Hello all!

I’m brand new to the S2000 and just picked up a stock 07 with 168k on the clock with original suspension eek!

This car will be a daily driver with 3-4 HPDE weekends a year so I’m looking for a comfortable ride that is at least equal or more comfortable than stock for daily driving but with adjustability for the track days. I don’t mind spending some money, but not looking to go crazy full track setup

I’ve read a lot about Ohlins DFV with Swift Springs 12/10 being a good mix of comfortable for daily use but also competent for track use.

Are there better alternatives for what I’m wanting to do? Any thoughts from the much wiser collective?

Thanks all!

 

I have a similar situation as you. 165K MY07. Came with stock suspension. Stock rear shock randomly bled all over my floor. Replaced with 20K mile stockers. Tracked for a year like that on 200TW.

Then went to 14/12K Fortune Auto 500. Love my FA500...but...Idk if they're a brilliant setup on the street with those springs. They work really well on track though. No aero, 200TW tires. Car is primarily my track car.

If I had to do it again, I would use FA510 valved to use 16-18K springs and use 12-18K spring combos on it.

HKS also sells a setup with 16/16 springs that people say ride well. Never tried them out, however.


Ohlins 12/10 works really well for a track/street (more of a street biased) setup.

I also have an S2000 with 12/10K Ohlins. I absolutely love them and they ride like silk. A bit soft on the track (I used to occasionally track this car in the past). But they're a notably higher quality setup. They should support (just barely) 200TW and maybe mild aero.

You'll likely go faster with stiffer springs, even if you're trading for *slightly* less forgiving shocks. Depends on the track, I suppose.

Idk what region you're from. But...your DD needs will probably limit you to ~12/10, regardless of shock brand.

Ohlins ride height is also super limited in the rear. I like the ride height pretty low...maybe that's not a priority for you.


If it is..you can always add RCA's or something to get the car lower and also increase roll stiffness without a ride quality penallty.

Just make sure you match front and rear RCA's. I'm using Hardrace versions on the Ohlins car.

I also bought pass thru rear mounting cups to make for more adjustment. 92-00 Civic extended tophats are a possible cheaper alternative.

To be more concise:

Ohlins
pro's:

• Smooth, HD quality ride
• Bumpy tracks? no fu#&in problem, tough guy
• Excellent body control even though they're soft.

con's:

• Annoying to adjust height due to

1. height adjuster locking rings and wrenches are stupid asf
2. 1.5mm thread pitch
3. Limited rear ride height adjustment

• Soft. Everything is built around compliance.
• Cost of setup to make the car more track focused is significant.

 

Thank you for the great detailed info on your experiences.

I'm in the Houston Area where the majority of my driving is on nice smooth roads. However, my driveway is super steep and my TransAm scrapes unless I come in at a 45 degree angle.

I’m not too worried about the S2000 being lowered as, I love the fact that I can drive up my driveway without scraping now lol.

It sounds like the Ohlins are probably my best bet for a daily driven car that will only see occasional HPDE duty and then I can upgrade at a later date when I move this vehicle to more of a primarily track vehicle.

With that in mind, is there a more budget option that will give me equivalent performance to stock and have decent performance on the track that I could install for the next few years and then upgrade later? I know that I need to replace the stock shocks because of the mileage but perhaps I don’t need to go all the way to Ohlins?

 

You can buy Fortune Auto 500's with valving that accepts 14 or 16K springs...and then just use 12/10K or 10/8K springs on them, with the damper force knobs dialed way low.

Later on...all you'll need is springs.

That setup should be like $1100ish. You'll have to wait 4-6weeks to receive them.

Y'all don't have winter anyway. So...no huge rush to get them before the season ends, I presume.

However...you won't be able to run these at anywhere close to stock height. The body or lower bracket will hit the control arm or the sway bar mounting eyelet if you try to run them too high.

Depending on spring rate...plan to be at least 1" lower than stock.

 

That sounds like an interesting way to go for sure. I’m not super excited about dropping the vehicle 1” though

With the Ohlins, I presume I could change springs later as well and they could be adjusted accordingly for more competent track duty?

i just know for sure that I don’t want a teeth rattling ride for the next few years while I’m daily driving it

 

12K/10K is around the max you'd want to subject the stock Ohlins to. You could probably do more...but..idk how long they'd last or how well they'd work.

You can buy FP Spec ones with more agressive valving, though.

I think SBG sells a package for like $2500 or something with long stroke, stronger valving, and pass thru cups. Good value for sure.

 

So update... Reached out to Sakebombgarage and had a really nice reply from Chloe with Heath's input suggesting the FPSport kit they offer. It's got 11k/11k springs and "grand touring" valving curve. $2700 with 10% off....

My plan is to keep the vehicle stock except for suspension, so I have staggered wheels and I'm not looking for a ride height drop.

I'm just not really sure about the spring rates, and not sure if they are swift springs?

One other thing I was *maybe* considering is Fortune 500's with the air lift system....It's pricey, but would be awesome to be able to drive with a nice lowered stance and then raise the front 2" when parking, etc. I'm so tired of scraping the front when I back out of the driveway and have to maneuver around the kid's vehicles....

Thoughts on the spring rates?

 

Springs are only a small part of the comfort equation. Damping plays a larger role. Damping and springs that match being especially important. Stiff springs with weak damping, or the opposite, weak springs stiff damping, are going to immensely compromise ride, and of course handling.

Also, be aware that with Fortune Auto 500, you can't go up to stock ride height. Max height is about one inch lowered. The issue is the fat body interferes with control arm as you increase ride height. So adjustable air ride wouldn't get around that. Its a physical limitation. So if you want to slam then raise up to one inch below stock, that you can do. But no higher.

 

I've got Ohlins DFV w/ 10/8k springs. It rides very similar to stock. I'd say ~95% as well. The only difference you really feel in regular driving is that the suspension stroke is shorter and more brisk than OEM but not jarring; which you would expect with stiffer springs. As others have said they do feel very "HD" you can feel the minute steering changes in steering mid turn. I was very impressed. Granted my only other experience with aftermarket are Koni Yellows on a NA Miata. The Ohlins still suffer a bit with washboard like back roads in my area but the OEMs didn't handle them well either.

If you wish to remain staggered with tires, you might consider the same spring rates front to back. 10/8 has induced a decent bit of understeer for me on a 255 non staggered setup. It might be even worse for a staggered car. My car doesn't feel as playful on turn in now and I have to rethink my alignment strategy. Also 10/8 still feels pretty soft and rolly. I think I could have gone up to 12/10 with out much too trouble.

 

Thanks for the heads up about the fortune 500 air piston system. I didn't realize that it was inhibited because of the physical constraints. I just assumed the piston lift system would fix that issue. If that's the case, I don't think I can do the Fortune system

My plan for now is to remain staggered. I haven't even been to my first HPDE because of COVID so not even sure it's something I'll end up doing a lot of (but I think it is). My understanding is that the way that SBG valves the Ohlins, they would be able to accommodate a staggered spring setup later (as high as 14k, as low as 9k) if I ever decided to go square.

I definitely want soft or "absorbing" on my daily commute, but be able to stiffen it up at HPDE events, so sounds like 11/11 with staggered might make sense, but be a bit stiffer than the standard DFV setup. I went to a progessive lowering spring and purpose built racing shock on my transam and while it feels incredibly planted, it is a LOT more NVME on the road when I drive, and I don't really enjoy that, considering 90+% of my driving is on the road.