GT6 Duel of the Week #70: The Grand Finale (well, not really)

[MidFieldMaven]

My best times with both on Comfort Soft tires at Mid-Field:

1:20.806 - 468 - Honda NSX Type R '02
1:21.824 - 466 - Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02

I tested an Acura NSX '04 and despite weighing 160 kg more than the Type R, it was only 2 seconds slower at Mid-Field. You theoretically could strip any NSX and upgrade the suspension to be just as fast as the Type R.

NSX-R is 4 mph faster than the Mazda by the end of the straightaway, reaching 144 mph. The FD is more stable and easy to drive fast, while the NSX requires a slightly delicate touch when accelerating through the turns to keep the back end from sliding out. Don't get me wrong, it's extremely well-balanced and not oversteer-happy at all. It's just that with the RX-7, you worry a lot less about the back end coming around. What's really nice about the NSX is that it's naturally aspirated, so there's no lag or high-rpm power drop-off to think about.

RX-7
1.3L
292 hp /6,500 rpm
245 ft-lb / 4,500 rpm
1,270 kg (2,800 lbs)

NSX
3.2L
290 hp / 7,100 rpm
237 ft-lb / 5,500 rpm
1,270 kg (2,800 lbs)

Both weigh the exact same! NSX has more than 2x the engine displacement, 2 fewer horses, and 8 fewer ft-lbs of torque (turbo powah baby!)

I have a feeling the NSX would be faster at Tsukuba, but I'm curious so I'll have to try it out myself.

My vote goes to the FD RX-7. The best RX of them all. Thanks to Mazda for building it.

 

[ALeftRighter]

NSX, why? Ayrton Senna had two, and helped design the chassis. No fd, as cool as they are, can top that.

 

[MidFieldMaven]

Only dry laps I could dig up, RX-7 runs a 1:07.6 best lap (hot lap, not in a race) and 2nd generation NSX Type S (I know, not a Type R but close enough) runs a 1:06.1



So far, I've managed a 1:06 in the RX-7 on Comfort Medium tires. It's certainly capable of 1:05 with a wheel. With Comfort Hards, my best is a 1:08

 

[Rotorist]

Only dry laps I could dig up, RX-7 runs a 1:07.6 best lap (hot lap, not in a race) and 2nd generation NSX Type S (I know, not a Type R but close enough) runs a 1:06.1



So far, I've managed a 1:06 in the RX-7 on Comfort Medium tires. It's certainly capable of 1:05 with a wheel. With Comfort Hards, my best is a 1:08

FD on CS with a low end wheel & pedal setup (DFPro in my case) is capable of a 1.05 indeed which is almost the same with what FD RS '98 did in another battle in BM (it did 1'04"880 back then and surpassed the 1'04"900 of NSX R '92 which was the fastest japanese production car around there till then).

NSX R '02 has done 1'03"920 in BM battles. Haven't tried it myself in GT6 yet. So, it is almost 1 sec faster per lap in Tsukuba even if Spirit R cuts 1-2 tens more than RS '98. Great track car indeed that NSX.

Pretty hard to find the videos now but I am sure of the times because I have a whole spreadsheet with the best times around Tsukuba from almost all of BM videos. And there is an iteresting statistic there: In wet Tsukuba, 1st time is F430 Scuderia's (1'08"310) and 2nd is FD RZ '00 (1'09"650), while 3rd and 4rd are Lancer Evo IX RS and GSRs in 1'10"140 and 1'10"650. Didn't find any "wet" time of NSX R '02 but R '92 did a 1'11"690. This says a lot about driveability and balance for FD. Scuderia is tuned by MS himself so no comment on that except FORZA MICHAEL!

 

[MidFieldMaven]

My best lap in the 290 hp NSX-R on Comfort Mediums at Tsukuba is a 1:05.450 or a whole second quicker than the RX-7 like you said, @Rotorist 👍

1:04 is definite with a wheel. I'd love to see a replay of someone getting a 1:03

 

[Lubeify100]

Strange because yesterday I saw and FD RX-7 yesterday

 

[Skygrasper550]

I will have to apologize to everyone in here, but I'm gonna let the Honda fanboy kick inside me this time and vote for the NSX-R without doing any sort of testing, because the NSX-R is my most favorite car of all time. Sorry

 

[RCKakashi14]

One of the toughest decisions I have to make since I love them both, as they are my only favorite JDMs.

