New owner first impressions

[JJM4life]

hello all. this forum seems pretty quiet, but its proved to be a solid reference so far. figured i should introduce myself, and why not give my initial thoughts. alwys fun to read back later on and see if my opinion has changed

the car:

https://lbilimited.com/offerings/1991-acura-nsx/

dealer was great. bought the car sight unseen and it was represented as honestly as any car could have been. i was pleasantly surprised with the condition when it showed up. a friend of mine actually flew out to detroit to pick it up and drove it home in one day. wish i could have gone..

ive had a bunch of fun cars over the years, but a NSX has always been a car on the bucket list. life forced me to sell my ridiculously overbuilt 964 in december, but I missed having a fun car. so here i am.

initial impressons-

-too damn quiet. that can be fixed.
-seating positon is great, other than the height of the seat. holy hell i feel like im sitting on the car not in it.
-view from the drivers seat is awesome. better than my 964, or any midengine car ive had ( 2x lotus s111, noble m400). its truly something only a 90s car could have.
-steering feel is lacking. for a manual rack i had higher expectations of road feel. the first few degrees in either direction off center are numb before it actually turns in. hoping a smaler diamter wheel will help remedy this. that said, disapointing.
-gearing sucks. why is second gear 200 miles long? i imagine the jdm gears will fix that.
-tranmission is awesome. this is what a manual should feel like. best transmission ive experienced. clutch grabs fairly high. wondering if its worn...
-build quality is as good as my porsche of the same time period. this thing was built to last. the hvac is lightyears beyond porsche of the same time period. if it wasnt for the tape deck and 15 inch wheels its a thouroughly modern car.

overall im very happy with the car. i think some tasteful modifications will remedy the few shortcomings i pointed out. very open to suggestions on parts etc. hoping to not go too crazy on this one. the porsche got really out of hand, really fast.
looking forward to putting some miles on this summer

 

[NSX_n00b]

hello all. this forum seems pretty quiet, but its proved to be a solid reference so far.

initial impressons-

-too damn quiet. that can be fixed.
-seating positon is great, other than the height of the seat. holy hell i feel like im sitting on the car not in it.
-view from the drivers seat is awesome. better than my 964, or any midengine car ive had ( 2x lotus s111, noble m400). its truly something only a 90s car could have.
-steering feel is lacking. for a manual rack i had higher expectations of road feel. the first few degrees in either direction off center are numb before it actually turns in. hoping a smaler diamter wheel will help remedy this. that said, disapointing.
-gearing sucks. why is second gear 200 miles long? i imagine the jdm gears will fix that.
-tranmission is awesome. this is what a manual should feel like. best transmission ive experienced. clutch grabs fairly high. wondering if its worn...
-build quality is as good as my porsche of the same time period. this thing was built to last. the hvac is lightyears beyond porsche of the same time period. if it wasnt for the tape deck and 15 inch wheels its a thouroughly modern car.

overall im very happy with the car. i think some tasteful modifications will remedy the few shortcomings i pointed out. very open to suggestions on parts etc. hoping to not go too crazy on this one. the porsche got really out of hand, really fast.
looking forward to putting some miles on this summer

Congratulations on your purchase! Prime is a little quiet these days but certain topics do have a very good buzz to them still. Poke around a bit and you'll see. Prime is a treasure trove of knowledge as long as you're willing to dig around.

Did the car come with the maintenance records for all of the services that the CARFAX shows? The 30k service doesn't include the Timing Belt/Water Pump service and even if it was done in 2006 that's 12 years ago and well outside the recommended maintenance window. If you have the records I would look through them and see if you can find a date for the last TB/WP service. If you can't find a record of it being done in the last 7-ish years it's something you may want to think about as well as several other preventative maintenance items (other dry belts, crank pully, tensioner, LMA's, Coolant Hoses, Cam Plugs, etc).

A few recommendations based on your initial thoughts...

