JamesD89

I'm currently running +63 wheels squared with the fenders rolled and while the car handles beautifully I'm not sold on the rear fitment. I've been toying with getting a 15mm spacer with extended studs for daily use but like you said, no one runs staggered offsets on non-staggered widths so it was hard to figure out if it would look good. Buying a spacer tonight after I double check my measurements. So thanks

Vboy

One of my biggest lessons learned from the old NFR build was that I wanted to maintain a fully functional ride height and ground clearance this time around. So initially when I first bought my AP1 I was very content with not having a front lip. I really liked the idea of having all of that ground clearance and not having to worry every time I came across a large dip or speed bump. Being able to really drive the S hard and enjoy it in the way it was intended far outweighs an inch or two of fender gap.

Also the OEM front lip, which IMO is one of the best looking AP1 front end options, has long been discontinued and finding one is both difficult and costly since they usually come with a premium asking price on the used market. I was not interested in any replicas as I’ve noticed the overall fitment of them can be hit or miss.

In the end Feezy came through and gave me the heads up on a factory OEM lip that popped up on the FS boards here on S2ki that was already painted Spa Yellow, so naturally I jumped at the opportunity. The lip was not originally Spa and was repainted by the seller. Unfortunately the paint match was a bit off but the seller notified me before-hand. I figured worst case I could eventually repaint it anyway and temporarily rock the mismatched lip for a bit.

Once I got the lip in hand the match was indeed off. But since this is a pearl paint, in some lighting situations it looked tolerable. While in others the lip is a few shades too light. This is something I will fix in the near future as I plan to repaint and blend the whole front end together. I will begrudgingly deal with the mismatch for now. As for the ground clearance the OEM lip did not really take away much and it greatly improves the looks of the front end; it just looks more complete.

Vboy

No problem. Happy to help! I've pondered spacers with extended studs at one point and wondered if close-ended lug nuts would still work, so you may want to verify that and possibly get some open-ended lugs if you don't already have some.

whybshy

Looks Great. I actually like your car all stock with OEM wheels, and OEM front lip.

Vboy

Thanks! I would leave everything alone if I could, but that's not why a lot of us are here right? I'm trying to find the balance of maximizing what Honda provided from the factory yet still building it to my personal taste.

Still playing catch up with this build thread, but I will post another update later today.

Vboy

The next area I looked to improve upon was the exhaust. I love the mechanical sound of the F20C especially at VTEC engagement just as much as the next person, but I wanted a little more “oomph” from the exhaust note. Considering the 4.77 final drive that I had in the differential, The engine RPMs are relatively high at highway cruising speeds, so I didn’t want an exhaust that was too loud or had excessive drone. Also, to maintain the “factory-like” look that I was going for, I wanted to stick with dual tips with a silver finish, no burned tips.

So it came down to a few exhaust: the Fujitsubo Legalis R, Tanabe Touring Medallion, or the Mugen Sports exhaust. Ultimately I wanted the Mugen as it is my “ideal” exhaust for this build, but at the time I couldn’t find any clean secondhand examples. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Fujitsubo’s tips as they seemed to extend out pretty far from the bumper and they were thin-walled. So, for a relatively low price (750 bucks shipped), I picked up a brand new Tanabe Touring Medallion to hold me over until I could source a clean Mugen piece.

The sound, volume, and looks of the Tanabe definitely exceeded my expectations. I think this is one of the best bang-for-buck exhaust for those looking for improved sound, looks, and want to maintain a stock-like aesthetic. It’s just barely louder than stock at idle and low RPMs, but screamed when you opened it up. Drone was almost a non-issue as well. The polished look of the muffler and tips also matched very well with my Advans and tied everything together nicely.

Vboy

So my remaining days in Phoenix were whittling down and I figured it’d be a good opportunity to have Adam (Adrs2k) take some photos of my car in its current stage at the time as well as document some of the beautiful desert landscapes Arizona had to offer. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Adam’s photos and I was very fortunate to have met and befriended such a talented photographer, dedicated S2000 owner, and overall good guy.

I still look back at all these photos in awe. Adam's photos make my car look way cleaner than it actually is:

by Adrs2k, on Flickr
by Adrs2k, on Flickr

Vboy

Just before my move out of Phoenix an opportunity presented itself for me to obtain some wheels that I’ve always wanted; some Mugen MF-10 in the iconic bronze finish. Contrary to how many others were obtaining these wheels at the time (King Motorsports 2016-2017 run), I had actually seen that these were posted for sale by ap2_jared. Although they were used the wheels were MINT; I expected nothing less from Jared. So I made a weekend road trip out to SoCal and picked up my very first set of MF10s or fully forged wheels for that matter.

I honestly was still on the fence about the bronze on yellow, but I had seen some decent examples online and took the plunge. The Continental tires that were on my old Advans were switched over and the Advans were sold!

RogueMotorsports

can't wait to see this car in person

Feezy

I really like where the car is now. It reminds me of the early 2000's when most of the AP1 were simply put together with suspension and wheels.