Which Suspension to buy?

RStom - Hungary

RStom - Hungary

Contributing Member
Joined
15 May 2009
Messages
163
Location
Budapest - Hungary
Hi,
I used to have an EVO 8 RS and changed to an NSX right now :-)

1. Which suspension would You buy for about 2000 USD (Tein monofelx, K&W V3, JIC, ....?) I want to use the car only at the weekend and for track days 10-15 times a year!
I have bought the SOS anti-sway bars and NSX-R Chassis bar

2. On suspension setup what do You suggest front, rear (toe-in out, camber...)

Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:
1. If the KW V3 are in your budget, I would go with them.

2. Depends on what tire you are running. If you do 10-15 trackevents a year, you are (or you will soon be) running slicks. I suggest to maximise the camber front (with a low ride, I think you can reach ~ -2.5°) and get a good amount of caster to increase the camber of the outside wheel when in turn. I suggest a little bit of negative toe (divergent wheels) front.

At the rear, a -3.0° to -3.5° camber is common at the track. Toe must be positive (convergent wheels) by a good amount if you do not have the non compliance beam/bushings. The stock '91-'92 toe recommendation is a good value (+3.0 - +3.5 mm each side).

With these settings, do not expect a long tire life on the street. They are rather adapted to track with sticky tires.
 
No discussion for me, get the original New Type-S suspension.
Why? ... I got it and like it a lot
 
asylum said:
1. If the KW V3 are in your budget, I would go with them.

2. Depends on what tire you are running. If you do 10-15 trackevents a year, you are (or you will soon be) running slicks. I suggest to maximise the camber front (with a low ride, I think you can reach ~ -2.5°) and get a good amount of caster to increase the camber of the outside wheel when in turn. I suggest a little bit of negative toe (divergent wheels) front.

At the rear, a -3.0° to -3.5° camber is common at the track. Toe must be positive (convergent wheels) by a good amount if you do not have the non compliance beam/bushings. The stock '91-'92 toe recommendation is a good value (+3.0 - +3.5 mm each side).

With these settings, do not expect a long tire life on the street. They are rather adapted to track with sticky tires.
Click to expand...

Yes, I planned to run on slicks. What toe-out in the front and toe-in at the rear is suggested. I do not care tire life on street!!:rolleyes:
 
rsevo6 said:
No discussion for me, get the original New Type-S suspension.
Why? ... I got it and like it a lot
Click to expand...

I have it too. Great.:biggrin:
 
Depends on a lot of factors: Importance of comfort to you/what spring rates you would tolerate on the street, tire sizing, alignment, ability to change ride height or damping stiffness, desirability of single or double adjustable dampers, etc...

Double Adjustable:
KW V3
JRZ RS
CT Pro/Koni

Single Adjustable:
HKS Hypermax
JIC FLT-A2
Tein Monoflex

Non-Adjustable
NSX-R
Zanardi/Type-S
 
RStom - Hungary said:
Isn't it too soft..? Can You lowering it enough???
Click to expand...

Not adjustable, just as Honda engineers developed it for fast road/light track use as the poster asked for.
Lowers the car about 1/2 inch as compared to standard suspension.
Is a lot stiffer, but not as bone shaking as a Type-R suspension on normal day to day roads.
Makes the car feel more direct and lively as compared to standard, big improvement imho.
 
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I think you are better off with the STMPO bar than the type R bar. Or even both.

I'd do that used Comptech set or a new set of KW V3's. As much as I like factory stuff, I'd prefer to have some adjustability.
 
RStom - Hungary said:
Hi,
I used to have an EVO 8 RS and changed to an NSX right now :-)

1. Which suspension would You buy for about 2000 USD (Tein monofelx, K&W V3, JIC, ....?) I want to use the car only at the weekend and for track days 10-15 times a year!
I have bought the SOS anti-sway bars and NSX-R Chassis bar

2. On suspension setup what do You suggest front, rear (toe-in out, camber...)

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

How much discomfort/Harsh of a ride can you tolerate? How important is
track performance important?

You need to answer this question first.

Complaint soft suspension will be nice on the street but not ideal for the track. Race track are very smooth.

I have the CT Pro with stiffer springs.
My car is still street legal but most would consider this car not streetable.

I may drive it one or twice a week but have a very short commute.
It is Wonderful on the track.

When I get home from the track and take off the Track tires I'll raise up the front suspension ~3/4 of an inch.
This is so I can get over speed bumps and in driveways. I have shimmed for bump steer so the toe should change.
I have stops on the shocks so when I lower the car down I get to the same point.

For the track lowering the car will transform the handling. "Thanks Kip"


Later,
Don
 
I would also say the KW V3, based on Billy's descriptions of its capabilities and extensive development specifically for the NSX on a 7 post rig.

