disregaurd this post.


first of all, welcome to the site. i love the mini, its a great car. in fact my uncle is heavily involved with minis and actually does alot of R&D with Moss. you should post up some pics of your S they look really mean when modded.

as far as the s2000 goes, as you mentioned handling is obviously its trademark. be careful when lowering the car, as you can go too low and really mess up the handling traights.

as far as simple bolts on work: be very choosey. in a sense like negcamber mentioned you can get I/H/E and get 10rwhp, OR you can mod the car what i like to call the "right way" and get some serious power. i am +30whp +13rwtq over my baseline for $1350 bucks. the exhaust and fuel tuning are the two big power makers. the stock header and intake are great, but there are some proven power making headers.

AP1's (00-03) are the more raw,twichty,harsher cars while AP2's(00-present) are more refined, subtle but just as razor sharpe as the AP1.

 

Disregard??!!

Version...you could do the exact same "right" $1350 mods you have on another S2k and come up with 10rhp/5ft-lb gains. Everybody comments that your car is just plain strong...and no arguing with that. But your results are not the norm.

 

I honestly apologize. i was in a bad mood last night and took it out on the forum.

 

Spiderx!

Its good to see a fellow NAM'er on the s2ki forums! I moved to an s2k too... you won't regret it! THe car is definitely more raw than the mini is... at least as a DD... you hear alot more, but you also have a nicely balanced rear wheel drive car with lots of character.... Very much like the mini

Good luck with your search! Has DDM made a date for the m62?

 

My girfriend has a mini I have a blown AP1...
you seem like you have already made up your mind about the S2k..
I would say the honda is a great car and you shouldnt have any problems with it well sorted and has great handling..To me the s2000 is more "serious feeling" probably because you have to wring the crap out of the motor to get it to move. The mini seems to ahve a harsher ride due to the wheelbase. very jumpy. I enjoy both cars and im sure your modded mini is far beyond the stock one i have driven..
I love RWD drive cars and the handling of the s2000 is fantastic.
I think either ap1 or ap2 will be fine I perfer ap1 because its a bit edgier....to each his own... Im sure youll enjoy either one..

 

to the OP, which year s2000 did you test drive? s2000 is easier to made fast around a corner than a straight line. i would just buy some nice coilovers and rims and struts and braces and call it a day 8]

 

This isn't an "AP1-versus-AP2" thread... it is a "convince-this-guy-to-buy-any-S2000" thread. (but if you are trying to convince him to get an AP1, a more valid reason would help... )
DO IT! There will be no other car that gives you the same feeling out there, at least for the money. The S2000 has rock solid reliability, fantastic handling, inspired design, sick headlights, competitive suspension, 1st class transmission, and confidence-boosting driving impressions. The competition can't touch it- that is why it is always left out of comparisons... Any year model S2000 would be a wise choice. Oh yes, the car is fully enjoyable and capable out of the box. Modification makes it better in some ways, but this starts out way ahead of most other sports cars.

 

Hear that AP2 fanbois?



[QUOTE=jasonjm,Jan 7 2007, 12:49 PM]Get an AP2, more torque and good gear ratios.

 

Hello to the original poster...I have to say to get what you like...I came from a heavily modded Eclipse GST before the S2000...the Eclipse was faster in a straight line...but honestly I was done with FWD, because with over 300whp in a FWD it just doesn't stick to the point where it is still fun.

Now as for the brakes being lacking? That is a funny statement, I've really never heard that before and actually most of the time people cant believe how good the brakes are. One thing to check in regards to that are the tires...in a lot of cases, S2000's with old or worn down tires engage ABS very soon and their brake performance is very poor. Also you'd have to be sure the brake pads were something like OEM and in good condition. Now, if you were driving a brand new S2000, this obviously isn't the case. But there are some upgrades out there to help, I mean Spoon calipers for example still use stock size pads but are a 4-pot caliper rather then single piston...they also weigh 1/2 the stock caliper weight.

Low-end torque...thats hard to fix...about the only reasonable fix is to get different rear gears, but even still low-end highway torque is lacking. Its something you live with though, the car feels like an Accord below 6k rpm, then when you want to have fun you rev it out and keep it there.

I agree that the stock S2000 is a great car...and yes, just leave it stock, otherwise it will cost too much money.