Project NSX: Part 4 – We track test KW Suspension, Volk Wheels and Nitto Tires in Pursuit of a Track Record

Project NSX on trackWith our lighter and wider CE28 wheels and NT05 tires mounted, KW V3s to lower our center of gravity and control the well-designed NSX suspension geometry, and a STMPO front chassis brace and lightweight aluminum rear bumper, we were ready to hit the track to see what our NSX could do.

After a few laps despite freezing temperatures, our NSX managed to click off an impressive 1:58.994, which at the time of writing is unofficially the record for a naturally aspirated NSX (or S2000 for that matter) with stock aero on street tires.  That’s over 2 seconds faster than the car did on its old tires.  It’s also worth mentioning the car has full interior, stock seats, and a full sound system complete with a subwoofer.

Project NSX three quarter view
NSXs are such rewarding cars on track and still one of my all-time favorite cars to drive.  They challenge the driver and reward good inputs with a very connected driving experience and quick lap times.  It also does not hurt to have had Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest drivers of all time help refine the suspension of the car.

The KW V3s with the lighter Volk CE28s made the car handle and perform very well, and the NT05s made a ton of grip with a great audible howl to let you know where the limit of the tire’s grip is at.  It’s no wonder they make for such popular track tires with so much feedback to the driver. With their huge outer tread blocks, they are also extremely durable as a few 3,700lb+ cars were there tracking them with no issues.  We even beat our goal of a sub 2:00 by over a second.  However the car was a little loose with the 457lb spring rates front and rear on our KW V3s with 235 front tires and had a bit too much front body roll with the tiny stock swaybars.  To go faster with our current suspension, a larger front swaybar is in order to balance out our setup.

Project NSX Swaybars
As you can see from the in-car video, the front of the car was rolling a bit too much resulting in oversteer which the NSX-R wing could not stabilize.  The car really needs to increase the front roll couple and what better way to do that than with a larger front bar like this Dali Racing 1.125” Trophy swaybar?  This is the same bar that helped FXMD and I to win a ton of Time Attacks in the FX750 and it will be installed on Project NSX before we head out to the track which should balance out the handling and allow us to go even faster.

Project NSX Swaybar Brackets
We modified the stock swaybar brackets which originally used these grease fittings to accept self lubricating delrin bushings.  This should eliminate any noise caused by the metal on metal nature of the original design.

Project NSX and FX750
Both FX Motorsports’ FX750 and Project NSX set records at Buttonwillow today.  After beating our objective by over a second, Project NSX is going to undergo a brake system upgrade, a face lift, and eventually the turbo motor will go in it.  Stay tuned!

Sources:

KW Suspension

Mackin Industries (Volk Wheels)

Nitto Tires

1 comment

  1. Very similar to my white 94. KW’s, Dali bars, non bushed rear toe links, Nitto 555s for street use, Pride exhaust & breathy heads/valves/springs. Topped with JDM short gearset HRE 17X8.5 and 18 x 10. Hope you also have a pan baffle. Very little body roll. Removed compliance locks since I no longer track.

    The four inch shifter handle’s base is even with the console top. NA2 brakes, Not much slower on straights than Comptech SC but pulls past 8K. Now fabricating chassis bracing top & bottom front.

    The car is great and looks brand new.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*