- Joined
- 14 April 2002
- Messages
- 2,273
Well - after 8 weeks and many many $$$ my NSX is finally back! I have a fantastic 1991 NSX but the last couple months have been trying as I have had a lot of elective and non elective maintenance issues lately. This is after about $3500 in maintenance each of the last 2 years (AC, windows, timing belt, clutch, tires, fluid changes, brakes, alternator, etc). For all of you that think you can buy a 91' NSX and keep it perfect with nothing but oil changes I hope this helps you gauge some of the maintenance costs you might face.
Anyway - the punchline is - it's back good as new and I am excited to enjoy it again.
Here is a partial list of the maintenance I had 8 weeks ago and where my story begins:
- Valve adjustment
- Oil Change
- Brake fluid flush
- Complete caliper rebuild
- Tune up with new plugs
- New air filter
- Rebuild and bench test all 6 fuel injectors
- 3 new wheel studs and new nuts
- New climate control computer
With all the parts and labor I was out of my car for 2 weeks and $2,000. My installer also mentions how out of whack my alignment looks and that I am through the second steel belt on my rears. What!?!? I had the car aligned by the dealer last summer when I got the new tires and I was almost at full tread depth on the outsides of the tires. He shows me the very inner edge. Dooh! I order new rears from the tire rack (almost $500 with shipping now!) and have them sent to an installer that was recommended by the SCCA crowd (Autotire in Ballwin). I also remember (with anger) that the dealer didn't supply any paperwork with my alignment and said they didn't have it. You don't think they would charge me $150 for an alignment they never did - do you? Dooh!
I had finally got the car back on the road 100% in late April (great to have fan/AC again too!). The car was running very strong for a day when the inevitable happened. I was pulling out of the parts store a mile from the house and something felt funny in the shifter. I drove home (less then 1 mile) without shifting and new what had happened from the dozens of descriptions I had read - the dreaded snap ring had gone poof! Rats!
Those who have long term memory remember my debacle with a certain defunct vendor a year ago (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18372). Basically last March I decided I had run out of luck with my snap ring tranny and I would proactively replace it with a rebuild Type R transmission with all new short gears, Honda Type R Ring and Pinion, and completely replace all wearable parts. I had to replace the clutch at the time and figured I would do it all at once since I was out $2,000 in parts and labor for that - the labor would be "free". Anyway 2 transmission "attempts", thousands of dollars, and 25 weeks went buy with no working tranny. I eventually got a good deal of the money back from Discover and last I heard the vendor skipped the country. I then started to believe that maybe my snap ring was one of the lucky ones that would never break. Anyway - the event I worked so hard to prevent ( being out of my car for several weeks waiting for the snap ring to be fixed) had happened and it couldn't have come at a worse time financially. Oh well - that's the way it goes most times.
So I thought about my options.
1) I have a decent mechanic with experience doing this so I could order the tranny parts, have him measure for the shim, then pick up the shim and finish the job.
2) Or - I buy a good used one off Prime or a vendor if available.
3) Or - I look into sending a vendor mine (or getting your ready made one), swapping parts for the TypeR short gears, diff torque, 4.23 RP
Anyway - I first thought I would see if someone had a good used tranny for sale. No dice. Several days went bye waiting for people to PM me and nothing. I checked with the vendors two and nothing I was interested in. Rats
Next - I looked at my options for sending someone my transmission and having them repair the case, fix the snap ring, and ship it back. With parts, shipping, fix labor, and replacement labor I was quoted around $2,500 and 3-4 weeks (including shipping times) just to get me back where I was before the problem. Doogh!
I looked at my dealer to do the tranny work and they wanted $800 to just swap trannys, $1000 to fix the case 1/2 and the snap ring and swap, and $2000 to put in all the gears / ring and pinion. Ouch. Remember the case parts are around $800 too. My installer who has done my tranny swap before only wanted $500 to swap them but wanted $1200 to do the snap ring fix and swap. Decisions decisions!
Now - knowing me you know I am going to try to take the cheap way out and get the TypeR stuff I have lusted after for a while so read on!
