The New NSX May Be MR

[nastinupe1]

Honda may have put the engine behind the front axle line instead of the rear, thereby keeping the car a MR setup and maintaining it's balance.

What do you guys think about this?

 

[heySkippy]

Honda may have put the engine behind the front axle line instead of the rear, thereby keeping the car a MR setup and maintaining it's balance.

What do you guys think about this?

If the engine is in front of the driver, I don't want it and I hope they don't call it "NSX".

 

[VampNSXX]

If the engine is in front of the driver, I don't want it and I hope they don't call it "NSX".

+1


why even talk about that car.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Honda may have put the engine behind the front axle line instead of the rear, thereby keeping the car a MR setup and maintaining it's balance.

What do you guys think about this?

I think you are not understanding the correct definition of MR (Mid/Rear).

 

[BD]

It is consider MR: Front midship rear wheel drive, like S2k, SLR Vision etc.

 

[ETLMD]

I think you are not understanding the correct definition of MR (Mid/Rear).

What Vance said. Apparently if the engine is located between the front axle and the rear axle, it is considered mid-engine regardless if the engine is in front or behind the driver.

 

[TURBO2GO]

I've never heard the term MR used for a front engine car. Even if the engine sits rear of the front axle. Are you guys making up new terms? Is this like "4 door coupe"? :smile:

 

[csmeance]

I've never heard the term MR used for a front engine car. Even if the engine sits rear of the front axle. Are you guys making up new terms? Is this like "4 door coupe"? :smile:

Mid engine means engine in middle of the car, it doesn't have to behind the driver.

 

[nastinupe1]

Mid engine means engine in middle of the car, it doesn't have to behind the driver.

Exactly, so the NSX could still have a MR setup. Maybe Honda wanted to give the car more room so they pushed the driver compartment back and extended it for more space and slammed the engine in front of it.

I must admit, I am nervous about this car. If it doesn't beat the GT-R then what will it's purpose be?

When I think of the NSX I think of a David/ Goliath type deal. But The GT-R is going to take the place of the NSX as David if it cost $90k and doesn't perform.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Car and Driver already ranked the GTR second in a 3 way test behind the M3. The NSX was not the fastest car even in 1991. Its not always about speed. Technology will allow cheaper and cheaper cars to be faster and faster. But just because something can quickly lap the Ring... which seems to be the new standard for whatever reason... doesn't mean it's a great car. The NSX can excell in terms of feel, feedback, efficiency, design, etc. It doesn't need to beat the GTR around the ring. If C&D tests the GTR against an R8 right now I can guarantee the R8 will take it. Not in numbers, but it will be ranked first by the editors.

 

[heySkippy]

I've never heard the term MR used for a front engine car. Even if the engine sits rear of the front axle. Are you guys making up new terms? Is this like "4 door coupe"? :smile:

I've heard it used that way before. Fine, technically it's a correct description, but it's not what we (and we know who we are) want.

 

[JeffShoots]

I've never heard the term MR used for a front engine car. Even if the engine sits rear of the front axle. Are you guys making up new terms? Is this like "4 door coupe"? :smile:

They sold the 3rd Gen Rx-7 that way :tongue:

 

[latzke]

Honda may have put the engine behind the front axle line instead of the rear, thereby keeping the car a MR setup and maintaining it's balance.

What do you guys think about this?

I think you are not understanding the correct definition of MR (Mid/Rear).

It is consider MR: Front midship rear wheel drive, like S2k, SLR Vision etc.

I've never heard the term MR used for a front engine car. Even if the engine sits rear of the front axle. Are you guys making up new terms? Is this like "4 door coupe"? :smile:

Mid engine means engine in middle of the car, it doesn't have to behind the driver.

I was under the impression that...

• "Mid Engine" = engine wholly between the axles
• "Mid-Rear" (or "MR") = Mid engine, with engine to the rear of the occupants.
• "Front-Rear" (or "FR") = Mid engine, with engine in front of the occupants.

I was thinking the "rear" part of the MR acronym indicated engine placement. Apparently I was wrong as it indicates which wheels are driven. The Wikipedia entry on mid-engine design uses more-specific acronyms, which might be good to standardize on:

• RMR = Engine to the rear of occupants, midship (between axles), driving the rear wheels.
• FMR = Engine to the front of occupants, midship (between axles), driving the rear wheels.
• MF = Midship (between axles), driving the front wheels.
• M4 = Midship (between axles), driving 4 wheels.

