Hey guys, I have decided to start a new thread regarding some of the latest gadgets and gizmos for the NSX. This thread is more about function than form and I am going to share some of my latest findings, post pictures and videos of my own upgrades. Please feel free to contribute, hopefully we can make some progress. Some of what is on this first post is a repeat of several other threads I have but I want to document my whole goal and install here:
I wanted look at a holistic solution for upgrades, not by adding a screen here and a module there. Radio, Nav, gauges, phones, all can share a lot and be a "system" rather than something hacked together by a bunch of pieces. My goals were:
1) have a better sound system than the factory
2) have a set of gauges I can use for monitoring my mods (my car is FI)
3) save weight (no need to make a sports car heavier)
4) stay clean and create a whole system.
5) Get nav without wires and suction cups
There are a lot of people that have done upgrades, and I have looked at many systems, radios, gagues, OBDII hardware, etc.
I have arrived at the following conclusions:
The best place for gauges, is the navpod. It is line of sight, the only other thing better is a heads up display (HUD). If I am at the track, I don't really want to look down to see a gauge.
The best place for your audio controls, is where the radio is. It is within reach. Navpod location for screens or tablets requires a reach. Not good. The coin holder which currently holds my iphone is also bad, taking too much attention away from the road.
Radio: People want different things and many have upgraded their head units to touch screen models with many features. The plus is that it looks cool in the NSX dash, but the minus is that it is not saving any weight, it requires serious center console modification, and worst of all, head units are simply getting outdated. Most music these days will come from your phone or ipod or is streamed over the cell network like Pandora or Rhapsody.
After much much thought and research, I have realized the single best device to handle everything, is still my iphone. It has become a standard with the widest variety of apps. Besides handling my calls and being my ipod, it also can display my gauges, be my radar detector, and anything else that comes down the road.
I have found that it may be a better idea to have an iphone or droid unit attached to a screen than to try to fit a screen inside the console. Smaller tablets in the navpod seem like a good idea but like I said, it is a reach to just get your fingers to touch it (I sit way back).
So far, if anyone has followed any of my other threads in this section, I have decided on the following upgrades on
Sound system:
1) Remove factory CD changer, radio, amps, antenna, speakers to save all the weight
2) Install a set of component speakers. I chose the Rockford T3652S because they are good, but also light. If I was choosing speakers for this car, I would pick woofers that use small neodymium magnets like this one. This is a light woofer:
3) I have so far, decided against a subwoofer. It is too heavy, takes up a lot of interior space (space which I am using for a lightweight class D amplifier), and I am not sure a sub is even necessary.
Instead, I am looking to install transducers in the seats. This will give you the "feel" of bass, with the top on, off, windows up or down. There were two I narrowed it down to. These fit in the seats. 4 small ones per seat from Dayton (parts express):
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/M_izCb84a58" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Or two more powerful ones from Rockford Fosgate which I am hoping will fit right into a natural cavity in the middle of the factory seat back under the leather:
I am using a sound processor from JBL which tunes the sound to the NSX interior using a microphone and DSP's, its main benefit being time alignment of the speakers:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/g2GHRBijYFc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This little device does wonders... I will save the tech talk but I will just say I have used it in my other car for a few weeks now and it works.
The amplifier I decided on was a digital 6 channel from JL audio. Again, light, compact, little heat production, and a remote volume knob for any channel/channels that you want. I will use the volume knob on 4 bridged channels driving the transducers for when you want to just feel a little bass or a lot.
It has a tiny volume knob I will mount some place handy:
Now the stereo I have finally decided on and purchased. So far, seems to be fantastic, exactly what I was looking for. It is made by oxygen audio. It is around $300. Made by a French company, just started to show in the US. It has a built in radio tuner using an antenna if you want (I won't use that as I use my iHeart radio app), it also has a small digital amp built in rated around 25x4 for people that want to run it direct with no amps. It has bluetooth for a headset, but it also has a hardwired and supplied microphone for hands free calling. In short, it does more than $1000 radios but because it is using your phone it is cheap.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_hmFpVCQ3_I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Now for the gauges:
I am thinking of plx devices and kiwi or dash command, along with a few add on sensors like fuel pressure, boost, and 02.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CLrDwKbQtzo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SA9MQNagBPs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
For NAV:
There are many nav apps with full voice, and they are more sophisticated than many stand alone devices. You can have full traffic data available with some of these
Radar detector:
There are a couple of radar detector devices out that work with an iphone app now. iRadar from cobra. Not great, but there are devices like radaractive which act like a valentine concealed display kit. More will be out soon.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X4I0CkSnHIU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Now I think there may be SOME value to having a graphics of the iphone pop on on a nav screen for better visual, but the NSX cabin is small and tight, the distance with the phone is little.
There are systems like the mimics and other things that allow a touchscreen to control your phone, but with the phone sitting right in the middle of the center console angled at you I am not sure it makes sense to try to the CONTROL the phone through a navpod touchscreen (nevermind the cost and complexity)
The O'car iphone radio pictured above has a video out. Connect that to a cheap monitor in a navpod and you are done. I haven't quite figured out what screen is best there in terms of resolution, perhaps some of you can chime in.
One problem I see with tablets in the dash guys, besides not fitting, is the whole thing of phone operation. You still need to use your phone, a second device that AFAIK, doesn't sync with a tablet. Apple does not make a medium sized tablet, and I have used some other brands that are not too great. It is making it all more complex. The phone still looks to be the best solution to me.