Anyway - now I started looking at vendors rebuilding a complete TypeR tranny. One vendor would not return my cars after several attempts. One vendor referred me to the person who wouldn't return my calls. One vendor wasn't setup to handle the leg work, and one vendor quoted me $3900 + shipping with a 1 week turn around. The $3900 was actually a pretty good deal because they were going to replace all wear parts on theirs, they didn't want my core, and they were the only place in the country that had the TypeR Ring and Pinion in house. I just couldn't pull the trigger on all that money and they wouldn't through in their turbo kit no matter how much I begged.
I was about to give up hope and go the cheapest route ($900 p&h and $1100 in dealer labor) when I hooked up with Brad at Autologic in Houston. Brad (http://www.auto-logic.biz/enter.htm) is an NSX owner, enthusiast, and runs a shop in Houston that I couldn't find a lot of information on Prime about. I called Brad and as luck would have it he had a "perfect" 91 transmission out of snap ring range that he keeps as a spare. Brad quotes me $1250 which includes his 91 tranny and all the labor to replace the gears with short gears and the ring and pinion! What a deal. But remember - I am the guy that trusted a rather unknown vendor before in the hopes of getting this fixed and saving some money. Should I do it again?
I checked with Mark at Dali and he had the Short Gears in stock but no R&P (3 weeks minimum for delivery). Dooh!
Here is the breakdown of costs/times I had so far.
- El cheapo option: My tranny, fix snap ring only = $2000 & 2 weeks total down time
- Full deal build Type R tranny: $4000 for p&h and $500 install = $4500 & 2 weeks down time
- El cheapo TypeR: Used 91 tranny & Labor ($1250), minimum short gears and Type R ring & pinion ($1700), swap time ($500) = $3500
So is having the Type R tranny worth an extra $1500 or so? Is having the tranny completely "rebuilt" to factory specs worth another $1000 on top of that. What is Autologic's definition of perfect?
Decisions decisions...
So I finally decided to spend the extra $1500 on the gears but save the extra $1000 on the "like new" option in hopes that the 91 tranny I was buying would be as good as advertised. I draw up a contract with Brad that basically says:
1) Here is what I want done
2) If this happens - that will happen
I tried to list as many scenarios as I could and described who would pay for what and who would decide what. I think it was something everyone should do and Brad had absolutely no problem setting expectations for all undesirable outcomes.
Place the order for the gears with Dali and work on the shipping. Apparently the USPO has an air express shipping from Japan for only $80! With Dali's low pricing I say "go for it". Unfortunately - there is a national holiday in Japan and nothing ships for a week. Then there is Memorial day and customs to deal with. Fast forward 3 weeks and I get word that the R&P is in! Who hoo - thank you Mark for working so hard on this!
Call Brad and tell him that lets not be penny wise and pound foolish. As you are going through the transmission if anything looks worn - replace at my cost. Brad says "got it, but it is very nice and I personally drove it / love it so no worries". I want to trust and believe him completely but having been jaded in the past I still have reservations. Brad says he needs several days to replace the gears, R&P, source a good shipping box, and get it out to me. Luckily everything goes as planned and Brad completes as promised by a week ago Friday. UPS takes it without question and everything seems set to go with my installer last Thursday.
My installer calls Wednesday and tells me no tranny has arrived yet. I tell him - no fear it will be there Thursday (I check with UPS). Thursday morning I call AAA and order up a flat bed for my baby. The guy was very cool, used special ramps to protect the car, and used factory towing hooks and tie downs. Still - it sucks and is a rare site to see an NSX on a flat bed in rush hour traffic.
The show doesn't want to start on the car till the new tranny gets there - which I can understand. Finally, as promised, UPS drops off the tranny about noon. I call the shop and sure enough they have it! So at least I know at this point I have a cool box with something on the inside!
Anyway the feelings of déjà vu come back. It was exactly the same last year when I had all the excitement, was trying to get the car by the weekend, and was completely dashed in all my hopes. Even my installer is somewhat scared to share any bad news with me.
So I call back and ask - how does it look? Now remember - I purchased a used 91 transmission and didn't fully communicate with them that fact (they are expecting new or rebuilt). Anyway - they call and are humming and hawing. What's wrong, I ask? They said that this "tranny" is filthy and looks real used. I told him I knew it was used and that was the deal. He said he didn't want to go through the trouble of changing it based on what happened last time. I tell him - "don't judge a book by the cover" and go for it. He says, "yes but - your car is so PERFECT I can't put a dirty transmission on your car. I tell him that I put the rush on the He finally agrees to do it and proceeds to steam clean it first so it will look perfect under the car.
