Your mods and opinions on them:
07-21-2007, 11:34 AM
#1
Former Moderator
Thread Starter
Your mods and opinions on them:
Yup. Another one of these threads. But probably new to the new guys and yes, the search does stink.
Updated 10/14/07 to include the Racelogic Install. And the "search doesn't stink" anymore, but oh well.
Updated 2/8/08 to include alignment, Carbotech brake pads, and Chase Race hitch
Updated 12/30/09 to include Hexomats, Nokians, and RE-01Rs
List past and present mods with ratings of 1-5 stars (*) for enjoyment and 1-5 ($) for cost.
AP1
External:
OEM Hardtop: *** / $$$. Changes the look of the car, is light and has defroster. More security as well.
Coastal Metals Bumper Protector: ** / $. Takes the place of an OEM lip, but has a function. It's a metal blade with a reinforced nylon edge to ward off curbing your lip. Saved me a few times from low driveways and high parking blocks. I like the look as well.
Bumper Plugs: *** / $. The little color-matched keyhole covers. I thought they'd be a waste, but now that I have them, I really like them.
Colgan "CF look" nose mask: * / $. Used it one Winter for a road trip. Been sitting in the garage ever since. I'll just have the car repainted if it gets scratched / chipped up.
OEM S2000 Car Cover: **** / $. Fits great, looks great. Will be storing car this Winter and would rather look at a form-fitting cover than a lumpy muu-muu.
Hood Dampers: **** / $. These are the hydraulic shocks that open the hood and replace the "prop rod." They look nice, are easy to install, and make access to the engine bay easier (no rod in the way).
California Duster: **** / $. A very nice way to "dust" your car in between washes. Especially useful for dark-colored cars.
Chase Race Hitch: **** / $$$. Removable "quick release" class I hitch to tow a tire trailer to events. Slick design, good resale, easy to install.
Performance:
4.57 Gears: *** / $$. Great performance benefit if you have lots of stoplight traffic. Reduces the low rpm "dead zone." Had them, trashed them. Now happier with the decreased noise at 70mph+ and better mpgs of the OEM diff.
Comptech Supercharger: ***** / $$$$. A must for the current high hp sedan era. Keeps the balance and "feel" of a stock S2000, just increases the slope of the hp/tq curves. Like a stock S2000 on crack. If you haven't been in one, find a local member for a ride-along. Turbos are very nice, but I'll let a turbo member review.
Higher boost pulley (7psi): **** / $. For the Comptech guys, this is $100 swap you can do in your garage in 20 minutes for an extra 10-20hp. Adjust the FPR (with tune) and you're done. No need for bigger injectors or management system with this level of upgraded boost.
Lightened flywheel: **** / $$. Makes a rev-happy car even more rev-happy. If you like to rev-match and heel-toe, makes blipping the throttle quicker and easier.
ACT clutch package: **** / $$. Personally, I love it. Grips fiercely enough to chirp R-compound tires between gears. Probably bad on the drivetrain / differential, though....
Berk Test Pipe: *** / $. Of course I only use this on the track. Easy to swap with the stock catalytic converter. Makes a little bit of difference. Sounds a little raspier and it does stink if you stop moving. Superchargers that run a little rich tend to toast cats so it's a solution to that problem. You can throw nice fireballs out the tailpipes as well.
NGK BKR7E Spark Plugs: **** / $. About a buck-and-a-half per plug. Copper resistor plugs good for FI up to ~400bhp. I bought a box and swap them out every month or two.
GM Synchromesh Manual Transmission Fluid: **** / $. Makes a slick gearbox even slicker. Shifts are like butter. Less notchy and less 1-2 grinding.
Racelogic Traction Control: ********** / $$$. I cannot emphasize how impressive this system is. I installed it this weekend and spent the last few days driving in the rain, trying to pull all the noob maneuvers I could. The traction control was unobtrusive and subtle, but prevented much of the drama that I would have otherwise seen. Guys, before you spend $1k on wheels, spend it on this! You'll make your money back on NOT having to pay your insurance extra after a wreck... Probably saves rear tire wear as well. Unlike VSA, you can program how much slip you want that day... from 0% to 25%+. I did manage to get a temporary blinking CEL when I set it to high slip and was testing a high rpm clutch drop. No limp mode and it went off within seconds (no need for resetting like on some other cars). Maybe our ECU is more tolerant of some "misfiring?" I'd deem this as a "must buy" for FI and rain / snow.