But in the end, I choose the FD, and it wins, albeit just narrowly, because of its vast tuning options available and has the ability to exceed 600 pp. Plus, it's more composed than the NSX.

 

[05XR8]

Alright, it's time for the next duel of the week. Thought I'd finally get back to Japan for this one, so this week's duel of the week is.....

The 2002 Mazda RX7 Spirit R Type A​

vs​

The 2002 Honda NSX Type R
(Thanks to @=drifting24/7= for the suggestion)​

Another great rivalry next to the Supra and R34. Take these for a drive and let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions, feel free to start a conversation with me.

Why did you do this? Wrong. Just wrong. Two of my utmost favorites. A car I will never get to own (Type R) and a car that is hard to find bone stock (RX-7). I'll test them back to back but, I won't like it. Stay tuned.

 

[ToyGTone]

God, they both looks soooo good and they do perform like one.

Should I take the rotarty engine one or the middle engine one? I don't know what to choose...

Based on your guys laps, they're "near" each other in the lap times. I remember driving the NSX Type R '02 and since it's a MR layout car, it may oversteer on some corners while the RX7 seems a bit....well I also remember the same thing happening but a bit less.

What to choose? WHAT TO CHOOSE?



💡
Now that I think of it, i'll go for the NSX Type R.

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

This one is really hard for me. I love japanese cars and I don't prefer any of these two.

So let's look at the hard facts:

Mazda has a great rotary engine, while the Honda has an awesome 3.2 litre NA.

0:0

The Mid-shipped layout of the NSX would theoretically be better than the Mazda's FR, but thanks to the rotary engine the weight disturbtion is nearly perfect.

0:0

Mazda's rounded, very sleek design vs. Honda's simple, but beautiful MR-sportscar design

0:0

Rotary scream vs. high-rev NA roar

0:0


Seems that this is my first decision in this thread that is only based on lap times. Coming soon.

 

[Neddo]

NSX for me

 

[05XR8]

Tough, tough call. Motegi East Course. Home of Honda. First up was the RX-7: Good smooth power, short ratio gearbox and predictable handling. No lap times, just pure driving and feeling my way with display set to "Off". The cockpit looks tight and short vision out the windscreen. Lots of brake dive into Turn1. Boddy roll through the esses. Weight transfer gets the best of it when pushing too hard. I does what it does as an FR.

The R: Quiet. Watch the needle swing to the bottom of the dial. Gear ratios long. Flat handling and strong brakes. The cab-forward (I hate using that term. It's like the "j" word- juxtapose and the "c" word- cohesive, people use to sound smart) design makes it easy to see ahead.

The real world would make me pick the Honda. A car that Gordon Murray based the all conquering F1 on. A marque I owned three brand new cars from.
I never owned a Mazda (though I am buying an ND MX-5). But, they've punched above their weight for so many years. Respect.

This is GT6, I call it a draw. In essence, do I choose a Formula One inspired road car or a tested 24Hour winning manufacturer in this contest? I can't call it.

 

[Ryk]

Honda NSX Type R '02 vs Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02

If it were a boxing match.

In the Innocent Blue Mica Corner - from Hiroshima Japan, a Twin Turbo Rotary fighter with a displacement of (Shuffles papers) This can't be right... it is right? With 654cc The Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A.

In the New Formula Red corner, From Takanezawa-machi, Japan a Mid Engined fighter with a traditional normally aspirated V6 style a displacement of 3.2 litres The second iteration of the Iconic Honda NSX Type R.

Ding Ding

Round 1 - Looks
Both are excellent but the actual look of the Modern NSX is pretty bad compared to the iconic 1st iteration of 1992, but I think the RX-7's soft sweeps are slinkier than the NSX. The Headlamps of the NSX look very vulnerable and detract from the finesse of the car. The RX-7 looks clean, reserved and elegant.

