Re: all in synergy...
This is something I don't have personal experience w/ on my own NSX. I only saw (in person) someone w/ the SOS "Big Bore Throttle Body" have some gains on the Dyno; they did a before/after run. Their existing mods' were I/H/E, simply the throttle body was swapped. I guess I must've been seeing things. . .
I have the NA1 NSX-R ECU/chip that I acquired from
Procar Specials NSX which was from Honda R&D. A 5-7rwhp gain was observed, via a Dyno. I believe this is the same ECU/chip that is offered by Dali Racing
here.
Also,
Prospeed's ECU ROM TUNE seems to provide "measurable performance gains" (read
here). Are you saying that it's all a farce?
Again, to-&-fro' the 1/4mile drag-strip in a nearby towne... a different clutch and lightweight-flywheel produced a slightly better time. And no, the previous OEM clutch/flywheel weren't worn/slipping.
In person I witnessed a dyno of someone who replaced their OEM NA1 cats' w/
these, they gained 5-6rwhp. I must've been seeing things, again.
SOS did a before/after Dyno using an
AIS (analogous to the Dali/Downforce 'scopp) and noted a 6-7rwhp gain. I guess SOS fabricated the gains...(?)
As far as larger injectors go, I wouldn't know from personal experience. I just noted that someone who went the drag-strip posted on 'Prime some phenomenal 1/4mile times, and they had larger injectors (in addition to their I/H/E).
I am in total agreement w/ you that H/E are the bolt-ons to give the most measurable gains in performance. However, I feel the other smaller bolt-ons all applied in synergy also provide a measurable gain in performance. Had I not seen it, I wouldn't have believed it either.
And none if it consistently repeatable. Your experiences are not supported by others' conducted under the same conditions with the same mods.
First, even Chris at SOS will admit he'd never claim more than a 1 hp gain on an NA car with the TB. He's even said it on Prime. It's a FI mod. The gain in hp you saw in your one experience was probably due to the new TB being cleaner than the one it replaced.
As far as the chip I have never heard of an NSX-R chip being used with any repeatable success on an OEM NSX. The one Dali sells was designed by the head tuner of JUN racing, not Honda. If it was that good Dali would sell it also as he can get any JDM part. I'd ask MJ why he doesn't sell it and he'll probably tell you exactly why--it doesn't help.
Even MJ admits the hi-flow cats are not likely to produce any gains on an NA car. My suspicion is that the car you observed probably had a problem with the stock/existing cats or had AM cats. Again, your one experience doesn't make it so or substitute for a lack of consistent, repeatable test results in the NSX community. Very, very few NSX owners, both NA and FI, have hi-flow cats. That should tell you something.
The SOS Cantrell/UNI test is notoriously unrepeatable. And you don't see dynos showing zero gains because people are embarrassed to post them. Believe me, if there were more than 1 or 2 dynos floating around we'd all be aware of them. What you see are NO dynos. Find me a before/after dyno sheet with the ONLY variable being the AIS/UNI and show me a gain (other than SOS's) and I'll become a believer. Until then I'll continue to assert it's unproven snake oil.
As far as larger injectors go, I wouldn't know from personal experience. I just noted that someone who went the drag-strip posted on 'Prime some phenomenal 1/4mile times, and they had larger injectors (in addition to their I/H/E).
I'm surprised, you having been around the block, would use this anecdote to make a blanket statement such as "larger injectors = hp gains." which is completely baseless and without merit. To not preface it with "I've heard that..." or "There might be something to this..." or even "I saw..." is completely reckless. One cannot say A = B absolutely as you did if they are basing that on vague, anecdotal references of some long-lost post that may not be directly correlated to cause and effect. Might as well say fuzzy dice help performance because someone posted that they were faster with them. That's the extent of the worth of your comments.
I hate to be harsh and to sound like I'm attacking you but this is one of the areas I feel most passionately about. I get fired up when unsuspecting new car owners are suckered into buying expensive products that don't work. There's plenty of snake oil out there and even things that might seem logical to the intelligent but non-tech savvy and that work on other cars don't work on the NSX. It would be easy to think the NSX's performance could be boosted by chips, BBTBs, or bigger induction scoops but they don't and intelligent, informed people are separated from their money every day because of unsubstantiated claims of product efficacy.
There's always the factor of people who spend good money on something aren't that anxious to report that it doesn't work. They think they'll look like fools. So IMO there's always that invisible force and lack of data when expensive products don't work and this can often be misconstrued as "no data doesn't mean it doesn't work" when in fact if it did work there would be a preponderance of supporting data. This is a trend that is continued and supported by the manufacturers of such products who will spread untruths and tout their products as often as possible. Lack of data is nothing but a bad sign. This is the case with just about every mod mentined above.
My biggest nemesis is the AIS quite frankly. People swear that it works, creates gains, etc. They say this because it makes a whoosh sound, looks like it works better, SOS has ONE dyno session showing a 7hp gain and, most importantly, costs ~$300.
To this day no one has come forth with another before/after test with the ONLY variable being the AIS showing an average gain. Even SOS's tests had the AIS/UNI filter together. The gains might only be from the filter. Who knows? There's never, ever, ever been consistent, repeatable results showing gains from the AIS alone and I defy anyone to say otherwise and show them.
When you show me consistent, repeatable dynos showing power gains I will acknowledge it but so far no one has come forth with anything in the chip, intake, BBTB and IM departments. Larger injectors don't make a difference because of the nature of the air/fuel supply in the NSX and the lack of bottlenecking at these points has been corroborated by every NSX tech and tuner I've ever spoken with and I've ever seen post--including SOS.
To make blind claims based on one post years ago supports these useless products by confusing the consumer. It's our responsibility for the new/prospective owners to stick to the facts and proven products, not speculation or stories.
Personally I don't purchase anything that doesn't have proven gains and I've done fairly well. Yes, I have an AIS and a Dali chip but I was given the AIS and Dali chip and the $50 or so it cost to tune the ECU was to me well worth the raised rev-limit, so I paid it. I do not suggest for any minute the parts actually increase performance as I can't back that statement up with consistent, repeatable proof and neither can anyone else.
