NSX's new engine annouced today

Bill, although my viper was modded, I never left a gas station without knowing where the next one was!! The only way you could get 25 mpg in a viper is 65mph, 6thk gear and no variation. The car will not let you do that unless you are asleep or dead.

 

Well... with this rational, If the new ZO6 gets a bit more horsepower, it will beat a McLaren F1... Then that means the McLaren F1 will be irrelevant... I think the new ZO6 will be the god of all cars... Wait... no... it's VERY far from it... in a year... few will care....

 

good point, to rate all sports cars by hp per dollar is missing the essensce of true sports car....in that case, the new mustang shelbly, at 450plus hp and 40k dollars, is the worlds best sports car....

 

bah! the kid next door to me years ago with a 300hp rotary he built for under $5k would **** on all that. so who gives a flying-winky-dink?

 

Ive recently driven an RL, the new one with AWD. That car really needs a V8. Then, simply drop compression ratio slightly and give it twin turbos for the NSX (V8TT=alot of racing heritage), thus keeping costs down and improving two of acuras stablemates. And please dont make us wait 4 years. I have some car magazines from the late 90s that "didn't include the NSX in this supercar shootout due to its successor being unveiled soon." Honda needs to get over their antieightcylinderness for whatever reason.

CJB

 

Some thoughts....

The V10 makes sense if the new Lexus "supe-coupe" comes out with the rumored V10.

The V10 doesn't make sense since F1 is going to V8's and a direct street car - race car (BAR or Honda team) tie-in is lost.

The V8 makes sense in that Honda/Acura could probably package it in more vehicles than a V10, thus maintaining a flexibility that they have demonstrated as desirable.

-dp

 

Honda is testing Ridgelines with V8's. Honda announced new NSX will have a V10, so i'm guessing Ridgleline and RL will get the V8.

 

If the Z06 is faster than the McLaren F1 it would likely have 700hp+.

You think few would care if the Z06 had 700hp? Right.

 

I'm probably as critical of Ferrari as I am of Honda.

 

That's 'cause you nsxprimers are ku-razy!!!

 

That is because the company he works for is either making, or supply some parts for the V10. We'll see.

 

That's one of the smartest things I heard on this site in a long time. Everyone likes to b!tch about the hp or it's "soul", but the minute anyone talks about Ferrari's 0-60 or 1/4 mile comparisons to other cars everyone gets their panties in a bunch. Fact is when the NSX came out it completely embarased Ferrari in every single way, and with 97+ NSX's the 355 didn't have alot to pound their chest about either. And I LOVE the fact that they left it basicly alone for 15 years, nothing like getting it right from the start and leaving it the fudge alone. I'd be pi$$ed to buy a car the was inferior to itself every 2-3 years....like Porsches and Vettes...or F cars every five years. And it's sad that you have to wait till the last year to get a semi realible Ferrari, they just throw some POS out the first year and spend the next four fixing their problems. Honda and Toyota have the crazy idea of fixing those problems BEFORE they release it....crazy I know!!!

 

How extensive were the mods? I've known a few owners who've sworn they get around 25mpg on the highway (6th gear, 65 - 75mph).

Granted, it's WAAAY into the single digits around town =).

Bill in Brooklyn

 

The NSX will never get a turbo ... at least I hope to god it never does. The NSX is a track car. Turbos under full time use get heat soaked and rob power very quickly. The way around that is good cooling but the more plumbing you have the more turbo-lag you have ... not good for a track car.

A V10 is a great motor choice for this car. Shorter, lighter, and less friction than a 12, shorter stroke for higher revs than a similarly displaced 8, and the correct power levels for where the bar currently is in the world of performance sports cars today.

Seriously, in a few years, DOHC V8s are going to be obsolete. The only V8s I expect to see in the next 5 years are pushrod V8s of really large diplacement (something pushrod 8s do well). The reason for this is the ridiculous horsepower levels that have come about in the past 4 - 6 years that all sports cars must now meet. For the companies making "purist" sports cars with no forced induction, displacement is the key to the future and foreign sports cars have always been about revs. To keep displacement up, with the shorter strokes necessary to maintain high revs, you need cylinders!