Looks - Mazda 10/10 - Honda 7/10

Round 2 - Cost
119,570 credits - NSX Type-R
40,000 credits - RX-7
Raw numbers but the Mazda is an absolute steal but it more than steals this round, it owns it. And at that price you could almost own three RX-7's before you had the cash to stump up for a Honda.

Cost - Mazda 10/10 - Honda 7/10

Round 3 - Paint chips
Both have a basic choice of colours 5 vs 7. But neither has a Dark Green. The Honda hardly deserves a win here but the Mazda is even worse. No Dark Green - I should be taking points off for looking like an econo-box. A poor round for both fighters and the crowd are well within their rights to start booing the pugilists.
Paint - Honda 10/10 - Mazda 9/10

Round 4 - Drivetrain
A win for the Red Honda Logo. The Mazda is nice - great for a FR - it is weaving and dancing around the Cape Ring But the NSX is quicker with superior footwork it is able to dance around the orthodox layout of the Mazda.
Drivetrain - Honda 10/10 - Mazda 8/10

Round 5 - Interesting engine -
Rotary hands down? Not quite the meat and potatoes 3.2 litre v6 is nice big fat very drivable power. How do the trainers in Hiroshima manage to squeeze so much power from such a small swept area? The Honda is not outclassed but it must be thankful this fight isn't being held at altitude.
Engine - Mazda 10/10 - Honda 9/10


Round 6 - Performance
1m26.880 Cape Ring South (RX7)
1m24.570 Cape Ring South (NSX)

Track Speed Winner - Honda - Not even close. I took 3 laps in each stock no aids and the Honda was just faster - probably down the Mid engine layout so could well be getting double points for the same thing.
The NSX is just faster into, through and out of corners. On a level straight they are pretty even but the Honda exits cleaner and quicker in my ham fisted hands. The Honda gave out a clinic to the Mazda that round, who had to soak up the punishment and ride it out on the ropes.

Performance - Honda - 10/10 - Mazda - 7/10


Going into the 7th round both fighters having dished out some hard hits and taken some heavy blows. This judge has them pretty close on points, 3 rounds each with the Hiroshima Rotary just ahead on the card despite getting a mauling in the 6th
(So Mazda RX-7 (54) verses Honda NSX (53))


Round 7 - Pop-up Headlamps.

The Honda looks confused. The rotary is closing the distance, going for the kill, The NSX has no answer to this barrage of High beams and dipped lamps.
It's all over!
Honda - is - down! Honda - is - down!
Mazda wins!

The Winner by Knockout in the 7th round. The Mazda RX-7.

 

[Rotorist]

I will have to apologize to everyone in here, but I'm gonna let the Honda fanboy kick inside me this time and vote for the NSX-R without doing any sort of testing, because the NSX-R is my most favorite car of all time. Sorry

Same to me for FD but some laptimes are always useful in such great duels of 2 excellent sportscars.

 

[Lubeify100]

Tsukuba, no aids (abs 1), ds3

RX-7: 1:04.811
NSX: 1:03.376

The NSX was a tad bit more tail happy than the RX-7 but it wasn't hard to control. Both cars are very good. The NSX was faster around the track but I'm going to have to pick the RX-7 on the price alone. It's 1/4 the price and with that amount of money you could tune it to be a devastating race car whereas the NSX doesn't have a very tuneable engine.

 

[Rotorist]

Tsukuba, no aids (abs 1), ds3

RX-7: 1:04.811
NSX: 1:03.376

The NSX was a tad bit more tail happy than the RX-7 but it wasn't hard to control. Both cars are very good. The NSX was faster around the track but I'm going to have to pick the RX-7 on the price alone. It's 1/4 the price and with that amount of money you could tune it to be a devastating race car whereas the NSX doesn't have a very tuneable engine.

What tires did you try them on?

 

[CTznOfTime]

The head wants to go with the NSX.

