Coming from a S2000, the NSX seems to have more flex with the T-top off. How to minimize this?
How to reduce flex?
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well you could look for the elusive na2 coupe...that said i have cowl shake on my 96 despite the presence of type R front braces and a comptech harness bar which ties together the oem seatbelt mounts and floor bolts for the seats.The only thing I have not done was upgrade my rear engine bay brace with a thicker unit.There is also a front shock tower brace but it deletes the wiper arms.So in short you can lessen the shake but not eliminate it.
Unlike the S2k, targa on the NSX was an after thought.
So just deal.
So just deal.
How about the SOS chassis stiffening bars - http://www.scienceofspeed.com/produ...Honda/NSX-R_chassis_reinforcement/default.asp?
I know it cannot be eliminated, but cmon, I am surprised to hear some of the comments
. Primers are more ingenious than that
I know it cannot be eliminated, but cmon, I am surprised to hear some of the comments
. Primers are more ingenious than that How about the SOS chassis stiffening bars - http://www.scienceofspeed.com/produ...Honda/NSX-R_chassis_reinforcement/default.asp?
I know it cannot be eliminated, but cmon, I am surprised to hear some of the comments
I have them. And Nope. They are good for what they are but they aren't going to reduce targa flex much. If you get this, get the lower bar only, or get the one from GT Spec which seems like it allows more room for larger sway bars. Then get the STMPO FCB while there are a handful left. You can still get one and when these are gone, they are gone. I believe I also have the best rear strut brace, and that is the STMPO one. But those are all gone now. In general welded joints outperform bolts and chromoly outperforms aluminum.
The type R upper and lower chassis bars are good to have but I only recommend the lower one because the upper one is replaced by the STMPO FCB. That's a lightweight chromoly unit that also replaces The rather have the factory tow hook plates. And it has 10 times the strength of the aluminum factory upper bar. So what I am recommending is the type R lower bar, which is probably the same as the SOS bar Along with the more important FCB.
These will reduce chassis flex and sharpen response, but they are not going to eliminate your cowl shake. Perhaps reduce it by a small amount. The last time I spoke with Ross, there were only 3 to 4 FCB's left. Get One before they are all gone.
As far as the swaybar goes, that's an entirely different thing. That is a suspension performance piece, it has nothing to do with chassis bracing. It is a huge step up from the front factory bar, and will reduce body lean quite a bit. The factory sway bars are really very small. If you want to step up from that you can get something like the Comptech sway bars, or go even bigger for track work. SOS Also makes a set of sway bars which I believe to be very similar to the Comptech.
Contact member 1K2go, I believe he is selling his Comptech sway bars because he has moved onto more aggressive track setup. We are mixing two different subjects here. Chassis bracing and sway bars.
These will reduce chassis flex and sharpen response, but they are not going to eliminate your cowl shake. Perhaps reduce it by a small amount. The last time I spoke with Ross, there were only 3 to 4 FCB's left. Get One before they are all gone.
As far as the swaybar goes, that's an entirely different thing. That is a suspension performance piece, it has nothing to do with chassis bracing. It is a huge step up from the front factory bar, and will reduce body lean quite a bit. The factory sway bars are really very small. If you want to step up from that you can get something like the Comptech sway bars, or go even bigger for track work. SOS Also makes a set of sway bars which I believe to be very similar to the Comptech.
Contact member 1K2go, I believe he is selling his Comptech sway bars because he has moved onto more aggressive track setup. We are mixing two different subjects here. Chassis bracing and sway bars.
Chassis flex and cowl shake are not neccessarily related, the chassis is still very rigid (just jack up a side of the car off the ground from one wheel point and measure the offset at the roof corners and you'll see, virtually none). So as Turbo says you can reduce flex and still have cowl shake and most the parts out there make the chassis more rigid but dont' change the fact that the front end body components around the winshield are bascially a free standing box frame with no cross bracing. It takes very little flex down low to make that box "wiggle" up high, and you'll never get rid of all flex even in a coupe.
This is my next project. A true X-Brace for the NSX Coupe. Similar to the TRD X-Brace for the MR2.
