So, by placing stiffer springs in the front, it resists this transfer of weight and keeps more on the rear wheels, correct?
yes, provided you're on a smooth track.
My understanding is that this retains rear grip on braking and corner entry at the expense of some front grip. Is this the point of the stiffer front R, S and Zanardi setups?
well... yes, but only rear grip in the sense of relatively more weight on a rear wheel, making it less likely to lock a brake while car is unbalanced by braking application. But I doubt this is reason for stiffer front springs. If rear brake lockup is a big problem the professional solution would be to fit braking bias adjustment valves into the hydraulics, and adjust so less force goes to rear brake pads.
Keep in mind NSX has ~ 450lb more weight over the rear axles even when standing still.
I guess my confusion is that if understeer is generally safer, why are the stock NSX's left with oversteer bias and the performance/track models given more understeer?
I'm wouldn't say stock suspension is deliberately oversteer biassed by Honda. It's more a case of most of the weight is over rear axle so rear wheels have to do more work to hold car on track (hence wider tyres). Combined with power to rear wheels and compliance build up in rear bushings means the car can be provoked with rapid power application at wrong moment into snap oversteer / tank slapper syndrome. But I have had this happen in a Porsche Boxster S also, which has a very similar "polar moment of inertia" (weight distribution) yet I would not say they're oversteer biased either.
Is there an advantage to more oversteer on the street that would warrant this decision?
Honda would not have made such a "decision" - see above.
I have heard that the greater oversteer bias results in a more responsive steering feel as opposed to the "understeer" setups with stiffer front springs and thicker front sways.
You're talking about "turn in" i.e. how well a car follows your steering commands and turns into a corner. By definition an understeering car doesn't turn in as well as an oversteering car.
But people don't set up a car for more oversteer to get better turn in per say. More like: on a car with excessive understeer (not the NSX) they will adjust suspension to reduce the understeer.
I'd say the stock NSX in a fast corner with smooth power application has mild oversteer tendencies, plus the risk of snap oversteer if rapid power application or dramatic steering inputs occur.
NSX trackers I know have addressed the mild oversteer characteristic mainly by beefing up the front anti-roll bar, which has the effect of lifting inside rear wheel off while cornering, thus reducing front grip, thus better balancing front/rear grip. I'd suggest you try this before changing to heavier springs.
The guys that know say the best approach to developing track setup is to do one change at a time, learn what it does to the car's handling, then move to next mod. one at a time, bit by bit. The measure for each change is whether your lap times come down :smile:
