Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum.

What I'm really here for is some info and feedback. I'm lookin' in buyin' an S2000 for some road racing but I'm not to sure which year was the best or if there were any changes at all when it came to the engine and transmission. I'm not to interested in anything else such as cosmetics, since when I buy this car it will be gutted and stripped. Any info would be great thanks.

 

99-04 known as AP1, 2.0 (F20C) revs to 9k, has stiffer suspension, and a slightly different interior and exterior.

04-today known as AP2, 2.2 (F22C) revs to 8k with more low end torque, has slightly friendlier suspension for road use.

They say you can't beat the feeling of the AP1, but that the extra torque from the AP2 is nice.

All S2Ks require effort to keep in the powerband, between 6krpm and the redline, but performance and throttle response at those engine speeds are very rewarding and it also makes a much better noise down the straight than the others on the track.

The diff and clutch are the weak points, it accepts a great deal of boost on the stock internals (supercharger or turbo, your choice)... Um... that's all I can think of really. I don't track mine myself, so I'll have to leave specifics to others.

PS. If you are willing to import from Europe (and maybe Canada, I think?) then you can get newer models with the 9krpm F20C engine. The 2.2 was never introduced to the european market, largely for tax and fuel consumption reasons.

 

one of the stickies from the top of the s2000 Talk board
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=568555
has everything you want to know

 

he means 99-03


Id go with an AP1 simply cuz it will be cheap to find a decent one that you can rebuild for track use.

 

Are their any rules you have to play by for this track car? Do you want to stay NA or go forced induction?

AP1 will definitely be the cheapest starting cost. But the F22C motor does put out more hp and torque...plus allowing it to rev to 8600rpm (which is safe) really makes a big performance difference.

There are some suspension/chassis mods to the AP1 that you would want to do that are not needed on the AP2: 1) weld the front upper a-arm mount seams; 2) install a TC Design rear trailing arm link to reduce bump steer.

If I were building a track car with no rules, I would start with an AP1 for cost. Then for NA, I would stroke it (check Inline Pro stroker kits); and for FI, go turbo (check out the FI s2k forum for suggestions on a kit).

 

If you are looking for a full track car I would buy one that is ready to go. Not a street car that has added mods but a fully built track S2k. I think Aron at speedventures is selling his track s2k for a good price. You should check it out. I wish I went this way. Im finding to costly to turn my 2006 s2 in to a full track car. I think you can buy race ready s2k for about 20k with all the good stuff on it.

 

And hopefully you will save the "I tried this part and it sucked" Cost of converting a street to track car.

 

there are a few for sale right now in classifieds. Check out
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?act=S...post&p=12553658