Have you seen my "Build and S2000 Race Car" web page? http://robrobinette....2000RaceCar.htm

 

I would also look into Penske DA7500 for shocks. Made in America, Totally rebuildable in your garage with minimal tools or there are people on the east/west coast and probably Midwest that can revalve them. Monotube design and don't have external canisters so less points in some racing divisions...

 

Rob's site is a great resource.

This is also another build (dual purpose street and track car) that address many of the aspects you're researching:
http://www.motoiq.com/projects/honda...nda_s2000.aspx

In my opinion:
Upgraded radiator and oil cooler are a must. The stock radiator will crack over time. I consider a front BBK a reliability and safety mod and brake ducting a must. I think anything sticker than a top-end street tire requires a baffled oil pan. An Accusump would not be a bad idea.

Follow Andrew's ultimate time attack car build. He has a thread on here and it's being documented in Modified mag too.

 

Great info! Thanks

 

I been tracking my S2000 for almost 4 years now and speaking from experience an Oil cooler for a track S2000 is a must, when I first started tracking my S2000 I saw oil temps in the upwards of 280 on warm days. My engine today has over 100K on it and over 15 track days per year.

In the S2000 community there is no such a thing as cheap part, everything cost twice or three times as a Miata

Pay additional attention to brakes the S2000 tends to overheat its brakes so ducting is very helpful

S2000s are heavy (although they seem light) as many mentioned above make your S2000 light it will save you money on consumables

Safety gear in the S2000 is top priority as it should be in any race car.

Alignment makes a huge difference on S2000

 

I almost bought miata. They are slow, ninja 250 slow
I am prepping my s2k now but I will not do much. Just got hard top (oem), bought set of 17x9 wheels, roll bar and just need to sort out what shocks to get.
Rest I will do after driving it on track on need to do bases.

 

take a look at the other builds in the r&c section.
I have 2 posted in here if you search for them
first one was back in 06-07 when I built the car from scratch.
second one is current rebuild on 1st or 2nd page called crashes race car rebuild.

 

Miatas run 1:26 at summit... I wont call that slow. they are fast if they are in the right hands.

 

Rob's site is a great source of information, and one I used when starting out. I have been on the forums a while and so I will just throw out some more ideas/info

Suspension: I am using the KW V3s and they work very well. If you have the ~$2500 also consider the KW Clubsport coilovers. A lot of fast S2000s are running a nonstaggered wheel setup, which requires more camber up front. There are a couple options for this.
SPC
http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/s...&cat=Alignment

Hardrace
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/885...-track-s2000s/

J's (JDM is always $$$)
http://www.gotuning.com/product_info...oducts_id=1471

This will allow you to get more negative camber in the front. People also usually run a stiffer front sway bar...Eibach, Saner, Whiteline, etc.

Wheels/Tires: I know you mentioned a BBK. BBK and RPF1 are pretty much mutually exclusive, since the design of the wheel doesn't leave enough clearance for a BBK caliper. People do run the RPF1 because it is light, but it requires fender rolling to fit because of the +45 offset. I am assuming you are not against this since it is a track only car, but if you want a bolt on and go fitment, look for a 17x9 +60 to 17x9 +63. This should fit in the rear without any work and with the negative camber up front it should work if the car isn't overly lowered. There are a lot of options. The TSW Nurburgring 17x9 +63 (~$850) is proven to fit a BBK, due to no lip. Other options are the Enkei PF01 17x9 +60 (~$1100, which is not BBK friendly), TR Motorsports C3 17x9 +62 (~$650), and a few options from Volk such as the CE28 and RE30 in a 17x9 +63($2200+).

A lot of people tracking their car run Hankook RS3 or Dunlop Star Specs. However, I am also assuming since it is a track car you will move right into R-Comps. I have ridden in an instructor's S2000 with 255/40/17 Nitto NT01s and the grip was unreal. I think some people have found some Hoosiers to be quicker, but require the heat cycling and have less life too I believe. I will let others chime in on that.

Brakes: The same instructor I was with was using stock brakes with blank rotors and Carbotech XP10 pads up front and they held strong through a good 20 minute session. However, even with stock power levels, moving onto nonstaggered R Comps may have you replacing rotors every few weekends. Some people (Rob included) have used the Honda Accord caliper which has a larger piston and larger surface area brake pads. Racing Brake makes a two-piece rotor 300x28mm that works with the Accord caliper. Rob was able to get a season's use on one set of rotor rings.

If you go with a BBK, a lot of people recommend the Stoptech kit with slotted rotors (not drilled). Replacement rings are ~$200 each, but a set of rotors should last you a decent while. More up front cost, less replacement costs.

Brake ducting is also encouraged and is fairly inexpensive. Look at Rob's site, as he has a tutorial.

Replace the brake lines with a DOT stainless line (especially if the car is old) and (I recommend) ATE Super Blue. I use Challenge lines, there are others such as Goodridge, Stoptech.

Other stuff: I upgraded the radiator to a Koyo one just because it is a fairly inexpensive modification to make. Someone mentioned the stock one cracking..not sure about that, but the Koyo was $340 shipped.

I would agree with other stuff said above, if you are going all out, get seats, harnesses and HANS for safety.

 

What you missing is that he is coming from bikes, racing for long time (same as me). Any car is pretty slow compared to it and less work to get around track
I compared it to ninja 250 because those bikes are slow in straight line but rail in corners, like miata. It is fun but if you doing this for long time it is also boring.
I hope S2k is not slow for me or for him. He is looking in to going racing so little different when you against similar or same cars. Competition will make it more interesting for him.
Last month I did track day at Laguna Seca, it was combined day with cars and bikes alternating sessions. I did both, you can't compare it, bikes are just more physical/mental and more fun for speed junkies.