Quick swap dual purpose upgrades
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Quick swap dual purpose upgrades
I have 4 newb questions.
I just bought an 07 S2K, and am wanting to use it as a dual purpose street/racetrack auto. What I am looking for is upgrades that can be tuned from street to track easily. Things like track wheel/tire sets, quickly tunable suspensions including temporary lowering, camber adjustment, shock dampening, etc. For the most part, I will simply be using the car to enjoy pretty days on winding roads. There will be the occasional trip to the mid-ohio racetrack or even a potential autocross to get the blood pumping. What upgrades should I be considering to fill this dual purpose role?
I have been reading the Tire Rack thread about wheel/tire sizes, and have run across anomolies. Specifically that the AP2 OEM wheel/tire does not fall into the recomended sizes. I am not sure if changing the wheel offsets is the smart thing to do, as the car has been very well engineered to handle well as it is. What is the concensus amoung the racing folks here concerning that?
Lastly, should I be looking at a dual tune ECU upgrade? Frankly, having the Vtek kick in at such a high RPM seems crazy. In my M3, when you hit the sport button, the whole rpm range is effected. Would it be smarter to look into a supercharger?
To recap:
I just bought an 07 S2K, and am wanting to use it as a dual purpose street/racetrack auto. What I am looking for is upgrades that can be tuned from street to track easily. Things like track wheel/tire sets, quickly tunable suspensions including temporary lowering, camber adjustment, shock dampening, etc. For the most part, I will simply be using the car to enjoy pretty days on winding roads. There will be the occasional trip to the mid-ohio racetrack or even a potential autocross to get the blood pumping. What upgrades should I be considering to fill this dual purpose role?
I have been reading the Tire Rack thread about wheel/tire sizes, and have run across anomolies. Specifically that the AP2 OEM wheel/tire does not fall into the recomended sizes. I am not sure if changing the wheel offsets is the smart thing to do, as the car has been very well engineered to handle well as it is. What is the concensus amoung the racing folks here concerning that?
Lastly, should I be looking at a dual tune ECU upgrade? Frankly, having the Vtek kick in at such a high RPM seems crazy. In my M3, when you hit the sport button, the whole rpm range is effected. Would it be smarter to look into a supercharger?
To recap:
- What upgrades should I be considering to fill this dual purpose role?
- What is the concensus amoung the racing folks here concerning changing wheel offsets from factory?
- Should I be looking at a dual tune ECU upgrade?
- Would it be smarter to look into a supercharger?
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,102
Likes: 843
it really depends on what your true driving experience level is and more specifically what you want and what your expectations are. It also goes along with what do you feel is "wrong" with the car such that it is not meeting your expectations?
For my own experience, to start: I tracked the car for 2 years (about 25+ total track days with some auto-x here and there) before finally deciding to do an "upgrade".
For my "stock-ish" tracking experience these were the following "upgrades"
1. Better tires on the AP2v2 rims (225/255 F/R sizes) - RS3s, Z1-SS, AD08, RE-11 are all great tires for truly enjoying the car on a nice twisty road or for some fun HPDE
2. Brake Pads/DOT4 fluid
3. A good alignment makes a HUGE difference on this car (camber joints if you want more)
That was essentially the extent of my upgrades and i've tracked the car like that for 2 years now. I've learned a lot about the car and improved quite a bit as a driver. I'm glad I didn't do anything else to the car and tracked it like that. Now, I finally feel ready to make a few minor changes to the handling department (non-stagger setup with 255 square on 17x9 rims, with a CR front sway bar and a wing for the track). I'll still be on stock OEM suspension.
Vtec engagement... I feel that the higher vtech engagement makes you a better driver and teaches you to use the gear box to keep the car in the upper 5500+ RPM range (ideally 6K or higher).
Again, your expectations may be different, but there's a lot more performance to this car out of the box than many realize. At the track with a similar "stock" setup, i'm still about 4 seconds off of the fastest guys at a 2:10ish laptime.
My recommendation is to do the above 3 mods/adjustments i've suggested, drive the car for a bit and then figure out what you don't like and what the car is lacking. then mod to your expectations.
Edit: i forgot to mention that my car serves a dual purpose as my DD too. Also, number one on that list for the first thing you should do is a good alignment with more camber all around - max the front and something like at least -2.2 for the rear, if not greater.
For my own experience, to start: I tracked the car for 2 years (about 25+ total track days with some auto-x here and there) before finally deciding to do an "upgrade".
For my "stock-ish" tracking experience these were the following "upgrades"
1. Better tires on the AP2v2 rims (225/255 F/R sizes) - RS3s, Z1-SS, AD08, RE-11 are all great tires for truly enjoying the car on a nice twisty road or for some fun HPDE
2. Brake Pads/DOT4 fluid
3. A good alignment makes a HUGE difference on this car (camber joints if you want more)
That was essentially the extent of my upgrades and i've tracked the car like that for 2 years now. I've learned a lot about the car and improved quite a bit as a driver. I'm glad I didn't do anything else to the car and tracked it like that. Now, I finally feel ready to make a few minor changes to the handling department (non-stagger setup with 255 square on 17x9 rims, with a CR front sway bar and a wing for the track). I'll still be on stock OEM suspension.
Vtec engagement... I feel that the higher vtech engagement makes you a better driver and teaches you to use the gear box to keep the car in the upper 5500+ RPM range (ideally 6K or higher).