BelTronics FX accelerometer: **** / $. Not expensive. Useful for seeing what your car can do in your hands rather than in Car and Driver's last comparo. Some cars are easier to reproduce magazine times than others. Also useful for seeing if your mods had any real effect. 30 more peak hp is nice, but if you're only getting that from 8800-9000rpms it may not ever translate into more performance. I'd rather have a fatter curve with the same peak hp.
OBD II scanner: *** / $. Bought for $20 on ebay. Useful for distinguishing the vacuum hose / O2 sensor CELs from the "random misfire" codes. Especially useful if you tinker with your cars and are running FI.
Carbotech AX6 brake pads: **** / $$. A great dual purpose pad. Dusts more than stock, but much more effective in stopping then stock with little fade. Perfect for autocross. Should be used with DOT4 fluid like Super Blue.
Handling:
Whiteline (Muz) X-brace: *** / $. Not sure how much this affects handling. Changes the feel slightly. Maybe better on-center feel. Does not translate to better lap times on a track. Purely subjective. But does protect the oil pan and doesn't block access to the drain plug.
Cusco 3-pc Subframe Bars: *** / $$. Also not sure the difference in handling. I installed this at the same time as the X-brace. Also purely subjective. It may increase structural rigidity a touch. In 2008, the bar was temporarily disconnected and when reconnected there is an improvement in "feel."
Bridgestone Blizzaks: **** / $$. A must for any snow / ice driving. They work well. They don't handle as well in the dry, especially if you're -1 sized. They wear quickly as well. Mine were mounted on separate OEM 16" wheels.
Nokian Hakkapeliittas: ***** / $$$. They are better than Blizzaks on the ice. They do cost more, though. Squishier than Blizzak LM-22/25s, about as squishy as WS-50/60s. Really slippery until broken in.
Bridgestone Potenza S-02s: **** / $$. There is a big difference between running S-02s vs "all-season" tires. They are some of the best summer tires out there.
Bridgestone RE-01Rs: **** / $$. A step up from S-02s, especially in the wet. Now superceded by the RE-11s.
Michelin Pilot Sport Cups: ***** / $$$. R-compound tires that are street legal. OEM for Porsche GT3s. If the car gets limited use per year and you have other tires / vehicles for rain / cold / snow, these tires are FANTASTIC. This year, I'm running Pilot Sport Cups in the peak of summertime and will swap back to the 2nd set of wheels with S-02s for Fall and Spring. The car is getting stored this Winter. If this is a "fun only" car and you've been itching for a Cayman or 911, but don't drive enough to justify it to yourself, running Pilot Sport Cups really ramp up the handling performance of the S2000 to another level. Lateral grip is amazing and when at full acceleration the Sport Cups give a little chirp between shifts, then hook up... instead of spinning for a few revolutions like the S-02s. They wear quickly and are relatively expensive. But $1k per year in tires is cheaper than trading in for a new car....
Comptech Adjustable Sway Bar: **** / $$. A thicker front stabilizer bar is a must if autocrossing with R-compounds and an AP1. There are other options to this bar (Saner and Gendron) that are less expensive.
More negative camber: ***** / $. An aggressive alignment like the UK or an AX alignment is one of the best bang for your buck handling mod. If you're on all-season tires, don't bother.
Interior:
Muz mats: *** / $$. Perfectly fit and customizable to your specs on piping and mat colors. They cover the cross-member on the passenger side and prevent carpet wear. The driver's heel-pad can get a little slippery, I'm thinking of taking some 100 grit sandpaper to roughen it up a little.
Hexomats: ***** / $. They look a little cheesy and smell like rubber at first. But they're soft, grippy and are an excellent Winter slush mat. You have to cut holes for anchor hooks, but they're really inexpensive and work extremely well. Just air them out first so your car doesn't smell.
