s2sik - AP2 Platinum Pearl Build - IG: _s2sik
02-13-2015, 08:31 AM
#292
Community Organizer
Looking good! 
glad to see you posting here 
awaiting the updates 
02-14-2015, 08:00 AM
#295
I must admit, I got a little excited by the prospect of legally not having a front plate, but these requirements kill it 
A Racing Activity Vehicle is a motor vehicle that:
1. Is primarily used for racing on a race track and that has:
a. A bodiless tubular steel chassis that forms the main structural component of the vehicle;
b. High side rails;
c. Integral front and rear rollover tubes;
d. A suspension with both front and rear double unequal length wishbones and inboard,
pushrod operated dampers; and
e. A product identification number instead of a vehicle identification number; and
2. Is not a replica or an assembled vehicle.
A racing activity vehicle is exempt from vehicle equipment requirements under ORS 815.040, 815.075, 815.250, 815.295 and 815.310 if the vehicle is equipped with original manufacturer’s equipment and accessories or their equivalent; and the vehicle is maintained in safe operating condition.
Racing activity vehicle operation is limited to:
1. Exhibitions, parades or club activities;
2. Driving the vehicle from the person’s home to a race track that is within a 90-mile radius of
a person’s home; or
3. Test driving the vehicle for maintenance or repair purposes within a 30-mile radius of where
the vehicle is maintained or repaired.
A racing activity vehicle can be operated for purposes of a test drive within a 30-mile radius of the location where the vehicle is manufactured without obtaining registration. A racing activity vehicle is limited to operation on highways with a speed limit or posted speed of 55 miles per hour or less.
A Racing Activity Vehicle is a motor vehicle that:
1. Is primarily used for racing on a race track and that has:
a. A bodiless tubular steel chassis that forms the main structural component of the vehicle;
b. High side rails;
c. Integral front and rear rollover tubes;
d. A suspension with both front and rear double unequal length wishbones and inboard,
pushrod operated dampers; and
e. A product identification number instead of a vehicle identification number; and
2. Is not a replica or an assembled vehicle.
A racing activity vehicle is exempt from vehicle equipment requirements under ORS 815.040, 815.075, 815.250, 815.295 and 815.310 if the vehicle is equipped with original manufacturer’s equipment and accessories or their equivalent; and the vehicle is maintained in safe operating condition.
Racing activity vehicle operation is limited to:
1. Exhibitions, parades or club activities;
2. Driving the vehicle from the person’s home to a race track that is within a 90-mile radius of
a person’s home; or
3. Test driving the vehicle for maintenance or repair purposes within a 30-mile radius of where
the vehicle is maintained or repaired.
A racing activity vehicle can be operated for purposes of a test drive within a 30-mile radius of the location where the vehicle is manufactured without obtaining registration. A racing activity vehicle is limited to operation on highways with a speed limit or posted speed of 55 miles per hour or less.
02-14-2015, 04:03 PM
#296
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Thanks for the all the positive comments- many of your builds was what motivated me to continue on with mine.
As far as arsenal, the Special Interest plates definitely is not for everyone. Otherwise, every car enthusiast in Oregon would have already gotten them. For me, the S2000 is my weekend or "special events" car and sees very limited road time; since I have a lease as our daily driver. However, I wasn't sure if your bolded check points where pertaining to specific deal breakers, but here was/is my take on it.
1. "Exhibitions" and "club activities" are very vague- I brought in a S2KI Oregon card and keep one with me in the car. While S2KI is not a "club" by definition, it serves the purpose for a group of enthusiasts that congregate at one place, whether online or local. They signed off on it despite S2KI not being registered as an official club. This aspect allows me to participate in local S2000 drives and events. I think the confusion for many is that you are not limited to checkpoints 1, 2, or 3 simutaneously. If your club activity takes you outside a 30 mile radius of the area your car is maintained, you are still fine; assuming that you are still partaking in a club activity.
2. Self explanatory (the only two tracks near me, Portland International Raceway (PIR), and Woodburn Drag Strip are both within 90 miles)
3. This is where most of my driving occurs, within a 30 mile radius of where the vehicle is maintained. I try to drive my car at least once a week if possible, to keep the fluids moving, tires rotating, and the battery charged. At any given time if I were pulled over- That is a very easy explanation. Also for some (my case), where the car is maintained isn't neccesarily the drivers home address is either.