The heart wants to go with the RX-7

 

[Lubeify100]

What tires did you try them on?

Sports hard

 

[Rotorist]

The head wants to go with the NSX.

The heart wants to go with the RX-7

Like with previous McLaren F1 vs Veyron duel...

 

[ThrasherDBS]

This was actually a good matchup. Both cars handle fairly well, but the RX-7 is more tail-happy.

Mountain Trial:
NSX - 1:49.391
RX-7 - 1:48.321

City Trial:
NSX - 1:34.577
RX-7 - 1:35.733

As you can see, the RX-7 proved faster on the mountain trial, but the NSX was better in the city trial. The RX-7 was a little more of a handful than the NSX when it comes to elevation changes, but the NSX wasn't quite as fast on the hills. On flat ground however, the NSX pulled ahead of the RX-7. Seeing as how not too many of the tracks have nearly as much sudden elevation change as the Matterhorn Rotenboden track, I'd probably bet the NSX would be the better overall performer.

The '02 NSX Type R is also one of my favorite cars in the game, chiefly due to how tight and responsive you can make the car. It was a fantastic car in GT5 and it still is a fantastic car in this game. Sure the RX-7 is a good car as well, but the NSX has pulled through for me several times.

Hence why I'd recommend the NSX over the RX-7.

 

[Cowboy]

Both cars proved to be pretty quick around the track and I must say that I had a very tough time deciding which one to choose. So let's get this on shall we?

I'll start with the RX7. The RX7 has got to be one of the easiest cars to get along with in GT6. Why? Like somebody said before, pretty much anything that happens with the RX7 can be predicted and if needed, prevented. Had a great time testing this car at Streets of Willow. Cornering was great and the power from the rotary engine on the straights was superb.

The NSX on the other hand is MR, so that means it will want to slide on the corners. But when I drove it there seemed to be something that set it apart from the other MRs. It seemed a lot "tamer" than the others. Of course it does have 292 horses like the RX7, but does the Midship engine give it an advantage over its competitor?

3 laps on Streets of Willow, Sports Hard tires.

NSX: 1:18.410
RX7: 1:18.796

The NSX just barely beats the RX7. Which on would I choose. For me it eventually came down to one thing. Price. The RX7 is way cheaper than the NSX and I also think that the RX7 is easier to tune than the NSX. So in short.

I choose the RX7.

How about you guys?

NSX: 3
RX7:4

And the winner is.....

The '02 Mazda RX7!!!​

Another duel down, look back here tomorrow for the next duel of the week.

 

[ALeftRighter]

 

[ToyGTone]

I'm surprised that the nsx votes are close to the RX7 votes.

I thought I was the only one who will go for the NSX.

 

[RCKakashi14]

I knew it. The FD did win by a narrow margin. Price played a big factor here, and as well as its tuning prowess.

 

[Andefir]

Not related to the Duel, more of GT6...

...But why the hell there's a 2013 Veyron 16.4???
Didn't Bugatti stopped doing the normal 16.4 in 2011??

The guys at PD must be really drunk, they took a 2009 Veyron 16.4, changed the headlights and side mirrors to the Super/Grand Sport one's and then slap 2013 on it....

At least it's premium and not standard like in GT5.

wait... was the veyron standard in GT5? i never played it.

 

[Cowboy]

Alright, time for the next duel of the week and this time I thought I would try something different. This week's duel is......

The Japanese JGTC cars!!!
​

Thought I would try and see how a class battle would work out. Here are the rules for this battle.

• Any JGTC cars (Skyline R34, Supra, or NSX) from '99-'01 are allowed.
• When you cast your vote, say either Skyline, Supra, or NSX.

Note: You don't have to test every single vehicle in the class, but if you want to test try one from each manufacturer.

Hopefully this makes sense and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. So with that, let the battle begin.

 

[ALeftRighter]

Nomad Diablo

 

[Cowboy]

Nomad Diablo

• Any JGTC cars (Skyline R34, Supra, or NSX) from '99-'01 are allowed.

 

[ALeftRighter]

Ah NSX