I have a bone stock 2003 S2K that I am wanting to run faster (i.e. more horsepower). I am new to the idea of boosting (previous cars had big blocks). Any suggestions on which charger to run, super or turbo? Any suggestions on what kit to purchase and any additional accessories that would be needed. Last one, any ideas for a shop in Houston that would be able to help me along or do the work?

 

[QUOTE=cjpolk,May 9 2010, 05:22 PM]I have a bone stock 2003 S2K that I am wanting to run faster (i.e. more horsepower).

 

Read these forums and you will find alot of information.

 

I can't resist sharing my opinions, since you asked.

I'll over-simplify first by saying that supercharging seems to be less complicated, easier and less risky than turbocharging. However, there seem to be more people making super high dyno numbers with turbos.

The best way to decide what you want is to read up on threads for the various kits that have been developed for our cars. The Search function on this site will get you started. It also helps to read the threads in this (Forced Induction) section as they are posted.

Superchargers:
Search for Comptech, Vortech, Science of Speed, Stage One Tuning and Kraftwerks. The cool thing about these kits is that each gives you a different torque curve, so you can place the power where you want it. I hope it's fair to say that SOT starts making power low in the rev range; SOS/KW start building power in the middle rev's; and CT&VT make primarily high end power. Some people have upgraded some of these kits into the 400 / 500 whp range.

Turbos:
Search for InlinePro, Mase, and Greddy. They sell kits that are popular among the S2000 community. (There are many other good ones too, but I happened to remember these.) The Greddy kit is C.A.R.B. approved, so it's legal for emissions controlled locations, but it tops out around 300 whp normally. Many other turbo kits make a lot more power (400 / 500 whp and higher).

Superchargers don't seem to require a lot of accessories, whereas turbos seem to create a long wish list of components (boost/temp/pressure gauges, blow-off valves, boost controllers, etc.). A dyno tune is pretty much mandatory no matter what route you take to go FI, and people frequently try to open up the exhaust with a test pipe (or high flow cat) and cat-back exhaust.

 

Torque Obsessed - thanks for the preliminary information. Looking through it , I would think that a SOS and KW super would be my desired path forward. Now going to have to look into these options a bit more to understand what model would work best for my desire (just a track toy that can play with some of the new muscle cars on the street from time to time) as well as what the kit would cost.

Is adding a super charger something that can be done at home or is this better left to a shop?

 

all the options can be done at home. question is, how brave are you with those two meat hooks you got?

if your comfy working on your own whip, do it yourself. save a ton of money in labor

get the s2000 actual service manual. it will make life much easier.

 

Just went thru the same deal and found all here very helpful. My 2 cents: look at some actual dyno charts and see what they offer from the various kits. Then ask yourself what you are looking for: better torque in the low-mid range? Absolute best HP at the top? In general, the bigger turbos will need a few more RPM to get up to boost, but can jam in a gob of psi once there. I went for better response down low and just got the GReddy kit with its fairly small turbo, but boost=crack, so I expect to be making changes when cash permits

 

If you go with a supercharger I recommend sos over kraftwerks for the simple fact of expandability. You can upgrade the sos kit to make more power. Trust me, you will want more after you get used to the car.

 

I did too. It's awesome to just romp on it at low rpm and have the car surge ahead in traffic. I like not having to worry about what gear I'm in to blow off some pesky V6 minivan.

...And I'll be doing the same thing. Like most Greddy owners, I'll blow a ton of money upgrading to a different turbo and whatnot. The point being, most of us can't stop once we've gotten a taste of boost. Re: superchargers, I'd agree that SOS seems to be able to make big power with upgrades.

 

Do you mean this minivan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLIlqY6SwxA [/media]]vid

Yeah they sure are tough to beat...