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MUGEN
05-06-2010, 07:03 AM
Hi guys, I have been following this forum for a little while now so I thought I would register and declare myself.
I am GM for Mugen Euro based in Northampton, and although I don't own an NSX (I have an Accord as my daily driver/company car and S2000 as my own bit of fun), I am naturally interested in anything Honda, and particularly Honda tuning, related. I don't plan to post too much I suppose but I am happy to respond to anything Mugen (insofar as it doesn't stray into confidential territory) where appropriate.
I have had the pleasure of meeting at least two forum members, along with their cars, and we had a pretty good day talking about our passion; cars, and Honda, and I look forward to following the stories of your cars from the rest of you enthusiasts.

NoelWatson
05-06-2010, 12:38 PM
Hi guys, I have been following this forum for a little while now so I thought I would register and declare myself.
I am GM for Mugen Euro based in Northampton, and although I don't own an NSX (I have an Accord as my daily driver/company car and S2000 as my own bit of fun), I am naturally interested in anything Honda, and particularly Honda tuning, related. I don't plan to post too much I suppose but I am happy to respond to anything Mugen (insofar as it doesn't stray into confidential territory) where appropriate.
I have had the pleasure of meeting at least two forum members, along with their cars, and we had a pretty good day talking about our passion; cars, and Honda, and I look forward to following the stories of your cars from the rest of you enthusiasts.


Welcome to the forum. If you are who I think you are, I met you at the pub when testing the red and white Mugen Civics back in Feb - I was driving blue NSX.

I mentioned when on the tour of HQ- not sure if our market is too small for it to make economic sense, but there are enhancements that some of us would potentially be interested in - brakes being one example.

I tried to get sign off for Mugen Civic purchase but committee only gave me budget for an R26.R - we should be able to do comparison at Odiham next month.

Regards

Noel

Paul G
05-06-2010, 06:43 PM
Hi Mugen,

Welcome to the forum. Not sure how long you have been involved with the Mugen brand? Back in 1979 I was competing in various motocross events and had the pleasure of racing against one very lucky guy, who happened to get hold of a works mugen CR125 honda (I think one of only 4 sold world wide, AKA Johnny O'Mara fame) as per most Mugen parts, very special, but this for me has to take the biscuit from any thing else produced, I dont suppose you know of it's where abouts?

Just a trip down memory lane.

Cheers
PG

MUGEN
05-06-2010, 08:51 PM
Welcome to the forum. If you are who I think you are, I met you at the pub when testing the red and white Mugen Civics back in Feb - I was driving blue NSX.

I mentioned when on the tour of HQ- not sure if our market is too small for it to make economic sense, but there are enhancements that some of us would potentially be interested in - brakes being one example.

I tried to get sign off for Mugen Civic purchase but committee only gave me budget for an R26.R - we should be able to do comparison at Odiham next month.

Regards

Noel
Hi Noel, yes it was me you met at the pub.
We are always looking at new programmes and NSX would fit the bill, nothing definite in the pipeline just yet, but never say never. Brakes would be a good place to start though (do you remember how good the Civic brakes were?).
Pity you didn't go for the Civic but as I understand it, the R26.R is a good weapon.

Sudesh
05-06-2010, 08:57 PM
I actually have a Mugen NSX brochure with some listed bit in it.

Will try and scan or photograph it and post up.

MUGEN
05-06-2010, 09:05 PM
Hi Mugen,

Welcome to the forum. Not sure how long you have been involved with the Mugen brand? Back in 1979 I was competing in various motocross events and had the pleasure of racing against one very lucky guy, who happened to get hold of a works mugen CR125 honda (I think one of only 4 sold world wide, AKA Johnny O'Mara fame) as per most Mugen parts, very special, but this for me has to take the biscuit from any thing else produced, I dont suppose you know of it's where abouts?

Just a trip down memory lane.

