More on NSXs?
The Honda NSX article today - Vee Six Zed. Given the astonishing shortcomings of the book, is there any additional
information available to properly consider the NSX? Yes, I've read your
article The NSX Approach.
Roger De Salis
New Zealand
Aside from the book featured we aren’t aware of any
publications dedicated to the NSX. Can any
readers offer some useful links?
Why Would Anyone
Want to...
Re: Vee Six Zed.
Why would anyone want to put one of the VG engines into such a
car??? The RB engines are
much more reliable for the same power output. Instead of putting a DOHC
turbocharged VG engine into the car, it would be much better to put in an RB30 complete with RB25
DOHC head and a turbo or
two (the RB25DET head on a standard RB30 bottom-end drops the compression ratio to around 7.8:1 if I remember correctly). The RB transplant would be a lot
easier than the VG
transplant and it would end up being a much more reliable engine and possibly with more power too. But I
suppose it's a case of "each man to his own..."
Danny Barrett
Australia
Sway Go Away
I have just been reading
Sway Bar Shenanigans and found it very interesting. I have a
Ford EA Falcon and picked up a XR6 front swaybar for AUD$20 and found that there was a definite improvement - just by increasing the bar diameter by 1mm. I still have the stock swaybar in my shed and want to add it to the
XR6 swaybar but I fear the
car will understeer too much.
My question is: can the same principle be applied to the rear
swaybar? Can I get another
stock rear sway bar and add it to the one already there? I am unsure about the
pivoting action of the rear swaybar as compared to the front -
and I realise that I should fit an
LSD at the same time and
have sourced a hemisphere to fit my diff center. Your help on this topic is appreciated.
Also, on a side
note,
fordforums.com.au and
fordmods.com are very good resources for all knowledge and buying and selling
Ford parts.They may also
facilitate you with questions about the Falcon computer and electronics system. Congrats on your new EF Falcon - good value for
money
Anton
Australia
Yes you can successfully
‘double up’ rear swaybars. We imagine there
will be no problems in terms of clearance around the live axle Ford. And thanks for the
links!
More Mazda Zoom-Zoom
Big fan of your work! My wife has a 2002 Mazda Astina SP20 that is about to be freed
from lease and I am
looking for some tips on how to "spice things up a little".
I was thinking of
trading it but I took it for a spirited run the other day and it was really quite fun. The handling is
excellent with only low
profile tires on standard mags. I don't think that I would change anything in the suspension setup or
brakes.The SP20 already
requires 95 RON fuel as
standard, so does this mean that it would be ill-advised to consider forced
induction (turbo) as an
option? In your expert opinion, would running a small turbo with 5 psi boost cause terminal detonation problems? I
don't really want to mess
around with internal engine mods or decompression plates, but I would like to
play a bit harder than the standard "breathing type enhancements".
Kurt Armbruster
Australia
A turbo set-up could be installed despite the already high state of engine
tune – after all, you can buy off-the-shelf turbo kits for Honda
VTECs. Five psi would be about right so long as the engine is conservatively
tuned using an aftermarket management system –
or you might be able to ‘get away’ with
another a more creative approach to maintaining adequate fuel and ignition
control. You’ll need a custom exhaust manifold, new exhaust, turbocharger, oil
and water lines, an intercooler and possible fuel
system upgrades – at minimum. It won’t be
cheap!
XR6T ‘Box Swap
Loved your four part
series on the XR6-T (starting at XR6 Turbo Guide - Part One). I am having a great deal of trouble
finding a second-hand manual XR Turbo in NZ but with the engine mods I want to do I am most likely going
to have to upgrade the transmission anyway. My question is, can the T56
(which you refer to in Part 4) bolt into an existing
Tiptronic model or are
there other considerations
(such as the
ECU) to take into account? In other words, should I
stop looking for a manual, pick up a cheap XR6-T auto and use that as the base for a
modified car with the T56 manual gearbox? It would save a lot of hassle. Second hand Ts are as low as
NZ$26,000 over here at present with 70-80,000km on the clock
- bargain!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for your
help.
Ross Smith
New Zealand
Interesting question. We suggest you discuss the conversion with a company
having ‘extreme’ XR6T tuning experience, such as Nizpro or Redcliffe Dyno and
Performance (contact details are listed in the series). Its possible there may be hurdles with
regard to the ECU, tailshaft, mounts and – of course – pedal system.
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