when i was shopping for an s2000 i made a point to drive several AP1s and Several Ap2s. always back to back.

I drove a 03 ap1 and it was ultimately the car which made me say "I MUST OWN an S2000" The AP1 is a blast to drive around corners.

however the Ap1's power leveled off after 8300rpms and the remaining trip to 9k was uneventful. Fun car but ultimately not as powerful as i hoped. I cannot stress enough that if you go on a test drive and dont take any corners with some meaning behind the petal your seriously missing out on a driving experiance. Thats where the ap1 will make your ass pucker and your face smile. I think the S2000 {ap1} was best summed up as "until you learn to drive it...Its trying to kill you.

I then drove an 04 Ap2. Which I immedialty noticed the difference in power. The F22c1 is more powerful Everywhere in the powerband and it goes strong all way to redline. It has a more planted and more secure feel on corners. Which I felt was important since I wanted that stabilty due to my driving style.

I ended up buying the ap2.


Having said that I DO feel the Ap2 is limited. It Does need more revs and there are many times which i curse honda for limiting this engine to 8k. I wish it had a larger window of power. The 3k powerband of the ap1 is better suited to sprinted mountain driving. Though I am not sure if i would be pleased with 9k and less power. :/

The 06 AP2 which can be reflashed by hondata with a vtec powerband of 5600-8400 rpms is probably the best solution IMO. I would love to drive one of those but mine is an 04 which cannot be reflashed.

for those which say the ap2 doesnt make more power is ignorate. The F22 is superior in power throughout the powerband. Much more meat and it responds well to mods. And with FI the larger displacement also shows its advantage in quicker turbo spool.

 

the cams do not stop making power here, this is where the factory tune falls on its face, if the f20 is tuned properly the cams dont show their weakness until around 8700.....

 

Nothing to say you could not get a MY04 rear sub frame and control arms and coil overs to have the more planted AP2 feel with the 9k redline. That is the setup I have now and not really a huge fan of it really. It may be my MY03 coilovers with the MY04 geometry not working out but who knows

 

i too am debating which to purchase... although, i am only purchasing the engine/transmission... not the whole car. i plan to use it for my project car. i will probably end up going with the ap1 just because of availability. my biggest concern is tuning options for f/i. it will see boost as soon as it goes in the car most certainly.

 

Blackout I think there is a little bit more to it that just the subframe. The my04 coilovers are different as are the sway bars among a list of other small changes. Do you have 04+ wheels/tires?

 

I don't see how you can saythe AP2 is limited by this, since Honda moved the whole power band down when it dropped the redline, it didn't just lop off the high end. As for a larger window of power, it is very well documented that the revised engine management of the AP2 gives more power across the rpm band, with more power below VTEC, so I'm not sure what you mean by that. There's less VTEC range, but the power is more easly accessible. Youhave to remember that an AP1 needs to be between 6-9k for fun - the AP2, withits revised engine and shorter gearing, does not.

That said, the AP engines are highly tuned to begin with, so if you want to start hanging mods off the car, I'd buy an AP1 and do three things - add a SC, add 4.56, 4.57, or 4.77 gears, and tune with a VAFC. That will get you the biggest gains, and really, FI is all you can do to get more power form an AP engine without spending ridiculous amounts of money.

 

My F22C runs out to 9K no problem. From 7400 to 9000 I am making a peak of 275.5hp. It has been proven more then a few times that the 2.2 is perfectly safe to 9K on the stock valvetrain. Hell, the F22C comes with stronger retainers. Nothing in the valve train is weaker then an F20C. The lowerend is plenty capable of handling it aswell.

 

^ i agree. I just think the ap1 guys get butt hurt when the F22 goes to 9k.

 

You dont wana tune a SC with a VAFC

 

oops, tune the engine after sc though.