If it was a pure track car, then I think either the NSX-R or Comptech (CT) Pro would be good choices. However, both have extreme spring rates (1000 lbs on the CT!) and will likely be extremely uncomfortable for you on the street.

I run RM Racing springs (no longer made) on Koni adjustible shocks and the car is a joy to drive. The springs are progressive however, which is not the ideal setup for the track. If I were going to upgrade my NSX for around $2000, I'd get the KW V3.
 
Honcho said:
I would also say the KW V3, based on Billy's descriptions of its capabilities and extensive development specifically for the NSX on a 7 post rig.

If it was a pure track car, then I think either the NSX-R or Comptech (CT) Pro would be good choices. However, both have extreme spring rates (1000 lbs on the CT!) and will likely be extremely uncomfortable for you on the street.

I run RM Racing springs (no longer made) on Koni adjustible shocks and the car is a joy to drive. The springs are progressive however, which is not the ideal setup for the track. If I were going to upgrade my NSX for around $2000, I'd get the KW V3.
Click to expand...

I suspect the Nsx-R is still Soft to be real good on the track.

I have 1200Lb front and 800Lb rear springs. I like the stiffer springs over the 1000Lb/600Lb the CT pro Come with.

Again... It is a trade off between Street vs track.
Hell most never get into my car due to the roll bar. So they don't know how rough it is.
 
My 92 with 162,000 mi is my daily driver

SOS did a 3.8 NA rebuild about 2 years ago

Last weekend I replace the original suspension with the KWV3 per recommendation from Chris at SOS and am very pleased.

The car is now so much more precise, more nimble without being harsh at all

I did this install myself with my college son's help. Very doable DYI
Hard part was removing the OEM suspension

I do not have any personal experience with any of the other set ups, but I am very happy with the KWV3

Good Luck
 
hi John --

Glad to hear you like it. I agree with John, if you have a car that is primarily driven on the street but you want the performance for the track, the KW Variant 3 is a brilliant option.

http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/suspension_performance_products/NSX/KW_Suspension/Variant_3/

-- Chris

SMYLDOC said:
My 92 with 162,000 mi is my daily driver

SOS did a 3.8 NA rebuild about 2 years ago

Last weekend I replace the original suspension with the KWV3 per recommendation from Chris at SOS and am very pleased.

The car is now so much more precise, more nimble without being harsh at all

I did this install myself with my college son's help. Very doable DYI
Hard part was removing the OEM suspension

I do not have any personal experience with any of the other set ups, but I am very happy with the KWV3

Good Luck
Click to expand...
 
My only dissapointment in the KW is that its not all aluminum, therefore heavier. There is quite a bit of weights savings to be had with a suspension change.

Chris what sway bars were used on the NSX test car for KW? any idea?
 
Any additional weight of the V3 over a cheaper aluminum JDM coilover is more than offset by the ride quality and performance of the V3. If a suspension gains you tenths or even seconds on the track by being easier to drive, more compliant and comfortable, keeping the wheels on the ground, and stable; those benefits far outweighs being slightly heavier.

For the street-minded, the better damping of the V3 improves ride quality more than a lighter, cheaply built damper.

Any wheels heavier than stock would make a more noticeable affect than a heavier damper. If you have heavy wheels, a subwoofer, Nav system, stock heavy exhaust, stock seats, spare tire, stock steering wheel, or ate that burger for lunch instead of that salad, you have more important weight savings to consider than a heavier damper, especially one with the performance of the V3.



0.02
 
At the moment, I would reccommend the NSX-R bar from SOS in conjunction with the V3. We will be testing the V3 with various bar and spring combinations next month when our test platform is finished.

Damper settings will also be tested for street and track and ballpark settings will be available for those who are intimidated by the 'double adjustable' aspect of the V3 or who just want to have them setup without doing extensive testing themselves.

We have done extensive testing on spring rates for the S2000 platform to find the fastest combination for the track. Those will be available for those who are more track oriented and want to get the most out of their car/suspension.

Softer speings 'generally' yield more grip (without taking camber gain or bumpsteer into consideration). Springs should be used to affect the steady-state balance of the car while the shocks control the body roll/movement of the car. Theirs a reason many GT cars use spring rates that are softer than 800lbs.

-Billy
 
nsxnut said:
I suspect the Nsx-R is still Soft to be real good on the track.

I have 1200Lb front and 800Lb rear springs. I like the stiffer springs over the 1000Lb/600Lb the CT pro Come with.
Click to expand...

Have you ridden in an NSX or Driven a NSX with Type R suspension? I have it and most people who drive it on the street feel that it is way to stiff. On the track though it is awesome.

Unfortunately, I feel many of the suspension recommendations come due to personal perferences. I would love to try the CT vs. Type R vs. KW vs. JRZ on identically set up cars on the same track on the same wknd. Then only could one make an objective decision.

Either way - have fun at the track and be safe!
 

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