What makes NSXR so fast?

[mrturbo311]

I am just curious, if you had 1 thing to choose from that makes the nsxr so much faster than the regular nsx we have here, what would it be? I am just guessing is it because of the weight difference that makes the nsxr so much faster? Or is it something else? Gimme your input guys, thanks!

 

[Zanardi 50]

Uehara and his team of engineers re-tuned the chassis and drastically improved the aero package which provided some considerable amt. of downforce (i.e., negative lift) that resulted in increased cornering speed and stability, so much so that the lap pace @ Nurburgring Norscheleife equals that of a sports car of higher Power-to-Weight Ratio, like the 996 Turbo, for example. The R engine is also Balanced & Blueprinted for better response and some increase in HP and Torque. I'm guessing ~30 crank HP increase.

 

[BD]

Uehara and his team of engineers re-tuned the chassis and drastically improved the aero package which provided some considerable amt. of downforce (i.e., negative lift) that resulted in increased cornering speed and stability, so much so that the lap pace @ Nurburgring Norscheleife equals that of a sports car of higher Power-to-Weight Ratio, like the 996 Turbo, for example. The R engine is also Balanced & Blueprinted for better response and some increase in HP and Torque. I'm guessing ~30 crank HP increase.

The NSX R is approx. 300lbs lighter, no electric power steering make it more precise to drive. The break has been reworked, which make it one of the best break system in the world, even surpassed the Porsche GT3. The suspension tunning is where the NSX R really stand out, it really compliment the weight distribution, which allow greater speed into a corner and faster response going out. We haven't even mentioned the cool steering wheel and seats.

EVO magazine tested an NSX R in 2002
0-60 in 4.4 seconds, and quarter mile around 12.6 second; that is over half a second faster than the standard NSX. It also pulled a around 1.0 G.

This car is a monster!!!

 

[nsxfast]

Is there any possibility of finding an NSX "R" over here? I know they are rare but did any of them come to america? Also, i know they produced them in '02, but was there an early generation nsx "R"? Thanks for the info.

 

[robfenn]

Are the NSX-R brakes actually any different, or do they have different calipers?

 

[WealthBuildR]

I want one, and dreamt of one last night. If you watch it race against other exotics (ie. Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo), the NSX-R just looks so much more nimble and manueverable. It brakes later into the turns, and exits the turns with so much more aggression. The cars with more horsepower catch the nsx only on the straights, so with a tad more power & without overheating issues, the nsx-r would be the king of the track.

 

[2slow2speed]

Are the NSX-R brakes actually any different, or do they have different calipers?

Same calipers as the NA2 NSX's, with slotted rotors and different pads. Most of the braking improvemnts are probably due to the *tires* that the NSX-R had from the factory, much stickier than most other street tires on other cars.

 

[Honda F1 Racing]

Is there any possibility of finding an NSX "R" over here? I know they are rare but did any of them come to america? Also, i know they produced them in '02, but was there an early generation nsx "R"? Thanks for the info.

1992 was when the first NSX-R was introduced. Here are 2 pictures of the 1994 NSX-R: (the original 1992 R had 5-spoke Enkei's exclusive to the car. "peter" on the board has a set )

 

[khappucino]

i believe the true answer to your quandary is the simple fact that the
NSX-R has a TYPE R logo on it. recent studies have shown that the addition of a type R badge to a vehicle increases the effective horsepower by 100 rwhp, the beauty of this tuner tool is the fact that it is not model specific and you can find other gear heads applying this 'modern marvel' to vehicles such as Ford Mustang Type R, Honda Oddyseey Type R, Civic Type R (SOHC version), and even Dodge Neon Type R. The effect is improved if you leave the original badging beside the label. I would express in more detail but i digress.....

j/k :biggrin:

basically the effective course agility for the NSX-R is attributed (as stated by previous posts) to its reduced weight, additional suspension stiffeners, blue printed engine, superior aerodynamic drag (due to rear diffuser+lip spoiler+rear wing - i have heard it drops the aerodynamic drag by 0.02) and the agressive and balanced suspension.

 

[NetViper]

It would be interesting to see how the NSX-R would do with the AEM and CTSC setup. My guess would be the Ferrari's and Lambo's would no longer cream it in the straights.