An the last point, most Oregon freeways will top you out at 55 miles per hour, so if you are doing 65 or 70 and getting pulled over, that is because you were speeding, not necessarily because you were a special interest vehicle driving over 55, so that point for me was moot.
Hope to pass by you on Germantown !
As far as arsenal, the Special Interest plates definitely is not for everyone. Otherwise, every car enthusiast in Oregon would have already gotten them. For me, the S2000 is my weekend or "special events" car and sees very limited road time; since I have a lease as our daily driver. However, I wasn't sure if your bolded check points where pertaining to specific deal breakers, but here was/is my take on it.
1. "Exhibitions" and "club activities" are very vague- I brought in a S2KI Oregon card and keep one with me in the car. While S2KI is not a "club" by definition, it serves the purpose for a group of enthusiasts that congregate at one place, whether online or local. They signed off on it despite S2KI not being registered as an official club. This aspect allows me to participate in local S2000 drives and events. I think the confusion for many is that you are not limited to checkpoints 1, 2, or 3 simutaneously. If your club activity takes you outside a 30 mile radius of the area your car is maintained, you are still fine; assuming that you are still partaking in a club activity.
2. Self explanatory (the only two tracks near me, Portland International Raceway (PIR), and Woodburn Drag Strip are both within 90 miles)
3. This is where most of my driving occurs, within a 30 mile radius of where the vehicle is maintained. I try to drive my car at least once a week if possible, to keep the fluids moving, tires rotating, and the battery charged. At any given time if I were pulled over- That is a very easy explanation. Also for some (my case), where the car is maintained isn't neccesarily the drivers home address is either.
An the last point, most Oregon freeways will top you out at 55 miles per hour, so if you are doing 65 or 70 and getting pulled over, that is because you were speeding, not necessarily because you were a special interest vehicle driving over 55, so that point for me was moot.
Hope to pass by you on Germantown !
02-14-2015, 04:53 PM
#297
German town sounds good, was in the hills today, which worries me about the plates, along with drives to the beach. Glad you got them though!! We need some developments on the car 
02-18-2015, 06:09 PM
#299
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Update: So as I was filtering through my random pictures and I realized I had purchased a ton of stuff that came and went without ever actually making it onto the car. This however, was one part that was purchased, installed, and is still on the car today. According to the date stamp, it was actually purchased in the tail end of 2013, and eventually installed in January 2014.
It goes something like this- had seen a post by one of our S2KI sponsors, I believe their name was Union Performance. I was intrigued, 70MM exhaust, the reviews were it was very quiet (albeit bias and from the vendor themselves, was a big priority for me at the time), and I really liked the muffler design; it reminded me of the ASM shape. I could be wrong, but I think I paid something like $450 or so shipped, which seemed very low risk to me. I was eager to get out of the GTMotoring exhaust due to noise levels. The transaction was fine, the exhaust arrived, but the box was damaged and about 1/4 of the exhaust was sticking out of the box by the time I received it. I wouldn't know who to put the blame on, the vendor for poor packaging, or the mishandling during delivery. Nonetheless, the exhaust was fine and undamaged, so I left it alone.
I did a quick review of the exhaust, having owned several different exhausts for our cars, I had a pretty good point of reference. The quality was definitely the lowest of the ones I have owned. To be fair, once you consider cost, I felt it was still a good value for what you received. For reference, I have owned: J's Racing titanium 60MM (never installed), Greddy 70MM TiC, GTM 76TA-RM, GTM 76TA-S, and now the Forcewerkz 70MM. Of the exhaust I have installed, it is indeed the quietest. I cannot vouch for performance of any sort, as I switched out the GTM exhaust and any difference, if any, were negligible. The welds however, are on par with Chinese quality labor- despite the claims of being manufactured in the states. Other owners had reported that they had an issue with clearance and it rubbing against a bolt, I did not have that problem. The two things that bothered me were, one, because of the design and poor execution, I had to remove the OEM lower tie bar in order for the piping to clear. Two, as you can see in the picture, the muffler itself does not line up perfectly to the exit hole of the bumper. It is very possible I can fix that with adjusting the hangers more, I just have never gotten around to it.
