Do NOT buy cheap brakes or tires!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...A friend had an accident last time because he didn't have enough money to buy good tires so it he bought one made in China (Wan Li) causing the tire to explode under hard braking that sent his car flying over the divider lane. Suspensions damaged, $5000 wheels damaged...

Does anyone else see the humorous irony in not having enough money for good tires, yet having a $5,000 set of wheels? :confused: :rolleyes:
 
Does anyone else see the humorous irony in not having enough money for good tires, yet having a $5,000 set of wheels? :confused: :rolleyes:

Or all the F&F bolt ons with no track time or experience. Too many current owners willing to spend $$$ on Bling Bling and will not want to spend $ for synthetic oil change every couple thousand miles. :confused:
 
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I have Fuzion ZRi tires and find them to be much better than people here say they are.
I've driven on ZRi tires before and they really are as bad as many find them to be. What other tires have you driven on? -Quite often the scale of performance is relative to the best product (whether brakes, tires, car, HP, etc...) that an individual has used. And quite often once they start experiencing products at the true higher end of the spectrum, they become enlightened.

Great Thread. It truely amazes me how many people want to add HP without improving themshelves or while cheaping on the tires. A friend of mine(who instructs) told me that Peter Cunnigham took a stock NSX at an NSXPO faster than any car(911, S/C NSX, modded NSX) he had even been in before. In his opinion, a stock NSX is quite capable.

The mods I have done on the car came after 2 years of tracking, and I didn't even add R-compounds until 3 years of sliding Bridestone S03's at the track. I still use stock Rotors with Carbotech pads. The pads are great for DE's and are quite rotor friendly.
Thank you, i'm glad many are getting useful information and are understanding the point behind the creation of this thread. Their are far too many current threads that have ignorant remarks/misinformation in them from 'forum-experts' who bring nothing to the topic but frustration.

It is true that a stock NSX's capabilities are quite high, it is a Supercar afterall!! And yes, many upgrade suspension, HP, etc... but are counterproductive by severely limiting a car's performance by their tire choice (whether for street or track).
 
Thanks for this thread, really great information!!! Your concerns and knowledge are a great help to this community!!!!:smile:
 
Stuntman,

That looked like the left rear rotor, correct? Did you have any cooling ducts to the rear brakes? Could they have overheated? Just curious as to what happened.

Henry.
 
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Does anyone else see the humorous irony in not having enough money for good tires, yet having a $5,000 set of wheels? :confused: :rolleyes:

:biggrin:

This seems to be our favorite subject bro!
 
Great Thread. It truely amazes me how many people want to add HP without improving themshelves or while cheaping on the tires. A friend of mine(who instructs) told me that Peter Cunnigham took a stock NSX at an NSXPO faster than any car(911, S/C NSX, modded NSX) he had even been in before. In his opinion, a stock NSX is quite capable.

The mods I have done on the car came after 2 years of tracking, and I didn't even add R-compounds until 3 years of sliding Bridestone S03's at the track. I still use stock Rotors with Carbotech pads. The pads are great for DE's and are quite rotor friendly.

It amazes me that people mod their car for "aggressive" street driving:confused: That's nuts! If your exceeding a stock NSX capabilities on the street pull over and put your hands on the hood and wait for the cops:biggrin:

I also find the stock discs with Superblue and Carbo's to be a great combination. Honda makes good brakes it just seems they tame them down for street use.
 
Or all the F&F bolt ons with no track time or experience. Too many current owners willing to spend $$$ on Bling Bling and will not want to spend $ for synthtic oil change every couple thousand miles. :confused:

Yep. That is why I stand firm by the fact that my car may not look as flashy as many other NSXs out there, but I will bet you that my car (even with over 125,000 miles) is in better overall mechanical condition than 75% of the other cars out there. I make sure all maintenance is done, and that the car does not have anything needing attention. Even when little wear items like trim pieces get worn out, I replace them.
 
Stuntman,

That looked like the left rear rotor, correct? Did you have any cooling ducts to the rear brakes? Could they have overheated? Just curious as to what happened.

Henry.
To answer your question, It was during a Grand-Am race weekend in an Acura TSX, happened during qualifying (thankfully) -because it would have ended our race and our chances at the championship if it let go during the race.

We had 3" ducting to the inner part of the rotor to maximize the cooling of the rotor (all air must exit through the veins in the rotor).

The car is a 2,500lb Acura TSX, 200whp (roughly), on tires a little less grippy than RA-1s.

FYI - Most NSX's weigh more than 2,500lbs and have more than 200whp and many run RA-1s or grippier tires.