I call in the afternoon and ask when it will be done and they say "hopefully tomorrow". Dooh!
Friday comes along and they keep working on it. Call at 3PM and ask if it will be done by 5PM when the leave and they say probably. Dooh. Well I go for broke and get an employee who lives out in St. Peters to give me a ride. This is over 30 miles from the office and I have no immediate way home if it is not done. Also - this tranny has never been really tested and I have been down this road before with the other vendor. Complete déjà vu is coming over me now.
I get up to the shop and they have finished it up. No one is talking and I am afraid to ask about it. Does it shift right in the car? Does it makes any grinding noises like the last vendor's (so loud you couldn't here yourself talk). Is the ceramic clutch I have as smooth as when I left it. Questions I wont know till I get in and drive the car. The entire shop is standing around the car as this has been playing out now for well over a year. Will it be the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat. Will my wife have to drive an hour to pick me up? Will I be without my NSX for untold more weeks? Is it "perfect"? The suspense is KILLING me.
They back the car off the lift. No ear splitting gear grinding and no chatter from the clutch. All good signs! I asked my installer "what do you think"? He says it shifts fine on the rack and to try it out. I pay the bill while the car warms up. I get in the car to see what will be...
I shift through the gears. It goes like butter and feels like a well oiled bolt action riffle. Check. I put the car in reverse. It goes in very smoothly. Check. I put it in first to pull out of the lot and let out the clutch. Very smooth clutch engagement (even BETTER then when I dropped it off) and the tranny is tight. I take it up to redline and make the shift to second. Something just doesn't feel right? I can't explain it but the power doesn't come on the way I am used to. I quickly scan the dash for a warning light flashing. It is the TCS light! I spun the wheels making the 1-2 upshift and the TCS took over! AWESOME.
With getting the car back late Friday night and was through the 2nd steel belt on the rears so couldn't experience / enjoy the gears & RP. I do take a moment to leave Brad a message and tell him how completely awesome and smooth the transmission was. He calls me back and we talk for a good 1/2 hour about the NSX, FI, mods, and enjoying this great car. He apologizes up and down for not cleaning it better but was trying to get it to me as soon as possible. I tell him - no problem and I don't judge a book by the cover - it is what's inside that counts.
The next day I go to Autotire to get the Yokos I had delivered 4 weeks ago and pray they haven't sold them on Ebay. I get there right after 7:30 AM when they open so I can be first in line. There are already 7 people in front of me. Dooh! I meet up with Keith who is the shop manager. There are 3 street / track cars there (WRX, Miata, and a Del Sol). I am at the right place. I have my wife pick me up in the van and we take the 3 kids for breakfast and to the park. I get back right when they are ready to start on my car. I meet with John who is my guy for today. The shop is very busy and tight but I decided I want to be involved in the entire procedure and really see how it is done. I know for liability reasons I shouldn't be following John from station to station - but I figure I will try to stay out of the way and wait for them to kick me out.
John does a good job lining up boards to get my NSX on the Hunter alignment lift without hitting the lip. First things first and it is time to get the tires replaced. He pulls off the 2 rear tires and we take them over to the Hunter mounting machine. It takes 10 mins to locate the tires (Whew!) and I stand right next to him and he shows me how the machine works and how nothing metal ever touches the rims. Very impressive machine! We then go to the balancing machine and he shows me how to enter all the information on the rim size, width, and tire size and the machine basically tells you exactly where to put the weights and how much to use. Very cool. Both wheels take .5 (I believe ounces) or about 4 of the little weight cubes - which he says is about average. All the guys in the shop are really cool and are asking me tons of questions about the NSX.
Now it is time for the alignment. We get the wheels back on the car with the new tires and he hand torques the lugs. He then puts the 4 Hunter sensors on each wheel and these feel back to a kiosk computer screen. This thing is awesome! It gives him all the readings for the car after he turns the steering wheel left to right. Wow was this thing off! I had over 3 deg of camber rear, over 2 deg of camber front. The front toe was OUT and the rear tow was way out! No wonder the rears were scrubbing so hard on the insides. With the camber and the toe settings - it was a wonder I didn't wear them even sooner (they lasted about 3500 miles as is). Now I am really pissed at my dealer as I feel they never aligned the car and that is why they couldn't give me a printout!
