WTB: 91-94 Manual, Red or White, Australia

[NeoNSX]

*big grin* Thanks for sharing John; i read all of that and enjoyed it greatly. But you obviously haven't tried 2nd gear or got above 5500RPM... that or you don't want to admit wetting yourself with excitement after doing so.

I'm free Sunday; so i will see you guys where-ever we decide to meet. Can't wait!!!!

 

[NSXclubofAustralia]

Congrats John - thanks for sharing your stories and welcome to the OzNSX community........albeit a small community.......

What is with all the red NSX/Sydney bashing guys?!?!?!?!:biggrin:

 

[AU_NSX]

Also you may be interested to know that my "94" fortunately appears to have been entirely manufactured prior to the snap-ring production issue, you understand?

Yes I didn't think yours was a '94 as advertised... Because your car has the single centre armrest compartment and no passenger airbag... Both of which came out in late in '92.

Unfortunately for a buyer, the market value is set by the mileage and condition, but the insurance company feels that a 94 requires a higher premium than say a 92

I'm not sure what you are saying here... Are you saying that you are paying less insurance even though it is a low km car because it is an earlier model than was advertised?

Anyway, if I were you... I would go agreed value with full comprehensive insurance like I have on my Twin Turbo. It is insured for an agreed value as there are so many modifications it is impossible to put a market value on it!

I'm keen to hear your exhaust... Is it like this one...

 

[OzzieJohn]

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

Are you saying that you are paying less insurance even though it is a low km car because it is an earlier model than was advertised?

I ended up paying slightly more, because as far as the Vicroads-issued VIN and registration info is concerned, it's a 94, so I've insured it as a 94 for the purposes of consistency. Insurance companies charge a little more for a 94 than a 92 but as you say, the important thing is that I've got it covered with comprehensive insurance for agreed value. For about the same premium as I paid on the MR2 last year!

I'm keen to hear your exhaust... Is it like this one...

Well the tips *look* like that. It seems nowhere near as loud - but the car in that clip is running without cats, and revving in neutral, which I haven't done.

This week I got an alarm and 2 point immobiliser installed, and the A/C (which had a leaking pipe) has been fixed and the system re-gassed.

This afternoon I built some small ramps and did an oil change.

TEIN RA suspension is being fitted Tuesday/Wednesday. After that, the list of things I "need" to do is complete, so hopefully then I can stop shuttling to and from workshops and do some real driving instead!

 

[AU_NSX]

Well the tips *look* like that. It seems nowhere near as loud - but the car in that clip is running without cats, and revving in neutral, which I haven't done.

Yes definitely! The CATS are worth 20% reduction in volume. Can you get any pics?

Curious as to the suspension change? What does it have on it now? Why you went for the Tein RA's? What spring rates are the Teins F & R? Sways... What are you doing there?

Apologise if it seems I'm being nosey, it's just a path I've been down before and I'm interested in your thoughts...

 

[OzzieJohn]

Yes definitely! The CATS are worth 20% reduction in volume. Can you get any pics?

I attached a couple of exhaust-area pics below. On-demand photo shoot included, we lapped Albert Park in the NSX today in just under 14 minutes :biggrin:

Curious as to the suspension change? What does it have on it now?

Eibach springs, and it's supposed to have HKS shocks. They're the right colour but I can't find any model number etc on them. In any event, the front shocks appear to have been poorly rebuilt (ask Neo about his ride in the Honda BMX) and are leaking a small amout of oil.

Why you went for the Tein RA's?

I read good things about this kit on Prime, and because I ended up getting a very good deal on it - was originally getting TEIN's Super Street kit instead. Syd at GT Suspension in Flemington knows how to keep customers happy when things don't go according to plan! I understand the RA kit is discontinued - but so is the NSX

What spring rates are the Teins F & R?

10/12kg = 559/671lbs (F/R). From your old sig - I thought you had the RA kit also, with Dali Track sways - on your 93? How did you find the ride?

Sways... What are you doing there?

The modding bug hasn't bitten me, honest (again, ask Neo :biggrin: ). Seriously, I've hardly driven the "X" yet due to leaking shocks... and think that when I do, it will be long time before the lack of sway bars (rather than my driving) is what holds me back.

Now I've shown you how little I know - what can you tell me about your journey down the path of NSX suspension, sway bars and our less than perfect Aussie roads?

 

[AU_NSX]

I attached a couple of exhaust-area pics below.

Yes that is the same exhaust... Take your cats off or get a Gruppe M if it's not loud enough for you! But that is a beautiful exhaust!

10/12kg = 559/671lbs (F/R). From your old sig - I thought you had the RA kit also, with Dali Track sways - on your 93? How did you find the ride?

Wow John! You have been lurking for quite a while!!! lol...

Yes I did have the RA kit but hated it. I must say that the stiffer track sways contributed... Here's my experience...

I had them installed and I ran them on their softest setting. The next day I went for a drive day with the Queensland club. The Teins were so bumpy and I was getting bashed around in the drivers seat so much that I couldn't take it anymore! I pulled out and drove home very slowly...

I was in pain for the next 3 days and was off work. I had to go to hospital in the end because the doctor thought that I had some serious internal injuries. Luckily, it was not serious just internal bruising... Take some pain killers and rest!

In addition to the damage they caused my internally, the handling of the car was crap! It was so stiff the car was skipping across the road... the car was all over the place... Unpredictable handling on less than smooth surfaces at the limit.

Finally I found the car was unacceptably low... I would scrape on everything!

The other side of the story...