It amazes me that people mod their car for "aggressive" street driving:confused: That's nuts! If your exceeding a stock NSX capabilities on the street pull over and put your hands on the hood and wait for the cops:biggrin:

I also find the stock discs with Superblue and Carbo's to be a great combination. Honda makes good brakes it just seems they tame them down for street use.
Agreed. OEM rotors, ATE Superblue, a good set of pads (Carbos) are a great combination with a very high performance capabilities -good for 99% of the people out there.
 
I've driven on ZRi tires before and they really are as bad as many find them to be. What other tires have you driven on? -Quite often the scale of performance is relative to the best product (whether brakes, tires, car, HP, etc...) that an individual has used. And quite often once they start experiencing products at the true higher end of the spectrum, they become enlightened.
I achieved such enlightenment in 1988 when I put Yokohama A-008R tires on my MR2. More recently, I've had OEM Yokohama A022 tires on the NSX.

If I tracked the NSX, I could see the Fuzions being inadequate. But I just drive on the street, and I haven't modded the car for more HP or other-than-stock suspension.

For the record, I'm not part of the $5000-wheels-with-cheap-tires crowd. I am using OEM 15"/16" 5-spokes.
 
If you ask any safety expert about street driving, none will suggest to buy high performance tires. They will all suggest to pay attention while driving and observe posted speed limits and signs. Defensive driving is what leads to a safe experience driving on public roads, not the braking or turning ability of the vehicle.

Think about what you are saying. My wife and I own 4 cars, 3 of which can not handle as well as the NSX. Are you saying that everyone whose car doesn't handle as well as a stock NSX with high performance tires is equivalent to an unsafe driver or car owner? One of my cars is a tow vehicle (full size van). It comes with cheap 4-season tires. You are implying it is not safe to operate this vehicle on the road because the tires aren't good enough. Ridiculous.

To extend your argument the other way, I'm sure some overzealous guy on the Lotus Exige list is saying that without tire X you are unsafe. And, compared to the Lotus and using your logic, all NSXes are unsafe - they are way too heavy and can't turn well enough. Does this sound stupid enough for you?

Stuntman, the next guy after you will say that you need shocks, springs, sway bars and aerokits to be safe on the street. They are better, right???

Here are some facts.

High performance brake fluid will not help ANY in regards to safety on the street. None. Zero.

Stainless steel brake lines will not help you at all on the street.

Higher performance brake pads will not help you at all on the street. They may be worse that the OEM pad for street use.

Big brake kits will not help you at all in street use. The stock brakes can lock up the tires and activate ABS just fine.

Here is a point going the other way. Many drivers who upgrade their cars drive with a false sense of ability. This can lead to taking chances which leads to more accidents on the street.

Regarding testing and products that people stand behind (your discussion point) - I believe that Honda standing behind the stock NSX trumps other vendors and their improved fluid|pad|brakes|lines argument.

I am sorry, but there isn't much left of this thread to discuss.

The one part that is left is that you had a bad experience with an aftermarket brake product, in race conditions, on a TSX.

Since this forum is supposed to be about the NSX and your thread clearly is about street safety, your brake failure on the racing TSX has very little relevance.

I do hope your vendor resolves the issue to your satisfaction, but this thread does not stand on the discussion points made or on your TSX experience.

A lack of further response to this thread by myself and others does not comply consent with these recommendations. I now return you to your regularly schedued "how to fix the NSX for street use" discussion.
 
So, if you're on the street and you have to do an evasive manouver and stop as fast as possible, would you rather have the best tires and brakes in the world, or the worst?

I dont think that anyone is saying that only upgraded stuff is safe, they're saying that theyre safER.
 
If you ask any safety expert about street driving, none will suggest to buy high performance tires. They will all suggest to pay attention while driving and observe posted speed limits and signs. Defensive driving is what leads to a safe experience driving on public roads, not the braking or turning ability of the vehicle.
They would say that tires are an important part of active safety, just as much as your seatbelts or airbag. Defensive driving = Scared/reactive driving. Racing schools teach you "Assertive" driving and being aware of your surroundings and pro-active and anticipate accidents rather than reactive (but that's a completely different story). Braking and turning ability of a vehicle is EXTREMELY important for a safe experience on the street. Why do you think that over the years OEM cars' TIRES, BRAKES, and wheels have gotten larger? Why do cars handle and brake better than those huge tanks of the 60's?

Think about what you are saying. My wife and I own 4 cars, 3 of which can not handle as well as the NSX. Are you saying that everyone whose car doesn't handle as well as a stock NSX with high performance tires is equivalent to an unsafe driver or car owner? One of my cars is a tow vehicle (full size van). It comes with cheap 4-season tires. You are implying it is not safe to operate this vehicle on the road because the tires aren't good enough. Ridiculous.
And what 4 cars are those?