Again, your expectations may be different, but there's a lot more performance to this car out of the box than many realize. At the track with a similar "stock" setup, i'm still about 4 seconds off of the fastest guys at a 2:10ish laptime.
My recommendation is to do the above 3 mods/adjustments i've suggested, drive the car for a bit and then figure out what you don't like and what the car is lacking. then mod to your expectations.
Edit: i forgot to mention that my car serves a dual purpose as my DD too. Also, number one on that list for the first thing you should do is a good alignment with more camber all around - max the front and something like at least -2.2 for the rear, if not greater.
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
it really depends on what your true driving experience level is and more specifically what you want and what your expectations are. It also goes along with what do you feel is "wrong" with the car such that it is not meeting your expectations?
For my own experience, to start: I tracked the car for 2 years (about 25+ total track days with some auto-x here and there) before finally deciding to do an "upgrade".
For my "stock-ish" tracking experience these were the following "upgrades"
1. Better tires on the AP2v2 rims (225/255 F/R sizes) - RS3s, Z1-SS, AD08, RE-11 are all great tires for truly enjoying the car on a nice twisty road or for some fun HPDE
2. Brake Pads/DOT4 fluid
3. A good alignment makes a HUGE difference on this car (camber joints if you want more)
That was essentially the extent of my upgrades and i've tracked the car like that for 2 years now. I've learned a lot about the car and improved quite a bit as a driver. I'm glad I didn't do anything else to the car and tracked it like that. Now, I finally feel ready to make a few minor changes to the handling department (non-stagger setup with 255 square on 17x9 rims, with a CR front sway bar and a wing for the track). I'll still be on stock OEM suspension.
Vtec engagement... I feel that the higher vtech engagement makes you a better driver and teaches you to use the gear box to keep the car in the upper 5500+ RPM range (ideally 6K or higher).
Again, your expectations may be different, but there's a lot more performance to this car out of the box than many realize. At the track with a similar "stock" setup, i'm still about 4 seconds off of the fastest guys at a 2:10ish laptime.
My recommendation is to do the above 3 mods/adjustments i've suggested, drive the car for a bit and then figure out what you don't like and what the car is lacking. then mod to your expectations.
Edit: i forgot to mention that my car serves a dual purpose as my DD too. Also, number one on that list for the first thing you should do is a good alignment with more camber all around - max the front and something like at least -2.2 for the rear, if not greater.
For my own experience, to start: I tracked the car for 2 years (about 25+ total track days with some auto-x here and there) before finally deciding to do an "upgrade".
For my "stock-ish" tracking experience these were the following "upgrades"
1. Better tires on the AP2v2 rims (225/255 F/R sizes) - RS3s, Z1-SS, AD08, RE-11 are all great tires for truly enjoying the car on a nice twisty road or for some fun HPDE
2. Brake Pads/DOT4 fluid
3. A good alignment makes a HUGE difference on this car (camber joints if you want more)
That was essentially the extent of my upgrades and i've tracked the car like that for 2 years now. I've learned a lot about the car and improved quite a bit as a driver. I'm glad I didn't do anything else to the car and tracked it like that. Now, I finally feel ready to make a few minor changes to the handling department (non-stagger setup with 255 square on 17x9 rims, with a CR front sway bar and a wing for the track). I'll still be on stock OEM suspension.
Vtec engagement... I feel that the higher vtech engagement makes you a better driver and teaches you to use the gear box to keep the car in the upper 5500+ RPM range (ideally 6K or higher).
Again, your expectations may be different, but there's a lot more performance to this car out of the box than many realize. At the track with a similar "stock" setup, i'm still about 4 seconds off of the fastest guys at a 2:10ish laptime.
My recommendation is to do the above 3 mods/adjustments i've suggested, drive the car for a bit and then figure out what you don't like and what the car is lacking. then mod to your expectations.
Edit: i forgot to mention that my car serves a dual purpose as my DD too. Also, number one on that list for the first thing you should do is a good alignment with more camber all around - max the front and something like at least -2.2 for the rear, if not greater.
Are these AP2v2 wheels? ebay wheel listing If so, I might pull the trigger.
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,762
Likes: 3
From: San Diego
i would say, you for sure need a supercharger, because the S2000 has no power from the factory. For sure check the camber, because if its not checked, that's how big accidents happen from snap oversteer. As far as offsets, anything more negative from the factory will ruin the handling. As far as ECU, check on the supercharger forum.
Trending Topics
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 785
Likes: 1
i would say, you for sure need a supercharger, because the S2000 has no power from the factory. For sure check the camber, because if its not checked, that's how big accidents happen from snap oversteer. As far as offsets, anything more negative from the factory will ruin the handling. As far as ECU, check on the supercharger forum.
This order:
1)Brake fluid flush. RBF600 is pretty cheap and should hold up fine.
2)Brake Pads. If your pads over heat or warp your rotors than buy some better pads. But do a track day or two first.
3)Tires. RS3s are great and cheap.
4)Camber joints and max neg camber if your killing the outside edge of your tires.
#3 and 4 could be switched. After that everything else is bonus. Enjoy!
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
I will be on the lookout for a set of AP2v2's at a decent price. I think staying with the same rim offsets and adding width is definitely the smart way to go.