1200 per pair from on-line discount Acura parts departments. I assume they are still available. A full set of heat shields will run another 700 and you will probably want to use new fasteners. They also come up used from time to time on Prime for half the cost of new or less but they are usually snapped up within hours or even minutes.

Enjoy the NSX and thanks for preserving another NSX.

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

Kw's for suspension get my vote. Have ridden in bilsteins with tanabe spring combo, Bc with swifts, and Kw club sports. I like the adjustability and comfort of the kw's.