-for it being too quiet, yes it can be fixed and there are a TON of options with regards to I/H/C/E
-for seat height, I find that I'm actually pretty low already but I'm short (5'9"), but I know taller guys (especially those that track their car but keep OEM seats) take the bottom cushion and cut an inch or two of foam off of it
-for the steering feeling lacking, don't forget it's a 28 year old car at this point, while yours doesn't have a lot of mileage on it and the manual rack tends to wear with miles not age it might not be a bad idea to send the rack out to NSX Rack Repair. Matt and Charles do amazing work and you'll be amazed with the results...as for a smaller diameter wheel, you're on the smallest OEM diameter wheels offered for the car. The wheels went from 15/16 (Fat 5's) to 16/17 (7 spoke) and then to 17/17 (02+) and one of your other statements is that the 15" wheel keeps it from being a modern car.
-the JDM gears will definitely fix the long 2nd gear. The issue you may face is last I heard the whole JDM gear set is NLA from Honda so you'll probably have to pick it up from TheNSXShop or Science of Speed. You may want to consider the NSX-R R&P as well but that will depend on if you think you're going with larger rear wheels that will significantly increase the rear wheel diameter (wheel + tire).

All of that said...ENJOY the car!! And welcome to the family.

 

[RPM217]

High engagement on the clutch is normal.

 

[JJM4life]

Congratulations on your purchase! Prime is a little quiet these days but certain topics do have a very good buzz to them still. Poke around a bit and you'll see. Prime is a treasure trove of knowledge as long as you're willing to dig around.

Did the car come with the maintenance records for all of the services that the CARFAX shows? The 30k service doesn't include the Timing Belt/Water Pump service and even if it was done in 2006 that's 12 years ago and well outside the recommended maintenance window. If you have the records I would look through them and see if you can find a date for the last TB/WP service. If you can't find a record of it being done in the last 7-ish years it's something you may want to think about as well as several other preventative maintenance items (other dry belts, crank pully, tensioner, LMA's, Coolant Hoses, Cam Plugs, etc).

A few recommendations based on your initial thoughts...

-for it being too quiet, yes it can be fixed and there are a TON of options with regards to I/H/C/E
-for seat height, I find that I'm actually pretty low already but I'm short (5'9"), but I know taller guys (especially those that track their car but keep OEM seats) take the bottom cushion and cut an inch or two of foam off of it
-for the steering feeling lacking, don't forget it's a 28 year old car at this point, while yours doesn't have a lot of mileage on it and the manual rack tends to wear with miles not age it might not be a bad idea to send the rack out to NSX Rack Repair. Matt and Charles do amazing work and you'll be amazed with the results...as for a smaller diameter wheel, you're on the smallest OEM diameter wheels offered for the car. The wheels went from 15/16 (Fat 5's) to 16/17 (7 spoke) and then to 17/17 (02+) and one of your other statements is that the 15" wheel keeps it from being a modern car.
-the JDM gears will definitely fix the long 2nd gear. The issue you may face is last I heard the whole JDM gear set is NLA from Honda so you'll probably have to pick it up from TheNSXShop or Science of Speed. You may want to consider the NSX-R R&P as well but that will depend on if you think you're going with larger rear wheels that will significantly increase the rear wheel diameter (wheel + tire).

All of that said...ENJOY the car!! And welcome to the family.

the one surprise about this car is the lack of documentation, especially being essentially a one-owner car. im trying to find a shop in the Boston area that can take care of all the maintenance concerns and more.
i should have been more clear, i wa referring to the stearing wheel diameter, not the wheels.
thanks for letting me know about the gears and steering rack rebuild, ill have to look at options.

High engagement on the clutch is normal.

good to know, thanks

 

[JJM4life]

hey thanks for the feedback. im currently looking for a shop in boston to handle the maintanence and however i decide to modify it.

re: wheel diameter, i meant the steering wheel. but thanks for letting me know about the steering rack and gears, i'll look into that.

good to know the high clutch engagement is normal.

