Beginner and safety questions
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Blue, I was thinking if my wife or brother ever wanted to jump in the passenger seat for a fun run to have a Hans device for them as well.
Rob's site has become my bible for developing the car! Between him, Emilio's advice on TrackHQ and Moti at Blackbird, I won't be able to claim hardware ignorance for my slow pace on the track
About three weeks ago I put in an order for a Saikou Michi catch can.
I'm still on the fence regarding tire sizes (and subsequent wheel size). Originally I wanted to go 235 square because fitment would be easier.. but the 245 seems to be way more popular! Then I had a chance to drive a 255 square and became drunk on the stick. 255 on 17x10 6ULs sounds pretty sweet, too, BBK clearance and high offset for fender clearance!
I have also thought about going the CR route with 215 front and 255 rear... So many options. Oh to have such problems
Rob's site has become my bible for developing the car! Between him, Emilio's advice on TrackHQ and Moti at Blackbird, I won't be able to claim hardware ignorance for my slow pace on the track
About three weeks ago I put in an order for a Saikou Michi catch can.
I'm still on the fence regarding tire sizes (and subsequent wheel size). Originally I wanted to go 235 square because fitment would be easier.. but the 245 seems to be way more popular! Then I had a chance to drive a 255 square and became drunk on the stick. 255 on 17x10 6ULs sounds pretty sweet, too, BBK clearance and high offset for fender clearance!
I have also thought about going the CR route with 215 front and 255 rear... So many options. Oh to have such problems
Joined: Nov 2011
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Hi Colin,
I have/had a similar seating problem and had to get creative with mine. Im 6ft, have a Rockstar rollbar / use a hans and 6pt harness with a kirkey roadrace seat I have added extra padding to, and clear a broomstick test by multiple inches, with the seat still on sliders so if i want shorter people can still drive my car. My good friend is 6'6" and still could pass a broomstick in my setup. The downside is getting in and out is not a graceful experience but its EXTREMELY comfy once in.
Attachment 181874
Moti was a huge help in getting the seat setup together since I didnt have the gear to bend the aluminum shoulders on the seat, and he does fantastic work and ultimately you cant go wrong with him.
As for car setup, dont overthink it yet. Fit yourself comfortably in the car and then drive it. A common mistake many make is over-modifying the car before really learning it. In the beginning every dollar spent modding will yield better gains on seat time. I ran the car stock in S2KC for 2 years.
What I dont see mentioned are brakes. The braking systems on these cars are woefully inadequate for a full weight car being driven competently.
I would recommend:
Go to a good race pad (many other tomes here have been written about compound preferences but today the go-tos in S2KC seem to be PMU ClubRacers and ST43's).
Invest in high quality brake fluid (RBF600 or similar) and flush the whole system.
Steel braided brake lines (again, google brake line failure, no sense in repeating it here).
That being said, if you end up making a habit out of this a BBK will be a long term money saver, but no sense in dropping the coin on it out of the gate. It will take 10-15 events for a BBK to pay you back.
On wheels/tires there is nothing at all wrong with the stock sizes 225f/255r. Due to compound selection etc, really just about everyone winds up on a 255 square setup BUT at higher speeds this setup can be a handful to a novice driver. I would suggest starting with the staggered tires (its cheaper , you already have the wheels), as it will tend to push more which is a little easier to control (at least you will be heading off the track forwards, not sideways or backwards). Just invest in good rubber. Pretty much everyone on street tires runs RS3's, but the RE11A's and ZII's have their proponents as well.
The OE suspension is actually very educational to track on. I would avoid mixing and matching bits yet and if your OE shocks are in good shape hit the track on those for a little bit before you spend the money in the wrong direction.
Ill be at the Chuckwalla event in a few weeks. If you make it out, you're welcome to see if you fit in my setup.
I have/had a similar seating problem and had to get creative with mine. Im 6ft, have a Rockstar rollbar / use a hans and 6pt harness with a kirkey roadrace seat I have added extra padding to, and clear a broomstick test by multiple inches, with the seat still on sliders so if i want shorter people can still drive my car. My good friend is 6'6" and still could pass a broomstick in my setup. The downside is getting in and out is not a graceful experience but its EXTREMELY comfy once in.