QuietCar Sound deadener (floor / trunk / heatshields): **** / $. It's pretty easy to strip the interior carpet and lay a few coats of QuietCar. Transmission tunnel (passenger side), gas tank, trunk, and trunk tray are resonant. Applying QuietCar can cut some of the drone. You can put some underneath the car above the differential and catalytic converters for extra deadening. Don't worry, you'll never make the car too quiet to hear. Initially this was done to calm the 4.57 gear whine. Makes it a better road trip vehicle.
Dynamat Sound deadener (firewall): *** / $$. When the engine was pulled for unrelated service, I had the shop install Dynamat on the firewall. After the QuietCar in the cabin, the sound was still unfiltered through the firewall (especially since I had used some of the rubber gaskets to feed stereo wires into the engine bay. It helped a little to reduce sound further, but the cabin floor and trunk were the biggest bang for the buck.
Nordskog Digital A/F gauge and A-Pillar mount: *** / $. Not as useful as a proper tune or wideband sensor, but can give you a general idea of where you stand on ratios. And for the nostalgia points, it reminds me of a certain Pontiac Trans Am from a beloved 80's show....
ExoticWoodDash Brushed Aluminum Dash Kit: * / $. Looked like crap. Lacquered aluminum, FTL. Cheesy. Installed two pieces to cover up a scratch on the HVAC controls.
Burtman Industries Black Carbon Fiber Dash Kit: **** / $. Much better. The carbon fiber has a nice finish and looks similar to our Audi RS4.
Brushed Aluminum "Airbag sticker" Visor Covers: *** / $. They look fine. My wife liked them. I just put them on because my visor cover was cracking and this covered the crack perfectly.
Momo Anatomic Shift knob: **** / $. I like the directional knob to always know the orientation of the shift grid. No confusing the gates and no "money" shifting. Also may reduce the 1-2 grind with better leverage.
Heated Seats: ***** / $. One of the best mods ever. Easy to do. Hardwired to fusebox, switch is under seat rail. Did it myself on a Saturday for $100. Now I can't live without it. Nothing like a warm backside on a chilly top-down night!
Modifry Glove Box Organizer: ***** / $. Makes the glove box functional. Slots for wallet, cellphone, etc. I put one of those "no-slip" grip pads on the bottom so that my cellphone wouldn't slide around or get scratched up.
Treo with GPS cradle: **** / $$. Nice way to have GPS available without having to take the unit with you for fear of theft. It's not likely that people will steal the empty cradle and you take the cellphone with you anyway.
PIE HON-aux RCA adapter: *** / $. Easy mod to OEM stereo. Pop out the stereo, plug into CD changer port, wire to ground and you're done. Gives you a 3.5mm jack to plug your Ipod into. The screen on the Ipod is better than the stock stereo anyway. Costs ~$60-100 for the unit and if you add the cost of an Ipod, it's still cheaper than the OEM CD changer.
Pioneer DEH-6800 with Ipod adapter: ***** / $$. Also a "why didn't I do this sooner?" mod. You may find after switching out the stock stereo that it really does suck. With modern headunits, you can play MP3 CDs and fit hundreds of songs on one CD if you don't have an Ipod. This Ipod integration was nice because it displays playlists and tracks on the HU itself. You also don't have to turn the Ipod on and off separately. This adaptor charges the Ipod.
Powered subwoofer / upgraded speakers: *** / $$. Not sure how much effect these have. I do like the thump of some good techno bass, though. And I like having some dimension to the music with sound coming from the rear. For those AP2s with headrest speakers, this may not be an issue. After removing the stock door speakers and examining them, they looked pretty basic / cheapy.
PAC-SWI dash control interface: **** / $. Lets you use the left-sided dash switches / knobs to control the headunit. I use these switches a lot. Other people don't use them much. The Modifry unit is reportedly even better with more features. I would have bought one of those, but I purchased all my stereo equipment at the same time. I haven't had any problems with the PAC-SWI, mine is the hardwired one. Some people have complained about the infrared controlled one.
Major Havoc's Headrest Wind Blockers: *** / $. A Lexan insert that keep air flowing over the cockpit and reduces turbulence. It works and is cheap and easy to install.
I think those are all the mods that are or were on my S2000 at some point.
Feel free to ask questions or PM for more info.
Anyone else want to chime in before we get more "what's the best mod" threads?
