S2000 STR prep resource
Originally Posted by imstimpy,Jul 8 2010, 01:24 PM
People like the warm fuzzy feeling knowing they bought a set of tires somebody else won on. I find it absurd, but some people dig it.
On top of surface types and conditions, the car or even the setup on the same type of car changes how effective a tire will be. The course style, the driver sample, or competition within the class can skew results. Under a wide enough set of conditions, nearly all of the current crop of tires can win. What can win at a National Tour may not work at Nationals given temp and course differences. blah blah blah blah
On top of surface types and conditions, the car or even the setup on the same type of car changes how effective a tire will be. The course style, the driver sample, or competition within the class can skew results. Under a wide enough set of conditions, nearly all of the current crop of tires can win. What can win at a National Tour may not work at Nationals given temp and course differences. blah blah blah blah

I like Hankooks, as they suit my driving style, but others have not enjoyed them.
Same goes for the aftermarket diffs. I find it to be a night and day difference and a must have for the class, but others don't think it is a worthy mod and something that is lost in driver noise.
How much different is the AP2 rear geometry? If we were to transfer over our AP1 setup to an AP2 would the car setup feel drastically different, will the higher spring rates and lower, more static ride height negate any significant change in behavior?`
Originally Posted by BrianGT,Jul 9 2010, 07:50 AM
+1
I like Hankooks, as they suit my driving style, but others have not enjoyed them.
Same goes for the aftermarket diffs. I find it to be a night and day difference and a must have for the class, but others don't think it is a worthy mod and something that is lost in driver noise.
How much different is the AP2 rear geometry? If we were to transfer over our AP1 setup to an AP2 would the car setup feel drastically different, will the higher spring rates and lower, more static ride height negate any significant change in behavior?`
I like Hankooks, as they suit my driving style, but others have not enjoyed them.
Same goes for the aftermarket diffs. I find it to be a night and day difference and a must have for the class, but others don't think it is a worthy mod and something that is lost in driver noise.
How much different is the AP2 rear geometry? If we were to transfer over our AP1 setup to an AP2 would the car setup feel drastically different, will the higher spring rates and lower, more static ride height negate any significant change in behavior?`
I have driven her car a good bit on the street (daily driving it several times before the STR mods and after wards), and at 4 events. I also rode in it with others and gotten feedback from several people who have driven the car. I am by no means an expert on anything, and don't have anywhere the driver skills that you have, so your opinion may vary.
When I had my S2000, and had driven Mere's and Jim's car in AS trim, I always hated the snap oversteer behavior, where if you push the car hard into a slow corner, the car would transition from push to snap oversteer. With the diff, I feel like you can just keep your foot in it, and not have to worry about the snap out of corners, with it gently transitioning from understeer to oversteer. Also, riding in both cars on a skid pad, lets you see how the car accelerates more when it is heavily loaded on one side.
Again, don't take my word for it. Nick said that he didn't seem to make much difference. I did a lot of research into diffs on my STX car and never pulled the trigger. The SP and SM guys seem to really value aftermarket diffs.
When I had my S2000, and had driven Mere's and Jim's car in AS trim, I always hated the snap oversteer behavior, where if you push the car hard into a slow corner, the car would transition from push to snap oversteer. With the diff, I feel like you can just keep your foot in it, and not have to worry about the snap out of corners, with it gently transitioning from understeer to oversteer. Also, riding in both cars on a skid pad, lets you see how the car accelerates more when it is heavily loaded on one side.
Again, don't take my word for it. Nick said that he didn't seem to make much difference. I did a lot of research into diffs on my STX car and never pulled the trigger. The SP and SM guys seem to really value aftermarket diffs.
I've never noticed anything odd about the diff when driving it on the street - I can barely tell its there.
In regards to what it feels like on the track - Matt knows what I think. You can get on the gas a lot earlier and the car no longer snaps loose - its much more controllable with the throttle and you can definitely steer the car with your right foot. Made a big time "lift - push" instead of "lift - loose" thing though. Definitely have had to change driving style to suit it.
In regards to what it feels like on the track - Matt knows what I think. You can get on the gas a lot earlier and the car no longer snaps loose - its much more controllable with the throttle and you can definitely steer the car with your right foot. Made a big time "lift - push" instead of "lift - loose" thing though. Definitely have had to change driving style to suit it.
What oil are you running in yours Nick?
I put Amsoil into ours, and it does make noises in parking lots, and tight turns when daily driving it. OS Giken said that their heavier oil would remove these noises, but wouldn't significantly change the behavior when racing it.
I went with the Amsoil, as that is what they used to recommend before they had their own stuff. TRM (the OS Giken dealer I bought it from) asked OS Giken, and they said it shouldn't effect the longevity of it, and confirmed that they used to use it. They also said they only had 1 failure from these units, and they should last a long time.
I put Amsoil into ours, and it does make noises in parking lots, and tight turns when daily driving it. OS Giken said that their heavier oil would remove these noises, but wouldn't significantly change the behavior when racing it.
I went with the Amsoil, as that is what they used to recommend before they had their own stuff. TRM (the OS Giken dealer I bought it from) asked OS Giken, and they said it shouldn't effect the longevity of it, and confirmed that they used to use it. They also said they only had 1 failure from these units, and they should last a long time.
Originally Posted by BrianGT,Jul 9 2010, 08:50 AM
How much different is the AP2 rear geometry? If we were to transfer over our AP1 setup to an AP2 would the car setup feel drastically different, will the higher spring rates and lower, more static ride height negate any significant change in behavior?`
I thought of totally switching to a different car, but I already have quite a bit of STR mods that work for the 06+, so the cheap side of me is making it difficult to not go this direction.