Anyway he wasn't familiar with the NSX so he hits some buttons on the keyboard and the computer brings up exact diagrams of the suspension components and tells him exactly what tools he needs and which way to turn them! Incredible. Even I could do this with the equipment they have. He takes a "remote" screen under the car so he can see what he is doing. With my Billstein shock / Eibach spring setup he can only get the rear camber to -2 degs but still much better then the over 3 degs and the positive toe settings!
On the front he dials the camber down to about -1.4 degs and I have him set the toe right at 0 (instead of the slightly negative toe that the factory calls for). You see Karl, I was listening!!! Anyway with all my questions, how off the settings were, the exceptional care, and their unfamiliarity with the NSX I am there for over 3 hours! I am having a good time watching all of this and learned a lot - but Keith finally came over to John and asked "if he was going to make love to this NSX all day?!"
So finally I have the best alignment I can get, new rear tires, and the new transmission and it is time to DRIVE and get my impressions and the verdict is ......
I LOVE IT!!!
It is awesome and the engine really wakes up - even without going all the way to redline. I really like this mod! The first to second shift is awesome (as advertised) but I was surprised to find my favorite shift is now the second to third. That and the tranny is at least as smooth as my original 50,000 mile tranny and the clutch never felt so good.
Now I know the reality of this modification. The engine is the same and all I have done is change the times to a certain MPH. Depending on what MPH you are going to this transmission is faster (or slower) then stock. That said, it is kind of like the Matrix where that one bad guy double crosses his buddies to be inserted back in to the Matrix because he doesn't want reality. You see - I know the gears don't really do anything for the engine. I know the performance benefits are "perceived" and "depend" on what speed you are racing to - but my mind doesn't care!!! The grin on my face doesn't care either and I believe it is an awesome performance enhancement. In my mind it feels real and I don't care!
I do a lot of my driving just "around town" and this is where it really picks up. This coupled with the "new" injectors, new plugs, valve timing, new air filter, cleaning the fuel system, and (most of all) just driving my Cadi for 8 weeks and then jumping in the NSX really add up to awesome improvements.
Anyway - that’s my story. Hope you enjoyed it. Questions and comments welcome...
Anyway - the punchline is - it's back good as new and I am excited to enjoy it again.
Here is a partial list of the maintenance I had 8 weeks ago and where my story begins:
- Valve adjustment
- Oil Change
- Brake fluid flush
- Complete caliper rebuild
- Tune up with new plugs
- New air filter
- Rebuild and bench test all 6 fuel injectors
- 3 new wheel studs and new nuts
- New climate control computer
With all the parts and labor I was out of my car for 2 weeks and $2,000. My installer also mentions how out of whack my alignment looks and that I am through the second steel belt on my rears. What!?!? I had the car aligned by the dealer last summer when I got the new tires and I was almost at full tread depth on the outsides of the tires. He shows me the very inner edge. Dooh! I order new rears from the tire rack (almost $500 with shipping now!) and have them sent to an installer that was recommended by the SCCA crowd (Autotire in Ballwin). I also remember (with anger) that the dealer didn't supply any paperwork with my alignment and said they didn't have it. You don't think they would charge me $150 for an alignment they never did - do you? Dooh!
I had finally got the car back on the road 100% in late April (great to have fan/AC again too!). The car was running very strong for a day when the inevitable happened. I was pulling out of the parts store a mile from the house and something felt funny in the shifter. I drove home (less then 1 mile) without shifting and new what had happened from the dozens of descriptions I had read - the dreaded snap ring had gone poof! Rats!
Those who have long term memory remember my debacle with a certain defunct vendor a year ago (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18372). Basically last March I decided I had run out of luck with my snap ring tranny and I would proactively replace it with a rebuild Type R transmission with all new short gears, Honda Type R Ring and Pinion, and completely replace all wearable parts. I had to replace the clutch at the time and figured I would do it all at once since I was out $2,000 in parts and labor for that - the labor would be "free". Anyway 2 transmission "attempts", thousands of dollars, and 25 weeks went buy with no working tranny. I eventually got a good deal of the money back from Discover and last I heard the vendor skipped the country. I then started to believe that maybe my snap ring was one of the lucky ones that would never break. Anyway - the event I worked so hard to prevent ( being out of my car for several weeks waiting for the snap ring to be fixed) had happened and it couldn't have come at a worse time financially. Oh well - that's the way it goes most times.