Updated 10/14/07 to include the Racelogic Install. And the "search doesn't stink" anymore, but oh well.
Updated 2/8/08 to include alignment, Carbotech brake pads, and Chase Race hitch
Updated 12/30/09 to include Hexomats, Nokians, and RE-01Rs
List past and present mods with ratings of 1-5 stars (*) for enjoyment and 1-5 ($) for cost.
AP1
External:
OEM Hardtop: *** / $$$. Changes the look of the car, is light and has defroster. More security as well.
Coastal Metals Bumper Protector: ** / $. Takes the place of an OEM lip, but has a function. It's a metal blade with a reinforced nylon edge to ward off curbing your lip. Saved me a few times from low driveways and high parking blocks. I like the look as well.
Bumper Plugs: *** / $. The little color-matched keyhole covers. I thought they'd be a waste, but now that I have them, I really like them.
Colgan "CF look" nose mask: * / $. Used it one Winter for a road trip. Been sitting in the garage ever since. I'll just have the car repainted if it gets scratched / chipped up.
OEM S2000 Car Cover: **** / $. Fits great, looks great. Will be storing car this Winter and would rather look at a form-fitting cover than a lumpy muu-muu.
Hood Dampers: **** / $. These are the hydraulic shocks that open the hood and replace the "prop rod." They look nice, are easy to install, and make access to the engine bay easier (no rod in the way).
California Duster: **** / $. A very nice way to "dust" your car in between washes. Especially useful for dark-colored cars.
Chase Race Hitch: **** / $$$. Removable "quick release" class I hitch to tow a tire trailer to events. Slick design, good resale, easy to install.
Performance:
4.57 Gears: *** / $$. Great performance benefit if you have lots of stoplight traffic. Reduces the low rpm "dead zone." Had them, trashed them. Now happier with the decreased noise at 70mph+ and better mpgs of the OEM diff.
Comptech Supercharger: ***** / $$$$. A must for the current high hp sedan era. Keeps the balance and "feel" of a stock S2000, just increases the slope of the hp/tq curves. Like a stock S2000 on crack. If you haven't been in one, find a local member for a ride-along. Turbos are very nice, but I'll let a turbo member review.
Higher boost pulley (7psi): **** / $. For the Comptech guys, this is $100 swap you can do in your garage in 20 minutes for an extra 10-20hp. Adjust the FPR (with tune) and you're done. No need for bigger injectors or management system with this level of upgraded boost.
Lightened flywheel: **** / $$. Makes a rev-happy car even more rev-happy. If you like to rev-match and heel-toe, makes blipping the throttle quicker and easier.
ACT clutch package: **** / $$. Personally, I love it. Grips fiercely enough to chirp R-compound tires between gears. Probably bad on the drivetrain / differential, though....
Berk Test Pipe: *** / $. Of course I only use this on the track. Easy to swap with the stock catalytic converter. Makes a little bit of difference. Sounds a little raspier and it does stink if you stop moving. Superchargers that run a little rich tend to toast cats so it's a solution to that problem. You can throw nice fireballs out the tailpipes as well.
NGK BKR7E Spark Plugs: **** / $. About a buck-and-a-half per plug. Copper resistor plugs good for FI up to ~400bhp. I bought a box and swap them out every month or two.
GM Synchromesh Manual Transmission Fluid: **** / $. Makes a slick gearbox even slicker. Shifts are like butter. Less notchy and less 1-2 grinding.
Racelogic Traction Control: ********** / $$$. I cannot emphasize how impressive this system is. I installed it this weekend and spent the last few days driving in the rain, trying to pull all the noob maneuvers I could. The traction control was unobtrusive and subtle, but prevented much of the drama that I would have otherwise seen. Guys, before you spend $1k on wheels, spend it on this! You'll make your money back on NOT having to pay your insurance extra after a wreck... Probably saves rear tire wear as well. Unlike VSA, you can program how much slip you want that day... from 0% to 25%+. I did manage to get a temporary blinking CEL when I set it to high slip and was testing a high rpm clutch drop. No limp mode and it went off within seconds (no need for resetting like on some other cars). Maybe our ECU is more tolerant of some "misfiring?" I'd deem this as a "must buy" for FI and rain / snow.
