Hello all – I recently purchased a set of TODA Fightex coilovers for my NSX and because little is known about these units, I think that a review is in order!
First off, about me and my experience. My NSX is fairly new to me. Ive had it since December 04, but because I live in Toronto, that really means Ive only had the car for about 5 months of driving. I’ve done a fair bit of Solo II over the years (none in the NSX, some in a previous S2000 and tons in my older GSR). Ive done a number of trackdays (GSR and now one in the NSX). Ive spent a few days driving around in F2000 cars. Im pretty much a novice when compared to the fastest guys on any track, but Ive got a history of being relatively quick amongst the typical intermediate group at most events.
My NSX is a 2002. When I moved from the S2000 to it, I immediately noticed the difference in demeneur. Although I recognize that the handling of the NSX in most situations is probably at par with the S2000, and in some it would exceed the S2000, Ive not kept it a secret that I felt much more comfortable in the S2000. It just felt much more predictable to me. I could correct during a corner by kicking the rear end out a bit (if I wanted) and I think I knew exactly what was about to happen almost all the time. I loved how tossable the car was and even though it is a more unforgiving can than the NSX, by a country mile, I understood that car and it spoke to me. So moving to the much less tossable and possibly less interactive NSX was a change for me; a welcome one, but I was a little bit outside of my comfort zone.
Even during what I would call regular street driving, I found that the NSX leaned and understeered too much. I found that after Id hit an inconsistency in the road that the suspension took its time figuring out what to do next. Even though the NSX is a great handling car right out of the box, I had to change these things.
Also, while the NSX is pure gold to my eye, there are some things that I disliked visually about it. The wheel gap was torture, and independent of the suspension, the tucked in wheels had to go!
With that, I started to look around for coilovers and some odds and ends that may help with these issues. I came down to two choices, the suspension from a NSX-R, which seems to get absolutely raving reviews from virtually everyone who can tolerate their stiffness on the street, or the TODA coilovers. Looking at the difference in spring rates you will notice that the distribution is very similar between the two, but the TODAs are a little stiffer, by about 25%. NSX-R has a 10kg/8kg rate while the TODAs have 12kg/10kg. The stock springs on a 97 NSX are 3.5kg/4kg, so not only can you see that both of my choices were much stiffer, but you can see that unlike the stock set up, the fronts are stiffer than the rears by 20% to 25% on both choices. Hopefully this would rid me of the push.
Everyone knows all about the NSX-R suspension, but because there is no promotion, and limited supply of the TODA’s, few know much about them. I liked them for a number of reasons. Firstly, Ive always been fond of the quality of TODA products. Hard core stuff! Not cheap by any standard, but well made and usually very effective stuff to jam into your car. Secondly, I was looking for something that was much lighter than the stock stuff to reduce unsprung weight so that the lag between a bump and being back in the action would be reduced. It made sense to me to choose an aluminum coilover for lower unsprung weight, faster cooling and protection from corrosion. Not well known is that the TODA’s are the one of the only inverted systems for the NSX, which further reduces unsprung weight. They are dual adjust and the dampers are 12-way adjustable. Front and rear upper pillow ball mounts are included. These fit both NA1 and NA2 cars and they sell for $2780. I purchased mine from TODA Racing USA (www.todaracing.com) and they included shipping to my door.
The transaction itself was flawless. One of the reasons these coilovers are so unknown is that they are not promoted. The facility where these are built only employs 5 people and a total of 40 sets can be made per month. Clearly almost all of those remain in Japan, as I have been told that there are only 8 sets in North America. Very unique stuff. Thus, I was not surprised to hear that they would take a few months to build, which they did. They did however arrive to US customs about the same day as I was initially told they would. They shipped from TODA Racing to me the next day and I had them in my hands shortly after (after spending a day in the hands of Canada customs). The wait was no longer than I was told it would be as build time and time in transit from Japan to the US was exactly as outlined. I’d recommend TODA Racing USA to anyone based upon this experience.
The install appeared to go smoothly, even though the shop had never seen a set of these coilovers before. The only thing that required rethinking was the drop; I had specified a 1 inch drop to the installer and he later found out that the minimum drop according to the spec’s on the coilovers was slightly greater. No problem – he set it at that. They look very clean as you can see in the below photos. I found that the 1 inch plus a bit drop was perfect for what I wanted and I do not think that I will be moving it down from there. Ive not had a single contact with any curb, sidewalk, speedbump since they have been installed (1 week). Im running them with 17x7.5 +38 fronts with a 205/40/17 tire and 18x10.0 +42 rears with a 275/35/18.
Now on to the good stuff – how they ride!
