EVOlving to new heights!
06-29-2009, 08:26 PM
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EVOlving to new heights!
** The purpose of this thread is to document my experience with modifying several different cars, the pleasures obtained and the regrets realized, provide some lessons learned, and hopefully gain some appreciation by you all for cars other than an S2000 (in other words, help some of you with that tunnel vision of yours!). 
I would further like to state that my wife has been very supportive during all of this...even during the times of my frustrations caused by all the headaches and setbacks. **
I have been a forum member for almost 4 years now (nothing compared to some of you forum veterans!). I started off as one of those guys who was in the market for an S2000 and thus posted one of those "I am thinking about purchasing a new S2000" threads. I received a pretty warm welcome from most. Nice start. Soon thereafter I pulled the trigger and purchased a 2006 S2000. Boy was I a happy camper! Very nice car! Decent power, convertible, unmatched looks, etc.
I started with the basic bolt-on mods but quickly learned that one "significant" change made by Honda would eventually be a limiting factor for fellow 2006+ S2000 owners--drive-by-wire (DBW). Having the benefit of establishing relationships within the Honda community I was approached by Doug @ Hondata to participate in an R&D effort which would lead to the first ever tuning solution for the S2000 OEM ECU (MY06+). These two links refer to such efforts:
http://www.hondata.com/reflash_s2k_06.html
http://www.hondata.com/reflash_s2k_toda_header.html
I was very happy with the gains and the car felt completely different! Shortly thereafter AEM called me and wanted to use my S2000 to develop a CAI intake for the MY06+ S2000. They developed a nice system, but the market demand was very low and they decided not to go public. With these mods I participated in a local drag racing event sponsored by RaceLegal.com. This organization hosts 1/8 mile events at Qualcomm Stadium (where the Chargers play). Needless to say racing on a concrete parking lot, even with VHT, isn't the most optimal track to run on. Only those running DRs or slicks truly hook-up. Nevertheless I was able to go out and run some decent times (I believe my quickest time was a 8.9 and don't recall the MPH) and beat pretty much every other S2000, RSX, Civic, etc. (non-FI) that I went up against. I did get my a$$ completely handed to me by a 2006 Mustang GT with whatever mods he had at the time (to include DRs) (he ran a 7.7!).
Within a few months I received a call from a guy named Mike at AutoWave. Mike is a highly skilled Honda mechanic and tuner. He was interested in using my S2000 to develop a tuning solution which would allow "nearly" complete tuning for the MY06+ S2000. I called Hondata, received their permission to proceed forward with this endeavor and ended up leaving my S2000 with Mike for a little over a month. Mike was successful in developing a wiring harness which allowed an AEM EMS to be used in conjunction with the OEM ECU. Essentially the OEM ECU would control DBW and other related functions while the AEM EMS allowed the tuner to fully tune the fuel, timing, boost, etc. maps. The only draw back to this solution turned out to be the fact that the check engine light would remain on, and VSA and cruise control functionalities were no longer operable. I wasn't too happy with this but it was the only solution at that time.
Not even a month later I got a call from Doug @ Hondata stating that he wanted to use my S2000 for the R&D of a K-Pro like setup for the MY06+ S2000. Without hesitation I jumped on the opportunity. Doug ended up having my S2000 for over a month, and the results were nothing short of outstanding! The setup was very much like the setup that Mike @ AutoWave created with the exception that the Hondata setup didn
I would further like to state that my wife has been very supportive during all of this...even during the times of my frustrations caused by all the headaches and setbacks. ** I have been a forum member for almost 4 years now (nothing compared to some of you forum veterans!). I started off as one of those guys who was in the market for an S2000 and thus posted one of those "I am thinking about purchasing a new S2000" threads. I received a pretty warm welcome from most. Nice start. Soon thereafter I pulled the trigger and purchased a 2006 S2000. Boy was I a happy camper! Very nice car! Decent power, convertible, unmatched looks, etc.I started with the basic bolt-on mods but quickly learned that one "significant" change made by Honda would eventually be a limiting factor for fellow 2006+ S2000 owners--drive-by-wire (DBW). Having the benefit of establishing relationships within the Honda community I was approached by Doug @ Hondata to participate in an R&D effort which would lead to the first ever tuning solution for the S2000 OEM ECU (MY06+). These two links refer to such efforts:
http://www.hondata.com/reflash_s2k_06.html
http://www.hondata.com/reflash_s2k_toda_header.html
I was very happy with the gains and the car felt completely different! Shortly thereafter AEM called me and wanted to use my S2000 to develop a CAI intake for the MY06+ S2000. They developed a nice system, but the market demand was very low and they decided not to go public. With these mods I participated in a local drag racing event sponsored by RaceLegal.com. This organization hosts 1/8 mile events at Qualcomm Stadium (where the Chargers play). Needless to say racing on a concrete parking lot, even with VHT, isn't the most optimal track to run on. Only those running DRs or slicks truly hook-up. Nevertheless I was able to go out and run some decent times (I believe my quickest time was a 8.9 and don't recall the MPH) and beat pretty much every other S2000, RSX, Civic, etc. (non-FI) that I went up against. I did get my a$$ completely handed to me by a 2006 Mustang GT with whatever mods he had at the time (to include DRs) (he ran a 7.7!).