 

[BD]

Do you guys know there is a Mugen Honda NSX Mod whick gave the car over 350 hp on NA form? Who needs CTSC if you can get that!!!

 

[khappucino]

Do you guys know there is a Mugen Honda NSX Mod whick gave the car over 350 hp on NA form? Who needs CTSC if you can get that!!!

i believe the Mugen had ITB and a bunch of other stuff as well including the displacement increase. but NA to get 350 hp is more expensive than getting 350 with FI, i think the Mugen ITB was like $10k by itself, and at least another $10k for the displacement increase. good idea though, but i really doubt the Mugen engine is meant to have any longevity, i could be wrong though :biggrin:

at least you can UNBOLT the FI off your car if you had to =)

 

[robfenn]

350bhp is not really stressed in a 3.2. Bear in mind you can get a 1.6 Civic pumping out 250bhp. The problem as you say is expense, and there is also driveability. Personally i think N/A is the only way to go, F/I is just sacrilege to me!

-Rob

 

[mrturbo311]

I actually watched a video on Best Motoring where the NSX R was racing Ferrari Challenge Stradale,Ferrari 360 Modena, M3, the new Porshe Carrera, and the new Porshe Carrera S, Gallardo, and 350z on a 4 lap race at Sugo in Japan. There the NSX placed 1st out of all the exotics. However in a 100mph breaking NSX placed DEAD last...I was utterly dissapointed with the breaking, in fact it was to everyone's surprise that it had placed last, and thought it may have been a human error so they decided to redo the test. Like before, the car just doesn't stop..they said they have discovered a problem in the NSX R.

 

[mrturbo311]

Uehara and his team of engineers re-tuned the chassis and drastically improved the aero package which provided some considerable amt. of downforce (i.e., negative lift) that resulted in increased cornering speed and stability, so much so that the lap pace @ Nurburgring Norscheleife equals that of a sports car of higher Power-to-Weight Ratio, like the 996 Turbo, for example. The R engine is also Balanced & Blueprinted for better response and some increase in HP and Torque. I'm guessing ~30 crank HP increase.

As for the engine, I thought they kept the engine the same? i.e. no hp difference? From all the best motoring videos that I see, they it still says 280hp. Are you sure about the 30 hp increase?

 

[Osiris_x11]

Raw...

When I sat in the {aforementioned} NA2 '04 NSX-R in London, it didn't budge a millimeter. And I'm not exactly a featherweight, mind you (*burp*). :tongue: The taut chassis/suspension were firm and rigid.

Compared to my '91 NSX, a '99 Zanardi that I've spent some time in, and '02+ NSX-T's I've been in at the dealer and various NSX gatherings... the NSX-R was alot stiffer than all them by a long-shot.

NSX-R's smell pfunnie too... :biggrin:

As for the NA1 NSX-R, it was listed at 280bhp. From what I learned from others was that NSX-R engine was same as the NA1 C30A which produced 270bhp that '91-'96 NSX's had in North America, only that there was a different ECU chip which resulted in the extra 10bhp.

 

[MashimaroNSX]

Actually I believe the 30 hp increase is the "blueprinting" of the engine.

 

[ScienceofSpeed]

In our experience, the NSX engine is well balanced for a production car, but there is lots of room for improvement, especially on a standard NSX motor where we have seen piston & rod variations of more than 20 grams in the same engine.

I've seen "30 bhp" quoted online many times, however, in our experience, it would not be possible to achieve this amount of power from balancing of a standard NSX engine. Since all part numbers of the ECU and engine internals are the same between standard and NSX-R engines, I suspect the actual gains are much less, however, long term reliability of a better balanced engine will no doubt be better.

You can achieve this level of balance and a much more advanced fully built engine for the cost I've seen used NSX-R engines sold at. We offer full blue print and balancing for any engine assembly stock or modified that we build.

cheers,
-- Chris

 

[john@johnhudakracing]

I am just curious, if you had 1 thing to choose from that makes the nsxr so much faster than the regular nsx we have here, what would it be? I am just guessing is it because of the weight difference that makes the nsxr so much faster? Or is it something else? Gimme your input guys, thanks!

