Matador33's Track/ Street Build
09-29-2015, 08:35 AM
#1
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Matador33's Track/ Street Build
Hey S2Ki!
Earlier this year I was on the search for a track car that is tolerable on the streets. It had been 2 years since I had been on a track and it was killing me. Rewind a few years and I was racing spec Miata while attending Texas Tech. Doing both was tough, so I decided to get out of racing for awhile to finish up school. I just finished school in December, so it was time to get my priorities straight and buy a track car. I originally was on the search for an E46 M3 until I found out that insurance was through the roof (about 4 times the cost/ year of a S2000)! For a car that I will be driving on the weekends this was insane. I put the M3 on the back burner and immediately knew that I was going to search for a S2000. My buddy had one in high school and I loved how the car drove. The combination of the high revving motor and the light-weight chassis made it a blast to drive. It was like a go-kart compared to my 350Z I had at the time.
I searched for about a week until found the car I was going to buy. I couldn't believe my luck. It had only been posted on Craigslist for 10 minutes when I saw the ad. I called and setup a time to look at the car. The seller was the original owner, was older (60+), and used the car on the weekends. The car was a completely stock 2000 AP1 and had low miles (21,XXX). I bought the car on the spot. And the project began...
Here is the car when I first saw it...
And here is the car as it sits now...
Current mod list
Engine:
K&N FIPK
Suspension/ Brakes:
KW V3 Coilovers
Eibach Front Sway Bar
SPC Adjustable Ball Joints
Carbotech XP10 fronts and XP8 rear
SOS Stainless steel brake lines
Wheels and tires:
Enkei RPF1 17x9 +45
Hankook RS3 255x4
Instagram: stevenfarrell16
To be continued...
Earlier this year I was on the search for a track car that is tolerable on the streets. It had been 2 years since I had been on a track and it was killing me. Rewind a few years and I was racing spec Miata while attending Texas Tech. Doing both was tough, so I decided to get out of racing for awhile to finish up school. I just finished school in December, so it was time to get my priorities straight and buy a track car. I originally was on the search for an E46 M3 until I found out that insurance was through the roof (about 4 times the cost/ year of a S2000)! For a car that I will be driving on the weekends this was insane. I put the M3 on the back burner and immediately knew that I was going to search for a S2000. My buddy had one in high school and I loved how the car drove. The combination of the high revving motor and the light-weight chassis made it a blast to drive. It was like a go-kart compared to my 350Z I had at the time.
I searched for about a week until found the car I was going to buy. I couldn't believe my luck. It had only been posted on Craigslist for 10 minutes when I saw the ad. I called and setup a time to look at the car. The seller was the original owner, was older (60+), and used the car on the weekends. The car was a completely stock 2000 AP1 and had low miles (21,XXX). I bought the car on the spot. And the project began...
Here is the car when I first saw it...
And here is the car as it sits now...
Current mod list
Engine:
K&N FIPK
Suspension/ Brakes:
KW V3 Coilovers
Eibach Front Sway Bar
SPC Adjustable Ball Joints
Carbotech XP10 fronts and XP8 rear
SOS Stainless steel brake lines
Wheels and tires:
Enkei RPF1 17x9 +45
Hankook RS3 255x4
Instagram: stevenfarrell16
To be continued...
09-29-2015, 11:22 AM
#3
Nice find! Which hardtop is that?
09-29-2015, 01:06 PM
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Thanks for the kind words!
rip_ej1 - It's an OEM hardtop.
The car was in need of a full detail. I don't think the car had been waxed in awhile. I'm not a detailing expert but I tried my best to do a full paint correction.
I took the car out for its first auto-x. First impressions of the car: It liked to drift! I didn't experience any of the snap oversteer that everyone talks about. It was very easy to control and very easy to catch. That being said, being sideways isn't the fast way around, but it was a blast. I met some great friends who are active in the auto-x/ track/ s2000 community this weekend.
Next I put on an OEM replica front lip (eBay BaysonR). The fitment isn't perfect but overall I was pretty impressed with the fitment. If an OEM lip pops at a good price I may pick it up.
The car needed to be a little louder so I picked up a K&N FIPK Intake. Butt dyno says it didn't gain any horsepower from this but it does sound good.
I picked up a set of used TR Motorsports C3's because I wanted to try a square setup and I burned up the crusty rubber that was on the stock wheels. What a difference! Even though the tires on the C3's were crap too, the additional width made the car much more responsive.
Some new stickers for the helmet. Wreck em Tech!
I took the car into Texas Track Works to get the car aligned. If you are in the Dallas area I highly recommend these guys. Friendly and knowledgeable bunch. And if you like to mess with your alignment settings they have a deal that gets you unlimited alignments for a year for like $200.
Eibach sways on!
Took the car on its first track day at Motorsports Ranch Cresson. I am very familiar with the track but it had been raining for the past month and there were rivers going through the track. I wanted a try track to give me a baseline but oh well. I'll try to find the video.
One of the local guys gave me a great deal on his set of KW V3 Coil overs. He put 600 lbs Hyperco springs on the front so I gave them a shot. Car felt great with the square setup, front sway and the coils. The only thing this setup was lacking was sticky tires. Drove on this setup until the tires were bald.
Gotta run... To be continued.
rip_ej1 - It's an OEM hardtop.
The car was in need of a full detail. I don't think the car had been waxed in awhile. I'm not a detailing expert but I tried my best to do a full paint correction.
I took the car out for its first auto-x. First impressions of the car: It liked to drift! I didn't experience any of the snap oversteer that everyone talks about. It was very easy to control and very easy to catch. That being said, being sideways isn't the fast way around, but it was a blast. I met some great friends who are active in the auto-x/ track/ s2000 community this weekend.
Next I put on an OEM replica front lip (eBay BaysonR). The fitment isn't perfect but overall I was pretty impressed with the fitment. If an OEM lip pops at a good price I may pick it up.
The car needed to be a little louder so I picked up a K&N FIPK Intake. Butt dyno says it didn't gain any horsepower from this but it does sound good.
I picked up a set of used TR Motorsports C3's because I wanted to try a square setup and I burned up the crusty rubber that was on the stock wheels. What a difference! Even though the tires on the C3's were crap too, the additional width made the car much more responsive.
Some new stickers for the helmet. Wreck em Tech!
I took the car into Texas Track Works to get the car aligned. If you are in the Dallas area I highly recommend these guys. Friendly and knowledgeable bunch. And if you like to mess with your alignment settings they have a deal that gets you unlimited alignments for a year for like $200.
Eibach sways on!
Took the car on its first track day at Motorsports Ranch Cresson. I am very familiar with the track but it had been raining for the past month and there were rivers going through the track. I wanted a try track to give me a baseline but oh well. I'll try to find the video.
One of the local guys gave me a great deal on his set of KW V3 Coil overs. He put 600 lbs Hyperco springs on the front so I gave them a shot. Car felt great with the square setup, front sway and the coils. The only thing this setup was lacking was sticky tires. Drove on this setup until the tires were bald.
Gotta run... To be continued.
09-29-2015, 01:10 PM
#7
Registered User
As I said in another thread, car looks perfect! Only thing I'd add is a OEM trunk spoiler/lip.
Looks exactly like what I want to go for with my car but in GPW.
Looks exactly like what I want to go for with my car but in GPW.