BelTronics FX accelerometer: **** / $. Not expensive. Useful for seeing what your car can do in your hands rather than in Car and Driver's last comparo. Some cars are easier to reproduce magazine times than others. Also useful for seeing if your mods had any real effect. 30 more peak hp is nice, but if you're only getting that from 8800-9000rpms it may not ever translate into more performance. I'd rather have a fatter curve with the same peak hp.
OBD II scanner: *** / $. Bought for $20 on ebay. Useful for distinguishing the vacuum hose / O2 sensor CELs from the "random misfire" codes. Especially useful if you tinker with your cars and are running FI.
Carbotech AX6 brake pads: **** / $$. A great dual purpose pad. Dusts more than stock, but much more effective in stopping then stock with little fade. Perfect for autocross. Should be used with DOT4 fluid like Super Blue.
Handling:
Whiteline (Muz) X-brace: *** / $. Not sure how much this affects handling. Changes the feel slightly. Maybe better on-center feel. Does not translate to better lap times on a track. Purely subjective. But does protect the oil pan and doesn't block access to the drain plug.
Cusco 3-pc Subframe Bars: *** / $$. Also not sure the difference in handling. I installed this at the same time as the X-brace. Also purely subjective. It may increase structural rigidity a touch. In 2008, the bar was temporarily disconnected and when reconnected there is an improvement in "feel."
Bridgestone Blizzaks: **** / $$. A must for any snow / ice driving. They work well. They don't handle as well in the dry, especially if you're -1 sized. They wear quickly as well. Mine were mounted on separate OEM 16" wheels.
Nokian Hakkapeliittas: ***** / $$$. They are better than Blizzaks on the ice. They do cost more, though. Squishier than Blizzak LM-22/25s, about as squishy as WS-50/60s. Really slippery until broken in.
Bridgestone Potenza S-02s: **** / $$. There is a big difference between running S-02s vs "all-season" tires. They are some of the best summer tires out there.
Bridgestone RE-01Rs: **** / $$. A step up from S-02s, especially in the wet. Now superceded by the RE-11s.
Michelin Pilot Sport Cups: ***** / $$$. R-compound tires that are street legal. OEM for Porsche GT3s. If the car gets limited use per year and you have other tires / vehicles for rain / cold / snow, these tires are FANTASTIC. This year, I'm running Pilot Sport Cups in the peak of summertime and will swap back to the 2nd set of wheels with S-02s for Fall and Spring. The car is getting stored this Winter. If this is a "fun only" car and you've been itching for a Cayman or 911, but don't drive enough to justify it to yourself, running Pilot Sport Cups really ramp up the handling performance of the S2000 to another level. Lateral grip is amazing and when at full acceleration the Sport Cups give a little chirp between shifts, then hook up... instead of spinning for a few revolutions like the S-02s. They wear quickly and are relatively expensive. But $1k per year in tires is cheaper than trading in for a new car....
Comptech Adjustable Sway Bar: **** / $$. A thicker front stabilizer bar is a must if autocrossing with R-compounds and an AP1. There are other options to this bar (Saner and Gendron) that are less expensive.
More negative camber: ***** / $. An aggressive alignment like the UK or an AX alignment is one of the best bang for your buck handling mod. If you're on all-season tires, don't bother.
Interior:
Muz mats: *** / $$. Perfectly fit and customizable to your specs on piping and mat colors. They cover the cross-member on the passenger side and prevent carpet wear. The driver's heel-pad can get a little slippery, I'm thinking of taking some 100 grit sandpaper to roughen it up a little.
Hexomats: ***** / $. They look a little cheesy and smell like rubber at first. But they're soft, grippy and are an excellent Winter slush mat. You have to cut holes for anchor hooks, but they're really inexpensive and work extremely well. Just air them out first so your car doesn't smell.
QuietCar Sound deadener (floor / trunk / heatshields): **** / $. It's pretty easy to strip the interior carpet and lay a few coats of QuietCar. Transmission tunnel (passenger side), gas tank, trunk, and trunk tray are resonant. Applying QuietCar can cut some of the drone. You can put some underneath the car above the differential and catalytic converters for extra deadening. Don't worry, you'll never make the car too quiet to hear. Initially this was done to calm the 4.57 gear whine. Makes it a better road trip vehicle.
