What's the difference? It seems like the light that the AP2 is more crisp with a blue tint while the AP1 seems to look like a regular halogen bulb. Is that an accurate statement? If so, is it easy to convert an AP1 to the new style lights?

I ask because i'm in the market for a s2000, but am having a hard time justifying the additional price of the AP2.

Thanks

 

i don't think there is a huge difference in performance- people mainly do the conversion for appearance purposes. the ap2s just look cleaner without the giant diffuser but some prefer the ap1s because they can be smoked, cleared, or mulderized. i love my ap1 lights. ap2 headlights can be put on an ap1

but if you are looking to buy there are a great deal of things differentiating the ap1s from the ap2s

 

I'm mainly concerned about the light that is emitted from the lens. I want that classic xenon/hid blue/white crisp light that takes a second to warm up.

 

I'm pretty sure both ap2 and ap1 lights use the same HID bulbs. Neither of them look nothing like normal halogen bulbs, they are both a crisp white color and all HID's (so both ap1 and ap2) warm up. The light output is identical between them. I think they may have revised the projector lens in 06+ because they tend to fliker when driving and people might mistake that as you flashing your headlights, but that's how pretty much all of them are.

P.S. I swapped from my 02 ap1 lights to 05 ap2 lights and notice no difference between color or light output.

 

Oh, good deal, maybe now I can get over my Ap2 obsession and get a cheaper Ap1! I wonder if the 9k redline is more fun.

 

Yeah I always wanted an ap2, but ended up with an ap1. I've done all the conversions (headlights, taillights, wheels, front and rear bumpers, ect..) and absolutely love it. The 9k redline is definetly addicting.

 

I had the oppurtunity to drive my friend's ap1 for about a month and I have to say that the 9k redline is a blast. But the lack of low end grunt turned me away. If ur a track head then yea ap1 is a much better choice. The ap2 is more for the dd people like me.

 

I don't know what you are talking about, I drove an ap1 and an ap2, both hard and just dd. Both drive identical during DD, the extra 10tq from ap2 isn't noticeable at all. Ap1 is more fun due to the 9k redline. This is coming from an ap2 owner.

The only thing I like more about the ap2 is the redesigned suspension, car not trying to kill me around every corner.

 

I am the exact opposite- I think the ap2 suspension is too soggy. the 00-01s have the best suspension besides the cr. but that is why they changed them because some people thought they rode too rough (and the ap1s have a tendency to spin out easier).

 

Maybe the AP2 suspension is softwer, but that's definitely an outcry to say that the 00-01 have the best suspension besides the CR. The AP2 suspension is better. There was a test comparing the two versions, and the results showed that the AP2 suspension had much better rear end stability compared to the AP1, so they were able to get on the gas earlier on the AP2. Yes, it's true that it's probably softer and less twitchy, which might make it less exciting in the sense that it's not as scary, but it's actually more optimized for the track.

It has a lot to do with your driving style as well. The AP1 was optimized to prevent nose diving under braking, but the suspension had a very twitchy rear end, as you said yourself. But, the AP2 fixed that rear end to make it better, and thus faster. It also made it easier to drive, but to say that's a bad thing is pretty silly. On the other hand, the F20c was shown to be faster than the F22c too. They could compare it because in other countries cars had the AP2 suspension but still the F20c, so I guess the best combination would be the F20c and AP2 suspension, or better yet the CR suspension I guess.

I think the only reason the AP2 is more expensive is just because they are newer. Honda did fix a few problems as the newer models came out, like having thicker soft top latches to prevent the wind noise. Either way, I think you should just go for whatever car you find. The differences between the AP1 and 2 are so small that it's really not worth it to look past either.