sse2k's '07 Rio Build
02-28-2016, 06:16 PM
#1
sse2k's '07 Rio Build
Well, I guess it's my turn now to get a build thread going to document how far the car has come. It's been nearly 4 years since I started this journey, learning a lot about the car, and making some really great friends along the way. Like many others, I've always wanted an S2000 since the day it was announced. I still remember playing Gran Turismo 2 back in the day, and thinking it would be awesome to have a yellow S2000 in the garage someday.
Fast forward to summer, 2012. I was randomly browsing used cars for sale. I saw that there was a yellow S2000 for sale as a trade-in at a non-Honda dealership. I called them straight away, and said I’d come in after work to check the car out. I barely knew anything of the production run then, mainly the difference between AP1/AP2, but none of the intricacies year-over-year that S2KI has taught me. I went into this completely blind, other than looking for the basics of what to look for in buying a used car.
The sales reps and manager at this dealership couldn’t have cared less about the car. They said it was traded in by a retired couple who needed a more “comfortable” car. Conveniently, it was toward the end of the month, and they were willing to deal. After taking it for a test drive (again, I knew nothing of the details to look for), they asked if I would buy it on the spot. I played the disinterested game, saying I needed to do more research, and they offered to let me take it home for the weekend. This is where things got interesting. I took it over to a trusted tech at a Honda dealership to throw it up on a lift and give it a good PPI.
Everything ended up positive and I pulled the trigger. I was now the 3rd owner of a 50K mile S2000, and with the complete vehicle ownership and maintenance history as well. I called all of the places on the vehicle history report where the car was maintained, and it turned out the previous two owners were both retirees that used the car as a weekend “fun” car. It was always registered as an Arizona car, so I didn’t have to worry as much about things like rust or salt damage.
Fast forward to summer, 2012. I was randomly browsing used cars for sale. I saw that there was a yellow S2000 for sale as a trade-in at a non-Honda dealership. I called them straight away, and said I’d come in after work to check the car out. I barely knew anything of the production run then, mainly the difference between AP1/AP2, but none of the intricacies year-over-year that S2KI has taught me. I went into this completely blind, other than looking for the basics of what to look for in buying a used car.
The sales reps and manager at this dealership couldn’t have cared less about the car. They said it was traded in by a retired couple who needed a more “comfortable” car. Conveniently, it was toward the end of the month, and they were willing to deal. After taking it for a test drive (again, I knew nothing of the details to look for), they asked if I would buy it on the spot. I played the disinterested game, saying I needed to do more research, and they offered to let me take it home for the weekend. This is where things got interesting. I took it over to a trusted tech at a Honda dealership to throw it up on a lift and give it a good PPI.
Everything ended up positive and I pulled the trigger. I was now the 3rd owner of a 50K mile S2000, and with the complete vehicle ownership and maintenance history as well. I called all of the places on the vehicle history report where the car was maintained, and it turned out the previous two owners were both retirees that used the car as a weekend “fun” car. It was always registered as an Arizona car, so I didn’t have to worry as much about things like rust or salt damage.
02-28-2016, 06:17 PM
#2
Just two months in, this is how the car looked. Cleaned up and taken out on a quick run up to Canyon Lake in Arizona. There were only minor things done to the car at this point. Clear side markers, a JS2k tall windscreen (now removed), and a Blendmount aluminum mount for my radar/laser detector. The tires that came with the car were still on as well, Fuzion ZRi or something like that. During this time the Arizona S2000 group was super welcoming. Everybody I met with was very helpful in looking over the car and answering any questions I had. It actually turned out that the soft top had been replaced with an aftermarket cloth top, that ended up being a win! Just to show how little I knew of the variances year over year, I didn’t know the implications of having a DBW car, and what opportunities that could bring in the future.
The first real change I did was to get rid of the tires that came with the car. I was daily driving the S, so I needed something that would last a while but allow me to have a little bit of fun. I landed with Michelin Pilot Super Sports in 215/245 sizing, and still keeping the OEM alignment. These turned out to be a good first set of real tires to use. Around this time I also put on the K&N FIPK.
The first trip I took was with the Arizona S200 group, on the Highway 666 or Devil’s Run. Really got to know the car well on that trip. One thing led to another, and I ended up going to the track later that year, and from there on I was hooked. I ran the car completely stock for about a full year, which really let me focus on improving my skill and track fundamentals. Looking back, this is probably the best decision I could have made, holding off on any modifications until I felt comfortable incrementally changing things to improve performance. My #1 goal was and still is, to keep the original spirit of the car while seeking modifications to improve performance or drivability.
