NSX-R style engine cover mesh bounces while driving

[BB]

I recently bought SOS's NSX-R style engine cover in carbon fiber. The look is awesome when the car is parked, but as soon as the car starts moving the wire mesh area starts bouncing very noticeably. Granted I have the NSX-R suspension installed in my car which is rather stiff, but even slowly backing out of my smooth driveway I can see the mesh bouncing and it's not subtle! The non-mesh portion of the engine cover does not appear to be moving, it's only the mesh section that flexes up and down with every little imperfection in the road.

Does anyone else experience this with the SOS engine covers? And does a real Honda NSX-R engine cover have mesh that flexes? I cannot imagine that Honda would design something like this.

Also I'm afraid the constant flexing of the mesh will eventually cause it to begin to sag.

 

[NSX-Files]

Maybe mine's already sagged down to the point of no longer flexing, but I've never noticed my SOS carbon fiber cover mesh ever bounce. I have BC Racing coilovers with 8k springs front and rear, so it's not as soft a ride as stock.

 

[B2FiNiTY]

The oem nsxr cover doesn't flex or bounce.

 

[socalx]

Yes I have the oem nsxr engine cover on my 1993 nsx and it does not move at all

 

[davidf]

Have you check to see if it's secured all around? Is'nt the mesh glued on?

 

[redtide]

make sure you have 3 of the rubber stoppers attached to the frame. two on each side and one in the middle. it helps with the vibration and "bounce". part number 75891-SA7-000. its a generic honda part.

im also worried about the "flex" with the SOS covers. if you prop up one side (passenger side) using the stand the other side sags a bit due to the weight of the entire cover. thinking of reinforcing it around but it will just add weight to it. oh well.

 

[brettowen]

Just curious, but have you asked SOS about this? What explanation do they give?

 

[redtide]

well i'm based outside of the states so i guess theres nothing i can really do about it. the frame of the cover is made of fiberglass. it doesn't look bad at all, i just expected a little more out of it in terms of quality i guess. ill ask SOS and see what they have to say about it as well.

Just curious, but have you asked SOS about this? What explanation do they give?

 

[Vanishing Point]

I wonder if the FRP version has the same issues?

 

[redtide]

Apparently their basic model is FRP. So that is pretty much what BB and i received.

I wonder if the FRP version has the same issues?

 

[Jim]

I have a NSX-R style cover (made by Bert) that is fiberglass too and I don't have this issue.

 

[BB]

make sure you have 3 of the rubber stoppers attached to the frame. two on each side and one in the middle. it helps with the vibration and "bounce". part number 75891-SA7-000. its a generic honda part.

I checked and the 3 rubber stoppers are present with the SOS engine cover resting perfectly on top of them. Also, I tried adjusting the engine cover to get the snuggest possible fit when the glass hatch is closed. This definitely helped to reduce the amount of vibration in the wire mesh when driving but it didn't totally eliminate it.

im also worried about the "flex" with the SOS covers. if you prop up one side (passenger side) using the stand the other side sags a bit due to the weight of the entire cover. thinking of reinforcing it around but it will just add weight to it. oh well.

My SOS carbon fiber engine cover does the same thing too. Since there's so much flex in the engine cover it sags downward on the driver's side when propped up using the NSX-R stay rod located on the far passenger's side. While working on the engine its not really noticeable, but if you stand squarely behind the car the sag is very obvious. I wish I had bought a real NSX-R engine cover while they were still available. :frown:

Due to the SOS cover's lack of rigidity I believe it's critical to secure all edges of the engine cover as firmly as possible. This can be seen when the glass hatch is open-- simply poking the engine cover with your finger will cause it to wobble and flex. So I ordered a new engine cover weather strip (part # 74442-SL0-003) hoping it will improve the tightness further. The weather stripping from my original 91 engine cover was looking a bit smashed down a few places and beginning to tear so good time to replace it anyway.

Some other ideas are to buy new weather strip for the glass hatch (expensive) or try adding some additional rubber stoppers (in addition to the 3 factory ones).

 

[fenixv8]

My OEM version does not flex or bounce or sag.

 

[BB]

An update.... I just installed the new engine cover weatherstripping (74442-SL0-003) and the visible vibrations in the wire mesh area of the engine cover are now largely diminished. The mesh still vibrates a little while driving, but it's no longer noticeable to the casual observer. The SOS engine cover itself is not very rigid so the added support around the edges appears to make a big difference.

 

[B2FiNiTY]

That's good to hear. Will keep this in mind for the future.

 

[MK0U]

Just ordered mine, I'll give my input whether or not it vibrates too on 11f and 9r

 

[MK0U]

Mine does not bounce.

 

[BB]

Mine does not bounce.

Is that the FRP version? Does it sag when it's propped up with the stay rod like the carbon fiber version does? We have two people confirming this sag issue on the carbon fiber version, but no one has confirmed if the FRP version has it or not.

Your silver bare bolts on top don't look like what comes with the SOS Installation Kit. Am I correct to assume you didn't use the kit?

I noticed your wire mesh is noticeably courser and thicker than mine. Mine looks like the much finer mesh shown on the SOS web site pictures. On mine I can noticeably move the mesh up and down (nearly creating ripples in it) by simply poking it in the center with my finger! It's reminiscent of a trampoline which I find very disconcerting.

 

[MK0U]

Is that the FRP version? Does it sag when it's propped up with the stay rod like the carbon fiber version does? We have two people confirming this sag issue on the carbon fiber version, but no one has confirmed if the FRP version has it or not.

Your silver bare bolts on top don't look like what comes with the SOS Installation Kit. Am I correct to assume you didn't use the kit?

I noticed your wire mesh is noticeably courser and thicker than mine. Mine looks like the much finer mesh shown on the SOS web site pictures. On mine I can noticeably move the mesh up and down (nearly creating ripples in it) by simply poking it in the center with my finger! It's reminiscent of a trampoline which I find very disconcerting.

You are correct about the mounting kit. This is the frp version. It is still a bit flimsy when I lift it up.