Attachment 181874
Moti was a huge help in getting the seat setup together since I didnt have the gear to bend the aluminum shoulders on the seat, and he does fantastic work and ultimately you cant go wrong with him.
As for car setup, dont overthink it yet. Fit yourself comfortably in the car and then drive it. A common mistake many make is over-modifying the car before really learning it. In the beginning every dollar spent modding will yield better gains on seat time. I ran the car stock in S2KC for 2 years.
What I dont see mentioned are brakes. The braking systems on these cars are woefully inadequate for a full weight car being driven competently.
I would recommend:
Go to a good race pad (many other tomes here have been written about compound preferences but today the go-tos in S2KC seem to be PMU ClubRacers and ST43's).
Invest in high quality brake fluid (RBF600 or similar) and flush the whole system.
Steel braided brake lines (again, google brake line failure, no sense in repeating it here).
That being said, if you end up making a habit out of this a BBK will be a long term money saver, but no sense in dropping the coin on it out of the gate. It will take 10-15 events for a BBK to pay you back.
On wheels/tires there is nothing at all wrong with the stock sizes 225f/255r. Due to compound selection etc, really just about everyone winds up on a 255 square setup BUT at higher speeds this setup can be a handful to a novice driver. I would suggest starting with the staggered tires (its cheaper , you already have the wheels), as it will tend to push more which is a little easier to control (at least you will be heading off the track forwards, not sideways or backwards). Just invest in good rubber. Pretty much everyone on street tires runs RS3's, but the RE11A's and ZII's have their proponents as well.
The OE suspension is actually very educational to track on. I would avoid mixing and matching bits yet and if your OE shocks are in good shape hit the track on those for a little bit before you spend the money in the wrong direction.
Ill be at the Chuckwalla event in a few weeks. If you make it out, you're welcome to see if you fit in my setup.
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Joined: Aug 2013
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Hi Colin,
I have/had a similar seating problem and had to get creative with mine. Im 6ft, have a Rockstar rollbar / use a hans and 6pt harness with a kirkey roadrace seat I have added extra padding to, and clear a broomstick test by multiple inches, with the seat still on sliders so if i want shorter people can still drive my car. My good friend is 6'6" and still could pass a broomstick in my setup. The downside is getting in and out is not a graceful experience but its EXTREMELY comfy once in.
Moti was a huge help in getting the seat setup together since I didnt have the gear to bend the aluminum shoulders on the seat, and he does fantastic work and ultimately you cant go wrong with him.
As for car setup, dont overthink it yet. Fit yourself comfortably in the car and then drive it. A common mistake many make is over-modifying the car before really learning it. In the beginning every dollar spent modding will yield better gains on seat time. I ran the car stock in S2KC for 2 years.
What I dont see mentioned are brakes. The braking systems on these cars are woefully inadequate for a full weight car being driven competently.
I would recommend:
Go to a good race pad (many other tomes here have been written about compound preferences but today the go-tos in S2KC seem to be PMU ClubRacers and ST43's).
Invest in high quality brake fluid (RBF600 or similar) and flush the whole system.
Steel braided brake lines (again, google brake line failure, no sense in repeating it here).
That being said, if you end up making a habit out of this a BBK will be a long term money saver, but no sense in dropping the coin on it out of the gate. It will take 10-15 events for a BBK to pay you back.
On wheels/tires there is nothing at all wrong with the stock sizes 225f/255r. Due to compound selection etc, really just about everyone winds up on a 255 square setup BUT at higher speeds this setup can be a handful to a novice driver. I would suggest starting with the staggered tires (its cheaper , you already have the wheels), as it will tend to push more which is a little easier to control (at least you will be heading off the track forwards, not sideways or backwards). Just invest in good rubber. Pretty much everyone on street tires runs RS3's, but the RE11A's and ZII's have their proponents as well.
The OE suspension is actually very educational to track on. I would avoid mixing and matching bits yet and if your OE shocks are in good shape hit the track on those for a little bit before you spend the money in the wrong direction.
Ill be at the Chuckwalla event in a few weeks. If you make it out, you're welcome to see if you fit in my setup.