02-28-2016, 06:17 PM
#3
2013 was when things started to get more serious. I keep thinking back to the first meets I took the car to, telling everyone I liked the car the way it sat, and I wasn’t planning on any changes. So began the slippery slope we all have gone down. As the track season in Arizona is primarily in the fall/winter, I started to look at improvements to make during the summer. I knew I wasn’t ready for any suspension or brakes changes yet, so I started looking more seriously at FlashPro and a tune. I did not plan on changing out the exhaust yet, so I went the Berk HFC route.
I bought FlashPro and a tune through Vit Tuned, after lots of talking with other customers. I spent the next couple weeks doing data logging and pulls on my own, and soon ended up with a solid tune with VTEC engagement at 3900 RPM and a peak HP/TQ at 220/153.
Initially I was hesitant about an eTune, but the car ended up very solid and the mid-range torque enhancement was awesome for improving mid-corner acceleration, and not having to worry about keeping the revs super high in the range. Coincidentally in the fall of 2013, Vit took a trip to Arizona to tune a friend’s ITB setup. I was able to have the car evaluated again, but this time on the roller dyno. Vit verified everything on the eTune was correct, and no changes needed to be made in person.
Later in the year, we had the opportunity to go on another Devil’s Run. This time around, I had Bridgestone RE-11A tires on the car in 225/255 setup. The additional grip was great to have, allowing me to push the car just a little bit harder than the first trip.
I bought FlashPro and a tune through Vit Tuned, after lots of talking with other customers. I spent the next couple weeks doing data logging and pulls on my own, and soon ended up with a solid tune with VTEC engagement at 3900 RPM and a peak HP/TQ at 220/153.
Initially I was hesitant about an eTune, but the car ended up very solid and the mid-range torque enhancement was awesome for improving mid-corner acceleration, and not having to worry about keeping the revs super high in the range. Coincidentally in the fall of 2013, Vit took a trip to Arizona to tune a friend’s ITB setup. I was able to have the car evaluated again, but this time on the roller dyno. Vit verified everything on the eTune was correct, and no changes needed to be made in person.
Later in the year, we had the opportunity to go on another Devil’s Run. This time around, I had Bridgestone RE-11A tires on the car in 225/255 setup. The additional grip was great to have, allowing me to push the car just a little bit harder than the first trip.
02-28-2016, 06:18 PM
#4
During 2014 I left the car mostly unchanged. I had a pretty big career change, completely picking up and moving to Seattle, so everything was on hold. We also bought a house in the City, in order to keep commute times down. Finding a house with a garage, while staying in the city proved to be difficult, but we ended up finding a great place with a 2 car garage, and space to work on the car. The Pacific Northwest S2000 group has been very welcoming, and we have a pretty good group of track rats here.
In the 2014-2015 winter, I had the opportunity to take the car out to The Ridge Motorsports Park, a track about 1.5 hours away from Seattle. Previous tracks I frequented in Arizona tended to be all flat, and somewhat short. This was a helpful transition, as learning the vehicle dynamics and weight transfer while on flat ground is relatively safe. Although it was cold, and parts of the track were wet, it was a great opportunity to learn The Ridge, and get a taste of what elevation change does to the car. Feeling the front steering wash away while cresting a hill, and catching the car on the other side was a blast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTyN8_2wZkE
Taken with a GoPro Hero 2, Harry’s Lap Timer on iPhone 6
In the summer of 2015, I had the opportunity to purchase a CR suspension, which came with Swift Spec-R springs. I wasn’t planning on doing any suspension changes yet, but the friends I know that had these springs on their CRs have been very happy. At this time I also swapped out both sway bars for the thicker CR bars. Brakes remained the same OEM spec.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoCnMCCZga8
Alignment settings were changed to:
Front - Camber -2.2, 0 toe, 6 degrees of caster
Rear - Camber -2.8, 0.15 degrees of to each side
The CR+Swift combination, along with this alignment was great. The increased responsiveness of the suspension gave an additional edge of confidence. Before, I was able to let the car sort of float around and react before settling in for turn-in. With the new setup, I could be much more direct in my actions, and also had to pay much more attention to the texture and camber of the track surface.
In the 2014-2015 winter, I had the opportunity to take the car out to The Ridge Motorsports Park, a track about 1.5 hours away from Seattle. Previous tracks I frequented in Arizona tended to be all flat, and somewhat short. This was a helpful transition, as learning the vehicle dynamics and weight transfer while on flat ground is relatively safe. Although it was cold, and parts of the track were wet, it was a great opportunity to learn The Ridge, and get a taste of what elevation change does to the car. Feeling the front steering wash away while cresting a hill, and catching the car on the other side was a blast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTyN8_2wZkE
Taken with a GoPro Hero 2, Harry’s Lap Timer on iPhone 6
In the summer of 2015, I had the opportunity to purchase a CR suspension, which came with Swift Spec-R springs. I wasn’t planning on doing any suspension changes yet, but the friends I know that had these springs on their CRs have been very happy. At this time I also swapped out both sway bars for the thicker CR bars. Brakes remained the same OEM spec.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoCnMCCZga8
Alignment settings were changed to:
Front - Camber -2.2, 0 toe, 6 degrees of caster
Rear - Camber -2.8, 0.15 degrees of to each side
The CR+Swift combination, along with this alignment was great. The increased responsiveness of the suspension gave an additional edge of confidence. Before, I was able to let the car sort of float around and react before settling in for turn-in. With the new setup, I could be much more direct in my actions, and also had to pay much more attention to the texture and camber of the track surface.
