NSSEX91 said:
Definately buy the 97+
Even the 97 T is faster then the NA1 coupe by a lot. The shifter I believe is shorter throw and shorter gears pluss the extra torque in the 3.2 mixed with the 6 speed is a night and day difference so I hear.
BTW IMO you will be dissapointed with the 91-96. My 91 gearing is way to tall for the torque it makes pluss they have small probs like oil gauge non responsive and notchy reverse gear. You will be dissapointed coming from a C5.
I even think that a 98 coupe with few bolt ons will be just as fast as a 91-96 with a supercharger at stock psi. Look at car-stats.com there is about a 1 second difference between the two engines which means you have to make that up on the early models with FI = not worth it. Start with the better engine and just add a little mods but ditch the lambo doors. Trust me buy a lambo if you want lambo doors then you will look at conversions and be embarrased. There is a guy with a beat up honda civic that comes to see my friends sister. When he gets out he leaves all his lambo doors open in the driveway it's EMBARRASING DISCUSTING RICE!!! and he thinks he's cool.
The gearing in the 5-speed isn't that bad. While you gain 0-60 time you lose 1/4 mile time with the shorter gears. The increase in performance is due mainly to the 20 extra HP. Most people do agree, however, that the OEM 6-speed gearing is the best overall setup.
I am not aware of any shorter throw in the shifter in NA2 NSXs. In 1994 the gear cut method was changed to reduce gearbox noise but that was it for NA1 tranny changes. Reverse lockout, double synchros on gears 3-6 and shorter gearing were used in the 1997 NA2 tranny but those are the only differences I am aware of. The shifting for 2000+ NSX was improved.
I have also never heard of a recurring non-responsive oil pressure guage in NA1 NSXs. Could you point any threads out or TSBs regarding this issue?
Notchy reverse gear? I've never heard anyone complain about that one before. How often are you speed shifting into reverse? I've heard of a notchy 5th gear but that's it.
A supercharged 91 will be considerably faster than a 1998 with bolt-ons. The fact is 97+ NA2 NSXs respond worse than 91-96 NA1 NSXs to bolt-ons. You'll be lucky to squeeze 280 RWHP out of a NA2 with bolt-ons where a low-boost supercharged NA1 will get you around 325 RWHP no problem, assuming you've already done the NA1 bolt-ons.
In fact a NA1 with bolt-ons and short gears will probably be just as quick as any unmodded 97+ NSX if not quicker.
And finally, the Lambo doors are probably going to be junk and have problems. I'd avoid them generally. They are very unpopular here on Prime but in my experience you get a different response in person. It's not the train wreck Prime members suggest but they're definitely not for everyone and you're most likely not going to be happy with them.
, nor a problem with oil pressure gauge as suggested. The car is great the way it is now. The power is crisp and the handling is exceptional even without the power steering.