I have/had a similar seating problem and had to get creative with mine. Im 6ft, have a Rockstar rollbar / use a hans and 6pt harness with a kirkey roadrace seat I have added extra padding to, and clear a broomstick test by multiple inches, with the seat still on sliders so if i want shorter people can still drive my car. My good friend is 6'6" and still could pass a broomstick in my setup. The downside is getting in and out is not a graceful experience but its EXTREMELY comfy once in.
Moti was a huge help in getting the seat setup together since I didnt have the gear to bend the aluminum shoulders on the seat, and he does fantastic work and ultimately you cant go wrong with him.
As for car setup, dont overthink it yet. Fit yourself comfortably in the car and then drive it. A common mistake many make is over-modifying the car before really learning it. In the beginning every dollar spent modding will yield better gains on seat time. I ran the car stock in S2KC for 2 years.
What I dont see mentioned are brakes. The braking systems on these cars are woefully inadequate for a full weight car being driven competently.
I would recommend:
Go to a good race pad (many other tomes here have been written about compound preferences but today the go-tos in S2KC seem to be PMU ClubRacers and ST43's).
Invest in high quality brake fluid (RBF600 or similar) and flush the whole system.
Steel braided brake lines (again, google brake line failure, no sense in repeating it here).
That being said, if you end up making a habit out of this a BBK will be a long term money saver, but no sense in dropping the coin on it out of the gate. It will take 10-15 events for a BBK to pay you back.
On wheels/tires there is nothing at all wrong with the stock sizes 225f/255r. Due to compound selection etc, really just about everyone winds up on a 255 square setup BUT at higher speeds this setup can be a handful to a novice driver. I would suggest starting with the staggered tires (its cheaper , you already have the wheels), as it will tend to push more which is a little easier to control (at least you will be heading off the track forwards, not sideways or backwards). Just invest in good rubber. Pretty much everyone on street tires runs RS3's, but the RE11A's and ZII's have their proponents as well.
The OE suspension is actually very educational to track on. I would avoid mixing and matching bits yet and if your OE shocks are in good shape hit the track on those for a little bit before you spend the money in the wrong direction.
Ill be at the Chuckwalla event in a few weeks. If you make it out, you're welcome to see if you fit in my setup.
Last night I was thinking about the inclusion of a slider or going for a fixed position. The obvious benefits to the slider is the allow other people a chance to drive... but then again who else do I want driving my car?!
I initially excluded sliders to gain more headroom but those Kirkey seats are something else, huh. I've never sat in one but was very close to buying site-unsat for my miata years ago. Could you compare it to any other fixed back racing seat you've sat in?Spot on regarding the brakes. I did the brake lines and fluid initially in 2013 and flushed the brake fluid last year. I am eyeballing different brake duct kits, both diy and pre-packaged. I also agree about the factory suspension being a learning tool, wow is it something - opposite of the linear friendly demeanor of a miata. Since that the car has only some 75k miles the bushings are still taut and the car feels great. Although I would like a some more stiffness all around - at the end of the year I'd like to replace the existing shocks and springs with CR units (a fool and his money, right). I do need and want instruction and after the safety equipment gets put in this summer I'll be pushing for as much seat time as possible. I've been autocrossing the s2000 for the past year and a half as well as my Miatas prior to that. Not that means much but I also do 15 laps on the Nurburgring every year for the past 4 years - I've finally decided instead of renting race cars I want to build one, so this year the money is going to the s2000.
I think you are right about the tire but boy do I like the feel of the 255 square when I drove a friends car. Right now I am on the factory size 205/225 V12 evos and with the ECU bringing the power down the curve second gear is a fine balancing art. What I dislike most is the vague steering feel once the car has been initiated into a turn or even prior to the turn if it's building speed. I don't know what is causing that feeling, small front tire contact patch? I also dislike how the rear "loads up" like a spring. Maybe I'm spoiled, with the miata you could feel as the car was shifting its weight around and control the load over the tires with steering and throttle in a predictable way. It was very accessible and easy to drive the car. With the s2000 it takes a little longer to find that sweet neutral spot it's also a lot more difficult to stay in it. Then the rear tires act differen from the front - like they don't want to be on the same page. Pops had a 911 and driving that hot meant putting faith in the rears but you'd commit with throttle and they stuck, not unlike riding a motorcycle. But very unlike the s2000!