 

[NSX_n00b]

re: wheel diameter, i meant the steering wheel. but thanks for letting me know about the steering rack and gears, i'll look into that.

oh ok. As for steering wheel there are a decent number of aftermarket options for steering wheels and hubs out there as well

 

[JJM4life]

oh ok. As for steering wheel there are a decent number of aftermarket options for steering wheels and hubs out there as well

going to a smaller diamter wheel on my porsche made a huge difference. hoping that fixes what i perceive as a lack of steering feel. prices on nsx parts are resonable ( well compared to porsche tax) except for a nsx-r steering wheel. that and the horn button are shockingly expensive.

 

[JJM4life]

first up is trying to find wheels without having to wait months. driving on the 15/16 setup hurts my soul

 

[natcc99]

first up is trying to find wheels without having to wait months. driving on the 15/16 setup hurts my soul

You probably already know why the rims are small. Here is a recap.
https://youtu.be/mIiOW8LzACg

 

[NSX_n00b]

going to a smaller diamter wheel on my porsche made a huge difference. hoping that fixes what i perceive as a lack of steering feel. prices on nsx parts are resonable ( well compared to porsche tax) except for a nsx-r steering wheel. that and the horn button are shockingly expensive.

The NSX-R steering wheel is just the Momo Tuner wheel with 3 extra holes in it

The NSX Type-S steering wheel is basically just the Momo Monte Carlo wheel with a triangular pad on the center and 3 extra holes

I think I have an extra Type-S horn button I can sell if you end up in the market (Black “H” instead of NSX-R has a Red “H”)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hass]

Congrats and welcome

1. I have the MOMO Corse and I love it.
2. Clutch high engagement is normal
3. I have 17/18 wheels and won’t go smaller or bigger

 

[JJM4life]

The NSX-R steering wheel is just the Momo Tuner wheel with 3 extra holes in it

The NSX Type-S steering wheel is basically just the Momo Monte Carlo wheel with a triangular pad on the center and 3 extra holes

I think I have an extra Type-S horn button I can sell if you end up in the market (Black “H” instead of NSX-R has a Red “H”)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i had a feeling it was a Momo tuner, and i might just take you up on that horn button.

Congrats and welcome

1. I have the MOMO Corse and I love it.
2. Clutch high engagement is normal
3. I have 17/18 wheels and won’t go smaller or bigger

im looking at 17/18 setups, but they gotta be light. having had 3 cars without power steering before, i know how much wheel weight effects steering effort. I'm honestly shocked how heavy this car feels, especially for the lack of steering feel. the view out over the hood makes up for it though.

 

[BATMANs]

-for the steering feeling lacking, don't forget it's a 28 year old car at this point, while yours doesn't have a lot of mileage on it and the manual rack tends to wear with miles not age it might not be a bad idea to send the rack out to NSX Rack Repair. Matt and Charles do amazing work and you'll be amazed with the results...as for a smaller diameter wheel, you're on the smallest OEM diameter wheels offered for the car. The wheels went from 15/16 (Fat 5's) to 16/17 (7 spoke) and then to 17/17 (02+) and one of your other statements is that the 15" wheel keeps it from being a modern car.

I had the same complaint and did the full rack upgrade/rebuilt & Euroboutique smaller diameter steering wheel (using the OEM wheel and retaining the airbag) and would do it again.

Made a huge difference.

 

[NSX_n00b]

i might just take you up on that horn button.

just let me know

 

[JJM4life]

I had the same complaint and did the full rack upgrade/rebuilt & Euroboutique smaller diameter steering wheel (using the OEM wheel and retaining the airbag) and would do it again.

Made a huge difference.

awesome good to know. im gonna look into that. lots of maintence items need to be addressed considering its a fairly low mileage car.

just let me know

i dont seem to be able to use PMs here. unsure why. but i'll be in touch

 

[JJM4life]

let the modding begin. te37s on their way. need coilovers asap.

