There are several ways to enhance the looks and performance of the S2000. Those seeking performance gains often tend to overlook the benefit conferred by aerodynamic parts or aero mods. Such modifications include parts such as a rear wing spoiler (sometimes called a GT Wing which comes standard on the CR and Type S models), front canards, front lip or splitters (sometimes made out of carbon fiber) and even as extreme as entire flat panel underbody covers. These modifications not only enhance the visual appeal of the S2000 to another level but are also functional as they enhance the front or rear grip of the car at speed. According to some data, the S2000 could theoretically generate around 80+ lbs of positive rear lift at higher speeds which points to the usefulness of such modifications, especially for the track enthusiast.
The GT wing or rear wing spoiler is either made from metal or from carbon fiber and is commonly available on the market by way of brands such as APR , M & M Honda and Voltex. Custom wing makers such as Kognition even customize a wing according to your requirements with CFD data to back up their products. A simplistic explanation of how the wing works might be that the wing is curved on the bottom thus forcing air to travel further and quicker below the wing thus drawing the middle wing section of the car downwards with force. Commonly mounted on the boot (although options to mount to the chassis are also available for the truly track focused cars), the wing acts to generate downforce to press down on the rear of the car and by increasing the load on the rear it delivers more traction.
Pictured above is a wing available in carbon fiber from Voltex with a relatively smooth profile which doesn’t penalize a similar-to-stock power level S2000 with high aerodynamic drag. A Gurney flap or wicker bill (the little flap seen in the picture on the top edge of the wing) is sometimes added on the trailing edge of the wing to increase downforce. The added stability provided by this item was immediately noticeable at legal highway speeds so there is no doubt of its effectiveness on track.
Another commonly used aerodynamic aid is the front spoiler which both looks great and delivers vital front traction to aid turn-in at high speeds on track. The picture below shows a product from APR which is made from carbon fiber. Here’s a simplistic explanation of how the splitter may work in a twofold manner: Firstly by creating a low pressure area below the splitter which pulls the splitter to the ground and by utilizing the high pressure area in front the car to push down on the top surface of the splitter. The upward and downward forces on the splitter work in tandem to provide downforce. A customized reinforced frame was used to mount this splitter to the chassis to transfer the downforce effectively while removing the need for front splitter supports which could generate unwanted aerodynamic drag.
Yet another aerodynamic option for the S2000 owners would be to convert their convertible top to a hardtop which is touted to smooth the airflow over the car thus reducing parasitic drag from the uneven ribbed shape of the soft top or the flapping of the soft top in the wind. Options include the Honda OEM hardtop or, the Mugen hardtop pictured below.
These are just three of the thousands of options available for the S2000 that will not only enhance the looks of our ride, but also increase the performance limits of thw car through improved handling. Delivering function and form, an aerodynamic modification should be top of your wish list this Christmas!
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on Aug 26th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Wings are icky!
on Aug 26th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
@Samir – not if your S2000 is a dedicated track car
on Aug 26th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
What a monstrosity, even for racing,
A thing like that may have a use on a 500 + horse power car, but for our little things, with less than 250 BHP it looks like too much drag to me.
On the road there are those who can drive, & those who bolt things on their car, trying to kid others they can drive.
on Aug 26th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
I suggest you get on track before making such broad (and uneducated) statements.
A wing is the single most effective modification you can do for lap times, even with “just” 250bhp. A GT wing will do more for lap times than doubling the horsepower.
on Aug 26th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Hasbeen,
Maybe you should do some research before you make a stupid comment. The wing creates downforce which allows the driver to sustain a faster speed through a turn. Good try though
on Aug 26th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Positive rear lift? As opposed to negative rear lift?
on Aug 26th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
One needs only to look at J’s Racing S2000, 2.2 liters output 320 bhp (and NOT 500 bhp!) to know that the whole thing with the bodykit, GT wing, canards, splitters, etc. is called the touge monster for a reason. It beats cars with much more horsepower and fast around the winding roads. That’s the benefits gleaned from the aerodynamics and downforce from the add-ons kits.
on Aug 27th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Hi hasbeen, the wing is 1600 wide only but the pic might be angled in a way that makes it look massive.
Let’s keep this discussion alive
on Aug 27th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Better yet take a look at the ASM s2000! Its n/a and runs a Toda engine. Not to mention it has set record lap times at the tsukuba circuit in japan. This car really shows the effects and benefits of a car with proper aro. If you are really that ignorant to believe that a wing on a s2000 will not help improve lap times, you are sadly mistaken. But your probably one of those bandwagon people that give Hondas a bad name. running around telling people how there car should look. Doing what other people are doing just because people on the internet say its cool. Now im not saying everyone should runaround on the streets with huge wings or anything like that. But if you track the car and drive it on the streets, more power to you.
on Aug 27th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
i think it looks absolutely amazing, nice car man. i enjoyed the article a ton too! i like how some people just hate on wings because they think they for posers. clearly they dont take their s2k around corners like i do…
on Aug 28th, 2011 at 7:00 am
More about the car on http://racings2000.blogspot.com
on Aug 29th, 2011 at 3:51 am
Just curious for those that have gone with a large wing – what kind of change do you see in highway MPG?
on Aug 29th, 2011 at 8:33 am
I was down about half or at very most 1km per liter. I didn’t go for aggressive AoA
on Aug 29th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Is the motor built? Or did he come about these horsepower gains with add-ons only?
on Aug 30th, 2011 at 9:07 am
looks like a shopping cart to me
on Aug 31st, 2011 at 10:12 am
@Hasbeen; horsepower is only part of the equation when assessing the effectiveness of downforce. Both a car w/ 500+ hp and a car w/ 240 hp can greatly benefit from well-engineered package of different aero parts.
on Aug 31st, 2011 at 9:44 pm
That looks very much like a road car to me.
That means the wing could be serving one of a couple of purposes. Either the owner is a dill who hoons around the public road at silly speeds, to make his wing work, or he is a poser who wants people to believe he’s tough.
on Sep 1st, 2011 at 9:29 am
honstly saying s2000 is a great fun car to drive, it has the race car experience in a affordible package, but it’s potential to become a real race car isn’t that much, it’s so unpredictable. comparing my s2000 to my mark X, the X seems much easier to drive quick on track, and with a full race mod, the x isn’t slower than the S.
on Sep 1st, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Sounds like Hasbeen never drove his S (if he has one) on track.
Hard parker? Hella-flush? Thought so…
on Sep 5th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Spoilers look appropriate on track. Everywhere else, you’re just hard parking. I’ll stick with trunk lips instead of wings.
on Sep 6th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Hasbeen, many track cars look like road cars or serve double duty as road cars. All an S2000 needs to be a hardcore track car are things like tires, brakes, suspension, alignment, seats, rollbar, harness, aerodynamics, tow hook, and maybe some reliability modifications. Even with every single one of those modifications, I’m pretty sure most people who haven’t seen many track cars would guess it’s just a normal road car.