Cheers
PG
Hi Paul, thanks for the welcome.
It's funny you should mention motocross as this was when I first heard of Mugen myself (I was also racing at the time) and is now one of our very latest programmes. We have just launched the Mugen Banzai kit for the Honda CRF450, and we have Scott Elderfield racing it in the British Championships.
The guy you mentioned on the CR125 could well have been Mark Banks, who by a very quirky coincidence was one of the other people who was at the pub when I met Noel (post above). Mark used to ride works Mugen kit (his dad, John was a very successful works BSA rider); they now have a number of car dealerships in Suffolk (including a couple of Honda dealerships) and in fact I was at Mark's house the other week testing our CRF250 kit with his nephew Elliot (good rider).
I don't know where any of the ex-works bikes are, although it's possible there may be one back at HQ in Japan.
Quite a lot of people have been in touch about the old bikes since we announced our return to the sport and Mugen is fondly remembered by old motocrossers.

NSX 2000
05-06-2010, 09:40 PM
Hi guys, I have been following this forum for a little while now so I thought I would register and declare myself.
I am GM for Mugen Euro based in Northampton, and although I don't own an NSX (I have an Accord as my daily driver/company car and S2000 as my own bit of fun), I am naturally interested in anything Honda, and particularly Honda tuning, related. I don't plan to post too much I suppose but I am happy to respond to anything Mugen (insofar as it doesn't stray into confidential territory) where appropriate.
I have had the pleasure of meeting at least two forum members, along with their cars, and we had a pretty good day talking about our passion; cars, and Honda, and I look forward to following the stories of your cars from the rest of you enthusiasts.

Hi Mugen, or should I say Colin :D

Just spent 3 hours this afternoon washing 2 of my fleet, then took some photos of MUGEN 02 which I'll post later. Haven't even done 1000 miles yet but found a small mark on the front spoiler :( I'll blame the wife as she drove it last :D

If you and Hiro are looking into Mugen NSX parts I would recommend wheels and brakes for starters :)

All the best, Paul.

Paul G
05-06-2010, 10:03 PM
Hi Mugen,

Yeah, been reading about the Banzai kit, Scott Elderfields farther has his shop not far from where I live, good rider, lots of talent, he could go along way with the right backing, fingers crossed he remains injury free and titles come his way.

The guy I raced was Paul Hardiman, his farther used to import DG racing and JT perfomance products from the US back in the 70/80's, makes me feel old now ;-) I know Mark had Mugen parts but Paul's was the true works bikes, white bike, blue seat, and water cooled, way ahead of what we had (I still won the club championship that year ;-)!) I've had some mails of a guy in the states who purchased the only other bike that was for sale, he wont sell for any price now! Gave me some good info and background on how he dealt with the preisdent on Honda Japen to do the deal, how long he had to wait, the sad part was that he got badly injured not long after taking delivery so didn't get to ride it hardly at all.

I purchased a Honda 500 from John Banks years back to help sponsor a friend of mine, who was racing against Mark in the British Championship, good days.. Hey, John Banks was my hero ;-)..

Good luck and hope to meet up one day

PG


Hi Paul, thanks for the welcome.
It's funny you should mention motocross as this was when I first heard of Mugen myself (I was also racing at the time) and is now one of our very latest programmes. We have just launched the Mugen Banzai kit for the Honda CRF450, and we have Scott Elderfield racing it in the British Championships.
The guy you mentioned on the CR125 could well have been Mark Banks, who by a very quirky coincidence was one of the other people who was at the pub when I met Noel (post above). Mark used to ride works Mugen kit (his dad, John was a very successful works BSA rider); they now have a number of car dealerships in Suffolk (including a couple of Honda dealerships) and in fact I was at Mark's house the other week testing our CRF250 kit with his nephew Elliot (good rider).
I don't know where any of the ex-works bikes are, although it's possible there may be one back at HQ in Japan.
Quite a lot of people have been in touch about the old bikes since we announced our return to the sport and Mugen is fondly remembered by old motocrossers.

simonprelude
05-06-2010, 10:19 PM
I actually have a Mugen NSX brochure with some listed bit in it.

Will try and scan or photograph it and post up.