 

[Hass]

Let’s see some photos of your other rides

 

[JJM4life]

in no particular order, a sampling of former cars, and my bike. abarth was like 230whp when i sold it, super fun car. both lotus were supercharged making 300ish whp, and under 2k lbs. the bike and 964 were by far the largest projects. the bike was built from a bare frame, and was featured in a few magazines and on some websites. we call it a tronsa as its part bsa, part triumph and part honda. the porsche was fully built. built 3.6, 993 g50 trans with custom gearing and a billet lsd, 993 turbo brakes, 993 gt2 evo front suspension. bilstien pss10s.. and on and on..

 

[JJM4life]

Ordered tires and a set of kw v3 today. Wheels will be here Thursday Need headers/exhaust asap

 

[Hass]

Beautiful rides

 

[asylum]

The bike and the 964 are amazing.

 

[goldNSX]

initial impressons-

-too damn quiet. that can be fixed.
-seating positon is great, other than the height of the seat. holy hell i feel like im sitting on the car not in it.
-view from the drivers seat is awesome. better than my 964, or any midengine car ive had ( 2x lotus s111, noble m400). its truly something only a 90s car could have.
-steering feel is lacking. for a manual rack i had higher expectations of road feel. the first few degrees in either direction off center are numb before it actually turns in. hoping a smaler diamter wheel will help remedy this. that said, disapointing.
-gearing sucks. why is second gear 200 miles long? i imagine the jdm gears will fix that.
-tranmission is awesome. this is what a manual should feel like. best transmission ive experienced. clutch grabs fairly high. wondering if its worn...
-build quality is as good as my porsche of the same time period. this thing was built to last. the hvac is lightyears beyond porsche of the same time period. if it wasnt for the tape deck and 15 inch wheels its a thouroughly modern car.

Congrats! The basic NSX has more the feel of a grand tourismo than a sportscar. That's why it is so quiet, the steering quite light and the gearing ultimatively long. The long gearing of the steering rack, the high profile tires and the soft suspension comtribute to that and are the result of Honda aiming for a car being able to drive on the race track but also to the grocer.

The other question is if you really want to mod a stock car she now seems to be. If so, 17/18 wheels, other suspension, more hp, exhaust and shorter gears will make a sportscar out of it. :wink:

 

[Honcho]

hello all. this forum seems pretty quiet, but its proved to be a solid reference so far. figured i should introduce myself, and why not give my initial thoughts. alwys fun to read back later on and see if my opinion has changed

the car:

https://lbilimited.com/offerings/1991-acura-nsx/

dealer was great. bought the car sight unseen and it was represented as honestly as any car could have been. i was pleasantly surprised with the condition when it showed up. a friend of mine actually flew out to detroit to pick it up and drove it home in one day. wish i could have gone..

ive had a bunch of fun cars over the years, but a NSX has always been a car on the bucket list. life forced me to sell my ridiculously overbuilt 964 in december, but I missed having a fun car. so here i am.

initial impressons-

-too damn quiet. that can be fixed.
-seating positon is great, other than the height of the seat. holy hell i feel like im sitting on the car not in it.
-view from the drivers seat is awesome. better than my 964, or any midengine car ive had ( 2x lotus s111, noble m400). its truly something only a 90s car could have.
-steering feel is lacking. for a manual rack i had higher expectations of road feel. the first few degrees in either direction off center are numb before it actually turns in. hoping a smaler diamter wheel will help remedy this. that said, disapointing.
-gearing sucks. why is second gear 200 miles long? i imagine the jdm gears will fix that.
-tranmission is awesome. this is what a manual should feel like. best transmission ive experienced. clutch grabs fairly high. wondering if its worn...
-build quality is as good as my porsche of the same time period. this thing was built to last. the hvac is lightyears beyond porsche of the same time period. if it wasnt for the tape deck and 15 inch wheels its a thouroughly modern car.

overall im very happy with the car. i think some tasteful modifications will remedy the few shortcomings i pointed out. very open to suggestions on parts etc. hoping to not go too crazy on this one. the porsche got really out of hand, really fast.
looking forward to putting some miles on this summer

