Honda Car Forum

Here¹s the Car & Driver test from 2000 comparing car performance from 0 to
150 to 0 mph, where one would think the NSX wouldn¹t have done as well
because it was designed as a supercar with superior balance in cornering,
handling, as well as acceleration. But the NSX beats all but the Viper at
other cars¹ game ‹ straight line performance and braking.

How the Stockers Performed

BY FRANK MARKUS

In the past four years, we've tested more than 70 production cars that could
top 150 mph. So when we cooked up this brutal test, we invited back seven of
them. Our entrants were chosen to cover a variety of price classes and body
styles. The Acura NSX, the Chevy Corvette, the Dodge Viper GTS, and the
Porsche 911 Carrera represented variations on the purpose-built sports-car
theme. The BMW 540i Sport and the Jaguar XJR waved the high-zoot-sedan
banner, and the Chevy Camaro Z28 SS stood for value velocity with its base
price of just $24,495.

It should come as no surprise that the Viper won the stock class outright.
Its 450 horsepower topped that of the others in the stock class and more
than compensated for its fifth-ranked aerodynamic drag. It launched
relatively easily from about 1500 rpm, pulled like a black hole, and then
stopped without drama. Gearing kept the Viper out of its tall, overdriven
fifth cog, ensuring strong acceleration right to 150. Its brakes, which are
without anti-lock, were surprisingly well balanced and easy to modulate, as
attested to by the smooth braking curve.

Second place was a surprise. We expected the Corvette, with the second-best
power-to-weight ratio and the best aerodynamics, to snatch the silver,
especially since it outbraked the other stock cars with a 720-foot stop. It
was a cinch to launch, and its demeanor was quiet and comfortable, even at
140 mph. But shifting into the tall 0.74:1 fifth gear at 134 mph dropped the
LS1 V-8 out of its power band. At that point, the Acura NSX, which was
singing along near its power peak in a 0.91:1 fifth ratio, managed to slip
by and win second place. The Vette was third.

We had expected the NSX and the 911 to duke it out for the bronze. Their
power-to-weight ratios and aerodynamic drag are nearly equal (the 911's
greater frontal area is offset by its superior 0.30 drag coefficient). But
this NSX was the fastest one we've ever tested, and it diced with the
Corvette to 130 mph before pulling decisively ahead to reach 150 mph two
seconds in front of the Vette. Despite a soft pedal and less-than-perfect
high-speed braking stability, the NSX returned the fourth-best overall
stopping distance at 742 feet, trailing only the Corvette among the
stockers.

Our low-mileage Porsche was neither the fastest nor the slowest 911 we've
tested, but it was no match for the rocket NSX. The 911 ran with the pack
through 100 mph, but then its acceleration leveled off. The 911's 10-second
time from 140 to 150 mph was the longest of any car's in the test, and five
seconds longer than the NSX. Strong, smooth brakes couldn't make up for that
much lost time, and the 911 finished in last place. Perhaps an engine with
more than 600 miles on it would have run quicker.

Strong pull at high speed helped the 540i six-speed beat some tall odds. Its
282-hp rating was the weakest of the stockers, and its power-to-weight and
power-to-aerodynamic-drag figures were the poorest. But gearing kept its
4.4-liter V-8 near the power peak at 150 mph, which helped the BMW move from
last place at 130 mph to a fourth-place finish by 150 mph. Strong, firm
brakes hauled the 540i down in 796 feet, anti-locking all the way.

The Jaguar XJR performs with impressive nonchalance. Tromp on the right
pedal for 34.8 seconds; then stomp the left one for another 8.6. Its
supercharged 370-horse V-8 does much to overcome the XJR's 0.39 drag
coefficient (poorest of the stockers) and any pumping losses in the
automatic tranny. The brakes faded a bit, causing the pedal to gradually
stroke all the way down to the floor during each stop, but they recovered
quickly and the anti-lock-equipped Jag still outbraked all three Vipers.
Optimal gearing kept our Jag pulling hard to 150 mph, but pure physics
conspired to rank it fifth in the stock class.

The Camaro Z28 SS uses the same engine (making 25 fewer horses) and the same
gear ratios as the Corvette, and indeed, it ran within a half-second of its
stablemate to 100 mph. But after that, the gap widened because of the SS's
higher drag coefficient (0.34 versus 0.29) and larger frontal area. Smaller
tires on the Camaro prompted an earlier shift into the dreaded fifth gear,
which extended the interval between 130 and 150 mph. Braking was strong and
stable at 772 feet from 150 mph, topping the Eurosedans and the Vipers.
Priced at a fraction of the cost of the other stockers, the Z28 SS finished
sixth, but it was the easy winner in the unofficial bang-for-the-buck
category.

On Mar 28, 10:02 pm, Russell Lombardo <rll_...@cox.net> wrote:
> Here¹s the Car & Driver test from 2000 snip

there have been more recent tests, too.
how does the NSX compare?
you can use the 2000 results from the NSX since it's still the same
car.