iRacing Guide: The Honda NSX GT3 Evo

iRacing’s push to add the latest and greatest GT3 cars to the service continued in the 2025 Season 1 build, which launched on December 10th. The Honda NSX GT3 became the newest addition to the bursting GT3 class within iRacing, the car becoming the first Japanese GT3 machine to be added to the roster. 

Coach Dave Academy therefore decided to conduct a rundown of the shiny new JDM GT3 car so that interested racers could figure out whether it could be the car of their dreams, or one to potentially avoid. 

Introduction To The Honda NSX GT3 Evo 22

The Honda NSX GT3 Evo 22 is the third iteration of the model to grace the world’s racetracks, with the first making its debut back in 2017. The NSX used a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine derived from the road car, which was transmitted to the rear wheels via a six-speed semi-automatic gearbox. 

While the engine in the Evo 22 version is largely similar to its predecessors, aside from new turbos and enhanced cooling, it did feature a new suspension setup that made it easier to drive. This was geared towards amateur drivers, with Honda struggling to sell many examples to private buyers. It also came with a range of headlight configurations, which will prove handy in your next enduro event. 

The NSX GT3 Evo 22 will be eligible for all the events that the GT3 containers can enter. These include like the staple GT Sprint Series, as well as special endurance encounters such as the Nurburgring 24 Hours, Indy 6 Hours, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Here are a few examples of where you can race it:

• Fanatec GT Challenge
  • Races run over 20 minutes using fixed setups

• Simucube Sprint Series
  • Consists of 40-minute races with open setups
    
• IMSA iRacing Series
  • Features an open setup championship with 40-minute races
  • Features a fixed setup championship with 30-minute races
    
• Endurance events run over a variety of distances, normally open setup and multi-driver

The Basic Car Setup

While some GT3 cars are built to be as docile as possible, so that Am drivers can tackle them without getting thrown into the nearest gravel trap, the NSX is more on the pointy end of the spectrum. 

Like cars such as the Ferrari 296 GT3 and the McLaren 720s GT3 Evo, the NSX’s V6 is placed in the middle of the car. With the bulk of the vehicle’s weight in the center of the chassis, agility is improved, though stability can be reduced. Mid-engined cars don’t react well to a change in steering or throttle/brake input mid-way through a bend, so setting up a corner before you get to it is key to carrying good speed. 

• Mid-engined layout improves agility in all corner types, but can mean cars are less stable than front-engined vehicles if not driven correctly
• While the twin-turbo V6 makes more torque than the McLaren, it has significantly less than the 296 GT3. This should make it easier to accelerate from corners without losing traction and causing the TC to kick in 

Aerodynamics and Bodywork

The NSX GT3 Evo 22 features a typically GT3 downforce-focussed aero package, which is designed to ensure it can barrel through mid and high-speed corners as quickly and with as much stability as possible. Given that GT3 cars are only as fast as their slowest driver can go, designing an aero package that allows the pilot to drive with confidence is preferable to one with more peak downforce, but is harder to extract performance from. 

The 2019 NSX Evo was treated to several aero upgrades to help with this, and the Evo 22’s new rear suspension geometry was introduced to boost this aspect further. The change means the air can flow over the rear wing and through the diffuser more efficiently, improving stability in higher-speed bends. 

iRacing allows you to tweak the splitter and rear wing values on the NSX GT3 Evo 22, meaning you can alter the aero balance or overall downforce level to your preference. The former should be used to tune the car towards your driving style, while the latter is track-dependent. 

• The aero values between the front and rear should be closely matched to ensure needless drag doesn’t affect straight-line speed
• Lower downforce levels are useful for tracks with long straights like Monza, higher levels are good with many fast turns like Zandvoort
• Aero balance values lower than 50% can help increase high-speed rotation, ones above 50% will decrease rotation

Need Some Setups?

Coach Dave Academy will be putting the new Honda NSX Evo into its setup plans for the new season to include setups for all of the popular GT3 series it features in.

Steering and Cornering

Just because the NSX Evo 22 is mid-engined, doesn’t mean it handles exactly like other similar vehicles in iRacing such as the McLaren 720s GT3 Evo and the Ferrari 296 GT3. The NSX GT3 has a 40mm shorter wheelbase than the McLaren, which translates to a snappier car balance on track. It can also be less stable than the Ferrari, despite the wheelbase of the 296 being 30mm shorter again. 

The base setup that comes with the NSX is pretty understeery, so this characteristic only becomes more obvious when dialing this out. This can make it tricky to be consistent over a stint when compared to the other cars, though finding a happy medium in the setup will help mitigate this. Running the car a little softer, especially on bumpier tracks, is a good course of action. 

• Trail braking into corners will help keep the rear under control, allowing you to carry better momentum through the bend 
• Try to keep weight transfer to a minimum when tackling corners, as the NSX GT3 can bite harder than other mid-engined challengers
• Be careful using curbs, as they will unsettle the NSX more than most of its rivals
• Coach Dave Academy’s Never Lift guide is useful for learning how to trail brake, as well as working on other aspects of your driving. 

Power Delivery and Braking

As you’ll be used to with other GT3 cars on iRacing, the NSX GT3 Evo 22 comes fully loaded with advanced traction control and anti-lock braking systems. While they help prevent wheelspin and locking the wheels under braking, this doesn’t mean you should jump on the throttle or brake as hard as possible. Engaging the systems will slow you down, so remaining as smooth as possible will help keep your lap times down. 

The NSX’s brakes are very effective though, allowing you to brake later than most other GT3s without drama. This should make it a commanding tool on heavy-braking tracks such as Monza and the Red Bull Ring. 

The NSX GT3 Evo 22’s twin-turbo V6 does suffer from turbo lag, so it can be trickier to judge when the wheels will lose traction than naturally-aspirated cars like the Ford Mustang GT3 or Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo. Make sure to get the car as straight as possible on corner exit to reduce the chances of the rear wheels breaking traction when the turbos spool up.  

• Make sure to ease off the brakes when approaching the apex and the speed drops to prevent lock-ups, which will cause the ABS to engage and increase your stopping distance
• Straighten the car up as much as possible on corner exit to reduce the probability of rear wheelspin, which will trigger TC and reduce exit speed
• Smooth throttle application is also crucial to prevent the torquey twin-turbo engine creating wheelspin

Final Thoughts

One thing is for sure, iRacing GT3 racers can’t complain about not having a variety of machinery to choose from. The NSX is another welcome addition, and while not standing out head and shoulders from its mid-engined rivals, it certainly provides value. Its braking prowess will make it a force to be reckoned with on heavy braking circuits, making overtaking and defensive moves easier. 

Finding a happy medium with the setup is important to prevent straying into unstable territory, though with the right tweaks, this is easily possible.   

If you need any track tips or help with adapting your driving style to vehicles with high levels of downforce, check out the Coach Dave Academy YouTube channel which features tutorials and guides from our skilled drivers.