The S2000 is well...moved on to Subaru
11-15-2016, 06:04 AM
#11
Congrats A! I like the 86 and your plans for tracking. What upgrades are you planning for the future?
Would be interested in your impressions as well relative to the s2000
These are a good value now. Savagegeese (YouTube) has a lot of content on it.
Would be interested in your impressions as well relative to the s2000
These are a good value now. Savagegeese (YouTube) has a lot of content on it.
11-15-2016, 04:10 PM
#14
Former Moderator
Thread Starter
Thanks Mark, Marc, Jake and Helio.
Jeff - I believe I am headed to the dark side.
I'll try to share my rationale behind this purchase. Be forewarned this post may be very long-winded and have contradictions
When the car launched in 2012 I test drove an automatic and liked how it handled. Since then I've had a desire to get one of the twins. The cost was reasonable but it mean't giving up one of the Hondas and I love the two Hondas. The other thing I am (or was) very particular about is not going under with owning too many things. So owning one of the twins was a wish-list item.
So as the track bug hooked me and I've gotten to a point where I am doing between 8-10 days on track every season, the thought occurred that I should get a dedicated track car. Thanks to Jake who installed a rollbar in the S2000, I had some semblance of safety. But in order to make the car safer, I'd need seats and harnesses, and in order to fit a seat that will fit me, I may have to irreversibly modify the car - maybe I already have with the rollbar. I looked at track cars with one of the candidates being a B-Spec car that can be registered for the street. This could be something I'd drive to the track and back while putting off a truck and trailer purchase for a later date. But that wish passed as well.
Then this season, I noticed that I may be driving the S2000 the fastest I can. Car is stock, except for the rollbar and the CR springs and shocks + swaybars. Greg rode along with me a few times this year and also felt that improvement in times would possibly come with mods like coilovers and possibly a square setup. So at the end of the season, I was thinking about what I should be doing to the car. Now in parallel to all this, I did look at used twins that popped up for sale locally. I saw an FRS that I really liked and thought I made him a very fair offer. He eventually traded it in for a much lower price, Likewise another car I saw was this one back in April. The owner is a young kid who works as an ethical hacker. He'd purchased the car new and kept it relatively clean and kept up with the maintenance too. He seemed like a good chap and I think I may have actually talked him into keeping the car, as thats what he messaged me about a couple of days after I'd seen it. Then you know the rest, the car was listed again, and the asking price kept coming down to a point where it was close to what I was willing to pay. I made an offer and that was accepted. It wouldn't be a stretch to own it (or thats what I think as of now) and my wife said I should pick it up. So we did yesterday.
I've progressed to a point on track where I have started running in the Advanced group with some organizations. While I lack the speed, some of the guys that signed me off allowed me only because I was situationally aware. Greg also has been motivating me to move up and said I should do some events with BMW CCA, especially the local group that I know very well through autocross. The S2000 is my first choice, but not every organization likes it. For instance the BMW CCA is OK with an early 90's Civic hatch that has very thin A and B pillars than the S2000 that has great A pillar reinforcement. So the quest to find a car, that I can drive to the track and drive home. It also had to be similar to the S2000 performance and handling-wise and had to be something all organizations are ok with. The answer was the BRZ or the FRS. They have depreciated to a point where they can be had for a decent price. They have decent reliability and the cost of consumables is on par with the S2000 and they have enough room so I can carry an extra set of tires. The fenders are large enough to accommodate more tire without having to roll them unlike the S2000. I hated the idea of having to roll the fenders on my S2000 and did actively consider buying another set of fenders.
So with this car, the goals will be to consolidate running in the Advanced groups and see if I get an opportunity, to shoot for more.
As far as mods and the plan for the car goes, my very first goal with this car is to understand and familiarize myself with it and establish a performance baseline. So initially, the only mods will be:
- The widest extreme performance summer tire I can fit on the stock wheel
- Brake pads and rotors
- SS Brake lines
- Complete fluid change
- Maybe a vinyl wrap. I wonder if they have a Laguna Blue wrap
As I progress, performance gains will dictate what mods I make to the car. I may put money down on safety once I am comfortable with the car before I think about modifications to aid mechanical grip.