So I thought about my options.
1) I have a decent mechanic with experience doing this so I could order the tranny parts, have him measure for the shim, then pick up the shim and finish the job.
2) Or - I buy a good used one off Prime or a vendor if available.
3) Or - I look into sending a vendor mine (or getting your ready made one), swapping parts for the TypeR short gears, diff torque, 4.23 RP
Anyway - I first thought I would see if someone had a good used tranny for sale. No dice. Several days went bye waiting for people to PM me and nothing. I checked with the vendors two and nothing I was interested in. Rats
Next - I looked at my options for sending someone my transmission and having them repair the case, fix the snap ring, and ship it back. With parts, shipping, fix labor, and replacement labor I was quoted around $2,500 and 3-4 weeks (including shipping times) just to get me back where I was before the problem. Doogh!
I looked at my dealer to do the tranny work and they wanted $800 to just swap trannys, $1000 to fix the case 1/2 and the snap ring and swap, and $2000 to put in all the gears / ring and pinion. Ouch. Remember the case parts are around $800 too. My installer who has done my tranny swap before only wanted $500 to swap them but wanted $1200 to do the snap ring fix and swap. Decisions decisions!
Now - knowing me you know I am going to try to take the cheap way out and get the TypeR stuff I have lusted after for a while so read on!
Anyway - now I started looking at vendors rebuilding a complete TypeR tranny. One vendor would not return my cars after several attempts. One vendor referred me to the person who wouldn't return my calls. One vendor wasn't setup to handle the leg work, and one vendor quoted me $3900 + shipping with a 1 week turn around. The $3900 was actually a pretty good deal because they were going to replace all wear parts on theirs, they didn't want my core, and they were the only place in the country that had the TypeR Ring and Pinion in house. I just couldn't pull the trigger on all that money and they wouldn't through in their turbo kit no matter how much I begged.
I was about to give up hope and go the cheapest route ($900 p&h and $1100 in dealer labor) when I hooked up with Brad at Autologic in Houston. Brad (http://www.auto-logic.biz/enter.htm) is an NSX owner, enthusiast, and runs a shop in Houston that I couldn't find a lot of information on Prime about. I called Brad and as luck would have it he had a "perfect" 91 transmission out of snap ring range that he keeps as a spare. Brad quotes me $1250 which includes his 91 tranny and all the labor to replace the gears with short gears and the ring and pinion! What a deal. But remember - I am the guy that trusted a rather unknown vendor before in the hopes of getting this fixed and saving some money. Should I do it again?
I checked with Mark at Dali and he had the Short Gears in stock but no R&P (3 weeks minimum for delivery). Dooh!
Here is the breakdown of costs/times I had so far.
- El cheapo option: My tranny, fix snap ring only = $2000 & 2 weeks total down time
- Full deal build Type R tranny: $4000 for p&h and $500 install = $4500 & 2 weeks down time
- El cheapo TypeR: Used 91 tranny & Labor ($1250), minimum short gears and Type R ring & pinion ($1700), swap time ($500) = $3500
So is having the Type R tranny worth an extra $1500 or so? Is having the tranny completely "rebuilt" to factory specs worth another $1000 on top of that. What is Autologic's definition of perfect?
Decisions decisions...
So I finally decided to spend the extra $1500 on the gears but save the extra $1000 on the "like new" option in hopes that the 91 tranny I was buying would be as good as advertised. I draw up a contract with Brad that basically says:
1) Here is what I want done
2) If this happens - that will happen
I tried to list as many scenarios as I could and described who would pay for what and who would decide what. I think it was something everyone should do and Brad had absolutely no problem setting expectations for all undesirable outcomes.
Place the order for the gears with Dali and work on the shipping. Apparently the USPO has an air express shipping from Japan for only $80! With Dali's low pricing I say "go for it". Unfortunately - there is a national holiday in Japan and nothing ships for a week. Then there is Memorial day and customs to deal with. Fast forward 3 weeks and I get word that the R&P is in! Who hoo - thank you Mark for working so hard on this!