It took a while until I was able to stay ahead of the rear end swap; coming in hot into a corner with the slightest extra amount of steering input would cause the rear end to swap sides FAST - killed a lot of laps times but was great for learning the car, err, addressing my mistakes as a driver! (slow in, fast out, I know I know!
) The more I read on the forums the more I feel this is a driver problem because I rarely see other people mention their driving experiences like this.I've driven only one other s2000 and that had 255 square on Eibach R2 coilovers. The grip was intoxicating. I need a reality check and not rush this. Today I'll be speaking with Moti and getting a date scheduled for the safety bars, seats and harnesses. That's priority number one.
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Over thinking the safety setup is never a bad idea, regardless of what/where you are driving. Throwing thousands into performances mods is a different story. Let me know when you plan on going to Moti's, and I might be able to meet you there and let you try my setup. My wife's family live next door, so I am there often 
. Shoot me a text if you plan on being there on a weekend, and you'll probably see my car there haha! Im shooting you a PM with my number. I think it would be great if you were to try out my setup, figure out what you like/don't like, and go from there with Moti.
. Shoot me a text if you plan on being there on a weekend, and you'll probably see my car there haha! Im shooting you a PM with my number. I think it would be great if you were to try out my setup, figure out what you like/don't like, and go from there with Moti.
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I think we met at the November event? You towed that day right? I hope to see you again in March. I'm still a total noob and suck at driving so I have a lot to learn from you and the others! Cheers!
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Originally Posted by anorexicpoodle' timestamp='1425023017' post='23521025
Ill be at the Chuckwalla event in a few weeks. If you make it out, you're welcome to see if you fit in my setup.
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 846
Likes: 66
Last night I was thinking about the inclusion of a slider or going for a fixed position. The obvious benefits to the slider is the allow other people a chance to drive... but then again who else do I want driving my car?! I initially excluded sliders to gain more headroom but those Kirkey seats are something else, huh. I've never sat in one but was very close to buying site-unsat for my miata years ago. Could you compare it to any other fixed back racing seat you've sat in?
I initially excluded sliders to gain more headroom but those Kirkey seats are something else, huh. I've never sat in one but was very close to buying site-unsat for my miata years ago. Could you compare it to any other fixed back racing seat you've sat in?The Recaro pole position fits me alright, but I felt the seat was too upright for my taste and doesnt really support the ribs as well. I like the extra layback I got with this seat, and most importantly I like that I could make adjustments to the shape of the seat (Moti helped me out by bending the shoulder supports in to clear the glove box and wrap around me closer, and reshaping the head support to curve to my back more). You could never do this with a composite seat.
TBH I have a kirkey (different model) in my lemons car as well and find it extremely comfortable, and in that car we shoot for 3 hour stints on track, so an uncomfortable seat would be murder.
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So my hip bone is very wide, meaning most composite seats that I am comfy in wont fit in the S2000 because they have a curl over around the edges which makes them artificially wider, and most seats that fit in the S2000 my hip bone sits on top of.
The Recaro pole position fits me alright, but I felt the seat was too upright for my taste and doesnt really support the ribs as well. I like the extra layback I got with this seat, and most importantly I like that I could make adjustments to the shape of the seat (Moti helped me out by bending the shoulder supports in to clear the glove box and wrap around me closer, and reshaping the head support to curve to my back more). You could never do this with a composite seat.
TBH I have a kirkey (different model) in my lemons car as well and find it extremely comfortable, and in that car we shoot for 3 hour stints on track, so an uncomfortable seat would be murder.
The Recaro pole position fits me alright, but I felt the seat was too upright for my taste and doesnt really support the ribs as well. I like the extra layback I got with this seat, and most importantly I like that I could make adjustments to the shape of the seat (Moti helped me out by bending the shoulder supports in to clear the glove box and wrap around me closer, and reshaping the head support to curve to my back more). You could never do this with a composite seat.
TBH I have a kirkey (different model) in my lemons car as well and find it extremely comfortable, and in that car we shoot for 3 hour stints on track, so an uncomfortable seat would be murder.
I decided not to pursue any other modifications other than the safety (and hard top) this year. I'll get some new tires for the factory wheels and change the fluids as needed, otherwise this summer will be getting safe then getting seat time in the fall to winter. Wild to think it isn't even March and I'm already trying to work out my calendar for monthly events in 2016!