02-28-2016, 06:18 PM
#5
It was inevitable that my next upgrade was going to be brakes. Each of the progressive changes I made to the car seemed like the transition from SDTV to HDTV. There was just that much more resolution available, and feedback from the car and track was increased. With the OEM brakes, I never really had to pay attention to pedal modulation or bite, I could just stand on the brakes and let the car catch up and slow down in the braking zone. This proved to really make me a sloppy braker, so I sort of regret not swapping for more aggressive pads before changing suspension.
I put Carbotech XP10/XP8 pads on the car, with new centric blanks. I kept them on the car even during daily driving, despite the dust. The first track day with these was yet another learning experience. I had learned the hard way that I couldn’t just stand on the brakes and let the car decelerate. The Carbotechs have such great initial bite and just want to hold on, like you’re sitting over the front wheels. I had a four-off experience at the end of the long straight at The Ridge, as just at the start of the braking zone the pavement undulates left to right. I got on the brakes too quickly, and the front left grabbed before the right, and the car swapped ends.
In the fall of 2015, I was one of the lucky people to attend Homecoming III in Torrance, CA. I’ve always wanted to do a Pacific Coast trip, and now that we were in Seattle, this would be a great opportunity to do just that. I took time to plan a route that would switch between coastal routes, mountain passes, and interstates to make up the time where I had already driven the coast. In short, this was the most fun I’ve ever had in the car. Seeing how the coast changes, both in sights and smells was incredible. I plan do do this trip again sometime in the future.
I put Carbotech XP10/XP8 pads on the car, with new centric blanks. I kept them on the car even during daily driving, despite the dust. The first track day with these was yet another learning experience. I had learned the hard way that I couldn’t just stand on the brakes and let the car decelerate. The Carbotechs have such great initial bite and just want to hold on, like you’re sitting over the front wheels. I had a four-off experience at the end of the long straight at The Ridge, as just at the start of the braking zone the pavement undulates left to right. I got on the brakes too quickly, and the front left grabbed before the right, and the car swapped ends.
In the fall of 2015, I was one of the lucky people to attend Homecoming III in Torrance, CA. I’ve always wanted to do a Pacific Coast trip, and now that we were in Seattle, this would be a great opportunity to do just that. I took time to plan a route that would switch between coastal routes, mountain passes, and interstates to make up the time where I had already driven the coast. In short, this was the most fun I’ve ever had in the car. Seeing how the coast changes, both in sights and smells was incredible. I plan do do this trip again sometime in the future.
02-28-2016, 06:19 PM
#6
After wanting these wheels since they were first announced, I finally got my hands on a set. Thanks to the guys over at Science of Speed for helping make this happen.
Current Modifications
Accessories/Electronics
Alpine CDE-148BT Receiver
Modifry DCI
Modifry Low-Profile Windscreen Mount for GoPro Hero 4 Silver
Modifry Glove Box Organizer
Blendmount custom radar detector mount with hardwire through A-pillar
JS2k 6000K HID bulbs
JS2k Rio Yellow Pearl keyhole covers
JS2k LEDs for map light, trunk and rear license plate
Performance/Safety
K&N FIPK
Berk High Flow Cat
FlashPro Tune by VitViper - 220hp/153tq
BAWSS oil filter lock
BAWSS billet aluminum lower tie bar
BYS lower seat rail
CR Dampers with Swift Spec-R Springs, CR front and rear sway bars
Hardrace Camber Adjuster
ADVAN RSII in Hyper Silver, 17x8+54, 17x9+63
ADVAN Neova AD08R 225/45/17, 255/40/17
Alignment: Front: -2.8° camber, -6.0° caster, 0° toe, Rear: -3.0° camber, 0.15° toe each side, 0.30° total toe
Trending Topics
02-28-2016, 09:11 PM
#9
02-29-2016, 09:31 AM
#10
Moderator
After wanting these wheels since they were first announced, I finally got my hands on a set. Thanks to the guys over at Science of Speed for helping make this happen.
Current Modifications
CR Dampers with Swift Spec-R Springs, CR front and rear sway bars
ADVAN RSII in Hyper Silver, 17x8+54, 17x9+63
ADVAN Neova AD08R 225/45/17, 255/40/17