Within a few months I received a call from a guy named Mike at AutoWave. Mike is a highly skilled Honda mechanic and tuner. He was interested in using my S2000 to develop a tuning solution which would allow "nearly" complete tuning for the MY06+ S2000. I called Hondata, received their permission to proceed forward with this endeavor and ended up leaving my S2000 with Mike for a little over a month. Mike was successful in developing a wiring harness which allowed an AEM EMS to be used in conjunction with the OEM ECU. Essentially the OEM ECU would control DBW and other related functions while the AEM EMS allowed the tuner to fully tune the fuel, timing, boost, etc. maps. The only draw back to this solution turned out to be the fact that the check engine light would remain on, and VSA and cruise control functionalities were no longer operable. I wasn't too happy with this but it was the only solution at that time.
Not even a month later I got a call from Doug @ Hondata stating that he wanted to use my S2000 for the R&D of a K-Pro like setup for the MY06+ S2000. Without hesitation I jumped on the opportunity. Doug ended up having my S2000 for over a month, and the results were nothing short of outstanding! The setup was very much like the setup that Mike @ AutoWave created with the exception that the Hondata setup didn
06-29-2009, 08:26 PM
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Next...or should I say project #2 (current)...Evo. My wife and I purchased a 2006 Evo IX SE (only year in which the IX was manufactured) back in August of 2007 (roughly). It was the last graphite grey Evo IX SE in SoCal (that was for all intensive purposes brand new but financing companies view it as a used car based on the MY)! My wife had wanted an Evo for some time. I was totally set on buying a new Tacoma, but realized I was being a selfish bastard. This was to be the third car in our "stable":
1. 2004 Civic LX: highly mod'd, over $50k in mods alone, soon to be stolen and stripped. With out a doubt the worst ever experience and expenditure of money.
2. 2006 S2000: highly mod'd, over $50k in mods alone, soon to be "discarded" as discussed in my first post.
3. 2006 Evo IX SE: so far the best all around car we've owned to date.
The mod path for an Evo is pretty well publicized and is almost a no-brainer. There are two "primary" Evo builders in the nation--Buschur Racing and AMS. Both hate each other and the competition does nothing but benefit us performance enthusiasts. My wife and I made the mistake of listening to a couple of local Evo owners and purchased a few non-BR or non-AMS parts. Bottom line is we made a mistake as the parts are simply inferior and do not produce the same results.
Anyways, I will begin my "project Evo" story by providing some recent pictures (please note that we have sold the Advans and are back to the stock BBS wheels):
After proceeding with
1. 2004 Civic LX: highly mod'd, over $50k in mods alone, soon to be stolen and stripped. With out a doubt the worst ever experience and expenditure of money.
2. 2006 S2000: highly mod'd, over $50k in mods alone, soon to be "discarded" as discussed in my first post.
3. 2006 Evo IX SE: so far the best all around car we've owned to date.
The mod path for an Evo is pretty well publicized and is almost a no-brainer. There are two "primary" Evo builders in the nation--Buschur Racing and AMS. Both hate each other and the competition does nothing but benefit us performance enthusiasts. My wife and I made the mistake of listening to a couple of local Evo owners and purchased a few non-BR or non-AMS parts. Bottom line is we made a mistake as the parts are simply inferior and do not produce the same results.
Anyways, I will begin my "project Evo" story by providing some recent pictures (please note that we have sold the Advans and are back to the stock BBS wheels):
After proceeding with
06-30-2009, 04:51 PM
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At this time I have pretty much completed my "S2000 story" and will open the thread for constructive feedback. Please do not derail this thread by engaging in any sort of Internet-war. I appreciate all that you have to say, so long as you aren't taking personal shots. 