Having said that, all things considered, I still think the exhaust is fine for what it is. In this case, I got what I paid for, and I think others would also be satisfied for a sub $500 exhaust. Really, if/when I resell this someone should be really happy for a sub $400 exhaust. It will stay on the car until I finally get my hands on an ASM exhaust or the pending URGE designs exhaust, I wont settle this time around. On to the pictures.
Forcewerkz 70MM exhaust
The GTMotoring 76TA-S it replaced. Which by the way was a good quality exhaust, it was just incredibly loud. Also, I have received very spotty service from GTMotoring in the past.
And a repost of the installed picture
It goes something like this- had seen a post by one of our S2KI sponsors, I believe their name was Union Performance. I was intrigued, 70MM exhaust, the reviews were it was very quiet (albeit bias and from the vendor themselves, was a big priority for me at the time), and I really liked the muffler design; it reminded me of the ASM shape. I could be wrong, but I think I paid something like $450 or so shipped, which seemed very low risk to me. I was eager to get out of the GTMotoring exhaust due to noise levels. The transaction was fine, the exhaust arrived, but the box was damaged and about 1/4 of the exhaust was sticking out of the box by the time I received it. I wouldn't know who to put the blame on, the vendor for poor packaging, or the mishandling during delivery. Nonetheless, the exhaust was fine and undamaged, so I left it alone.
I did a quick review of the exhaust, having owned several different exhausts for our cars, I had a pretty good point of reference. The quality was definitely the lowest of the ones I have owned. To be fair, once you consider cost, I felt it was still a good value for what you received. For reference, I have owned: J's Racing titanium 60MM (never installed), Greddy 70MM TiC, GTM 76TA-RM, GTM 76TA-S, and now the Forcewerkz 70MM. Of the exhaust I have installed, it is indeed the quietest. I cannot vouch for performance of any sort, as I switched out the GTM exhaust and any difference, if any, were negligible. The welds however, are on par with Chinese quality labor- despite the claims of being manufactured in the states. Other owners had reported that they had an issue with clearance and it rubbing against a bolt, I did not have that problem. The two things that bothered me were, one, because of the design and poor execution, I had to remove the OEM lower tie bar in order for the piping to clear. Two, as you can see in the picture, the muffler itself does not line up perfectly to the exit hole of the bumper. It is very possible I can fix that with adjusting the hangers more, I just have never gotten around to it.
Having said that, all things considered, I still think the exhaust is fine for what it is. In this case, I got what I paid for, and I think others would also be satisfied for a sub $500 exhaust. Really, if/when I resell this someone should be really happy for a sub $400 exhaust. It will stay on the car until I finally get my hands on an ASM exhaust or the pending URGE designs exhaust, I wont settle this time around. On to the pictures.
Forcewerkz 70MM exhaust
The GTMotoring 76TA-S it replaced. Which by the way was a good quality exhaust, it was just incredibly loud. Also, I have received very spotty service from GTMotoring in the past.
And a repost of the installed picture
02-25-2015, 05:57 PM
#300
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This update puts my timeline out of order; but nonetheless, it is one I am excited to make. I had the chance to work with Patrick over at Urge Designs on testing their long anticipated "Urge Unicorn Header". A unique opportunity came up where they were wanting someone with a relatively stock engine that could offer some back-to-back testing, tune-over-tune type results. Having followed many of their exciting new products they are trying to introduce to our market, I quickly jumped on this chance to be a tester.
This endeavor did not occur without hiccups (on my side). I started by arranging tuning and installation at a local shop, Trackforged Performance- located in Portland, OR. With full disclosure, I have no affiliation with Urge Designs, nor do Trackforged, this review comes with my nonbiased opinion of the product I received and tested. As I am quickly typing this up, I may miss details that I will return to edit for at a later time.