Dynamat Sound deadener (firewall): *** / $$. When the engine was pulled for unrelated service, I had the shop install Dynamat on the firewall. After the QuietCar in the cabin, the sound was still unfiltered through the firewall (especially since I had used some of the rubber gaskets to feed stereo wires into the engine bay. It helped a little to reduce sound further, but the cabin floor and trunk were the biggest bang for the buck.
Nordskog Digital A/F gauge and A-Pillar mount: *** / $. Not as useful as a proper tune or wideband sensor, but can give you a general idea of where you stand on ratios. And for the nostalgia points, it reminds me of a certain Pontiac Trans Am from a beloved 80's show....
ExoticWoodDash Brushed Aluminum Dash Kit: * / $. Looked like crap. Lacquered aluminum, FTL. Cheesy. Installed two pieces to cover up a scratch on the HVAC controls.
Burtman Industries Black Carbon Fiber Dash Kit: **** / $. Much better. The carbon fiber has a nice finish and looks similar to our Audi RS4.
Brushed Aluminum "Airbag sticker" Visor Covers: *** / $. They look fine. My wife liked them. I just put them on because my visor cover was cracking and this covered the crack perfectly.
Momo Anatomic Shift knob: **** / $. I like the directional knob to always know the orientation of the shift grid. No confusing the gates and no "money" shifting. Also may reduce the 1-2 grind with better leverage.
Heated Seats: ***** / $. One of the best mods ever. Easy to do. Hardwired to fusebox, switch is under seat rail. Did it myself on a Saturday for $100. Now I can't live without it. Nothing like a warm backside on a chilly top-down night!
Modifry Glove Box Organizer: ***** / $. Makes the glove box functional. Slots for wallet, cellphone, etc. I put one of those "no-slip" grip pads on the bottom so that my cellphone wouldn't slide around or get scratched up.
Treo with GPS cradle: **** / $$. Nice way to have GPS available without having to take the unit with you for fear of theft. It's not likely that people will steal the empty cradle and you take the cellphone with you anyway.
PIE HON-aux RCA adapter: *** / $. Easy mod to OEM stereo. Pop out the stereo, plug into CD changer port, wire to ground and you're done. Gives you a 3.5mm jack to plug your Ipod into. The screen on the Ipod is better than the stock stereo anyway. Costs ~$60-100 for the unit and if you add the cost of an Ipod, it's still cheaper than the OEM CD changer.
Pioneer DEH-6800 with Ipod adapter: ***** / $$. Also a "why didn't I do this sooner?" mod. You may find after switching out the stock stereo that it really does suck. With modern headunits, you can play MP3 CDs and fit hundreds of songs on one CD if you don't have an Ipod. This Ipod integration was nice because it displays playlists and tracks on the HU itself. You also don't have to turn the Ipod on and off separately. This adaptor charges the Ipod.
Powered subwoofer / upgraded speakers: *** / $$. Not sure how much effect these have. I do like the thump of some good techno bass, though. And I like having some dimension to the music with sound coming from the rear. For those AP2s with headrest speakers, this may not be an issue. After removing the stock door speakers and examining them, they looked pretty basic / cheapy.
PAC-SWI dash control interface: **** / $. Lets you use the left-sided dash switches / knobs to control the headunit. I use these switches a lot. Other people don't use them much. The Modifry unit is reportedly even better with more features. I would have bought one of those, but I purchased all my stereo equipment at the same time. I haven't had any problems with the PAC-SWI, mine is the hardwired one. Some people have complained about the infrared controlled one.
Major Havoc's Headrest Wind Blockers: *** / $. A Lexan insert that keep air flowing over the cockpit and reduces turbulence. It works and is cheap and easy to install.
I think those are all the mods that are or were on my S2000 at some point.
Feel free to ask questions or PM for more info.
Anyone else want to chime in before we get more "what's the best mod" threads?
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Bryan V (08-01-2019)
Trending Topics
07-21-2007, 05:04 PM
#9
Former Moderator
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by GTI 20v,Jul 21 2007, 02:54 PM
Excellent post. Can you provide details or a link to your heated seats mod? 