I'm not saying that whose car dosnt handle as well as a stock NSX with HP tires is unsafe on the road. I'm saying that you are REDUCING the ABILITY of ANY CAR by putting cheap tires on it. Once again, tires are a very important safety component on ANY CAR.

Full size van/fleet vehicles have all season/fleet vehicle tires. And yes they do not perform as well as other vehicles/tires. But its unquestionable that you could avoid an incident in your NSX that you couldnt have avoided in your Van. So when buying tires for your van, do you buy $20 tires from a local 'tire-stand' or buy decent fleet vehicle/SUV tires?

Stuntman, the next guy after you will say that you need shocks, springs, sway bars and aerokits to be safe on the street. They are better, right???
Those aren't wear items, and aren't something that you consume/buy new ones often. Tires are consumable items and are a great importance in regards to safety. Yes a better handling car - shocks/springs/etc.. when done right can aid in performance and safety, but you are on a slippery-slope with that remark. Brakes and Tires are always changed and are an important BASIC safety device that is far to often overlooked.

Here are some facts.

1) High performance brake fluid will not help ANY in regards to safety on the street. None. Zero.

2) Stainless steel brake lines will not help you at all on the street.

3) Higher performance brake pads will not help you at all on the street. They may be worse that the OEM pad for street use.

4)Big brake kits will not help you at all in street use. The stock brakes can lock up the tires and activate ABS just fine.
1) - Wrong
2) - Wrong
Where do you get these "Facts" from? I have personally installed SS lines and upgraded fluid to over 20 direct friends/family members and ALL OF THEM (even mom who is asian and can't find the parking brake) noticed a difference.)
3) - Depends on the pad, some track pads or HP pads only work at higher temps and have a terrible cold bite - most people wouldn't buy these pads for street only use.
4) - If your limited by your tires - then True, but if you have really good, grippy tires, still probably true. Stock brakes are fine for 99% of the people and 99% of the people who track their cars. Those 1% who have upgraded the power (super/turbo) and heavily track their cars are the only ones who would benefit from a BBK.

Regarding testing and products that people stand behind (your discussion point) - I believe that Honda standing behind the stock NSX trumps other vendors and their improved fluid|pad|brakes|lines argument.

Stock NSX pads/tires/etc... are great and helped the car achieve great performance/handling. But why put brake components and tires worse than stock? - limit the performance/capabilities of your car. Why put on better? -to raise the performance/capabilities. Also remember, this is essentially a 15 year old car, newer brake and tire technology has made leaps and bounds over 15 years ago -including aftermarket Brembo kits/pads/tires.

The one part that is left is that you had a bad experience with an aftermarket brake product, in race conditions, on a TSX.
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A lack of further response to this thread by myself and others does not comply consent with these recommendations. I now return you to your regularly schedued "how to fix the NSX for street use" discussion.
The pictures again are to show that brake failures do happen. And a lot of people on Prime track not only their NSX but other cars too. its to spread awareness, not try to scare or deter people from buying stuff, but to spread knowledge (the opposite of what you are trying to do). The thread is about all safety -street or track, and tires/brakes are a huge component of that.

A lack of further response to this thread by myself and others does not comply consent with these recommendations. I now return you to your regularly schedued "how to fix the NSX for street use" discussion.
First off, you are a very ignorant/mis-guided individual who spreads mis-information and brings up irrelevant points. You bring nothing but stupid questions (which sometimes is good for clarification to others who may be asking the same thing) but as a whole, are nothing but argumentative.

Your comments show your lack of experience on the topic and as a whole-does not benefit the community. This thread is not "how to fix the NSX for street use" and that further shows how irrelevant your comments are and how you dont even understand the purpose of the thread.


These are reccomendations from personal experience from someone who has been there, done that, tried that, broke that, had success with different products. The point behind these kinds of threads/posts is to help better guide those who don't have the experience to make better decisions. These are mere recommendations, and its upto the reader whether to believe/follow someone who has actually seen both sides of the fence on many of these topics rather than someone who just stirs up controversy and is a PITA and comments from their 'knowledge' that apparently has no justification and probably comes from reading posts of other ignorant individuals.

"A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing".

You are more than welcome to ignore my recommendations but quit spreading mis-information and being useless to not only this, but other threads as well. Quit taking away from those who are interested and want to know/learn how to maintain a safe car. Once again, brake components and tires are greatly over-looked as a safety device and are very important to not overlook.
 