A lot of my journey will be uncharted. I know what I want to achieve in my mind, and I will let whatever gets me to that end goal sooner dictate what I do to the car. We shall see, and I will keep this thread updated. Maybe after a year or two, I may just get rid of it for a proper fully-built track car. Figure I should by then be able to pick up a truck and trailer. We shall see.
Now onto driving impressions. The car handles very well. If you like power you will hate this car. If however you like a light weight, forgiving car, this is a Miata with a fixed roof. With the snows I have on the car and even the factory tires, it is very easy to get the rear to step out and easy to bring it back in. The power band is not as linear or smooth as the S2000. It does hit a flat spot in the mid-range before it goes to redline. The noise is very Subaru-ish. I think its something either people love or hate. I am not disappointed with the sound, but the Hondas sound better. I won't do an exhaust given the decibel restrictions at tracks in the area. On the inside, a GPS is standard and you can hook up a phone. I haven't figured it out yet. It doesn't have a rear-view camera nor does it have the little lights in the side mirrors when a car is alongside - I dont need that. Visibility is good and the car seems much smaller in the metal than the pics. Steering feedback is excellent and the chassis just goes along with it. It has a low center of gravity and you can feel that in the way the car just grips.
I hope that gives you guys some insight about the car, and my plans for it. Thanks for all your encouragement.
Jeff - I believe I am headed to the dark side.
I'll try to share my rationale behind this purchase. Be forewarned this post may be very long-winded and have contradictions
When the car launched in 2012 I test drove an automatic and liked how it handled. Since then I've had a desire to get one of the twins. The cost was reasonable but it mean't giving up one of the Hondas and I love the two Hondas. The other thing I am (or was) very particular about is not going under with owning too many things. So owning one of the twins was a wish-list item.
So as the track bug hooked me and I've gotten to a point where I am doing between 8-10 days on track every season, the thought occurred that I should get a dedicated track car. Thanks to Jake who installed a rollbar in the S2000, I had some semblance of safety. But in order to make the car safer, I'd need seats and harnesses, and in order to fit a seat that will fit me, I may have to irreversibly modify the car - maybe I already have with the rollbar. I looked at track cars with one of the candidates being a B-Spec car that can be registered for the street. This could be something I'd drive to the track and back while putting off a truck and trailer purchase for a later date. But that wish passed as well.
Then this season, I noticed that I may be driving the S2000 the fastest I can. Car is stock, except for the rollbar and the CR springs and shocks + swaybars. Greg rode along with me a few times this year and also felt that improvement in times would possibly come with mods like coilovers and possibly a square setup. So at the end of the season, I was thinking about what I should be doing to the car. Now in parallel to all this, I did look at used twins that popped up for sale locally. I saw an FRS that I really liked and thought I made him a very fair offer. He eventually traded it in for a much lower price, Likewise another car I saw was this one back in April. The owner is a young kid who works as an ethical hacker. He'd purchased the car new and kept it relatively clean and kept up with the maintenance too. He seemed like a good chap and I think I may have actually talked him into keeping the car, as thats what he messaged me about a couple of days after I'd seen it. Then you know the rest, the car was listed again, and the asking price kept coming down to a point where it was close to what I was willing to pay. I made an offer and that was accepted. It wouldn't be a stretch to own it (or thats what I think as of now) and my wife said I should pick it up. So we did yesterday.
I've progressed to a point on track where I have started running in the Advanced group with some organizations. While I lack the speed, some of the guys that signed me off allowed me only because I was situationally aware. Greg also has been motivating me to move up and said I should do some events with BMW CCA, especially the local group that I know very well through autocross. The S2000 is my first choice, but not every organization likes it. For instance the BMW CCA is OK with an early 90's Civic hatch that has very thin A and B pillars than the S2000 that has great A pillar reinforcement. So the quest to find a car, that I can drive to the track and drive home. It also had to be similar to the S2000 performance and handling-wise and had to be something all organizations are ok with. The answer was the BRZ or the FRS. They have depreciated to a point where they can be had for a decent price. They have decent reliability and the cost of consumables is on par with the S2000 and they have enough room so I can carry an extra set of tires. The fenders are large enough to accommodate more tire without having to roll them unlike the S2000. I hated the idea of having to roll the fenders on my S2000 and did actively consider buying another set of fenders.