Please comment.
I wanted look at a holistic solution for upgrades, not by adding a screen here and a module there. Radio, Nav, gauges, phones, all can share a lot and be a "system" rather than something hacked together by a bunch of pieces. My goals were:
1) have a better sound system than the factory
2) have a set of gauges I can use for monitoring my mods (my car is FI)
3) save weight (no need to make a sports car heavier)
4) stay clean and create a whole system.
5) Get nav without wires and suction cups
There are a lot of people that have done upgrades, and I have looked at many systems, radios, gagues, OBDII hardware, etc.
I have arrived at the following conclusions:
The best place for gauges, is the navpod. It is line of sight, the only other thing better is a heads up display (HUD). If I am at the track, I don't really want to look down to see a gauge.
The best place for your audio controls, is where the radio is. It is within reach. Navpod location for screens or tablets requires a reach. Not good. The coin holder which currently holds my iphone is also bad, taking too much attention away from the road.
Radio: People want different things and many have upgraded their head units to touch screen models with many features. The plus is that it looks cool in the NSX dash, but the minus is that it is not saving any weight, it requires serious center console modification, and worst of all, head units are simply getting outdated. Most music these days will come from your phone or ipod or is streamed over the cell network like Pandora or Rhapsody.
After much much thought and research, I have realized the single best device to handle everything, is still my iphone. It has become a standard with the widest variety of apps. Besides handling my calls and being my ipod, it also can display my gauges, be my radar detector, and anything else that comes down the road.
I have found that it may be a better idea to have an iphone or droid unit attached to a screen than to try to fit a screen inside the console. Smaller tablets in the navpod seem like a good idea but like I said, it is a reach to just get your fingers to touch it (I sit way back).
So far, if anyone has followed any of my other threads in this section, I have decided on the following upgrades on
Sound system:
1) Remove factory CD changer, radio, amps, antenna, speakers to save all the weight
2) Install a set of component speakers. I chose the Rockford T3652S because they are good, but also light. If I was choosing speakers for this car, I would pick woofers that use small neodymium magnets like this one. This is a light woofer:
3) I have so far, decided against a subwoofer. It is too heavy, takes up a lot of interior space (space which I am using for a lightweight class D amplifier), and I am not sure a sub is even necessary.
Instead, I am looking to install transducers in the seats. This will give you the "feel" of bass, with the top on, off, windows up or down. There were two I narrowed it down to. These fit in the seats. 4 small ones per seat from Dayton (parts express):
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/M_izCb84a58" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Or two more powerful ones from Rockford Fosgate which I am hoping will fit right into a natural cavity in the middle of the factory seat back under the leather:
I am using a sound processor from JBL which tunes the sound to the NSX interior using a microphone and DSP's, its main benefit being time alignment of the speakers:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/g2GHRBijYFc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This little device does wonders... I will save the tech talk but I will just say I have used it in my other car for a few weeks now and it works.
The amplifier I decided on was a digital 6 channel from JL audio. Again, light, compact, little heat production, and a remote volume knob for any channel/channels that you want. I will use the volume knob on 4 bridged channels driving the transducers for when you want to just feel a little bass or a lot.
It has a tiny volume knob I will mount some place handy:
Now the stereo I have finally decided on and purchased. So far, seems to be fantastic, exactly what I was looking for. It is made by oxygen audio. It is around $300. Made by a French company, just started to show in the US. It has a built in radio tuner using an antenna if you want (I won't use that as I use my iHeart radio app), it also has a small digital amp built in rated around 25x4 for people that want to run it direct with no amps. It has bluetooth for a headset, but it also has a hardwired and supplied microphone for hands free calling. In short, it does more than $1000 radios but because it is using your phone it is cheap.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_hmFpVCQ3_I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Now for the gauges:
I am thinking of plx devices and kiwi or dash command, along with a few add on sensors like fuel pressure, boost, and 02.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CLrDwKbQtzo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SA9MQNagBPs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
For NAV:
There are many nav apps with full voice, and they are more sophisticated than many stand alone devices. You can have full traffic data available with some of these
Radar detector:
There are a couple of radar detector devices out that work with an iphone app now. iRadar from cobra. Not great, but there are devices like radaractive which act like a valentine concealed display kit. More will be out soon.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X4I0CkSnHIU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Now I think there may be SOME value to having a graphics of the iphone pop on on a nav screen for better visual, but the NSX cabin is small and tight, the distance with the phone is little.
There are systems like the mimics and other things that allow a touchscreen to control your phone, but with the phone sitting right in the middle of the center console angled at you I am not sure it makes sense to try to the CONTROL the phone through a navpod touchscreen (nevermind the cost and complexity)
The O'car iphone radio pictured above has a video out. Connect that to a cheap monitor in a navpod and you are done. I haven't quite figured out what screen is best there in terms of resolution, perhaps some of you can chime in.
One problem I see with tablets in the dash guys, besides not fitting, is the whole thing of phone operation. You still need to use your phone, a second device that AFAIK, doesn't sync with a tablet. Apple does not make a medium sized tablet, and I have used some other brands that are not too great. It is making it all more complex. The phone still looks to be the best solution to me.
Please comment.
Last edited:
