Help get my car ready

TURBO2GO

TURBO2GO

Illustrious Member
Joined
8 March 2006
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Boston
Guys I have decided to enter some track events next year when its warm again in the spring/summer. I would like to be wise and spend money on mods that I will appreciate then so I am asking for some advice.

I will be going to trackmasters so I will have instruction, please don't give the first mod as "go take some instruction" I am already doing that.

I have a 2005 NSX with these mods so far:

1) Comptech supercharger
2) Titanium Dave's short shift
3) Type R front sway bar
4) Azenis RT615 tires
5) GT-One F1 header and V5 exhaust

My brakes so far are stock, as are my shocks and struts.

I am thinking the next mods should be some of the non-compliance stuff, brakes (?), and possibly some track tires with dedicated wheels? Should I get a harness now or am I jumping the gun?

I am hesitant to lower my car any. Roads around here are too rough and I already scrape my lip quite often.

What I am asking is this... I do not want to waste money. If I will end up dropping 8K on a brake system, I prefer to do it now than to try this pad and that pad, this rotor and that rotor, and then spend the 8K anyway. If I am going to need the non-compliance rear beam, toe links, whatever, I prefer to do it now and have a car that is ready to go in the summer.

I have a deep suspicion once I do this I will be hooked. So please save me some time and money with some worthwhile advice, tell me what to do over the winter.

Thanks.
 
If you are a novice and it sounds like you are,I would not mod my car any further.Just do what you are doing which is attending well organized DE like trackmasters.I would make sure my brake fluid is fresh,my oil is at the proper level,and my tires have good tread depth.At the schools you are the most important equipment,which means get sleep,drink lots of fluids,eat well,and show up on time for the drivers meeting.Please also search some of our older DE threads as we have chastised those who wish to mod the cars/use R compounds as novices/intermediates.
 
As a novice I can add two items.... Motul 600 brake fluid (also Speedbleeders) and more agressive pads (Corbotech Panther + or Cobalt GTs). The stock pads will fade after a couple of laps.
 
docjohn said:
If you are a novice and it sounds like you are,I would not mod my car any further.Just do what you are doing which is attending well organized DE like trackmasters.I would make sure my brake fluid is fresh,my oil is at the proper level,and my tires have good tread depth.At the schools you are the most important equipment,which means get sleep,drink lots of fluids,eat well,and show up on time for the drivers meeting.Please also search some of our older DE threads as we have chastised those who wish to mod the cars/use R compounds as novices/intermediates.
Click to expand...
I couldn't say it any better myself.
 
I tracked my NSX for the first time and did this Dave.

Ran with street tires (Azenis 615RT)
Ran the first couple of sessions on stock pads to see how that worked. On my third session, I let my instructor take the car and push it. The OEM pads began to fade. I then switched to Carbotech panther plus pads. What a difference those make. It bites harder and is less resistant to fade.

I agree with docjohn in that you shouldn't overmodify your car if you're a novice. Get a feel for the car and then decide where you want to modify afterwards.
Having said that, get the non-compliance pieces. My instructor was telling me I was in for a surprise and would discover it sometime that weekend and it was related to the rear. After asking him to go further into it, he began explaining some stuff and then asked me if I knew about the non-compliance pieces. I told him I had it already. He then said, forget it. No surprises for me that weekend. :smile:
 
I believe the best upgrade is always the driver! The more seat time you have the faster your NSX will get. Doing brake pads and fluid never hurts though. :biggrin: Do a couple of AutoX Events too if you can. It's helps to learn the limits of the NSX and beyond.
 
DVDoughboy said:
I tracked my NSX for the first time and did this Dave.

Ran with street tires (Azenis 615RT)
Ran the first couple of sessions on stock pads to see how that worked. On my third session, I let my instructor take the car and push it. The OEM pads began to fade. I then switched to Carbotech panther plus pads. Not to be contrary but anyone at anytime can "cook" the stock brakes or bbk for that matter.I still believe that a novice should learn not to cook his stock system before replacing parts to it.Any instructer who cooks perfectly good stock brakes is iether showing off or parking before each turn.:wink: Don't get hung up on specific equipment issues:smile: your brakes have very little to do with the more important aspects of DE: propper line,track etiquete,sight-lines,heel-toe,smoothness,.ect.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I agree with you docjohn on the important aspects of a DE.
My only point for sharing the story was to show the difference in pads. In both days, I did not overheat my rotors once (my instructor did but that's because I gave him the ok to show me what the NSX can really do). As I do more events, my goal is to get better each time (like everyone else).
 
TURBO2GO said:
Should I get a harness now or am I jumping the gun?
Click to expand...

This is the first thing I would do. You will feel a lot better with harnesses. There can be a discussion on the fact that harnesses can be dangerous without cage. Make a search.

Then brake upgrade would be nice (fluid + pads first).
 
BTW: All of you newbie folks with CTSC should take into account that the corner entry speed on your cars will be substantially higher than stock, don't overdrive your car because your stock brakes probably won't be able to take the abuse.

Learn to drive your car properly through the turns, don't get too hung up on how fast you can go on the straights because your chances of getting into trouble on the next corner will go up substantially too.

And also don't get too hung up on going with R-compounds, folks who jump into R-compounds or slicks right away usually develop really bad habits because the tires masks a lot of driver errors, you might be "faster" on day 1 because of the increased grip, but you are not becoming a better driver.
 
I know you said that you don't want to hear that your first mod should be "take some instruction".

OK, I won't say that. But, I will say that you should at least do a couple of events before you change anything. Why? To establish a baseline. It could be argued that you can establish your baseline after you've modded, but at that point you won't know if you've gone in the right direction. Determine first how it behaves then go with how to make it better.

Also, as you can see in my thread earlier this week, your driving style can make a world of difference in how the car behaves. It can take a couple of seasons' worth of driving events to understand this; if you're making suspension or other changes to compensate, you might be fixing problems that aren't there.

The very first thing I would do, though, is look after the brakes. A set of good pads should go under $400 and is relatively inexpensive insurance. I think the harness is also a good idea, as anything related to safety is a good thing. Also being secured in the seat helps driving.

I'd recommend against R-compound tires for at least a season. They can mask small mistakes. Also, since their limits are much higher, learning at the limit (or even stepping over it gently) is harder to do, and has more consequence if you get it wrong.

You might get totally hooked, then again, you might not. I'd find that out before I mod the car beyond a good pad and fluid.
 
dquarasr2 said:
I'd recommend against R-compound tires for at least a season. They can mask small mistakes. Also, since their limits are much higher, learning at the limit (or even stepping over it gently) is harder to do, and has more consequence if you get it wrong.
Click to expand...
This comment also applies to the RT615, for being a street tire it has a lot of grip, so maybe something to consider would be to run with the stock Bridgesone's ;)
 
Dave, run out and get the biggest wing you can find!! :D J/K

I would invest in things that have a tendency to deteriorate within the day opposed to things that increase your performance.

I have not had a problem with the stock braking system with Motol 600, upgraded pads (although the stocks were pretty good too) and stainless lines.

You are going to get mixed opinions on using a harness in a targa car. I generally use mine, with SOS harness bar and Dali seat cushion, but Ive been given grief from instructors in the past for using the 5 pts without a cage.

When I got my charger, and I headed to the track, I dogged it down the straights for exactly the reasons described above. You'll find lots of guys asking you how fast you got up to; ignore it.

If you dont have a nice low profile aluminum jack, Id get one.

Id get (and have) driving shoes.

Id also get some pedals like the ones offered by Autovation.

Ive enjoyed incar video. I find that I can play around with some lines during the day and then check out the result later. Plus, track seasons over; fun to relive those days. Here is an example! (I gave the M3 tons of space until the passing zone BTW) ;)

Invest in a good helmet.
 
I like the advice that docjohn and 2slow2speed gave, and like BioBanker I never took an entire straight at WOT with my CTSC-equipped car. I made upgrades to my car for personal reasons and will continue to do so but lacking those reasons, I wouldn't have modded my NSX for the purpose of tracking at all. I don't have the skill to "use up" the performance the car gives stock so anything I do to the car to make it go/stop/turn faster is just overkill and a waste of money.

The idea of the in-car cam and supporting gear for it sounds fun. I also echo the recommendation of making driving the car easier (for performance purposes): pedals, steering wheel, shifter mods. Compliance parts might be nice to give you more feel.

You could probably drop lap times with more mods but your car is plenty fast and unless you're really driving for minimum lap times, you probably won't get more driving satisfaction from more performance at your level (I assume you're a beginner/novice, forgive me if I'm wrong).

J
 
No one makes a cage anymore. SOS is no longer selling the harness bar. Frankly after reading at least 10 threads I still can't figure out for sure why a harness without a cage is worse than your stock seat belt.

Is everyone in agreement that the non-compliance beam and toe links are a good addition? what about the front clamp?
 
I agree that those are a nice addition. Yes. With Type R chassis bars.

The reason ppl dont like 5 pt belts without a cage is that should the car roll, there is a much higher liklihood of suffering a neck fracture which can leave you paralized.

Pretty much every other situation is better if you have the belts, but the benefit does not make up for the potential downside on a roll.

But you may ask if youre more likely to have an accident without them, too.