This one........... ;)

http://nsxcb.co.uk/testvb/showthread.php?t=3692

Sudesh
05-06-2010, 10:24 PM
lol!:)

Thats the very one buddy!

Just noticed "NSX1"

Now I'm not a big fan of NSX plates but that is a good number.


This one........... ;)

http://nsxcb.co.uk/testvb/showthread.php?t=3692

MUGEN
06-06-2010, 07:01 AM
Hi Mugen, or should I say Colin

Just spent 3 hours this afternoon washing 2 of my fleet, then took some photos of MUGEN 02 which I'll post later. Haven't even done 1000 miles yet but found a small mark on the front spoiler I'll blame the wife as she drove it last

If you and Hiro are looking into Mugen NSX parts I would recommend wheels and brakes for starters :)

All the best, Paul.

Hi Paul

1,000 miles may well be as many as any of them have done so far (we have now completed #05); although 2 of them have gone up to Glasgow so they did a few hundred miles on their trip(s) home.
I saw a few pics of your car at Japfest, from what I read a few of the Civic boys might have bombarded your wife with questions (sorry about that).
I am glad to see that you are letting your wife drive it though (stone chips aside:)); is she an "enthusiastic" driver i.e. does she enjoy the V-Tec experience?

Hmmm, another vote for Mugen brakes for NSX - food for thought:think:, I will report back to Japan.

best regards
Colin

markc
06-06-2010, 11:06 AM
Hi Colin, welcome to the NSXCB forum :)

My vote would be for some good NA induction parts. We have noted a pressure differance (drop) in the inlet system which means an airflow restriction in there somewhere. Conjecture among the internet experts is that it's not airbox or throttle body (maybe fractionally) related, perhaps inlet manifold/VVIS system? but there's no conclusive proof. Personally I wouldn't pay for ported heads but it'd be nice to know what resolves it.

Also some "chip" tuning for the NA2 (OBDII) ECU, and I don't mean a complete replacement ECU. Something to take advantage of a better exhaust system and good fuel. It's hardly rocket science if you have the right kit and know how but nobody has bothered developing anything in 13yrs! I have a very healthy '97 JDM NA2 car if you need a test mule :) I'm sure you'd sell half a dozen of these immediately if said chip wasn't silly money.

Cheers

Mark

AR
06-06-2010, 12:54 PM
I'm sure you'd sell half a dozen of these immediately if said chip wasn't silly money.

Cheers

Mark

Well that rules it out then Mark lol!

NSX 2000
06-06-2010, 01:43 PM
Hi Paul

I am glad to see that you are letting your wife drive it though (stone chips aside:)); is she an "enthusiastic" driver i.e. does she enjoy the V-Tec experience?

best regards
Colin

Colin does this answer your question?

We've just got back from Supercar Sunday at Goodwood, I took the NSX and my wife the MUGEN, when we got home she did say "I do like the way the extra power comes in and it goes even faster"

Paul.

NoelWatson
06-06-2010, 02:34 PM
do you remember how good the Civic brakes were?).


They were indeed excellent. Not sure if the NSXs are worse partly because front tyres are only 215 width, but even our BMW on 225 seems to stop more quickly.

NoelWatson
06-06-2010, 02:35 PM
Hi Colin, welcome to the NSXCB forum :)

My vote would be for some good NA induction parts. We have noted a pressure differance (drop) in the inlet system which means an airflow restriction in there somewhere. Conjecture among the internet experts is that it's not airbox or throttle body (maybe fractionally) related, perhaps inlet manifold/VVIS system? but there's no conclusive proof. Personally I wouldn't pay for ported heads but it'd be nice to know what resolves it.

Also some "chip" tuning for the NA2 (OBDII) ECU, and I don't mean a complete replacement ECU. Something to take advantage of a better exhaust system and good fuel. It's hardly rocket science if you have the right kit and know how but nobody has bothered developing anything in 13yrs! I have a very healthy '97 JDM NA2 car if you need a test mule :) I'm sure you'd sell half a dozen of these immediately if said chip wasn't silly money.

