Deciding between s2000 and opel speedster for trackday car. People on speedster forum totally dissing the s2000 for being like a suv on track in stock form and needing some serious modding to keep up with the rest. So I thought it might be wise to get a second opinion here. What are the things that really need modifying (because they will melt, boil, burn, fade, break, .. otherwise) on a stock s2000 to make it trackday worthy?

 

The only deficiency in the stock S2000 for track use is brake heat capacity. High temp pads and fluid will do you.

Like any other car, there are tons of other things you could do if you want, but with track pads a stock S2000 is a more capable track car than a stock M3, for instance.

Opal Speedsters are in short supply around my area, so I have no idea how they compare.

 

The car is great right out of the box, and like Mike said do a mild brake fluid/pad upgrade and you will have a wonderful track car.; just make sure you get the alignment checked before you go to the track, the S has a history of not being on spec when delivered.

An Opal Speedster? Sorry, I have never seen one nor do I know anything abut them; I'm in Upstate New York, want to talk about pickup trucks?

 

ditto the above: here is your mods list that'll make S2k uber fast and still street driven.

race pads
high temp brake fluid
r-comp tires
aggressive alignment

s2000 can hold its on in terms of a lap time, where it falls short is the passing power. car is a very much momentum car - if ur stuck behind someone in a corner and loose your momentum you cannot make up the difference if they have decent hp/tq. that's probably the only thing i see as a flaw in s2k - it's lack of torque, it's a wonderfull car for what it is and is much faster than the sum of its parts.

 

who ever says the s2k in stock form is an suv on the track is a retard and should never be taken seriously.

I agree w/ what KGB recomends for mods.

 

Where do these people come up with this ???

 

The Opel Speedster is essentially a Lotus Elise with a different bodywork and a 150ish HP GM Ecotec powertrain. It's built on a version of the Elise's featherweight bonded aluminum/composite chassis. The Speedster weighs at least 700-800lbs less than the S2000. So terms of weight, I guess the S2000 could be considered "an SUV" comparatively...

Andrew

 

The Speedster (even the non-turbo) is a great trackcar, and also a lot of fun on the Ring! You can pick them up for a great price too. Just have to watch out for the repair costs will all that aluminium.

Even in Germany where S2000s are rare, the Speester still steals the show in the looks department. It's very capable in alpine mountain pass runs and the like as well. The roof leaks at certain speeds and the lack of power is sorely noticed on the Autobahn, but around town and up mountains, the Speedster is a lot of fun.

I drove my basically-stock S2000 at LeMans last year, and I really had a good time with it. I also just had upraded pads and fluid and the car was perfectly track-ready.

That said, the weight advantage of the Speedster is quite apparent over the S2000. However, if you value streetability and some daily driving comforts, the S2000 is the ticket. Operating the top on the Speedster takes some time and practice to do it quickly. Ingress / egress is also a skill that must be mastered.

Can't go wrong with either!

///Robin

 

First R&C post

For racing brake pads, which are the best for a beginner to start with? There are threads asking which have the best performance, but nothing definite for entry level pads. I would be using them for the track only, on dedicated stock rotors. And would buying rear racing pads be overkill for my first few track days?

This will be with S-02's, ate blue brake fluid and stock alignment on Buddy Clubs lowered 1.25" (please don't hassle me on the coilovers).

I also have 1.5 years auto-x experience with the S in stock and current form, incase that matters.

Thanks

 

I'm running the Cobalt Gt-Sports and they seem to be a good entry level pad and more than sufficent if your running s02s.

I'm also on s02s and using ate brake fluid but I am running the uk alignment specs. The nice thing about the gt-sports is they are friendlier on the rotors than the VRs and they come up to temp very quickly so if I have 2 track events close to each other I'll just leave the pads on for street driving and I'll also use them for autocrosses if 1 falls inbetween close track events. It's only when I go through a long spell of not having any track days (like now!) I take them off. Yes they do make some noise and yes they do dust a lot but what good pad for this car doesn't

I bought them from the marketplace on the site.

And yes get rear pads. The s2k likes to wear rear pads as fast if not a little faster than the fronts as there isn't much cooling to the rear brakes.