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Nothing else used the C32 engine... so if one blows, you need to source an engine from a totalled NSX.
What's worse in Bob's case is that he has the NA2... Honda sold a shit ton of NA1s...sourcing a C30 engine is a wee bit easier...but once the NA2 came out, sales were only a fraction of that of the NA1. Its just that much harder/more expensive to source a c32.
As an aside, all automatic NSXs from 1999-2005 are NA1 and have C30B engines. NSX trivia....
Plan is to run low boost. Any boost is risky, but I’m trying to minimize the risk. I’m running the AEM for two reasons: a) this particular kit didn’t come with the stock CT fuel controller. b) even if I did have the fuel controller, I’d still need a tuning solution to deal with the SC when it gets hot—one of the few weaknesses of the stock CT kit. I am thinking of adding meth injection even to my planned low boost setup but am not in a hurry to do so. Running bigger injectors for more headroom.
I got a pretty good deal on the kit, the AEM V2 by itself, used, with NA2 base programming, is ordinarily $1-1.5k by itself.
If the engine blows, I’ll just do a K-swap or a J35 swap. Hopefully, that day never comes.
How many psi is the low boost pulley? Mine is rock solid on 3.5 psi, and there's even someone in Florida who runs 6psi not tuned (for years now). You'll be fine.
How many psi is the low boost pulley? Mine is rock solid on 3.5 psi, and there's even someone in Florida who runs 6psi not tuned (for years now). You'll be fine.
for the nsx 6lbs is the low boost and 9 is the high boost. I hate to say it but you are very wrong. It’s very well known in the nsx community if not done right high boost is a ticking time bomb on an nsx. So it has to be tuned correctly and or some sort of cooling to help. I thought about high boost but I’m going to stay low. It’s plenty power for me.
The supercharger is still sitting in my basement! It'll happen when I get a little time to drive the car three hours to Cincy for install.
Throwback to the day I took delivery of my 1999 NSX three years ago, on 11/7/2015, and another pic showing how Mr. Kaiser sits as of a few days ago. The best part of NSX ownership is meeting other owners and NSX fans. The NSX community is diverse and never ceases to amaze or surprise me. Big things coming in my 4th year of ownership!
Fun facts:
Current mileage: 79,818.6
Miles driven in three years: 20,694
Road trips of more than 100 miles: 7
Longest road trip: 5822 miles, to SF and back by way of LA and Las Vegas on the way back
NSXPOs: 3
Number of U.S. states my car has been in under my ownership: 21
Track days: 6 (5 at NSXPOs, 1 at Mid-Ohio)
Total track miles: approx 400
Average fuel economy over 20.6k miles: 21.4 mpg
Track fuel economy: 10 mpg
Number of gallons of gas consumed: 893
Cost of fuel: $2877.59
U.S. barrels of oil consumed: 21.2
Number of fillups: 71
Cost of routine maintenance: $600 or so ($5k of major maintenance was done as part of purchase price and doesn’t count)
My NSX finally has forced induction...but it's been a long road...
Well folks, I now have forced induction, but not in the way I was expecting. Grab a beer, it's long story time!
My goal was reliable power.
As noted above, I purchased a used Comptech supercharger exactly two years ago. I knew I was going to have bad luck with it when the supercharger was lost in shipping. It had fallen out of the box. I had to track it down and because it had a unique identifying number from being rebuilt, I was finally able to locate it at a UPS lost items facility in Utah. I received the blower a week after I received the partial shipment.
After that, it sat....and sat...and sat. I took time to gather up supporting parts, including the very last Comptech targa holder and rear shock tower brace for targa ever produced before Comptech went out of business, an AEM meth/water kit, AT Motorsport phenolic plate to allow methanol to be injected after the blower, B-Line CAI, and gauges.
After everything sat for more months because of my work schedule, I finally drove to Source 1, near Cincinnati, in May 2019 for the planned install and tuning of my kit. Unfortunately, the install was not to be. It turns out that the blower had not only been damaged in the past, it had been shoddily repaired, including a bolt hole that had apparently broken off, then was (poorly) re-welded. Sure it could have been installed, but it would have leaked and would have been difficult to tune. I was advised, and I agreed, to cancel the installation. I only had the CAI installed. (Recommend! Induction should is as crazy as a turbo!) I then sold the kit, which I clearly labeled as damaged. I lost over half of what I paid for the kit. My über-rare, brand-new Comptech parts were quickly snapped up as Comptech was, and remains, closed for manufacture by the time this happened. My other parts were more slowly sold off.
