HPF turbo my M3 or get an NSX and turbo that

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03S2K

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Hows it going guys, My name is Sam I'd like to take the time to introduce myself and my story. I've been a LONGGG time lurker but never actually posted, I was always very close to owning an NSX but always took a different route.Ive owned a 01 ITR,turbo s2k,05 g35,03 996tt,and now I own a 04 E46 M3. I recently drove my friends 03 NSX for the weekend and fell inlove with the car. My next step on the M3 was putting a Horsepower freaks (HPF) turbo kit on it but after driving my friends NSX I had a change of heart and now cant make up my mind on what to do.

I decided to turn to-none other than the NSX guys,to hear your thoughts. I've been reading up on this site on all the different turbo applications availble for the NSX. I've read that the 02+ NSX can safely run about 500 rwhp on boost with a stock motor. Considering the fact that it is lighter than the M3,I think it will give a HPF stage 1 turbo M3 a run for its money. However, HPF has a stage 2.5 for the M3 that comes with tons of things including a built motor car puts out about 670-690 rwhp which is a monster. This HPF stage 2.5 kit runs about $25k-$30k including shipping my car to and from HPF.

This is what I had in mind for my M3,but after driving the NSX and reading that a NSX turbo kit with clutch and install runs a bit under 10k and puts you at around 500 rwhp made me think twice. I mean,driving the NSX all together made me think twice. The NSX looks better, feels better, handles better, sounds better, and holds more value than my M3. At this point I'm considering selling my M3 instead of dropping $25k on it, getting an NSX and enjoying it till Im ready to drop $10k on a turbo kit. Seeing that the car is so light I think I will be happy with 500 rwhp and if the speed bug bites, I guess I can always build/sleeve the motor and run more boost to try and reach a bit over 700-800 rwhp.

Let me know what you guys think, any advise/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thanks in advance.
 
Sounds like you answered your own question in the last paragraph. It would be insane to invest $25/30k in an M3 since there price is on the decline.
 
Last edited:
If you're looking for a "monster" and to be king of the HP wars, then you're probably not in love with the NSX.
 
Step 1. Sell m3

Step 2. Buy 91 nsx that needs motor work/clutch/rebuild.

Step 3. Get turbo kit/engine build/clutch/everything replaced

Step 4. 02 update

Step 5. Update interior with whatever...

Step 6. Sit back and enjoy

If this is what you want. This is what I would do if it were me and I was saying what you were.

Stephen
 
Honestly, I'd sell the M3 (great cars btw) and get an NSX.

But...instead of going FI (I'm a fan of the Comptech Supercharger - reliabe) I'd be placing a call to a certain Chris from Science of Speed and talk to him about getting a 3.6L motor built with short gears and then maybe a SC.

That's how I'd approach it. In terms of the NSX here's a simple quick recap of models:

91-94 - all 3.0L 5-speed coupes
95-96 - all 3.0L 5-speed Targa's (known to be a tad bit slower than coupes due to Targa reinforcement to body)
97-01 - all 3.2L 6-speed targa's except for a rare and small number of specially built order only coupes and the 51 special edition Zanardi coupes.
02-05 - all 3.2L 6-speed Targa's with the exposed headlights and other subtle body enhancements

All NSX's rock. It just depends on what you'd prefer. Welcome to NSX PRime this place rocks!
 
How reliable is HPF 2.5? On my M3, I'm always worried what the next SES light is going to be. I love my M, I really do, that's why I pour alot of money into keeping it pristine. Any other car, and I would have jettisoned it by now.

That's why I'm hopefully going to FI the NSX and keep the M3 NA. In the end, you're going to own an awesome car either way. Prime members know their stuff, so be sure to heed their advice. And as you were saying on M3F, the NSX is just awesome to look at--so keep that in mind.
 
Completely agree with Liquid... You have to decide what you want. Im not sure why anyone could want or need 700rhwp, but people are doing it all the time so apparently they have some rationale. If you are in that camp, I think the NSX is completely the wrong place to turn.

First of all its expensive to mod, difficult to get to those numbers, and bringing the car to those numbers arguably gets you farther and farther away from what makes the NSX the NSX. If you drove it and loved it, Im not sure why you would want to transform it into a 1/4 mile monster. The car is really about balance and precision.

If your point was "I LOVE the NSX but wish it was just a bit quicker on the street to be more in line with the 911TT I had", then I would say DEFINITELY go for the NSX and put a SC on.

But, to me, "700rwhp" is a big red flag. Why not take a look at a Supra or a Viper? Or actually... Why did you get away from the 911TT? The 911TT can make insane power and do it in a way that is far and above beyond most of its competition in MANY categories. It was the only car that made it to the "final round" of my decision making when I decided to come back to the NSX.
 
If you are looking for a high HP car the NSX is not for you. The NSX is about the driving feel and balance. There is no balance in a car with 700wheel. If you want raw HP you want a Supra or a Viper. Making big HP in a NSX is much harder than just slapping on a 10k turbo kit. AEM tuning is not plug and play.

If you have the itch for more power sell the M3 and get a Viper or Supra. Either of those cars would walk the turbo M3 for half the money. If you are looking for balanced driving fun go with the NSX.
 
I don't understand the need for such big HP. It will only get you into trouble or maybe even killed. Having that kind of HP in an NSX makes it more difficult to drive. You basically have to go slow around the corners and punch it on the straights. Like others have said, the NSX is about precision and balance.
 
I only found it in two different places, here and FI. Its like Waldo, where is the third place?
 

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