 

[latzke]

BTW, If you're posting to tell us the next NSX may be FMR, it isn't news (we've been bemoning this announcement/rumor for years)...and this thread was created in the wrong category/forum (this belongs in "Second Generation NSX / HSC Discussion" not "NSX Owner Discussion").

 

[troca]

I don't think Latzke is wrong at all, you guys are too young and making up your own definition, although it may be a currently accepted one. I'm going back 30 or more years and the GT40 was MR, mid engine ahead of the rear axle behind the driver, Porsche was RR, rear engine behind the rear axle, Cobra was MF, engine behind the front axle in front of the driver, and your average ponycar was FF, engine over or in front of the front axle. Whether it was front or rear drive never was part of the definition as there were few cars that could even fit a mid engine definition and drive the front wheels, except maybe an old Cord. Front wheel drive cars like the MG1100 or Mini were transverse mounted and esentially sat over the front axle and Audi and Lancia were in line and in front of the front axle, making them really FF and the true opposite of RR.

 

[gdae]

Great, now everyone is confused about long-accepted acronyms.
Maybe that's why Honda's making the new car the way it is. They thought we were asking for the engine in the front.:smile:

 

[TURBO2GO]

I don't think Latzke is wrong at all, you guys are too young and making up your own definition, although it may be a currently accepted one. I'm going back 30 or more years and the GT40 was MR, mid engine ahead of the rear axle behind the driver, Porsche was RR, rear engine behind the rear axle, Cobra was MF, engine behind the front axle in front of the driver, and your average ponycar was FF, engine over or in front of the front axle. Whether it was front or rear drive never was part of the definition as there were few cars that could even fit a mid engine definition and drive the front wheels, except maybe an old Cord. Front wheel drive cars like the MG1100 or Mini were transverse mounted and esentially sat over the front axle and Audi and Lancia were in line and in front of the front axle, making them really FF and the true opposite of RR.

that is exactly how I understood it. MR is the wrong term to use for an engine sitting fore the passenger compartment. MR is being used here as an acronym for "mid engine" when you should just say "mid engine".

 

[shrddr]

interesting.

i have always understood the terminology to be:
1st letter signifying the position of the engine
2nd letter signifying the wheels being driven

i have never heard ponycars being referred to as FF. i have always heard them as FR. front wheel drive cars like the typical sport compacts are the ones i have seen referred to as FF because they... well... drive the front wheels.

for what it's worth though... even if an engine that is in front of the car is behind the front axle (TECHNICALLY making it mid-engined) i have never heard anyone call it mid-engined. case in point... the s2000 is not referred to as an MR car... rather an FR car.

 

[shrddr]

here we go...

traditional mid-engine...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MR_layout

front mid engine...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_mid-engine,_rear-wheel_drive_layout

 

[slamstrom]

interesting.

i have always understood the terminology to be:
1st letter signifying the position of the engine
2nd letter signifying the wheels being driven

i have never heard ponycars being referred to as FF. i have always heard them as FR. front wheel drive cars like the typical sport compacts are the ones i have seen referred to as FF because they... well... drive the front wheels.

for what it's worth though... even if an engine that is in front of the car is behind the front axle (TECHNICALLY making it mid-engined) i have never heard anyone call it mid-engined. case in point... the s2000 is not referred to as an MR car... rather an FR car.

I am more in line with your perspective on the definition (MR = mid-engine, rear wheel drive).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front-engine,_rear-wheel_drive_layout

 

[Aiken Drum]

None of this matters.

What people want is front wheels, cockpit, engine, rear wheels, in that order.

Technical satisfaction of an acronym is not the point.

 

[latzke]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_mid-engine,_rear-wheel_drive_layout

In automotive design, a FMR, or Front Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one that places the engine in the front, as in the FR layout, but pushed back enough that the engine's center of mass is to the rear of the front axle.

I thought the engine had to be completely behind the axle. "Center of mass" - now they're just getting lazy. At this rate my 90 accord will soon be considered "MR" because the engine's center of mass is behind the headlights.

 

[latzke]

None of this matters.

What people want is front wheels, cockpit, engine, rear wheels, in that order.

Someone should tell Honda. :tongue: :wink:

 

[evel333]

...thereby keeping the car a MR setup and maintaining it's balance.

Not quite. There's still rear grip and polar inertia, which a rear MR will still have some advantage over a front MR.

 

[Nukem]

I thought FF stood fr Front engine Front wheel drive,
and FR stood for Front engine Rear wheel drive
and MR stood for Mid Engine Rear wheel drive
and RR stood for Rear engine Rear wheel drive.

Thats the way I thought was. Am I wrong. as far as a MR car The NSX is Mid engine. an S2000 is still (to me) a Front engine car