Trackforged's dyno was down for a couple weeks awaiting a part, causing a small delay; ended up being a non-issue for me. I dropped off the car and received all new Amsoil fluids, NGK plugs and a valve job was completed prior to any testing. I wanted to make sure the motor was as fresh/healthy as could be prior to the testing and tuning. When they opened up the valve cover, I had some bad seals, which resulted in us waiting on the dealer to get those in. Once those were in and they began further work, they had found that my clutch cylinder was leaking, so I had opted to replace that, so more waiting. I had wanted to replace the clutch soon anyway, so I opted to replace my clutch at the same time- with a Clutch Masters stage 3 clutch and a 9lb flywheel. I will speak to those at a later time. All in all, everything was installed and tuned just fine, and I received good service and great pricing from Trackforged; results are as follows:
Vehicle: 2006 Honda S2000 55,XXX miles. 100% stock motor w/ 70MM single Forcewerkz exhaust (stock cat)
Dyno: Mustang Dynamometer, 52 degrees, 80% humidity, Elevation: 20 feet (Trackforged, Portland, OR)
Testing: Urge Unicorn Header (Tri Y), 304 stainless steel, weighed 13.4 pounds,
Here is a glimpse at the professionally packaged header that I received along with some pictures of said product.
And on to the dyno graphs
Graph #1 depicts - 100% stock motor w/ 70MM single Forcewerkz exhaust (stock cat) = 130ft-lbs torque and 195whp
Graph #2 (run 1) depicts - All variables the same + full tune (Hondata Flashpro) = 136ft-lbs torque and 202whp
- Cool down and header swap
Graph #2 (run 2) depicts - All variables the same + full tune (Hondata Flashpro) + Urge Unicorn Header = 139ft-lbs torque and 214whp
I had a very good experience working with Patrick through this process. Patrick and I have exchanged several dozen PMs, and not once did I feel that my questions were not thoroughly answered; in both a professional and expedited manner. I am equally satisfied with how this header has performed, both in terms of power and build quality. The header made impressive gains throughout the entire power band. Whether this makes it to production or not, I am not sure; but if it does, I would not hesitate to recommend this product and Patrick's services to potential buyers. Completely satisfied.
I will add to this review at a later time.
This endeavor did not occur without hiccups (on my side). I started by arranging tuning and installation at a local shop, Trackforged Performance- located in Portland, OR. With full disclosure, I have no affiliation with Urge Designs, nor do Trackforged, this review comes with my nonbiased opinion of the product I received and tested. As I am quickly typing this up, I may miss details that I will return to edit for at a later time.
Trackforged's dyno was down for a couple weeks awaiting a part, causing a small delay; ended up being a non-issue for me. I dropped off the car and received all new Amsoil fluids, NGK plugs and a valve job was completed prior to any testing. I wanted to make sure the motor was as fresh/healthy as could be prior to the testing and tuning. When they opened up the valve cover, I had some bad seals, which resulted in us waiting on the dealer to get those in. Once those were in and they began further work, they had found that my clutch cylinder was leaking, so I had opted to replace that, so more waiting. I had wanted to replace the clutch soon anyway, so I opted to replace my clutch at the same time- with a Clutch Masters stage 3 clutch and a 9lb flywheel. I will speak to those at a later time. All in all, everything was installed and tuned just fine, and I received good service and great pricing from Trackforged; results are as follows:
Vehicle: 2006 Honda S2000 55,XXX miles. 100% stock motor w/ 70MM single Forcewerkz exhaust (stock cat)
Dyno: Mustang Dynamometer, 52 degrees, 80% humidity, Elevation: 20 feet (Trackforged, Portland, OR)
Testing: Urge Unicorn Header (Tri Y), 304 stainless steel, weighed 13.4 pounds,
Here is a glimpse at the professionally packaged header that I received along with some pictures of said product.
And on to the dyno graphs
Graph #1 depicts - 100% stock motor w/ 70MM single Forcewerkz exhaust (stock cat) = 130ft-lbs torque and 195whp
Graph #2 (run 1) depicts - All variables the same + full tune (Hondata Flashpro) = 136ft-lbs torque and 202whp
- Cool down and header swap
Graph #2 (run 2) depicts - All variables the same + full tune (Hondata Flashpro) + Urge Unicorn Header = 139ft-lbs torque and 214whp
I had a very good experience working with Patrick through this process. Patrick and I have exchanged several dozen PMs, and not once did I feel that my questions were not thoroughly answered; in both a professional and expedited manner. I am equally satisfied with how this header has performed, both in terms of power and build quality. The header made impressive gains throughout the entire power band. Whether this makes it to production or not, I am not sure; but if it does, I would not hesitate to recommend this product and Patrick's services to potential buyers. Completely satisfied.
I will add to this review at a later time.