If you still had an AP1 which class would you run in?

 

I would sell it and pay a few more thousand for an ap2. In STR is not at that much of a disadvantage, I'd say .2-.3 seconds over an AP2. The AP1 is lighter but the gearing causes it to accelerate slower and it's also less torquie in the mid-range.

 

The swaybar you ordered should be the right size. Almost identical to the one I had to have custom fabricated in 2000. The other issue with tail walk out was that the original shocks had too high a bump rate. (On smooth roads the car pushes.) Koni yellows fixed the walk-out, assuming you are not going for the kilo-dollar shocks until you are sure.

I trust you realize that some of the advice, like sell your car, is if you plan to compete in National events.

Personally I think your model year 2000 in Silverstone with black interior is the best model there is. That I have one has nothing to do with my opinion.

 

What is your goal? To have fun? To win locally? To win Nationals?

An AP1 is damn fun with 225 Dunlop Z2 or Hankook RS3V2 or Bstone Rival tires (pick the ones that work best for your site/weather) and a bigger front bar. It can definitely win locally in Street class with a good driver. Don't forget that 'not competitive' at the National level can be 1/2 to 1 second back. That's typically well within the range of driver noise at the local level.

I'm running my car in STR because it's tons of fun, but be warned that there's a lot more cost and potential for screwing something up than Street. You can make your car awesome or terrible, depending on what parts you choose. Some people like the challenge of learning what does and doesn't work, some people just want to drive.

If you want to win Nationals, I'd go with an AP2. We hit a deer coming back from Spring Nats in Lincoln - I started thinking about replacing my 2001 with a 2006 or later car as soon as someone said it might be totalled. Not totalled - still having fun in STR!

 

My goal is always to have fun first. I'd really like to be competitive locally. That being said, we combine SS, AS, and BS into one class PAX adjusted. Also, we combine all ST classes into one. The problem with my local chapter is that not many people run ST on a regular basis (maybe 4 people run enough to qualify for a trophy). I fell confident that I could win in ST but more so because of lack of competition. The street class is one of the largest which is nice. On a 60 second track how much faster would an AP1 with 225/225 setup be over an AP1 with a 205/225 setup?

 

Not sure there is way to answer this. Too many unknowns and variables. Simplest answer (given your demands) is the s2000 needs more front grip in or order not to push. It needs a bigger front bar to balance that out and to limit the soft front suspension. It needs the most tire you can get on the rear for rear stability. Plenty of info everywhere and covered multiple times (see my links from the second post) ... read, compare, pick your poison and enjoy!

-Marc

 

My wild guess: 0.25 seconds faster for 225 all-around vs. 205/225. +/-0.5 seconds error tolerance.

The nice thing about the big front bar is the reduction of inside wheelspin and rear tires that work a little harder in a corner before they slide. But then the car is a little pushy so the bigger front tires help with that.

If it matters; I run four 225 all-seasons on bored-out AP1 rear wheels for commuting to work with no changes to the STR setup. Balance is darn good! They're 440+ treadwear tires, but I can still have fun when conditions warrant. Plus I can rotate them for even wear!

 

Sounds about right. I doubt I'm getting any more lateral grip out of the pinched 225, but there may be a small benefit when braking.

FWIW, I hated the Hankooks on my car and switched back Dunlops as soon as they hit the wear bars. But I also hated the 'kooks on Lane Borg's car and he seems to like them just fine, so YMMV. If you prefer a stiffer tire, you'll probably want Dunlops.

 

+1 on both statements. Hankooks pretty much just ignore any small input you give them, and take their sweet time responding to the large inputs. Lots of people are obviously going very fast on them, but my incompetent driving abilities can't handle them.