i drove my close friend's 05 STi a few times and a few things i noticed compared to the S:

1. The car sits so high and feels like i was sitting on a pick up truck. Tranny was surprisingly good tho.

2. The car simply is too fast for my taste. Call me crazy but 1st and 2nd gear was almost non-existent. I felt scary redlining 2nd not to mention the higher gears with faster speed.

3. Ride was way too bouncy. The S is a lot stiffer and more controllable but the STi bounced a lot. I was told that this is one flaw of the STi suspension design and needs different springs with the stock shocks.

Like i said, you will be disappointed if you're going for the S for its acceleration. However, the sheer driving experience will definitely take you to a new level coming from the STi.

Peace.

 

lol i think it was more then a few mods. i think it had upgraded turbo and +++

 

I just want to clarify a little - yes most are running superchargers but turbos are becoming more and more popular for the s2k. A few years ago, they were scarce as kits were poorly pieced together and there wasn't enough tuning options and whatnot. Today, more and more people are doing turbos on a decent budget and are making nice power. The two most popular kits are the InlinePRO and LoveFab. LoveFab uses a tubular manifold and makes the most power per psi, but there are a large number of manifold failures and heat issues with this kit. It is also nearly $10K. This kit allows you to make 330-350 hp relatively easily, on only 6 or 7 pounds of boost.

The InlinePRO kit seems to be more reliable, but the cast manifold doesn't make as much power, which I'm sure you can understand coming from a turbo platform already. On 8-9 pounds you should make 320-340 hp. Keep in mind, these numbers are on our stock compression of 11:1. The stock motor can hold maybe 9.5 pounds or so, and after that compression must be dropped to run safely. 350hp seems to be the point where you're stuck having to drop compression.

400 can definitely be done without replacing pistons and rods. But if you're looking to save money, you should start looking for some used kits and/or piece part of them together. A lot of the budget is for ECU, which you can get for under 1k if you are thrifty. My entire turbo budget is only costing me 6k, and that's with a new clutch. Many people here will swear up and down that you can't turbo for under 8 or 9k, but if you're thrifty and buy quality stuff used, you can get your car running safely for not that much money.

If you're interested in going turbo, you should definitely introduce yourself in the forced induction forum - there are a lot of really knowledgeable guys in there

 

still, the comptech or vortech supercharger is the "easy" way to go. They don't produce much boost at low RPM, which is good in a way because high compression + low RPM + boost can be disastrous. The blowers build boost with RPM. Usually a stock installation (like 5.5 psi) yields somewhere around 300 to the wheels. Plus, it's pretty reliable.

On the differential...the weak point is the bearing caps. They can flex under high loads and cause the ring gear to be pushed back. Best case is you shred its teeth. Worst case is you break the casing. Comptech modifies the stock differential with better bearing caps and bolts. That basically fixes the weakness issues.

 

How much do these cars weigh? 300whp would be crazy fun with this light of a car. What about brakes. Am I understanding that STi brembo fit? As far as the engine. I plan on building up the engine to handle more power down the line. I want to AutoX the car. I can't seem to bring muself to do it in the STi. It's such a big car.

 

I dont know about the brembo's fitting off of an sti, somebody else might be able to answer your question there, but as for autox, you will definatly enjoy it. The S2000 is a very nimble car and from my experience is a blast to drive anytime, weather it be autox, driving through some twisties, or even just cruising with the top down. Good luck man.

-Ian

 

Insurance on Sti's and Evo's is out of the roof now. When I bought my Evo in 04 the insurance was not bad at all. They had just come out in 03. Now with all the kids driving them and recking them they have raised the rated a lot.
Insurance will most likely be cheaper on the S2K.
If you are worried about straight line speed the S2k is not going to touch your STi. I owed a heavily modded Evo so I can relate.
The S2k is a totally different beast and has it's rewards in other areas.

 

STi a "big" car? Maybe bigger than an S2k, but the STi is a great auto-x'er and especially pro-solo car. Just look at the SCCA Nationals results. Pretty sure an STi won A-Stock in Pro-Solo (by over 2 seconds!) and finished 4th in Solo.

That said, a 2001 S2000 came in 2nd in Solo.

 

The S weights about 2900lbs. Bolt on blower with aftercooler will run you $4500-5000 new. stock boost is 5.5 or 6lbs (comptech or vortech), and will give you around 300whp. Makes for a very quick and fun car You can up the boost with a new pully. 15psi pulley is a popular choice and will give you over 400whp with stock internals. Highest hp I know of from a blower is a vortech giving a little over 460whp.. enough to beat up on Z06s There are even more powerful turbo cars, some putting out close to 500-600whp.

so, it can be done, but costs some $$ to get the power up there.

 

This is true for getting that kind of power out of any car.