thanks I was looking for the info on the structural reinforcements for such a long time!

I hope to be picking up an AP1.5 sometime this week

 

im suprised no one mentioned the ap2's "slower" steering. isn't that something honda changed to offset the change in suspension geometry and larger wheels of the ap2 to decrease oversteer? that may be one of the things id consider changing in my ap2 and probably the only thing im jealous of in the CR and ap1's.

 

I also had the means to "upgrade" to an AP2 when they came out...there just wasn't enough "improvement" over an AP1 to justify the purchase. And for autox, the AP1s have continued to show the most potential in stock class...which at the time was important to me.

Having driven a few AP2s now...I never missed the extra rpm available in the AP1 and never noticed the increased torque. Also didn't notice the steering was slower. I did notice the increased body roll from the softer rear springs.

And having autoxed an AP2 with KW v3 coilovers I can tell you it transforms the car...it gives it the same "raw" feel of the AP1 and keeps the best aspects of the AP2 handling (reduced bumpsteer and less abrupt oversteer...but don't anyone kid themselves, the AP2 can bite just as hard as the AP1 in the oversteer department). I would recommed an anti bumpsteer kit for the rear of any AP1 for safety alone...they are under $200 from Megan and take minimal mechanical skill to install.

The other suspension change from the MY00-01 to the MY 02-03, aside from the spring rates, is the rear swaybar...it was softened a bit from a spring rate change since the diameter is the same. And the AP2s rear sways are softened even more from reduced diameter.

One thing to definitely consider is tires...the AP2's 17" rims offer a much wider range of high performance tires that work well. Good tires for the AP1 16" rims are tough to find in sizes that most feel are appropriate for the car.

BTW Red...interesting info on Bob's testing of the fuel cutoff. The testing we've done shows the AP1 cutoff is just shy of 9100 and the AP2 at 8200.

Anyway...as for which car to buy...no matter which is "better", it is always best to buy the newest, lowest mile car you can afford.

 

Didn't know about the subframe-thing was actually something else. Honda had been quite vague about the increased rigidity, and reviewers have speculated that that it's coming from the subframe itself.

Nevertheless, what you said is exactly my point. The AP2 has many small things here and there that add up to a more refined product. If one doesn't mind the lower redline, then he could merely put some coilovers and sway bars to change the oversteer bias.

However, to do an AP1 to AP2 conversion for the benefit of having the improvements, it would take a lot more work -- and it's not economically sound either. In other words:

1. AP1 has higher redline and raw feeling
2. AP2 has a long list of things

And the raw feeling that exists on the AP1 could be "recovered". It's the F20c engine that makes the AP1 still a good choice over AP2. Everything else, it's AP2. That's my point ...

Anyway, like negcamber said, the best car is one that's newest and has lowest mileage under your budget.

PS. Here is TOV's article about the changes. http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-article?...ticle_id=152706 Apparently even things like the throttle system was revised a bit ...

 

You probably won't see or feel most of those subtle changes, but you will certainly see the tachometer sweep all the way across the cluster and feel the exhiliration of 9,000 rpm... every time you drive the car. That's the sticking point for AP1 fans. It defines the character of the S2000.

The good thing is that Honda gave us some choices, and all of the flavors of the S2000 are pretty damn good.

 

Well...the revised throttle was not an "improvement" per se...unless you consider things like the CDV an "improvement" too. The revision was to deaden the feel of the throttle. One of the complaints about the AP1 was that the throttle was too sensitive. People were bringing the cars in for warranty work saying that the car would buck...in reality the drivers were used to overly dampened dead feeling throttles and they couldn't control their foot.

The AP1 throttle is one of the attributes that make it more "raw" feeling.

I think though the argument that it takes a host of hard changes to get the "improvements" of the ap2 and that it is easy to make an ap2 feel as raw as the ap1 is misleading. The thing is that not all the ap2 "improvements" were truely improvements in the eyes of some and some were so small as to be unnoticable. And the vis versa is true of getting all the differences that make the ap1 feel more raw...some you would spend a lot to get but would really never notice and others you wouldn't want anyway.

 

[QUOTE=Ks320,Mar 8 2008, 04:15 PM]Here is my real question.

 

Hahaha! We should have a stickied thread in the FAQ for "AP1 vs AP2: Which one is right for me?"

 

Someone really should gather up all of MX5's APx posts - he's certainly written enough informed material on the subject.

90% of AP1 owners have never driven AP2s, and vice versa imo. Its important to remember that when asking such questions to the general public, because most of what you'll get is uninformed opinion.

 

I have to admit that the throttle differences are something I haven't really noticed. Power delivery differences are pretty "in your face," and maybe the throttle action is too, but if so, I've managed to overlook it.