any fi kit is gonna be at least 4 grand, i know u can find parts and put one together for cheaper but lets just say 4 grand mininum, clutch, cheapest i have seen is 600 mabye 500, engine management, at least another grand, more like 1500, installation of all these looking at least 1500 to 2000, then a tune is like 600, then an exhaust is like 600-1000, then more money for stuff to break, it goes on and on, then mabye a diff conversion, so u can see its very easy to spend 10 grand, u can do the sc for cheaper, but for turbo its gonna cost more, good luck man and remember this quote bc i have heard it a million times on this forum, do it right the first time or its gonna cost more to fix all the crap that breaks.

 

I started out thinking it would cost about $6k to supercharge the car using a used Vortech.

Ended up being about double that when you included all the supporting mods: clutch, flywheel, radiator, new injectors, EMS, tuning, gauges, 4.57 gears, exhaust, coilovers, wheels/tires, etc.

I could've save about $2k if I'd been smarter and not wasted money on un-needed parts (IM, TB, fuel rail, FPR).

Basically, I would advise either doing it right or not doing it at all. And by doing it right, I guess I mean using proper engine management (EMS) and a tune by an expert on the S2000.

In the words of the great Eric Hsu: "The tune is everything" and "Piggybacks are a ****ing joke, people".

Heh...

 

I disagree with all of you.

A basic Vortech/Comptech SC kit or a Greddy turbo kit is not going to cost you that much money. The provided tuning is good enough for the 5-8 psi these kits run.

The cost comes along when you get the need for speed and realize 50 more whp is just a few PSI away. That's when you start breaking things, and is also when you need to upgrade to a real EMS/clutch/diff. etc.

If you can promise yourself you won't beat on the car too hard and think you won't get in over your head when it comes to turning up the boost, you will be fine.

Like someone else said though, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have an "oh shit" fund.

 

I was in the same boat. I wanted a significant power gain, but didn't want to dump 10,000 into my car since I'm in professional school. I found a used comptech kit non-aftercooled for under 3000 shipped, which luckily included almost everything. I just needed a fuel pump and some hoses.

I studied the instruction manual and bought a helms manual. I was able to install it myself pretty smoothly without having done anything like it before.

I bought a lightened flywheel and a stage 3 clutch kit at the same time, but my stock clutch was still good so I decided to wait until it gave out before putting my aftermarket one in. It's been 7 months, I occasionally go into boost and my clutch is still fine.

I bought a wideband a/f meter to make sure i wasn't running too lean, which was also an easy install. I just had the muffler shop weld the bung to my header.

What influenced my decision was $, the lack of good tuners in my area and the the reliability of comptech superchargers from what I've read on s2ki. Plus, I don't really race anybody. ~300 peak hp is fine for me.

 

If you want to trust an expensive F20c to a generic tune, I guess that's just a risk you're either willing to take or not.

I like knowing that I can do whatever I want with the car and not worry that it'll lean out and blow the motor. Plus, I went with 9psi, so I didn't really have a choice.

Still, I have to agree that I'm a little jealous of the people who got out the door for $4k, and I really admire anyone willing to install such a big mod on their own. That must give you a real sense of satisfaction and I tip my hat to you!