Call Brad and tell him that lets not be penny wise and pound foolish. As you are going through the transmission if anything looks worn - replace at my cost. Brad says "got it, but it is very nice and I personally drove it / love it so no worries". I want to trust and believe him completely but having been jaded in the past I still have reservations. Brad says he needs several days to replace the gears, R&P, source a good shipping box, and get it out to me. Luckily everything goes as planned and Brad completes as promised by a week ago Friday. UPS takes it without question and everything seems set to go with my installer last Thursday.
My installer calls Wednesday and tells me no tranny has arrived yet. I tell him - no fear it will be there Thursday (I check with UPS). Thursday morning I call AAA and order up a flat bed for my baby. The guy was very cool, used special ramps to protect the car, and used factory towing hooks and tie downs. Still - it sucks and is a rare site to see an NSX on a flat bed in rush hour traffic.
The show doesn't want to start on the car till the new tranny gets there - which I can understand. Finally, as promised, UPS drops off the tranny about noon. I call the shop and sure enough they have it! So at least I know at this point I have a cool box with something on the inside!
Anyway the feelings of déjà vu come back. It was exactly the same last year when I had all the excitement, was trying to get the car by the weekend, and was completely dashed in all my hopes. Even my installer is somewhat scared to share any bad news with me.
So I call back and ask - how does it look? Now remember - I purchased a used 91 transmission and didn't fully communicate with them that fact (they are expecting new or rebuilt). Anyway - they call and are humming and hawing. What's wrong, I ask? They said that this "tranny" is filthy and looks real used. I told him I knew it was used and that was the deal. He said he didn't want to go through the trouble of changing it based on what happened last time. I tell him - "don't judge a book by the cover" and go for it. He says, "yes but - your car is so PERFECT I can't put a dirty transmission on your car. I tell him that I put the rush on the He finally agrees to do it and proceeds to steam clean it first so it will look perfect under the car.
I call in the afternoon and ask when it will be done and they say "hopefully tomorrow". Dooh!
Friday comes along and they keep working on it. Call at 3PM and ask if it will be done by 5PM when the leave and they say probably. Dooh. Well I go for broke and get an employee who lives out in St. Peters to give me a ride. This is over 30 miles from the office and I have no immediate way home if it is not done. Also - this tranny has never been really tested and I have been down this road before with the other vendor. Complete déjà vu is coming over me now.
I get up to the shop and they have finished it up. No one is talking and I am afraid to ask about it. Does it shift right in the car? Does it makes any grinding noises like the last vendor's (so loud you couldn't here yourself talk). Is the ceramic clutch I have as smooth as when I left it. Questions I wont know till I get in and drive the car. The entire shop is standing around the car as this has been playing out now for well over a year. Will it be the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat. Will my wife have to drive an hour to pick me up? Will I be without my NSX for untold more weeks? Is it "perfect"? The suspense is KILLING me.
They back the car off the lift. No ear splitting gear grinding and no chatter from the clutch. All good signs! I asked my installer "what do you think"? He says it shifts fine on the rack and to try it out. I pay the bill while the car warms up. I get in the car to see what will be...
I shift through the gears. It goes like butter and feels like a well oiled bolt action riffle. Check. I put the car in reverse. It goes in very smoothly. Check. I put it in first to pull out of the lot and let out the clutch. Very smooth clutch engagement (even BETTER then when I dropped it off) and the tranny is tight. I take it up to redline and make the shift to second. Something just doesn't feel right? I can't explain it but the power doesn't come on the way I am used to. I quickly scan the dash for a warning light flashing. It is the TCS light! I spun the wheels making the 1-2 upshift and the TCS took over! AWESOME.
With getting the car back late Friday night and was through the 2nd steel belt on the rears so couldn't experience / enjoy the gears & RP. I do take a moment to leave Brad a message and tell him how completely awesome and smooth the transmission was. He calls me back and we talk for a good 1/2 hour about the NSX, FI, mods, and enjoying this great car. He apologizes up and down for not cleaning it better but was trying to get it to me as soon as possible. I tell him - no problem and I don't judge a book by the cover - it is what's inside that counts.