It didn’t take long to realize that these are way stiffer than the stock set up, maybe 15 feet of driving. If you have driven in a NSX-R suspension equipped car, for reference these are slightly stiffer than those. If your roads are pristine, it will not be an issue. If you drive on craters, it will be. My roads are somewhere in between (they would be terrible if they didn’t repave them so often), so I can live with the transient kidney rattle every now and then. They are not too stiff for my liking, but I would not want them any stiffer for my purpose. That said, the front being 20% stiffer than the rear changes the handling dynamics of the car immensely. Gone is the push that I hated so much and the car feels very neutral, very tossable. Its feeling is not unlike that of an S2000, so if you like that, you will probably take to these (and the NSX-R suspension). The overall system is said (by TODA USA) to be about 30% lighter than stock. I did not weigh the coilovers or the stock set up, but I can tell you after carrying both set-ups, the difference is huge, and you can feel it when you’re driving. The unsprung mass is noticeably decreased with the TODA’s over the stocks and the wheel is right back in action, driving the car in whichever direction you want, immediately after an inconsistency in the road. They seem incredibly good at this to me. The 12-way adjustable damper appealed to me, but you know what? I haven’t touched the settings that the car left the shop with (I don’t even know where they are set). The car has felt just right where they are, although I am sure that with some more time I will play with the settings a bit and the car will feel even better.
I have taken these to the track, once. I drove them at Mosport, which is near Toronto. For those of you who do not know, Mosport is a highly technical, and sometimes outright terrifying track. Its pavement is in pretty good condition, but its full of off camber, blind steeply downhill corners. For this day I also had new wheels (WORK TM1 17/18) with new RA1s (205/275) mounted.
On the track their stiffness was welcomed. At no point did I find the springs stiffer than I would have liked. During high speed sweepers, the car remained flat and firmly planted. When there was inconsistencies in the pavement, the wheel took it in stride and did not even blink before it was ready for the next steering input. At the end of what is called “Mario Andretti Straight”, my NSX was basically redlined in 4th (210ish km/h). Behind the crest at the end of the straight is an intimidating right hander, so cresting the rise, you’re braking like a madman, shedding about 100km/h in about 5 seconds (that’s what it felt like anyways). The car was firmly planted, straight, and entirely controllable during this kinetic mayhem. It did not feel like I was nose diving during this exercise.
What rings loudest in my ears about this set up is how neutral the car feels. It pivots extremely well. Its turn in is precise and the rear just hunkers down and listens to what the front has told it to do. While there is little doubt in my mind that the rear end is more prone to oversteering with this set up, myself I feel more at home in this environment.
Im extremely happy with my coilover choice. No doubt Id love the NSX-R suspension also, but my rational was that I would choose something similar to it, but a system that had the potential for adjustment. I believe that I have ended up with exactly that. So if you are thinking that the NSX-R suspension is for you, you may want to consider the TODA FIGHTEX coilovers. They’re about the same price, about the same spring rates. But I think they are cooler because unlike the NSX-R, you can drop it to your liking, and you can change the damping as well. Its all good in my books. Plus you’d be #9 in North America, which is also cool.
First off, about me and my experience. My NSX is fairly new to me. Ive had it since December 04, but because I live in Toronto, that really means Ive only had the car for about 5 months of driving. I’ve done a fair bit of Solo II over the years (none in the NSX, some in a previous S2000 and tons in my older GSR). Ive done a number of trackdays (GSR and now one in the NSX). Ive spent a few days driving around in F2000 cars. Im pretty much a novice when compared to the fastest guys on any track, but Ive got a history of being relatively quick amongst the typical intermediate group at most events.
My NSX is a 2002. When I moved from the S2000 to it, I immediately noticed the difference in demeneur. Although I recognize that the handling of the NSX in most situations is probably at par with the S2000, and in some it would exceed the S2000, Ive not kept it a secret that I felt much more comfortable in the S2000. It just felt much more predictable to me. I could correct during a corner by kicking the rear end out a bit (if I wanted) and I think I knew exactly what was about to happen almost all the time. I loved how tossable the car was and even though it is a more unforgiving can than the NSX, by a country mile, I understood that car and it spoke to me. So moving to the much less tossable and possibly less interactive NSX was a change for me; a welcome one, but I was a little bit outside of my comfort zone.
Even during what I would call regular street driving, I found that the NSX leaned and understeered too much. I found that after Id hit an inconsistency in the road that the suspension took its time figuring out what to do next. Even though the NSX is a great handling car right out of the box, I had to change these things.
Also, while the NSX is pure gold to my eye, there are some things that I disliked visually about it. The wheel gap was torture, and independent of the suspension, the tucked in wheels had to go!
With that, I started to look around for coilovers and some odds and ends that may help with these issues. I came down to two choices, the suspension from a NSX-R, which seems to get absolutely raving reviews from virtually everyone who can tolerate their stiffness on the street, or the TODA coilovers. Looking at the difference in spring rates you will notice that the distribution is very similar between the two, but the TODAs are a little stiffer, by about 25%. NSX-R has a 10kg/8kg rate while the TODAs have 12kg/10kg. The stock springs on a 97 NSX are 3.5kg/4kg, so not only can you see that both of my choices were much stiffer, but you can see that unlike the stock set up, the fronts are stiffer than the rears by 20% to 25% on both choices. Hopefully this would rid me of the push.
