What About Non-Compliace Bushings and Toe Links?
Comptech
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| Comptech Non-Compliance Toe Link Kit/Non-Compliance Bushing Kit (Rear Suspension Beam) | |
[AT] The two modifications I’ve made which I believe have made my NSX a lot more stable was changing the rubber parts out of the rear beam and toe links. I’ve used the Comptech Non-compliance bushing kit and toe link kit and had the alignment changed to 94 specs in the rear. This gets rid of most of the flexing and alignment changes the rear experiences during hard cornering and it allows you to sense and correct the car more quickly when you start to experience it oversteering.
Now I know a lot of you may think this is a lot of BS but for me it completely changed how well I was competing on the autocross courses. Before the mod. I could almost guarantee at least 1 spin out of four runs while trying to get a fast time. I experienced this tendency to spin right after a long straight and then braking hard for a quick turn to the left or right depending on the course. After the mod. I was able to take the car into a corner just as hard if not harder and then as I felt the oversteer coming on, I could correct for it quickly and the car would respond almost immediately to stop the oversteer and also any snap-back tendency.
I also was able to apply power while correcting for the oversteer and this aided in the control of the car even more. More than any other mod. one could make for the NSX’s rear suspension, the Non-compliance bushing and toe kit are worth there weight in gold. This doesn’t mean you couldn’t still spin the car, but it does reduce the propensity for it to happen just "out of the blue". Hopes this long explanation is of some help.
[BH] I didn’t really notice anything peculiar until my first track day. In a high speed turn the rear end did not follow the front end for an instant of a second. Something in the rear end was absorbing (storing) energy that I wanted transmitted to the asphalt. I ultimately termed the sensation " checking-up " ( later I learned Comptech calls it "winding up" ) because the car would eventually bite once the rubber bushing compressed (or whatever it did). Even Porsche 911 types did not experience this sensation in their cars. Once I got used to it, it was no big deal, but I was not comfortable getting into the throttle before I felt the car check-up.
In the end, the aluminum bushings absolutely stopped the checking-up, and high speed turns have less drama associated with them. And the car feels solid and smooth throughout the turn. I think the ride is slightly stiffer, and you will need to get the car aligned after installation of the new bushings.
Sorry for the lack of technical language, but this exercise was more of a subjective thing. If you don’t go to the track and do not plan any other suspension upgrades, I would leave the rubber bushings in there. They don’t make that much of a difference on the street.