So with this car, the goals will be to consolidate running in the Advanced groups and see if I get an opportunity, to shoot for more.
As far as mods and the plan for the car goes, my very first goal with this car is to understand and familiarize myself with it and establish a performance baseline. So initially, the only mods will be:
- The widest extreme performance summer tire I can fit on the stock wheel
- Brake pads and rotors
- SS Brake lines
- Complete fluid change
- Maybe a vinyl wrap. I wonder if they have a Laguna Blue wrap
As I progress, performance gains will dictate what mods I make to the car. I may put money down on safety once I am comfortable with the car before I think about modifications to aid mechanical grip.
A lot of my journey will be uncharted. I know what I want to achieve in my mind, and I will let whatever gets me to that end goal sooner dictate what I do to the car. We shall see, and I will keep this thread updated. Maybe after a year or two, I may just get rid of it for a proper fully-built track car. Figure I should by then be able to pick up a truck and trailer. We shall see.
Now onto driving impressions. The car handles very well. If you like power you will hate this car. If however you like a light weight, forgiving car, this is a Miata with a fixed roof. With the snows I have on the car and even the factory tires, it is very easy to get the rear to step out and easy to bring it back in. The power band is not as linear or smooth as the S2000. It does hit a flat spot in the mid-range before it goes to redline. The noise is very Subaru-ish. I think its something either people love or hate. I am not disappointed with the sound, but the Hondas sound better. I won't do an exhaust given the decibel restrictions at tracks in the area. On the inside, a GPS is standard and you can hook up a phone. I haven't figured it out yet. It doesn't have a rear-view camera nor does it have the little lights in the side mirrors when a car is alongside - I dont need that. Visibility is good and the car seems much smaller in the metal than the pics. Steering feedback is excellent and the chassis just goes along with it. It has a low center of gravity and you can feel that in the way the car just grips.
I hope that gives you guys some insight about the car, and my plans for it. Thanks for all your encouragement.
The following users liked this post:
Mark355 (11-16-2016)
11-15-2016, 04:32 PM
#15
....coilovers/splitter/WING!!!!! The fact that you can carry a full set of slicks is SUPER appealing. Also from what I have seen doing more expansive maintenance on the twins is quite easy. For example you can pull the motor out without removing the trans or lowering the subframe, and it has a wiring harness disconnect right on the firewall. And given that the car is fresh and new you are unlikely to run into many gremlins and the aftermarket support is SOLID. And did I mention that there is a mount kit to put a 2JZ engine into this? Damn now I kinda want to get one
11-15-2016, 05:16 PM
#16
Former Moderator
Thread Starter
....coilovers/splitter/WING!!!!! The fact that you can carry a full set of slicks is SUPER appealing. Also from what I have seen doing more expansive maintenance on the twins is quite easy. For example you can pull the motor out without removing the trans or lowering the subframe, and it has a wiring harness disconnect right on the firewall. And given that the car is fresh and new you are unlikely to run into many gremlins and the aftermarket support is SOLID. And did I mention that there is a mount kit to put a 2JZ engine into this? Damn now I kinda want to get one
No, the S2000 is so you Mr. Oversteery. Don't even think about something else until you've done a few seasons with it.
11-16-2016, 09:29 AM
#17
Oh I definitely won't ever be getting rid of the s2k. It is set to be my TT car forever, eventually getting to unlimited class. But still the twins have very high potential, no doubt. Looking forward to your new journey with it! Plus from what I understand they are SUPER driftable even in stock form!
11-16-2016, 04:54 PM
#18
Former Moderator
Thread Starter
^ Took it out for an impromptu spin today that went longer than expected. Didn't get a chance to drift it. Too much traffic. I got the new registration sticker on the car today and went to get it inspected. Turns out Jiffy Lube I went to closes at 6. The TPMS light was on, so I took it for a little drive to a gas station a little distance away. Got air in the tires and then took it on my favorite backroads too.Turns out this car has adjustable headlights. There is a dial you can turn to adjust the low beam higher or lower. I need to spend time with the owners manual. Been getting late at work lately to have time to do fun things.