Everyone knows all about the NSX-R suspension, but because there is no promotion, and limited supply of the TODA’s, few know much about them. I liked them for a number of reasons. Firstly, Ive always been fond of the quality of TODA products. Hard core stuff! Not cheap by any standard, but well made and usually very effective stuff to jam into your car. Secondly, I was looking for something that was much lighter than the stock stuff to reduce unsprung weight so that the lag between a bump and being back in the action would be reduced. It made sense to me to choose an aluminum coilover for lower unsprung weight, faster cooling and protection from corrosion. Not well known is that the TODA’s are the one of the only inverted systems for the NSX, which further reduces unsprung weight. They are dual adjust and the dampers are 12-way adjustable. Front and rear upper pillow ball mounts are included. These fit both NA1 and NA2 cars and they sell for $2780. I purchased mine from TODA Racing USA (www.todaracing.com) and they included shipping to my door.
The transaction itself was flawless. One of the reasons these coilovers are so unknown is that they are not promoted. The facility where these are built only employs 5 people and a total of 40 sets can be made per month. Clearly almost all of those remain in Japan, as I have been told that there are only 8 sets in North America. Very unique stuff. Thus, I was not surprised to hear that they would take a few months to build, which they did. They did however arrive to US customs about the same day as I was initially told they would. They shipped from TODA Racing to me the next day and I had them in my hands shortly after (after spending a day in the hands of Canada customs). The wait was no longer than I was told it would be as build time and time in transit from Japan to the US was exactly as outlined. I’d recommend TODA Racing USA to anyone based upon this experience.
The install appeared to go smoothly, even though the shop had never seen a set of these coilovers before. The only thing that required rethinking was the drop; I had specified a 1 inch drop to the installer and he later found out that the minimum drop according to the spec’s on the coilovers was slightly greater. No problem – he set it at that. They look very clean as you can see in the below photos. I found that the 1 inch plus a bit drop was perfect for what I wanted and I do not think that I will be moving it down from there. Ive not had a single contact with any curb, sidewalk, speedbump since they have been installed (1 week). Im running them with 17x7.5 +38 fronts with a 205/40/17 tire and 18x10.0 +42 rears with a 275/35/18.
Now on to the good stuff – how they ride!
It didn’t take long to realize that these are way stiffer than the stock set up, maybe 15 feet of driving. If you have driven in a NSX-R suspension equipped car, for reference these are slightly stiffer than those. If your roads are pristine, it will not be an issue. If you drive on craters, it will be. My roads are somewhere in between (they would be terrible if they didn’t repave them so often), so I can live with the transient kidney rattle every now and then. They are not too stiff for my liking, but I would not want them any stiffer for my purpose. That said, the front being 20% stiffer than the rear changes the handling dynamics of the car immensely. Gone is the push that I hated so much and the car feels very neutral, very tossable. Its feeling is not unlike that of an S2000, so if you like that, you will probably take to these (and the NSX-R suspension). The overall system is said (by TODA USA) to be about 30% lighter than stock. I did not weigh the coilovers or the stock set up, but I can tell you after carrying both set-ups, the difference is huge, and you can feel it when you’re driving. The unsprung mass is noticeably decreased with the TODA’s over the stocks and the wheel is right back in action, driving the car in whichever direction you want, immediately after an inconsistency in the road. They seem incredibly good at this to me. The 12-way adjustable damper appealed to me, but you know what? I haven’t touched the settings that the car left the shop with (I don’t even know where they are set). The car has felt just right where they are, although I am sure that with some more time I will play with the settings a bit and the car will feel even better.
I have taken these to the track, once. I drove them at Mosport, which is near Toronto. For those of you who do not know, Mosport is a highly technical, and sometimes outright terrifying track. Its pavement is in pretty good condition, but its full of off camber, blind steeply downhill corners. For this day I also had new wheels (WORK TM1 17/18) with new RA1s (205/275) mounted.
On the track their stiffness was welcomed. At no point did I find the springs stiffer than I would have liked. During high speed sweepers, the car remained flat and firmly planted. When there was inconsistencies in the pavement, the wheel took it in stride and did not even blink before it was ready for the next steering input. At the end of what is called “Mario Andretti Straight”, my NSX was basically redlined in 4th (210ish km/h). Behind the crest at the end of the straight is an intimidating right hander, so cresting the rise, you’re braking like a madman, shedding about 100km/h in about 5 seconds (that’s what it felt like anyways). The car was firmly planted, straight, and entirely controllable during this kinetic mayhem. It did not feel like I was nose diving during this exercise.
What rings loudest in my ears about this set up is how neutral the car feels. It pivots extremely well. Its turn in is precise and the rear just hunkers down and listens to what the front has told it to do. While there is little doubt in my mind that the rear end is more prone to oversteering with this set up, myself I feel more at home in this environment.
Im extremely happy with my coilover choice. No doubt Id love the NSX-R suspension also, but my rational was that I would choose something similar to it, but a system that had the potential for adjustment. I believe that I have ended up with exactly that. So if you are thinking that the NSX-R suspension is for you, you may want to consider the TODA FIGHTEX coilovers. They’re about the same price, about the same spring rates. But I think they are cooler because unlike the NSX-R, you can drop it to your liking, and you can change the damping as well. Its all good in my books. Plus you’d be #9 in North America, which is also cool.