I learned a valuable lesson: have expensive parts inspected by someone who knows what the f they are doing. Had I done so earlier, I would have discovered sooner that I bought a hunk of junk. I’ve never outed the seller as I genuinely don’t think he realized what he was selling. In reviewing his posts on the Prime FB group, he’d indicated difficulty with tuning with the supercharger, and was concerned about a lack of experienced NSX tuners in his area, prompting him to sell. I suspect the supercharge was damaged prior to his ownership.
So what next? I was (I hope, understandably) bummed about the situation. I looked at options including trading in my NA2 for a NC1 NSX. I nearly traded for a local 2017 with 14k miles that had been sitting at a local dealership for months, with asking price in the $120s. While mulling things over, I was making preparation to attend the 2019 NSXPO.
A couple days before NSXPO, I received a DM from Brian Urlage at Source 1, who’d helped me through the supercharger situation as noted above. He was taking his own, personal SOS twin turbo kit off his car. I had around 8k miles on it, very little mileage. He offered what was essentially a “friends and family” price on it. The SOS TT system is an excellent, turnkey, reliable kit and I could not say “yes” fast enough.
As it happens, Chris Willson, of SOS asked for a ride in my car as the group was headed off to the Air and Space Museum. I availed myself of the opportunity to discuss my situation and to ask about what would be required for my 1999 to use the SOS kit successfully. This led to his briefly test driving my car and recommending a new clutch sooner than later, and high-flow cats. My clutch has been jamming in lower gears for the last two years…and Chris’ suggestion was that the shift fork was damaged. Needless to say, after conversing with Chris, I paid Brian for his kit, and took advantage of the NSXPO discount to buy the a new SOS Sport 350 clutch and high-flow cats.
I dropped my car off at Source 1 in early November, knowing that it would be a few weeks before they could get to my car. Since the end of the driving season was nigh, I could live without my car for several months. In addition to the twin turbo install, I had the new clutch installed and other assorted maintenance done “while Ryan was in there”. I had the master and slave cylinders replaced. (Note: I had the master and slave cylinders replaced in 2019, at my local Acura dealer—not sure if parts or install were faulty, but the master was leaking at the time my car was taken apart, so the job had to be done again. It was likely adding to my shifting issues.) Install was completed, then there was trouble with the Infinity 6 that was installed. It took over a month for AEM to respond and send a new unit out. My climate control unit finally died while at Source 1. They sent my CCU to Brian Kiehnau for repair.
Once done, my car was tuned. The dyno sheet indicates “Dynojet” correction to 453 whp and 381 lb/ft. The dyno was done on a Mustang and the numbers were 411/346.
I was able to pick my car up just before Ohio shut itself down for the COVID-19 response. I am thoroughly enjoying having torque at any rpm. It is…very fast. My first serious highway pull took me to touch over 100 mph before I knew it. The Sport 350 clutch, so far, has been awesome. No chatter, all shifts smooth, no more jamming of the lower gears. Pedal effort is not onerous at all. Highway economy at 80 mph was 18, but then again, I was mashing the accelerator a lot on the 220 mile trip home. I’m still in the process of re-learning how to drive the car.
It’s a new car and I am enjoying greatly. While I still love the NC1 NSX, I can put one off for a while longer.
i'm so happy for you bob... when we texted and you let me in, i was so excited for you... every one of your cars has FI now!!! :baller: when you eventually make the leap to an NC, i'll be first in line to buy this car!!!
You are right. The new NSX is not chopped liver, though. I've launched one and my face damn near melted off. I believe the 2.9 s 0-60 claim. However, my car has a manual transmission, FAR superior visibility, and (frankly) looks better.
Originally Posted by Majofo
Fuck Yeah, Bob!
Originally Posted by KaMLuNg
i'm so happy for you bob... when we texted and you let me in, i was so excited for you... every one of your cars has FI now!!! :baller: when you eventually make the leap to an NC, i'll be first in line to buy this car!!!
If you come through Cleveland, I'll let you drive it.
Originally Posted by civicdrivr
Damn that's amazing! Great write up too. I'm incredibly jealous.
Congrats Bob this is awesome! Shame you had to go through all that to get to this point but you finally have boost. I was hoping to ride in the car at the East Coast meet but I can't imagine that doesn't get pushed back or cancelled till next year at this point.
Originally Posted by KaMLuNg
i'm so happy for you bob... when we texted and you let me in, i was so excited for you... every one of your cars has FI now!!! :baller: when you eventually make the leap to an NC, i'll be first in line to buy this car!!!