It's not any one thing. As with any race car, it's a handful of little things and it will feel entirely different. Having millions to spend on factory backed development and track testing yields very good results.

The key thing is the weight, which due to lots of little trimmings (from different partition glass to no AC to Recaro Seats) is in the range of 2800lbs, or about 380lbs lighter than a stock US NSX-T. That makes a huge difference like no other right off the bat.

Second is the tuning including bushings, sways, springs, dampeners, aero, motor mounts, chassis, wheels/tires, ABS/brakes, etc..

Last it has different gearing, ratios, clutch, and a balanced and blue printed motor. Which BTW, purchasing a used R motor with say 25K miles kinda of negates the B&B point to an extent.

Fast for a street car for sure, but hardly anything to overly dwell on IMO. If you can find someone to translate for you, you should check out the NSX-R video as it is all in all a good documentary of the project.

 

[paulviriyapan]

I've heard so much speculation on what Honda did to it that it's grown into its own myth like Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness monster. Everyone's got an opinion that maybe Honda bored it out more than 3.2, there's a super chip on the R, there's FI secretly hidden on it, it uses special heads...yadda yadda yadda. I don't think there's any mystery to it=It's got a more powerful engine and it weighs less. Mystery solved.

Honda says the R has a 3.2 that's been balanced and blue printed. I see no reason not to believe them. A balanced and blue printed engine means that the pistons and rods have all been weighed and the weight equalized (weight is shaved from the heavier rods/pistons to equal that of the lightest one of the set). That means no vibration in the engine, and more horsepower and torque than a non balanced/blue printed engine. This is fact. SOS knows more about what can be squeezed out of an NSX than I do, and if they say 30 hp is optomistic, I really don't have sufficient knowledge to challenge them. But there was another thread (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39059) about a STOCK NSX 3.2 making 284 WHP baseline (and 315 WHP after I/H/E and piggyback fuel management). Now this is some random yahoo's car, and I think Honda, as the big giant entity it is, could do a better job of squeezing HP if they wanted to.

Couple the increased HP from a balanced and blue printed engine with severely reduced weight (I don't know the exact weight reduction, but 300 lbs has been thrown out), and you have an explanation why the straightline acceleration is as good as it is. Furthermore, it is keeping with the figures on a regular NSX coupe. The NSX-R does 0-60 in 4.4 and 12.6 in the 1/4 mile. The stock NSX COUPE has been tested by Car and Driver twice at 4.5 0-60 and 12.9 1/4 mile. The difference in straightline can easily be explained by 14 more HP and 300 less lbs. If your talking about the difference at a (non-straight) track, it's because the NSX-R has a better, stiffer, track tuned suspension. It can take turns at faster speed. Mystery solved.

 

[MJK]

Compared to a stock NSX on the track?

Sticker tires, lower weight, gearing, blueprinted/+HP, aero, suspension, more aggressive brake pads.

 

[710]

The NSX-R is lighter.

Go to the hardware store. Buy three or four cement bags (or whatever, bricks work good too).
As you load the cement bags into your NSX, note how the car squats and sags.
Accelerate hard.
Corner hard.
Whoa, what a difference.

 

[serialNSXer]

I am just curious, if you had 1 thing to choose from that makes the nsxr so much faster than the regular nsx we have here, what would it be?

The driver makes the most difference!

Look at the few numbers of Type-R ever sold, these are rarer than the F1 road car. And now look at the owners, many are professional racers who put up those fabulous numbers on the BMI DVDs, and at the Nurburgring.

 

[NSXDreamer2]

Go to the hardware store. Buy three or four cement bags (or whatever, bricks work good too).

Bricks move when you attacking corners, be careful guys, I would rather prefer invite your "Big Guy/Gal" friend, (Oh, 2 girls in pass. seat would be fine too. ) you will feel that instantly...

 

[BD]

I'm a 200 lb guy, so if I loose a 100, and add the R suspension to my car, I might be able to take on some one who is driving an NSX R that weight 300lbs...lol.

Weight is everything, look at Elise and Atom, those cars can take on F40/50/Enzo on a road course track.