A 4.23 ring-and-pinion set further motivate the tachometer needle to whip around the rpm range. The gear combination made for a great selection of short, useable ratios while powering out of corners at Willow Springs, but meant one more shift in the quarter mile, perhaps negating the benefit of the gears on paper, netting the car a 13.85 second timeslip at just under 102 mph.
It didn't help that Ed's NSX hit the track with Pirelli P7000 rubber-a great tire for the street, but outclassed by the stickier compound-shod competition on the demanding corners of Willow Springs. Having learned of the shootout just one day beforehand, Ed was out of luck in the sticky rubber department.
Despite running with a pack of cars equipped with race rubber and hundreds more horsepower, the NSX still pulled off the fastest rear-wheel drive lap time of the day, perhaps the ultimate testament to the NSX's over-engineered chassis dynamics.
Or perhaps the testament was the fact that the car set the fastest time of the two-wheel drive, Clinton-era cars while using stock shocks, helped only by the addition of H&R springs and a set of anti-roll bars from Dali Racing. The NSX felt solid and composed throughout Willow's tricky undulating hills, twists and curves.
The NSX was one of the most successful old-school cars at Willow Springs Raceway that day, and the reason is a paradigm we at SCC have been preaching for quite a few years. The NSX may have been the best-balanced car at the track. Not simply in its dynamics, but also because each aspect of the car's performance was matched to the other aspects. The car didn't put down ridiculous horsepower figures, and didn't have super sticky rubber or big brakes or hardcore suspension, either. But each of the mild modifications on the NSX were a perfect companion to each other.
The Wheel Supply 1992 Acura NSXEngineEngine Code: C30B
Type: V6, aluminum block and head
External Mods: RM carbon-fiber intake, Comptech headers and bypass pipes, custom Flowmaster exhaust, Dali Racing radiator
DrivetrainLayout: Transverse mid engine, rear-wheel drive
Drivetrain Mods: RM Racing clutch, Jun 7lb. aluminum flywheel, 4.23 ring-and-pinion, NSX-R short gears
SuspensionFront: H&R springs, Dali Racing 19mm anti-roll bar
Rear: H&R springs, Dali Racing 19mm anti-roll bar
BrakesFront: Powerstop cross-drilled rotors, Porterfield R45 street brake pads
Rear: Powerstop cross-drilled rotors, Porterfield R45 street brake pads
ExteriorWheels: 17x8 in. front, 18x10 in. rear Volk Racing AV3
Tires: 215/40R-17, 275/35R-18Pirelli P7000
Body: Wings West front lip and side skirts, 2002 NSX rear lower valence
The NSX was one of the most successful old-school cars that day at Willow Springs Raceway