How many owners have crashed their NSX by sliding the rear end out???

[Meeyatch1]

Reading this thread again reminds me of why I firmly believe all NSX, and sports car owners in general, should take their car to several track events. If you are going to own a car like this, you should know how it handles at the limit, and learn it in a controlled environment like a HPDE.

 

[NSXLR8R]

dcrandon, those are a couple of strategically formed, yet potentially flawed, generalizations...?!?! We all know that trying to boil any situation down into 2 or 3 bullet points, with disregard to the immense sea of additional factors, is a dangerous game. I wish it were that easy, but it ain't.

I would not be as limited as Ken on this, but until one is feeling the results of each small change they make, thus determining if they want to keep it, or return to the previous setting, then his advice is well founded.

I am whole heartedly on board with the HPDE comments.

 

[nsx-sf]

Non compliance bushings and toelinks

IMHO, Non compliance bushings and toelinks are the best mod for this. They give feedback and stretch the transition from understeer to neutral to oversteer. That extra feedback is IMHO the best mod you can make to the NSX. Even if you left the rest of the suspension stock, you can still enjoy your NSX with more confidence with this mod. YMMV.

Bumping an ancient thread ... I've got about 7 HPDEs under my belt, driving very carefully and slowly, and only spun once so far: in the rain at turn 2 of Infineon/Sonoma raceway I lifted ever so slightly catching slower traffic and it went around 360 and into the grass. Zero damage maximum blushes.

That being said, my goal this year (in addition to skid-pad time) is to get faster - and I've had non-compliance fix recommended to me by Shad as well. Is it consensus now that non-standard but with the stock size wheels (Mine's a 94) is the best way to go to ensure safe, predictable track driving at speed?

Cheers!
N

 

[bngl3rt]

Bumping an ancient thread ... I've got about 7 HPDEs under my belt, driving very carefully and slowly, and only spun once so far: in the rain at turn 2 of Infineon/Sonoma raceway I lifted ever so slightly catching slower traffic and it went around 360 and into the grass. Zero damage maximum blushes.

Interesting. Spinning mine at the track ($1000 of damage when all was said and done) - turn 9 Laguna Seca - was what started me down the path of thinking maybe the NSX was not a good "first track car" (snap oversteer at the limit and I don't yet have the muscle memory to correct in time) and that I should get a slightly friendlier car with a more progressive transition into oversteer for track work, so I picked up an M3.

I hope to build serious track skills in the M3 and then return the NSX to track use, but spinning my NSX helped me realize that my desire to go faster was not worth writing off my childhood dream car. When I spun the first thing I did was look behind me and see if the rest of the car was still there - it was, but I was 4ft from a wall where things would have been very different.

 

[latzke]

Not owners, but Car and Driver editors did it twice with two different NSX demo cars...
http://jalopnik.com/how-car-and-driver-crashed-both-of-their-nsx-test-cars-1679357347

 

[docjohn]

Bumping an ancient thread ... I've got about 7 HPDEs under my belt, driving very carefully and slowly, and only spun once so far: in the rain at turn 2 of Infineon/Sonoma raceway I lifted ever so slightly catching slower traffic and it went around 360 and into the grass. Zero damage maximum blushes.

That being said, my goal this year (in addition to skid-pad time) is to get faster - and I've had non-compliance fix recommended to me by Shad as well. Is it consensus now that non-standard but with the stock size wheels (Mine's a 94) is the best way to go to ensure safe, predictable track driving at speed?

Cheers!
N

the non compliance stuff will give you more confidence on track as your but is able to sense yaw and tension in the rear bushings....but your lift spin could still happen.....remember eyes up ..you need to anticipate speed adjustment based on the traffic you can see.

 

[tof]

Some observations on this topic:

-Sounds like many of you ran out of traction and talent simultaneously. I know the feeling. See next item.
-Never have come close to spinning the NSX but my old 2003 S2000...swapped ends several times, once while doing a very cautious 10 MPH right hand turn on a rainy but not-all-that-slick road. But the previous owner's tires were still on the car...RE11s on the front and some hard-as-a-rock Korean rubber on the back that had a tread wear rating of about a thousand.
-Speaking of the S2000, those AP1s make the NSX seem like a pussycat. So much for the whole F/R thing...although the S2000 engine is entirely aft of the front axle so technically I suppose it's sort of a mid/rear.
-Auto-crossing an NSX is like herding pigs through a corn maze. Sure, it's entertaining, and the pigs enjoy the corn, but ultimately the whole thing is pointless.
-I envy you guys who actually have access to a skid pad. I have to use the Walmart* parking lot.
-If my butt was more sensitive I would definitely look into non-compliance clamps. But after 46 years of marriage, my butt is kind of worn out. (Get your mind out of the gutter...I meant "tired".)
-I think the TCS can save one from low-speed stupidity but not from high speed stupidity.

Enjoy the drive!

 

[MrHugo]

Some observations on this topic:

-If my butt was more sensitive I would definitely look into non-compliance clamps. But after 46 years of marriage, my butt is kind of worn out. (Get your mind out of the gutter...I meant "tired".)

I am thinking of getting the non compliance clamps, too. In 2 occasions, I almost hit the on ramp wall in the rain. Can you explain that point again because it would really help to make my decision. Thanks

 

[tof]

I have no experience but I understand break-away transition is a bit less abrupt. Of course bump-steer is the price you pay.

 

[sparky]

Non compliance bushings and toe links vs clamps

I think we are discussing whether non compliance bushings and toe links on rear suspension can assist in reducing snap oversteer.

(I don't think we are discussing the clamps you can fit to fron suspension, intended to stabilize the vertical compliance device, stopping them rotating and changing toe under heavy braking, i.e. race track braking.)

As I understand non compliance bushings and toe links on rear suspension reduce the kick back that can occur when the softer OEM bushes are heavily loaded up in a corner. If you take a corner so hard that oversteer is induced soft bushes can then act like compressed springs, making the "kick back" worse (i.e. the snap back from oversteer leading to the scary "tank-slapper" zig-zaggng up the road, or off the road! ). In other words non-compliance should assist in recovering from oversteer, by putting more control in driver's hands.

The other advantage, and probably the main reason for track cars choosing non-compliance, is it improves feedback to a (good) driver about how close the car is to "the edge" when pushing hard (i.e. maximum attack)

 

[Rope]

The rear non compliance makes the back end much more manageable when pushing it and when it does let go it is not startling. I feel like the non compliant parts should be called compliant parts due to making the back end much more predictable.

 

[solidol]

-Auto-crossing an NSX is like herding pigs through a corn maze. Sure, it's entertaining, and the pigs enjoy the corn, but ultimately the whole thing is pointless.

Many good points. But this is excellent one indeed