3 Years ago you had the Viper. That was it. Now we've got the Viper, the Gallardo, the M5, M6 , Carerra GT, an on-the-way Audi, and an on-the-way VW IIRC, and of course this newly announced NSX motor. Right now V10s are the performance motors and 12s are still the "smooth, power, luxurious" motors. As power levels increase, 12s will be the new performance motors with 8K RPMs and 700 naturally aspirated HP .. and 16s like that Cadillac (or was it Chrysler?) abomination will be the luxury engines.

Bill in Brooklyn

 

i owned a 97 nsx and later a 98 355.....the 355 is a faster , better handling and more viseral car..... as much as i loved nsx from the start in 1990,i really think honda needed to up date the nsx years ago, 15 years is many generations for car technology, the nsx was very advanced 15 years ago, it no longer is....new car nsx sales have been none existant over the past 6 years....

 

These are the people we should hear comments from. I repect your opinion very much, had both and loved both and can make up your own mind.
But...lol, faster? maybe..by a tenth or two but T-top vs GTS virtually the same. I do think the 355 would seem faster though. They're so close it mostly would depend on the driver. Better handling, again, too close depends on driver, but 355 should have better "feal". Viseral..hmm have togo with the NSX their...watch them left manifolds there on the 355 lol....and many other things.
They did update the NSX over the years, but very very little aside from in 97. And their sales have been non existent from like 94/95...more than 6 years, but that's what I love about them. I see more 348/355 then NSX's, and when I see an NSX it's really rare and special
But again, I do apprecite your fair and experienced opinion, most just see the horsey on the hood and already have their minds made up. Drive whatever makes you happy

 

you are right, the actual perf. figures are close, with the 355 slightly faster, but not by much...i quess maybe its more the feel and sound of the car...also , both cars are midengined, but my 355 gave the impression of slightly better handling, but this is subjective...their is no doubt that the nsx was and is a great car...great fun to drive and very well built and made...i have followed the gradually improvements over the years, but i still wish honda had given the car more development and attention over the years...but you are right, they are now more rare than ferraris!!! i see 10 360s for every nsx i see in my suburb!!!!the post 97s are the best nsxs, with the 6speed and extra hp....

 

it's almost as if Honda gave up and just *expected* everyone to CompTech supercharge it anyway. Why spend millions making a new engine when your customers can just drop the money for the performance?

 

False.

 

I would hope that Honda is "smart" and fluid enough to switch strategies when new conditions (market, competitors, etc.) arise . The V10 might have been under way in 2003 (when the I believe the Honda-BAR program kicked into full swing) and would make sense for the F1 tie-in. Now F1 is going V8's (although not exclusively), and someone above mentioned the Ridgeline being tested with a V8, and I don't think Honda/Acura wants to compete in the Lambo/F-car space, but rather just below it (remember they are a historically conservative company).

On the other hand, there was a quote going around last year attributed to a high-ranking ex-Honda C-suite individual to the effect of "Honda has lost it's way, misplaced it's priorities, and will not be the strong company it is today until a much later time in the future."

 

Not false. I'm not saying it's a GT3 or a 360CS, but it's designed as something that is more at home at the track than anywhere else. It's Honda's attempt at a streetable "drivers car". For its day, it was a better track car than 99% of what was out there.

By today's standards, it's soft, agreed. But that doesn't make it any less of a track car.

Bill in Brooklyn

 

I can't find the article but Honda has lost over $800 million with the current NSX. The NSX even today, especially overseas in R trim is beloved by the press, even with a small displacement V-6 and a 15 year old body. The funny thing is, didn't the 911 do the same, as the 308 as it grew over time and got better?
Sadly, people WILL NOt pay 90k for a Honda overseas and they won't pay 90k for an Acura here. The brands do not command the price, no matter how perfectly balanced the car.

ITs also odd, as its near exotic yet reliable as a Civic. One of the few true daily drivers.

The NSX caught much of the sports car world napping in 1990 but the world got VERY HORNY with the internet stock boom and well look at today, you can get a 600hp AMG Benz, 500 hp V-10 4-door M5, not to mention how Ferrari and Lamborghini and Pagani and others are just stepping up.

 

Regarding the $800 million. That was just some comment in Motor Trend from a some car company. He also said that is why they will never build another NSX.

Guess he was wrong.