C4vettrn

Would my MY02 benefit from 2005 coil overs? According to the FAQ coil over thread they are stiffer front and softer rear. Would this help with the rear being twitch happy? would I need to match with same year sway bars? New to the S2000 and is totally different than my Vette which I could throw into a corner and the rear would stay planted but had some under steer. The reason I ask is there is a used set for sale $100 80K on them ?

Car Analogy

It would result in less oversteer, more understeer, more planted rear.

You could keep your swaybars. You have the same front bar, a much stiffer rear bar, than the '05. So doing just shocks/springs would be an increment towards more front bias. Drive it with the suspension, then if you still didn't feel it was enough, look for a stiffer front bar.

The valving is going to be close enough that you could also mix and match some combo of your '02 springs and the '05 springs. Front springs will fit on rear shocks and opposite is also true. So for example you could do your rear springs on the front, the '05 rear springs on the rear. Mount them to whichever set of shocks is in better shape.

This would give you 309 front, 278 rear. Stiffer all around than the '02 or '05, with more front bias than the '05. That would get you closer to the CR bias.

B serious

The AP1 has a ton going on in terms of oversteer potential.

What about just getting used to driving it? Are you just tossing this thing around on the street? Or are you doing this for track use?

B serious

To answer the questions, though....

Yes, any year shocks/springs will fit.

A smaller rear sway bar will help with initial oversteer.

Oversteer will still happen.

Is the car aligned and maintained properly? What tire type and size are you using?

Spartarus

My only advice, if you are not comfortable with oversteer, is keep the rear sway bar soft. The stiffer that bar is, the snappier and twitchier the setup will be. A soft rear bar will be more forgiving of a ham-handed recovery from unexpected oversteer. A stiff rear bar will send you on a snap-oversteer adventure in the opposite direction.

Simply softening the springs in the back and leaving the stiff sway will not make the transient characteristics any more forgiving. It will make the turn-in feel more familiar, but there will be a very nasty surprise waiting for you the first time you power-oversteer coming out of a corner.

My personal opinion... Learn to love the oversteer. It's progressive and predictable once you get used to it. A forgiving setup that doesn't punish small mistakes will help you build the muscle memory and associated confidence in the controls.

Chuck S

OEM 17" wheels with Bridgestone S-04 (or RE71R) 215 front and 255 rear tires will reduce oversteer a bit as well. Easier for me to change wheels and tires than suspension parts!

-- Chuck

C4vettrn

Wheels are 17" OZ Allegherta's (Spelling) 215/245 Conti-DW's. Purchased early fall and will be Auto-Xing up coming season. I will leave alone for now and look for a good streetable alignment this spring. Would the UK spec be a good starting point for the street with 2-3 Auto-X a year?

Chuck S

The springs and sway bars are un-bolt and bolt in items. A buddy did his '02 by himself with hand tools and a home built spring compressor. He fitted OEM '02 springs to bring his lowered car up to spec height and handling. Left rear is a PITA due to the fuel inlet. Got a full set of OEM springs on Ebay, of course, where else?

-- Chuck

C4vettrn

Yes, springs/ coils / sway bars all fall under basic mechanical skills. I will tackle everything except transmissions. Been wrenching my whole life i.e. boats, snowmobiles, motocross, cars and trucks. This is my first Honda but I love my Toyota trucks, currently wheeling a 2015 Tacoma DBL cab short bed with 3" coil over lift and 33" BFG KO's.

S2000_916

I have an 01 and so does my brother. That snap oversteer kinda sucks because it just hits you. I went to an AP2 rear seat bar(softer) and the car is much nicer to drive at the track. Adding 05 suspension will be a good fit as well. So many variables involved. I think sway bar is a must so start there. 50 bucks on ebay