The next day I go to Autotire to get the Yokos I had delivered 4 weeks ago and pray they haven't sold them on Ebay. I get there right after 7:30 AM when they open so I can be first in line. There are already 7 people in front of me. Dooh! I meet up with Keith who is the shop manager. There are 3 street / track cars there (WRX, Miata, and a Del Sol). I am at the right place. I have my wife pick me up in the van and we take the 3 kids for breakfast and to the park. I get back right when they are ready to start on my car. I meet with John who is my guy for today. The shop is very busy and tight but I decided I want to be involved in the entire procedure and really see how it is done. I know for liability reasons I shouldn't be following John from station to station - but I figure I will try to stay out of the way and wait for them to kick me out.
John does a good job lining up boards to get my NSX on the Hunter alignment lift without hitting the lip. First things first and it is time to get the tires replaced. He pulls off the 2 rear tires and we take them over to the Hunter mounting machine. It takes 10 mins to locate the tires (Whew!) and I stand right next to him and he shows me how the machine works and how nothing metal ever touches the rims. Very impressive machine! We then go to the balancing machine and he shows me how to enter all the information on the rim size, width, and tire size and the machine basically tells you exactly where to put the weights and how much to use. Very cool. Both wheels take .5 (I believe ounces) or about 4 of the little weight cubes - which he says is about average. All the guys in the shop are really cool and are asking me tons of questions about the NSX.
Now it is time for the alignment. We get the wheels back on the car with the new tires and he hand torques the lugs. He then puts the 4 Hunter sensors on each wheel and these feel back to a kiosk computer screen. This thing is awesome! It gives him all the readings for the car after he turns the steering wheel left to right. Wow was this thing off! I had over 3 deg of camber rear, over 2 deg of camber front. The front toe was OUT and the rear tow was way out! No wonder the rears were scrubbing so hard on the insides. With the camber and the toe settings - it was a wonder I didn't wear them even sooner (they lasted about 3500 miles as is). Now I am really pissed at my dealer as I feel they never aligned the car and that is why they couldn't give me a printout!
Anyway he wasn't familiar with the NSX so he hits some buttons on the keyboard and the computer brings up exact diagrams of the suspension components and tells him exactly what tools he needs and which way to turn them! Incredible. Even I could do this with the equipment they have. He takes a "remote" screen under the car so he can see what he is doing. With my Billstein shock / Eibach spring setup he can only get the rear camber to -2 degs but still much better then the over 3 degs and the positive toe settings!
On the front he dials the camber down to about -1.4 degs and I have him set the toe right at 0 (instead of the slightly negative toe that the factory calls for). You see Karl, I was listening!!! Anyway with all my questions, how off the settings were, the exceptional care, and their unfamiliarity with the NSX I am there for over 3 hours! I am having a good time watching all of this and learned a lot - but Keith finally came over to John and asked "if he was going to make love to this NSX all day?!"
So finally I have the best alignment I can get, new rear tires, and the new transmission and it is time to DRIVE and get my impressions and the verdict is ......
I LOVE IT!!!
It is awesome and the engine really wakes up - even without going all the way to redline. I really like this mod! The first to second shift is awesome (as advertised) but I was surprised to find my favorite shift is now the second to third. That and the tranny is at least as smooth as my original 50,000 mile tranny and the clutch never felt so good.
Now I know the reality of this modification. The engine is the same and all I have done is change the times to a certain MPH. Depending on what MPH you are going to this transmission is faster (or slower) then stock. That said, it is kind of like the Matrix where that one bad guy double crosses his buddies to be inserted back in to the Matrix because he doesn't want reality. You see - I know the gears don't really do anything for the engine. I know the performance benefits are "perceived" and "depend" on what speed you are racing to - but my mind doesn't care!!! The grin on my face doesn't care either and I believe it is an awesome performance enhancement. In my mind it feels real and I don't care!
I do a lot of my driving just "around town" and this is where it really picks up. This coupled with the "new" injectors, new plugs, valve timing, new air filter, cleaning the fuel system, and (most of all) just driving my Cadi for 8 weeks and then jumping in the NSX really add up to awesome improvements.
Anyway - that’s my story. Hope you enjoyed it. Questions and comments welcome...