I'm currently using full tread Toyo RA1's and Cobalt Friction XR2s in my gutted 2k, and feel very safe during my morning commute. :redface:

Although I suppose one can never really ever be too careful- which is why I might have to add a chromoly steel roll cage and halon system too. :biggrin:
 
I was trying to say if the tire is not shown in any of the good car magazine I would not buy it. I did in the past bought some cheap tires such as Kumho 712 and ecsta supra. Cheap but atleast the brand is well known.:smile:
Ok I think you were making a point on "cheaply made" tires that 'happened' to be made in China correct? Not to get deffered from the point of this post, but your quote seems to be showing a few focus either than the "good tire" choices.

Yup it was ironic that he spent so much for bling but didn't have enough money for good rubber.:frown:
Meeyatch1 said:
Does anyone else see the humorous irony in not having enough money for good tires, yet having a $5,000 set of wheels?
 
To avoid an accident, improve the performance and handling of your car, INVEST IN A SET OF GOOD TIRES! - the best that you can afford for the weather conditions that you are in/drive the car in. I cannot stress enough the importance of your tires. Please don't buy $100 sumitomos, their are plenty of relatively inexpensive tires that deliver great performance for the cost, and Sumitomo and Fuzion are not on that list...
If you're looking for such a list, here is one, just be sure to actually read the reviews & note endorsements (both quantity of endorsements and degree you trust/respect opinion of those endorsing).
 
Good shit, Billy

I like your writing style. Sticky worthy.

OEM rotors, ATE Superblue, a good set of pads (Carbos). Cost effective and get the job done is a good thing.
 
Also when you buy tires make sure they are mounted properly. I recently bought a set of wheels with Bridgestone RE010 H0 tires, that had 3 of 4 tires mounted inside out. The man had spent almost $800.00 for the set, but what good is that if not installed properly.
 
Where can I buy OEM tires for a 91 NSX? If the tires are no longer made what should I do? Buy 2000 or 2005 wheels? Or switch to a new tire like Toyo T1-Rs or Pilot Sports?

I'm staying with OEM brakes. The ABS was going crazy and activated quite easily with every hard stop. I think maybe my tires are under-inflated so I'll fix that first.
 
heck when i installed steel brake lines on my gixxer, it stopped much better and more responsive. when i upgraded my brakes on my 240 to 300zx twin turbo brakes it helped out a lot better and it felt safer. i can honestly say it saved me a few times while driving. i need to upgrade my brakes on the s2k or just keep saving up for an nsx. still debating though
 
Where can I buy OEM tires for a 91 NSX? If the tires are no longer made what should I do? Buy 2000 or 2005 wheels? Or switch to a new tire like Toyo T1-Rs or Pilot Sports?

I'm staying with OEM brakes. The ABS was going crazy and activated quite easily with every hard stop. I think maybe my tires are under-inflated so I'll fix that first.
I'm still not familiar with "OEM NSX tires". What tires came from the factory. But if its the same design, that's 15 yo technology, and tires have also advanced much more since then and are much better. Stock tires i'm sure are really good (as to give the official NSX #s) but keep in mind, their are better options out -possibly for less money.

I really like my Toyo T1Rs on my miatas, MR2, and M3. I'd say they are similar in performance as the Pilot Sports (but PS may be a TINY bit better) but then the PS2 is leaps and bounds better (and more expensive) than the Pilot Sports.

What tire pressure are you running and on what width/model tires?

heck when i installed steel brake lines on my gixxer, it stopped much better and more responsive. when i upgraded my brakes on my 240 to 300zx twin turbo brakes it helped out a lot better and it felt safer. i can honestly say it saved me a few times while driving. i need to upgrade my brakes on the s2k or just keep saving up for an nsx. still debating though
Personally (disclaimer) I wouldn't say that SS lines shortened stopping distance, but definately improve feel/feedback/consistency/performance.

What have you done to your S2K, the stock brakes should be adequate for hours of track abuse. I'd save up and enjoy your S2K, its a great performing car. -Just keep good fluid and pads (and maybe upgrade to SS lines).
 
What have you done to your S2K, the stock brakes should be adequate for hours of track abuse. I'd save up and enjoy your S2K, its a great performing car. -Just keep good fluid and pads (and maybe upgrade to SS lines).

i havent really done anything to it. just waiting for a good price for any FI kit for my year since its drive by wire. might leave it stock since i might be able to pick up an nsx soon. doesnt help when i visit ethan and he has two. everytime i go to his house it makes me want to get one really bad. i know if i wait and not want it so bad, i will come across one for a deal. thanks for the tip. ill wait til the pads need changing first before i buy the upgrade stuff. still hasnt had its first oil change yet
 
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