Thanks for the wealth of info, doing more research on these. I feel I drive the car with the roof on more just because of the cowl flex. Maybe I get used to it. Looking into all the chassis reinforcement bars people have mentioned and will update once I buy and install. Trying to hunt down local owners to see and feel that they have
The lovefab bars are strong but a bit heavy. The reason I say I like the STMPO ones best is they are chromoly, extremely strong, very light, and if you look closely have the best weld work and joints. The tough thing is getting them since they are no longer made. If you look at the FCB for example, it's a very strong brace with built-in tow hooks. You add some weight by the brace but then you save weight by removing the heavy factory hooks. It's ingenious. The rear targa brace has as much strength as you would ever need there yet it's also one of the lightest. The stuff is tight tolerance.
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As I said last I talked to STMPO there were 3-4 FCB's left. Get one before they are all gone.
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As I said last I talked to STMPO there were 3-4 FCB's left. Get one before they are all gone.
I run the STMPO FCB. IMO the problem with it is that the crossbeam itself sits below the level of the frame on the NSX. Not sure why Ross did it this way. There must be a good reason because the logical positioning for the crossbeam is for it to sit higher. With it sitting lower causes deflection in the side plates (aka the plates that double as tow hooks). The "tow hooks" are not as good as the OEM because i've already bent them strapping them in at the dyno. They're still the best FCB out there but I feel could have been made better. I like the LoveFab bar that sits under the hood and locks-in the main two NSX frame beams. It's a great place for it. Unfortunately I think the LFab bar is a bit expensive and I need to clearance my Type R hood duct so it's further down on my list.
Dave, is the STMPO toe hook longer than the OEM ones? If you have the Type-R undertray, can you access the toe hooks?!
Guys... hate to break it to you guys.
STMPO tow hook IS the OEM tow hook. He took two tow hooks and welded a bar in between them. I was asked to donate mine so he could make more.
That being said... it doesn't make the front brace any less awesome.
STMPO tow hook IS the OEM tow hook. He took two tow hooks and welded a bar in between them. I was asked to donate mine so he could make more.
That being said... it doesn't make the front brace any less awesome.
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Folks...... it's a targa and unless there are bars that are part of a full roll cage, there is nothing that will make the targa NSX stiffer than a Proper NSX.
These reinforcement bars are for the front and rear of the targa. It does nothing for the cabin.
I know this from having been in a few targa tops.
These reinforcement bars are for the front and rear of the targa. It does nothing for the cabin.
I know this from having been in a few targa tops.
And if you go to .125 it'll be stronger still. You aren't lifting the space shuttle. You are making a brace and there is a science to it. There are forces you need to counteract and not bend. If you have two braces, neither of which flexes, as an engineer you should select the one that adds the least amount of weight to the car, not continue to go thicker just because. Cage material is not brace material and vice versa. I don't want to get into an argument over this, because lovefab and Cody do a great job at making products but it is my personal belief that the STMPO bar has no flex and is lighter by design.
Weigh them. I've listed the weights on various Stmpo products on the weight reduction thread. I also do have some concern with what some of the super heavy bracing does to the car's crash structure, which none of us really know.
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Like mentioned before, a good rear strutbar.
But also a front strut bar will help regain lost stiffness in the front of the chassis, (after all the steering forces are in the front end)
In regards to Shawn's comment on the wiper arms, the TaiTec front strut bar is specifically designed to clear the wiper arms.
But also a front strut bar will help regain lost stiffness in the front of the chassis, (after all the steering forces are in the front end)
In regards to Shawn's comment on the wiper arms, the TaiTec front strut bar is specifically designed to clear the wiper arms.
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This is not necessarily a vendor thread so I think personal opinions are ok to express without ruining anything for anyone. I've been told by several pretty prominent people that the nsx actually does not gain a lot from a front strut brace. I am not saying its useless but it is one part on the NSX that is extremely rigid. I also have some doubts about the taitec brace. It is aluminum, with lots of cutouts, and also hinged with bolts. None of those 3 items are great for rigidity. At one point I had begged Ross to custom make a front strut brace for me that would clear both wipers and he told me in no uncertain terms that the part would become nothing more than a cosmetic enhancement. The taitec front brace, the GT spec lower rear brace and their square brace are braces that IMO don't do a whole lot, each for different reasons. But people like braces. NOTHING will eliminate cowl shake in the targa, but that shake is pretty small. You notice it more because the chassis is so stiff to begin with, if you were to compare it to most topless cars the NSX-T is a vault. Try driving a Maserati Spyder and see how much that jiggles. At least with the top back on the NSX gains back its rigidity.
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