#1 mod- take the slack outa your throttle
cheap, easy...

 

Suspension and tires.

 

What I think he may be asking is, what mod can be done to help a driver when driving, not really dependent of how the driver can drive, and would probably make the car handle better then stock so that point of peak handling would never be passed, and end up in loss of control. Tires is one, as many have said... but what else is there that would help any driver, experienced and unexperienced?

 

I completely agree.

You should definitely look into driving school. Not only is it good for you but it will stay with you most likely forever. Unlike your car.

 

In auto-xing tires can help nearly any driver. That is, unless you are just absolutely awful.

The question with tires is...What is your ultimate goal? Do you want to invest in a second set of wheels with racing rubber or do you want to just improve handling with a better set of street tires?

Like mentioned before, you should check with your region on mods. Some are more lenient than others. If you go to nationals, they won't allow anything that goes against the rule book.

There is no more racing around here for the year. Hopefully you will have plenty of time to research the best options.

Good luck!

 

The single largest improvement in lap times will be achieved with seat time at a driving school. You can buy all the nifty do-dads you want, but nothing else will bring you down to competive times. If it was as simple as slapping some parts onto your car to become fast... there would be a great many more fast drivers.

Modifying the car in any way will have repercussions in how you are classed. A final gear modification to your S2000 will place bump you into a SCCA classification that a beginner couldn't hope to compete in. Purchasing a set of R Compound tires will provide the largest benefit to a stock class competitor, but the benefits become a liability to beginners. Most guys lose time if they don't have a strong grasp of the fundamentals.

Spend your money on a school if you want to be fast.

 

I totally understand Brandon's frustration. You start autocross, you learn a little...and then you feel you hit a wall and you start looking into what will make the car go faster. I've been there...

However, I also got past that by attending Evolution Schools. I realized that I had picked up some bad habits that were preventing me from going faster and learning more. I totally recommend them.

Now I realize that it's all in my driving. I'm tempted to get R compounds and mods every time I'm on the course...then I realize that other S2000 drivers are still faster than me, in stock form. So I'm going to continue to work on my own driving! No mods. At least until I'm super-duper fast and beat all the other S2000 drivers!

Spend your money on the school, Brandon. It'll be the best $200+ you every spend. And the learning doesn't end that day. You start remembering little things for months after you take the course... Every time I'm out there, I see myself falling into some bad habit or another (not looking ahead, going too hot into corners, etc) , and I snap myself out of it by remembering my training. Really, really helps.

 

If you want to be win trophies and there is good drivers, you have to stay in stock with an S2000. In order of best to worst.
1) Driving school / seat time. No doubt.
2) R compound tires on JDM OEM wheels. 225/245 with stiffer front sway bar.
3) Competition wheel alignment.
4) Custom valved shocks in stock springs.
5) Light catback exaust.

If you don't care about winning classes, but just want to be faster with the mods you want.
1) Driving school / seat time. It is still the surest way to be fast.
2) Really wide aftermarket wheels with R-compounds / slicks (i.e. super stick tires).
3) Suspension, fully adjustable coilovers, lowered, matching sway bars, competition wheel alignment. All full tuned to surface running on.
4) Weight reduction.

 

Think about this...

At the North East Divisionals this year there were 6 drivers in S2000s. All were stock class with the exception of 1 running in Street Mod 2. (Not sure, but I think that is where you'll go with gears.) Guess which one was the slowest?

The Street Mod 2 S2000 was the slowest, almost 3.5 seconds behind the winning stock class S.

The car looked sweet, and it was obvious the owner spent alot of money on it, but I'd be embarrassed losing to 5 stock S2000s.

Evolution school is money well spent. If you have to buy something, R-compounds on used OEM rims is the best bang for the buck.

 

I highly recommend the evolution driving school. I took it back in '98/99 when it was the McKamey school and it was great.

I should probably go back and do a phase I and II in a single weekend, but I want to probably see about sending my wife to Phase I of the school next year so she can start to be more competitive out there.