adrs2k

Haha, thank you!! I have some parts I want to add, but I dont plan on changing things up. The parts are all under the skin. Maybe a slightly different ride height when/if I get around to doing coilovers. I want the front raise a 1/4" and the rear to come down about a 1/2". Otherwise it will most likely remain as is for a long time!

Thanks man, I am planning on going back out tonight to get some more.

adrs2k

One more from the other night. Def best viewed in a larger size!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrs2k/13129506333/http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrs2k/13129506333/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/adrs2k/, on Flickr

adrs2k

Checking back in. Not much is going on. I paid the car off two weeks ago though so its a great feeling to finally OWN this car 100%!!

I purchased a Deltran Battery Tender JR as seen here: http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender.../dp/B000CITK8S

I decided since the CR is our third vehicle and does not get used often it was worthwhile to invest in a battery tender to keep the battery charged for when I do want to use it! I used the provided rings/harness and hardwired it into the car. I used some twist ties for now in some places while I decide how I want to permanently mount it. I do want to eventually hide all the wires so you can't tell its there. This works for right now though.



I mentioned at some point in my build thread that I plasti-dipped my OEM H emblems and while it looked pretty good, it did not exactly match the OEM CR black emblems. Luckily for me a local CR guy (s2k4life_az) already painted his OEM H emblems with a Satin Black paint that matched the stock emblems. He was kind enough to take his extra set of emblems and paint a set for me. I got the rear emblem off easily, struggled with the front emblem so decided to just remove the whole front bumper! I had time and was bored, not to mention for some reason I always wanted to remove the bumper. I love the way S2000's look without their bumper on.

So here is a comparison showing the OEM black S2000 Emblem, the plasti-dipped emblem (top of the cardboard) and my new Satin black H emblem. It isn't necessarily night and day, but you can tell the plasti dip is a lot duller and textured. In person it really is a much bigger difference then what the picture shows. It is the little details with me, so its good to have emblems now that all match perfectly!



And then the bumper off pics...again I dont know why, but I really love this first pic! Makes it look like a race car imo. The wheels and tires look beefy and track ready. I LOVE the look of a 255 tire up front.





While the bumper is off I will be fully cleaning the front end of the car. I was surprised to see that there were quite a few places that the factory paint has rubbed off in areas where the bumper and foam absorber sit so I am contemplating touching up those areas to prevent any future rust. Problem is I have touch up paint and not the plain base coat paint. I could possibly just use a clear coat to protect those areas but that wont cover up or hide these spots

s2k4life_az

The CR looks great as always. I've picked up a lot of knowledge from you on the CR and not to mention carbon copy mods. Ha Ha.

adrs2k

Thank you I was born and spent 25 years of my life in the western suburbs of Philadelphia so I know all about east coast weather haha. I have been living out here in Phoenix, Arizona now for 5 years. Love it!! There are lots and lots of dealerships in Phoenix. At least 5 major Honda dealerships as well...

Thanks Sandeep. Good to have another CR fanboy local

viNz86

Awesome update, 255s up front with some meat sure is badass like you said.

adrs2k

Thanks!

adrs2k

New tires are here. I deliberated for literally months on which tires to get. I have a problem making decisions lol!! I have had RS-3's for 3 years.

What I liked about them:

The old cheap pricing
Ultimate grip
Ability to handle large slip angles
Heat management
The overall feel of the tire on track (feels more like a racing slick)

What I didn't like:
Price has risen
Grip levels dropped off massively after a couple track days
Mushy sidewall and in precise steering feel on the street (These traits were fine with me on track when pushing, but left something to be desired on the street for me)

Based on that I decided I wanted something new. Part of the fun of modding is trying new things every once in a while.

So RE11A were crossed of my list because from the reviews they are behind all other tires in category in ultimate grip, and you can't flip side to side.

Dunlop ZII really had my attention but they don't like slip angles (so you have to be very precise and tidy - not always fun on track) and the biggest issue I had with them was there lack of heat management. Everyone said under 60 degrees ambient temperature they were awesome, but here in AZ we rarely have track days under 60 degrees.

Rivals I never heard a good thing about them on track so did not give them any thought.

That left the Advan AD08R. First the price totally put me off. At $300 more a set they needed to be special!! They do have a huge following and it seems that every track car in Japan and Australia uses them. I would like to be able to assume if they are that popular its because they are that good!! I did a lot of reviewing and from what I read they are about the same in ultimate grip as the RS3 and ZII, can handle heat fairly well (no straight comparison to the RS3 yet so I dont know if they are as good, but so far people seem to think they are better than ZII), and very importantly can handle slip angles and allow the driver to be more flexible(you can be clean and tidy, or aggressive and use some slip angle...either way tires are happy). They also are noted for their sharp turn in, response, and braking capabilities. They certainly sound like a great all around tire. Jumped on tirerack and saw Yokohama was offering $60 prepaid visa gift cards with the purchase of certain tires. The AD08R were part of the offer, and I needed tires for my Accord as well so all in all I got $120 back from ordering two sets of Yokohama tires. I ordered Avid Envigors for the Accord (I currently use them on the Accord and love them). So that knocked the price difference between the AD08R to $160 more than the other tires in the category which imo made price a non factor so I bought them. Time to see what all the hype is about I won't be getting them mounted any time soon so impressions won't be around for awhile.

I am taking two of my 255/40/17 RS-3's that have decent tread and putting them back on the stock rear wheels (stock fronts still have 225/45/17 RS-3's) so I will have stock wheels and Advans full tired up and ready to go!

And of course, a few pictures!!

Advan Neova AD08R by Adrs2k, on Flickr
Advan+Advan by Adrs2k, on Flickr

andrewhake

There is way too much life left on those RS3s to be swapping on new tires.

adrs2k

^ That is why the new tires aren't going on yet! . The fronts in this pic are at the wear bar. Still have some life but they sound like monster truck tires on the freeway haha.