Welcome to NSX ownership! Yes, NSX Prime is not what it once was, as most older owners are not on the forum anymore and many of the newer owners are on the largely chaotic and useless Facebook group. But, there are a few of us left and this forum is a huge source of information. Pretty much any question about the NSX can be answered here. As to your impressions:

- As Gold mentioned, the NSX was designed to be a sporty grand tourer with impeccable build quality, precise handling and a luxury feel. It was Honda's attempt to bridge the gap from their F1 racing cars to their everyday passenger cars (there is an early chart from the NSX development team that shows this!). They made specific decisions about the design to best fit this mission. Both the intake airbox and the exhaust are tuned to eliminate resonance and maximize low end torque, while delivering a pleasant, sporty exhaust note. It's quite a complicated design, really. Most owners put a loud exhaust on almost right away, drive it for about a year, then get sick of the drone and headaches between 2500 and 3000 rpm, and go looking for something quieter or just put the factory exhaust back on lol. FYI, the factory muffler robs about 10 whp from the engine at high rpm compared to the high flow designs out there. If you are going to change out the exhaust, IMHO the best "no compromise" exhaust for the NSX in terms of power, weight and sound is the Fujitsubo Super Ti. Check my thread here for details. Another good option is the Comptech (now CT Engineering). Pretty much everything else drones like hell, despite what the vendors swear by on the websites .

- LOL I think you're the first person I've ever heard say the NSX seat feels high. I'm 6'1" and I feel like I'm sitting on the pavement in this car. If, however, you mean that you have a commanding 360 degree view outside the car then yes, that's intentional by Honda. They wanted the view to be like from a F1 car.

- Your steering linkages are 28 years old and your steering rack is probably worn out. A NSX with a new steering rack, bushings and toe links should feel direct and crisp. Hit up Matt and Charles at NSX Rack Repair and they will get you sorted. I would also check your ball joints for movement, as this also can contribute to a sloppy steering feel. Carbon 6 sells a fantastic replacement ball joint set.

- The long second gear in the USDM cars is due to the belief that American roads are long and wide and American customers would want taller gearing to "cruise" these roads in comfort. By contrast, Japanese roads are short and twisty, so shorter gearing made sense there. Also, the long second helped with US CAFE fuel economy measurements.

- If by "high" you mean close to the floor, then this is totally normal.

- Despite its age, this car is one of the best built ever. It has all of the quality of those late 80's and early 90's Hondas. No rattles, no noise, perfect panel lines. Just an amazing car.

Nice choice on the TE37s. A classic JDM NSX option! Fight the urge to go with super wide tires on this car. Big rims and fat tires ruin the fun and handling feel of the NSX. They are more of a track car option where you are always looking for more grip (235/275 seems to be the preferred choice for the track guys). Stick to the OEM widths (215/245 or 215/255) and you'll be happy.

For headers, there are a few really good ones. Comptech, Science of Speed, Pride and DC Sport are all good and have confirmed good fitment (I had Pride on my last NSX and they were excellent). If you want to be a JDM Emperor, then the RF Yamamoto, KSP and Fujitsubo headers are all works of art, but you will pay $$$ for that extra 5 whp.

You are very lucky to be close to Mitch at Mechanics Direct/Lowell Auto Repair in Lowell, MA. Mitch has been servicing the NSX since 1991 and he will take great care of your car. Basically everyone in New England goes to him.

 

[JJM4life]

Congrats! The basic NSX has more the feel of a grand tourismo than a sportscar. That's why it is so quiet, the steering quite light and the gearing ultimatively long. The long gearing of the steering rack, the high profile tires and the soft suspension comtribute to that and are the result of Honda aiming for a car being able to drive on the race track but also to the grocer.

The other question is if you really want to mod a stock car she now seems to be. If so, 17/18 wheels, other suspension, more hp, exhaust and shorter gears will make a sportscar out of it. :wink:

Thanks for the welcome. this car is so clean and original, it’s a shame I’m going to “ruin” it haha.