Cheers

Mark

I reckon your engine has different compression ratio so it may be tricky to develop generic chip.

NSX 2000
06-06-2010, 04:19 PM
A few photos

NSX 2000
06-06-2010, 04:25 PM
Some very nice wheels and even better brakes :)

NoelWatson
06-06-2010, 06:04 PM
A few photos

I showed Sam, and he is now claiming his car has more torque than yours

http://www.noelwatson.co.uk/photo.jpg

markc
06-06-2010, 06:23 PM
I reckon your engine has different compression ratio so it may be tricky to develop generic chip.

I doubt it but my ECU will be a bit different from the UK ones anyway. Perhaps Mugen have an off the shelf JDM version for me?


Some very nice wheels and even better brakes :)

I like the brakes, not so keen on that wheel design though.


I showed Sam, and he is now claiming his car has more torque than yours

http://www.noelwatson.co.uk/photo.jpg

What is it with 4x4 drivers and hats :)

Cheers

Mark

MUGEN
06-06-2010, 06:37 PM
Colin does this answer your question?

We've just got back from Supercar Sunday at Goodwood, I took the NSX and my wife the MUGEN, when we got home she did say "I do like the way the extra power comes in and it goes even faster"

Paul.

Excellent Paul - what a perfect way to describe V-Tec.

TheSebringOne
06-06-2010, 07:05 PM
Those callipers look great and if they fit the NSX, they would be a great option for those whose track their cars? I suppose they would be at a premium price though?

Lankstarr
06-06-2010, 09:51 PM
Volunteer no 2 for the test mule... Surely you'd want a facelift car to try a few toys on!! Welcome to the forum, many of us will be interested in NSX parts and chip and brakes would be a good place to start. So many cos do chips nowadays and claim xyz increases even for na cars, it'd be great to get a few extra ponies out and a custom remap once the exhaust and induction have been done... 3.2 bits pls :-)

markc
07-06-2010, 08:41 AM
Chaps, there are already loads of brake upgrade options out there for the NSX, do we really need another one? Remember calipers alone won't help much, you need bigger discs to "sink" the heat (energy).

It's a different story with ECU tuning for the OBDII cars, no one in the USA or Europe has gotten around to this yet. I can't believe it would be more than a few hours work for one of the Honda tuning specialists to turn their attention to the NSX ECU and work out how to adjust the fuel/ignition maps to release a few extra ponies when combined with a descent exhaust, while retaining traction control function of course? If it can be done for far more complex cars like the Porsche GT3, Nissan GTR or even the S2000, it can be done for the relatively simple NSX.

Come on Mugen, if nothing else it should represent a challenge :)

Cheers

Mark

AR
07-06-2010, 10:30 AM
Excellent Paul - what a perfect way to describe V-Tec.

VTEC...

Just had to.

I honestly don't think there is a market for Mugen NSX parts in the UK. They are without a doubt, some of the best parts available, but price wise they are out there. Just think of a Mugen set of NSX manifolds...$ 5.000.00 USD, a diff just $ 5.000.00 USD from King Motorsports US Mugen Distributors.

I had the pleasure of owning an NA1 NSX-R that had a host of mugen bits from headers, ECU to Diff and some gearbox fettling, fantastic car but 15K can buy a lot more in todays world.

Just my humble opinion and all that etc, not knocking MUGEN's quality or heritage, but at the end of the day what would be the difference from a heathshielded Mugen Manifold and any other quality one...?

Cheers,

AR

simonprelude
07-06-2010, 12:34 PM
i-VTEC surely.......


VTEC...

AR
07-06-2010, 03:01 PM
i-VTEC surely.......

Or is it u-VTEC???

markc
07-06-2010, 03:11 PM
Or is it u-VTEC???

we-VTEC :)

Rob_Fenn
08-06-2010, 09:10 PM
Do you have any links to the racing side of things, be it Group N type racing up to Super GT?

At the moment we're re-inventing the wheel with our race cars, with the lack of contacts in Japan. We once spoke to Mugen in Japan and they were incredibly secretive.