And Im full tilt down the straights now. But I worked my way up to it.
 
TURBO2GO said:
Is everyone in agreement that the non-compliance beam and toe links are a good addition? what about the front clamp?
Click to expand...

As others have suggested, don't do any more mods besides the pads/fluid and possibly the brake lines.

At this point and possibly for many years your NSX as it currently stands will have a performance envelope that will be higher than your driving skills.

Front clamps are only useful when you trail brake into a corner and most noticeable with R-compound tires. As a novice driver you won't be trail braking into a corner because a car like the NSX which is MR rotates well and you simply won't need to trail brake because all the braking should be done in a straight line to keep the car settled (until you learn to be smooth with all your controls, brakes, throttle, clutch, steering). Besides front clamps will make the ride on the street harsher too.

As far as the toe links and the non-compliance beam bushings, it's yet another one of those mods that you won't need right now.

There are way too many enthusiasts that get way over their heads thinking that making all the performance mods is a good thing without knowing how to drive properly, they push their cars hard and because the handling limit is so high once they go past that threshold there is no turning back for 99% of those drivers and the end result is not good.

Concentrate on the basics, which is you the driver and enjoy the ride :cool:
 
Drive what you have for brakes with track pads and high temp fluid. Get some ducts for the front too, Dali aluminum deflectors are a good start. Or look for Ken Sax's post on ducts, very complete and a great start for the DIY guy.

I feel an alignment is one of the most beneficial mods to make, check out some suggestions for track alignments. I think setting the rear toe in .1 degree(1-2mm total) makes a huge difference in making the NSX less tail happy, especially with stock rear bushings. This will also help reduce rear tire wear. Dial in as much negative camber as you can stand, -1 front, -1.8 rear.

Harness is great to add at any point, but do a 5 or 6 point setup. A CG lock is a fantastic start to keeping your butt in place and let you focus on driving, not just staying in the seat.

Next mod would be shocks and springs, in my eyes. Lower the center of gravity of the car which will translate into increased stability.

Rear bushings and toe links with front clamps would be the next step.

I would add brakes at the end, at the point you go to R compound tires.

There is no real down side to the BBK except cost. It won't hurt anything, but you won't be able to overdrive the stock setup for quite a while. The stock brakes can take quite a bit of abuse, just keep putting more aggressive pads in and getting more air into them to get the increased heat out.

Like everyone here says, the most important thing to add is TIME BEHIND THE WHEEL! Do some DE days, listen to your instructor, keep having fun and see where you end up. This is a crazy fun and addictive sport:cool: :biggrin: :eek: :tongue: :tongue:
 
Great guys, this is some really good advice and I really appreciate it. Its good to know I have such experienced guys by my side. I will take your advice and just do the pads and fluid, and go from there. I am torn on the harness issue but I will wait until I am with an instructor a few times and then think about what I need to do. I was told one of the instructors at trackmasters owns an NSX. So I am sure he can give me some input. I really can't wait. I am jealous of you guys in warm climates that can do this year round!
 
The nsx instructer with trackmasters is our own Peter Mills,he also does the track ed column in nsx driver.
 
By the way, I just spoke to SoS and they still have the harness bar for $449. It's in stock and no longer on the website.
 
TURBO2GO said:
Great guys, this is some really good advice and I really appreciate it. Its good to know I have such experienced guys by my side. I will take your advice and just do the pads and fluid, and go from there. I am torn on the harness issue but I will wait until I am with an instructor a few times and then think about what I need to do. I was told one of the instructors at trackmasters owns an NSX. So I am sure he can give me some input. I really can't wait. I am jealous of you guys in warm climates that can do this year round!
Click to expand...

The simple solution for your harness bar/stock belt situation seems to be a 'CG-lock' - it essentially is a device that clamps onto the back of the seat belt buckle, and allows you to keep the lap belt of your oem seatbelt tight, while the sholder strap can still flex - it eliminates the targa danger, and keeps you secure to the seat like a harness.

I recently installed one into my nsx, they go for around $50.

http://www.cg-lock.com/

edit: I see Dave beat me to it ;)
 
Is the Targa top that much weaker in that it collapses in a rollover on your head? and I am assuming if you are strapped in, and if like me, you have zero headroom already, your neck is going to break (sounds fun). This is what you are saying Dave?

Now I think I need a more proper seat... I am not sure how I will even fit with the helmet. I know there is the Dali cushion but I am thinking a proper seat with some more safety built-in (lower, harness holes) may be a good idea.

I currently cannot put my head all the way back... I touch the roofliner on the part that is slightly lower than the targa top.

First rule of racing:

Make sure your ass fits in the car. LOL...
 

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