Bob won't sell now he will just put an NC1 next to his NA2.
I feel like if I had taken the last few years of HS and College a bit more seriously. My life would have been better.
Killer update, Bob.
Nah, you are even cooler than I am.
Originally Posted by KaMLuNg
paging dr cockstar to the ER...
Originally Posted by CCColtsicehockey
Your stories are already crazy enough imagining you a Dr picking on all the nurses
I know more than a couple of docs like that. He'd fit right in with them.
Originally Posted by CCColtsicehockey
Congrats Bob this is awesome! Shame you had to go through all that to get to this point but you finally have boost. I was hoping to ride in the car at the East Coast meet but I can't imagine that doesn't get pushed back or cancelled till next year at this point.
Bob won't sell now he will just put an NC1 next to his NA2.
As of now, it appears the east meet hasn't been cancelled, but my bet is that it will be. If so, I hope it'll be scheduled for sometime during the summer. I'll still come.
As for the NC1, it will happen, but given I just spent the cost of a good-condition AP1 S2000 on forced induction for my NSX, I'm going to enjoy my NA2 for a few years first.
PS, if I whine about not having a S2000, please smack me, the money I spent could have bought one.
they blocked youtube at work...
i just watched it @neuronbob
Great...now I need to boost the S2000.
Thanks a lot. I'll forward you the invoice.
I bought a Comptech supercharger for my S2000 while I owned it. I changed my mind prior to install, sold it, and used the proceeds as a down payment on my first CTS-V. That was ELEVEN years ago...wow...thanks for the memory...
I will leave it to more knowledgeable people than me to figure out whether turbo or SC is better for a S2000...
I've been told by many that the sweet spot on the S2000 is to leave it alone...
but if you're gonna tempt fate, low boost turbo is the best equilibrium point between usable power and reliability.
I've been told by many that the sweet spot on the S2000 is to leave it alone...
but if you're gonna tempt fate, low boost turbo is the best equilibrium point between usable power and reliability.
S2000 is unique...too much power ruins the perfect balance...at the end of the day, I’m glad I didn’t go with FI on my S2000.
Yeah, I doubt you followed the saga but I sold my silver one to @theMachine and he supercharged it and ended up blowing the engine
after some hot start issues etc etc...could just be bad luck but it made me think I need to leave well enough alone.
Yeah, I doubt you followed the saga but I sold my silver one to @theMachine and he supercharged it and ended up blowing the engine
after some hot start issues etc etc...could just be bad luck but it made me think I need to leave well enough alone.
Ugh so sad....I get having more power is great but some cars just need to be leave well enough alone, like you said. It's about the dynamics and handling and not just pure power. Get a different platform for big power.....
Ugh so sad....I get having more power is great but some cars just need to be leave well enough alone, like you said. It's about the dynamics and handling and not just pure power. Get a different platform for big power.....
One can make the same argument about the NSX, and it’s a sound one. It was perfectly fine NA. It’s now better with more torque at all power levels. I’d say the power I have right now, is about the most the chassis can have and still be streetable or easily trackable. I wouldn’t want more power than this in my car as it would throw off the balance. I’m happy with it for now.
If I change my mind, though, I kept all my stock parts and go back to stock. We’ll see...
Bob, I thought the updates on the CTS-V were good. This absolutely kicks ass. And I second the motion about taking my studies more seriously. I should have done that as well. But no crying (except when I see someone like you with a toy, basically)
Just documenting a minor change. Since I brought the car home, I'd been having an occasional stumble as I was on part throttle, always at the VTEC changeover just above 5500 rpm. I sent a log to the tuner. The tuner indicated that the minimum throttle to activate VTEC was 50%. As I was mostly in the 40% range, the ECU was fueling up for presumably reaching VTEC, but since I wasn't hitting 50% throttle consistently, the fuel mix would run rich and the engine would stumble, as shown on the log I sent. He therefore adjusted the minimum throttle for VTEC activation to 25%. Instantly, all the stumble was gone and the car in general runs much more smoothly on part throttle acceleration. The current tune setup is a better match for my driving style, which is not to use full throttle on the roadway generally...I'd be in jail if I did that regularly.
Now happier that I twin-turbo'ed.
I also replaced my rear hatch shocks with cheapies from Amazon, only $46 for the pair!
It's too bad all the good NSX stuff was postponed this year...NSXPO delayed to next year, and the planned East meet also postponed to "not sure when". 2020 sucks.
04-06-2018, 10:36 AM
Though for the right price north of $60k, I’d have to think about it....