Welcome to NSX ownership! Yes, NSX Prime is not what it once was, as most older owners are not on the forum anymore and many of the newer owners are on the largely chaotic and useless Facebook group. But, there are a few of us left and this forum is a huge source of information. Pretty much any question about the NSX can be answered here. As to your impressions:

- As Gold mentioned, the NSX was designed to be a sporty grand tourer with impeccable build quality, precise handling and a luxury feel. It was Honda's attempt to bridge the gap from their F1 racing cars to their everyday passenger cars (there is an early chart from the NSX development team that shows this!). They made specific decisions about the design to best fit this mission. Both the intake airbox and the exhaust are tuned to eliminate resonance and maximize low end torque, while delivering a pleasant, sporty exhaust note. It's quite a complicated design, really. Most owners put a loud exhaust on almost right away, drive it for about a year, then get sick of the drone and headaches between 2500 and 3000 rpm, and go looking for something quieter or just put the factory exhaust back on lol. FYI, the factory muffler robs about 10 whp from the engine at high rpm compared to the high flow designs out there. If you are going to change out the exhaust, IMHO the best "no compromise" exhaust for the NSX in terms of power, weight and sound is the Fujitsubo Super Ti. Check my thread here for details. Another good option is the Comptech (now CT Engineering). Pretty much everything else drones like hell, despite what the vendors swear by on the websites .

- LOL I think you're the first person I've ever heard say the NSX seat feels high. I'm 6'1" and I feel like I'm sitting on the pavement in this car. If, however, you mean that you have a commanding 360 degree view outside the car then yes, that's intentional by Honda. They wanted the view to be like from a F1 car.

- Your steering linkages are 28 years old and your steering rack is probably worn out. A NSX with a new steering rack, bushings and toe links should feel direct and crisp. Hit up Matt and Charles at NSX Rack Repair and they will get you sorted. I would also check your ball joints for movement, as this also can contribute to a sloppy steering feel. Carbon 6 sells a fantastic replacement ball joint set.

- The long second gear in the USDM cars is due to the belief that American roads are long and wide and American customers would want taller gearing to "cruise" these roads in comfort. By contrast, Japanese roads are short and twisty, so shorter gearing made sense there. Also, the long second helped with US CAFE fuel economy measurements.

- If by "high" you mean close to the floor, then this is totally normal.

- Despite its age, this car is one of the best built ever. It has all of the quality of those late 80's and early 90's Hondas. No rattles, no noise, perfect panel lines. Just an amazing car.

Nice choice on the TE37s. A classic JDM NSX option! Fight the urge to go with super wide tires on this car. Big rims and fat tires ruin the fun and handling feel of the NSX. They are more of a track car option where you are always looking for more grip (235/275 seems to be the preferred choice for the track guys). Stick to the OEM widths (215/245 or 215/255) and you'll be happy.

For headers, there are a few really good ones. Comptech, Science of Speed, Pride and DC Sport are all good and have confirmed good fitment (I had Pride on my last NSX and they were excellent). If you want to be a JDM Emperor, then the RF Yamamoto, KSP and Fujitsubo headers are all works of art, but you will pay $$$ for that extra 5 whp.

You are very lucky to be close to Mitch at Mechanics Direct/Lowell Auto Repair in Lowell, MA. Mitch has been servicing the NSX since 1991 and he will take great care of your car. Basically everyone in New England goes to him.

Lot of good info in this post alone. Thanks so much. I’ll have to check out mechanics direct. Looking into the parts you’ve listed as well

 

[goldNSX]

Welcome to NSX ownership! Yes, NSX Prime is not what it once was, as most older owners are not on the forum anymore...

Many of the owners are still around and we all get older. D 15 years on prime can't be erased out of the brain so quickly.

Thanks for the welcome. this car is so clean and original, it’s a shame I’m going to “ruin” it haha.

...as long as you do moderate mods and keep it reversible, no problem. If not, have fun!