Considerations for early NSXs
- Thread starter Albertan
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I was under the impression that a 91 coupe equipped with short gears and aftermarket headers back vs a post 97 all stock targa had very* similar performance figures, and that although the newer engine has 20 additional horsepower the header design itself was responsible for at least a portion of that.
Not true. You are apparently comparing the theoretical speed for each setup at redline in the top gear. The NSX is drag limited, not gearing limited, so it can't actually go that fast, and the actual top speed is less than that. In fact, it's 168 mph in both cases.
No one quotes the GVWR, which is only a capacity with passengers etc. The commonly-quoted weight of the car is its curb weight, which is the weight of the car including all standard equipment (spare tire, etc) and full fluids (gas tank, etc).
Curb weights:
'91 NSX with 5-speed - 3010 pounds
'97-01 NSX-T with 6-speed - 3164 pounds
'97-01 NSX Coupe with 6-speed - 3069 pounds
'97-01 NSX-T with automatic - 3208 pounds
'97-01 NSX Coupe with automatic - 3113 pounds
'99 NSX Zanardi edition - 3015 pounds
'02-05 NSX-T with 6-speed - 3153 pounds
The gear ratios in the States changed with model year 1995, moving second gear about one third of the way from the '91-94 USIM stock second gear to the '91-94 JDM stock second gear ("short gears").
Remember that the United States and Europe have different ways of designating model years. For cars built to be sold in the United States market, the model year is designated at the time the car is built, and is reflected in the 10th digit of the VIN (vehicle identification number). For cars built to be sold in Europe, the corresponding digit is always the same ("0" in most parts of Europe) and the model year of the car is determined by when it is first sold. In the United States, a car built as a 1995 model year car can be first sold in the showroom in 1994, 1995, or later, but it is still a 1995 NSX. In Europe, a car can be built the same day as that 1995 U.S. car but it can turn out to be designated as a 1994 NSX, a 1995 NSX, or a later year NSX.
My guess is that Honda shortened the gearing for the European cars at the same time as they did so for the U.S. cars, when the 1995 model year cars for the U.S. started being built.
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The gearing info I gathered from WIKI perhaps it needs editing.
http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Changes_by_Year
Zinardi weight should be 149lbs - targa according to prime. Prime-C/D and few other sites they have quoted 2970lbs not exactly sure how they got those numbers.
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Media/magazines/cd9907.htm
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/General/modelinfo/zanardi.htm
http://www.hondanews.com/search/release/2652?q=zanardi&s=acura
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z54/default.aspx
Theoritical speed, I am curious if the top speed changes on a steep downhill in higher/lower elevation and cooler temperature?
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No, it is correct. You are referring to where it states "The final gear ratio does not change, so 6th gear in the 1997 NSX results in 6.9% higher vehicle speed than 5th gear in the 1996 model." A given number of revs does indeed result in a 6.9 percent higher vehicle speed. You are just misinterpreting it if you are saying that changes the top speed.
Yup. Just like the numbers above show, 3164 pounds for a '97-01 NSX-T 6-speed and 3015 for the Zanardi.
Neither am I.
Most magazines and car manufacturers test their vehicles with standardized conditions, including a level testing surface. Some figures are adjusted for temperature.
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Thanks for the numbers. This shows that the weight has been nearly the same for each line (Coupe, T, Auto). The +43 to 59 lbs will not eat up all additonal horses over the 91 3.0.
Theoritically using all numbers available comparing a coupe to a targa at 100mph the weight shows when you start reaching tripple digits.
99 Zinardi 11.8
97 coupe 12.0
95= 12.7
91 coupe should be close to 97 at 12.2
Thats half second difference between 91 and 95 two car lengths? How far does final distance strech at 165-168 4 car lengths? 50 to 100lbs does not sound like much unless your measuring top speed and time
You're quoting numbers of tests that may not be comparable to each other in any way.
Bob Butler has analyzed acceleration rates and found that a reduction of 100 pounds - almost exactly the difference between the NSX Coupe and the NSX-T of the same year - improves 0-60 and 1/4 mile acceleration times by 0.16 seconds each.