Now, I had this on my '93 in Queensland. The road where I suffered internal injuries was in the Gold Coast hinterland. It is a rough road... No potholes but a lot a patch work.

I also really DRIVE my car... if I'm not transitioning from understeer to oversteer in my mountain fangs... I'm not having fun...

On the race track (Willowbank) I also ran the teins on their softest setting. I managed to cut 2 secs a lap off my lap time with the Teins and wider tyres combined. However, they were still a little stiff as I got some bounce in the braking area at the end of the straight...

I did buy some softer springs for the Teins 8kg front and 10kg rear as the maximum you can go before having them re-valved. However, I never tried the softer springs because
1. I really wanted to go for the ideal 8kg front and 6kg rear which meant re-valving the rear, and
2. I ended up buying an NSX track car... Therefore I didn't need the extra stiffness for the track. For the street, OEM was perfect for Queensland roads... I took the Teins off and went back to OEM.

Now, Victoria roads are the best in Australia... Queensland are some of the worst!

So, I ended up selling my Teins and sways to NSXBOX, and NSXsan has the Tein RA's as well. Both those guys are very happy with the Tein RA kit!

However, neither drive their car on the road anywhere near the level I drive mine at. A cruise is exactly that... cruisey... :smile:

However, NSXBOX has had a professional driver test his car out on the track and the Teins made a HUGE improvement over his previous Eibach set-up.

So, in summary... I suppose It depends what you plan on doing with your car. If you plan to put the Teins on to lower the car to improve the looks and cruise around town... They are great! If you plan on occasionally tracking your car... They are great! A good compromise!

However, if you push your car on bumpy mountain roads, they are terrible!

So, I don't think you'll have any problems John, Vic roads are leaps and bounds above some of the mountain roads I drive on. Plus, the Tein RA kit is really excellent value compared to other coil-over sets out there. And if you do find it is too stiff for your liking, then you know where a set of softer springs are! :wink:

 

[OzzieJohn]

Holy moly! When I read "internal bruising" and "hospital" I did some more searching on Prime to see if you might be pulling my leg but it seems you're not!! I hope that your Dali sways had a big hand in that, but I'm getting used to the idea that I'm in for a harsh ride when I pick the car up tomorrow.

I do a mix of city and country driving, and the NSX is also intended for weekend getaways / short driving holidays. In other words, a wide range of road conditions. I have no plans for track days in the short term, and if I did go that route, to be honest I'd probably start out with the MR2 until my driving improved.

May I put my hand up for first dibs on your softer springs?

Thanks for sharing your experience, I'll try out some different roads and let you know how it goes.

One last question - were you running on stock rims with the RAs?

 

[NeoNSX]

Oy! what's this talking about me behind my back?

The modding bug hasn't bitten me, honest (again, ask Neo :biggrin: ).

Oh yeah... John doesn't have the modding bug... ...much...

 

[AU_NSX]

I do a mix of city and country driving, and the NSX is also intended for weekend getaways / short driving holidays. In other words, a wide range of road conditions. I have no plans for track days in the short term, and if I did go that route, to be honest I'd probably start out with the MR2 until my driving improved.

If I were to do it again... I'd go OEM for a road car with possibly an upgrade to Bilstien shocks... Best compromise without the hastle of having to do corner weighting or multiple settings that you are constantly wondering "if xx seting wouldn't be better for this piece of road"...

But for you John, you are right to bin the Eibach springs... they are rubbish! Now since you already have the Teins and other guys love them... Give them a try! You can always tinker with them... Victoria have much much smoother roads than Queensland so you should be okay with the Teins. If it is a little too stiff, for you, I would recommend put the softer springs 8kg in the front and 10kg in the rear, get a stiffer front sway, maybe the typr-R and leave the stock sway in the rear. See how that went. If it was still a little jittery in the rear I would remove the rear sway altogether.

That's the really good thing about the Teins... You get to have a play and learn heaps about how your suspension affects the cars handling!

May I put my hand up for first dibs on your softer springs?

See how you go with the standard set up first John. If you need them, they are there for you. :wink:

One more thing I forgot to mention... The NSX stock does not have a lot of suspension travel in the front or rear but it has more in the rear. the more you lower your car, the more you NEED to make the suspension stiffer so as you don't hit the bump stops! Probably stating the obvious there but what the heck!

One last question - were you running on stock rims with the RAs?

I was going to... But you should have seen how PUSS the OEM 15/16 rims looked on a lowered NSX with 2.5 deg neg camber!!! I had the wheels 3" inside the guards! So luckily Ian Palmer's workshop was around the corner... Went around and bought a set of 17/18 custom German NSX rims from AZEV off him and fitted a brand new set of Falken 215/40/17 front and 265/35/18 rear tyres... Perfect!

 

[dippy9]

Thanks heaps guys for the enlightment in regards to my suspension troubles.

I have never had a problem with my Eibachs but suppose i couldnt tell the difference anyway.

I have just got a canary so i need to increase my ride height for the time being i'm getting a set of custom springs to bring up the ride height and have then looked at getting the TEIN streets as they are suppose to be more forgiving.

Melbourne roads are great in general but in surburbia where a lot of my clientele are, the roads are shocking and do take a lot of bouncing. Found that the car was scraping everywhere i go and that is not the pleasure i want when driving the car. Would the Tein solve this issue with the adjustments or should i stay on the new custom springs? Bearing in mind i would like to keep my organs.

 

[NeoNSX]

I have just got a canary so i need to increase my ride height for the time being i'm getting a set of custom springs to bring up the ride height

I cant wait to see your NSX with that new hydraulic suspension system... your NSX is gonna be pimpin' da BLING! :biggrin: