With my mods, what's my theoretical 0-60 & ¼ mile time?

[1BADNSX]

I just can't see a +20bhp NSX getting anywhere near the above figures, my dad had an M3 and that felt much much faster in a straight line.

I also own an E36 M3 and agree that they feel faster than the NSX. This is due to the torque multiplication of the lower gearing. But they aren’t faster because they have less horsepower, weigh slightly more, and the good feeling of torque multiplication is sort of an illusion because you must shift sooner. For instance top end in second gear for the M3 is 63 mph, while the NSX is 81 mph.

The picture below shows how torque multiplication helps acceleration by looking at the 4.06 versus 4.55 ring and pinion options in an NSX. The “green arrow” area is where the 4.55 helps acceleration and in the “blue area” it is a detriment. Overall for this graph (1/4 mile) the 4.55 R&P helps. But there are speed bands that the 4.55 R&P can really hurt you on a road course.

Ken, explained my computations correctly and yes the absolute value can be argued, but computed differences will be much more accurate than trying to measure small performance changes while holding all other experimental factors the same.

Bob

 

[nsxtasy]

That's a great graph. When discussing acceleration, often people speak of "maximizing the area under the curve". This is what they're talking about. As you can see, there is a big difference in area (with the advantage to the 4.55) from 0 to 41 mph. Above that point, you are basically swapping advantages between the 4.55 and the 4.06 in the various "speed bands". The 4.55 has the advantage at speeds where both setups are in the same gear, and the 4.06 has the advantage at speeds where the shorter gearing of the 4.55 forces you into using a higher gear than the 4.06.

Thanks for posting it, Bob!