RED MX5

With SC/AC and stock gearing a hard launch means 5k, plus or minus depending on the prevailing traction.

I can't say when it comes to gears, so I'll leave that to someone else.

RED MX5

That is the best plan for those who don't habitually modify their cars, but for the people participating in this thread it would be pointless.

"Abuse" makes any car unreliable, but a well planned modification program doesn't necessarily compromise reliability. Most experienced tuners make modifications for additional reliability either before or while performing other modifications. Also, most people who modify their cars take exceptional care of their vehicles. They usually know a great deal more about their cars, including how to drive them hard without abusing them.

The thing a lot of people seem to overlook is that we're all different. Some people like Charmin with aloe, while others hate it. Some of us may have purchased S2000's because it's the fastest car we could afford (as your comments seem to imply), but others, myself included, bought an S2000 with the intention of modifying it. When I took delivery of my car I told my friends at the dealership that when I was done with the car it would have a weight/power ratio of less than 10:1. I looked at and drove several cars that were faster than the S2000, but none of them came close to delivering the qualities that drew me to the S2000. We all know the car will make a reliable 320 WHP on the stock injectors, and over 400 WHP on the stock internals. Even an AP1 with a stock Comptech SC/AC (the mildest FI available for S2000's) the car can punch right through 150 MPH, even with the top down, and with the simple addition of larger injectors and an ECU (plus tuning) a good driver will be breaking into the high 12's, while retaining excellent drivability and reliability. Sure, you can go out and buy a quicker or faster car, but it will be larger and heavier (in most cases), and will have quite different handling characteristics. Depending on how one drives and the ride quality one likes, the differences might be a plus or a minus, but for some of us the S2000 provides a nearly perfect starting point for building a moderately sized performance roadster that suits us.

But Eluded does make a good point. Not everyone likes working on cars, and for some, the best way to get more power is to buy a faster car.

I don't want to be rude to anyone, but I see a funny side to this, and it's too funny (to me, at least) to ignore. I autocross with the PCA, and with few exceptions, all the PCA members drive fast stock cars. When they want more power they step up a level in the Porsche line. At most events we field at least three cars, an R32 Skyline, my S2000, and a supercharged MX5. Compared to the quickest and fastest Porsche's at the event all our cars are dogs, but the lap times always show that owning a fast car does not make one fast. Even our little Miata beats every Porsche at every event. The R32 and S2000 can also handily walk away from any of the PCA member cars, either from a standstill or from a roll. In my experience, slower cars often run away from faster cars, on the street or track, because many of the people who buy really fast cars and don't feel the need to modify them further lack the experience or knowledge to get the most out of their high dollar performance cars. I am NOT saying that this necessarily applies in this specific case, because I don't know Eluded, and for all I know he's a budding F1 driver. However, it does apply in many cases, and it's pretty funny to me. I love being the underdog, and there are few things more satisfying than shuting down some car that should be blowing your doors off.

As far as the claim that "getting more power is almost impossible," I think that pretty much says it all, because it's incorrect. It is in fact extremely easy to get more power from the F20C without sacrificing reliability. S2000's handle 300 WHP (which is around 340-350 at the crank) easily.

Wisconsin S2k

[QUOTE=RED MX5,Feb 11 2006, 03:38 PM] A 13.7 is incredible, but the doubters forget that most time slips do not show corrected times.

Emil St-Hilaire

Original question was: What makes the biggest difference in acceleration


Answer is :the connection ,between the seat,and steering wheel.

RED MX5

LOL, that's true, but the original question was clarified by the original poster during the evolution of the thread.

RED MX5

[QUOTE=Wisconsin S2k,Feb 12 2006, 06:35 PM]weather can have some effect, obviously, but since when is the rule "oh you have to run that time on a 90 degree day with 90% humidity or it doesn't count"?

Wisconsin S2k

Oh i totally understand what you mean about the weather and even altitude. FWIW our track is about 600 feet above sea level. Part of this takes the assumption of using the best times people have achieved. With the understanding that someone at 3000 feet elevation or in 90 degree weather isn't likely going to run the best the car is capable of in better conditions.

RED MX5

[QUOTE=Wisconsin S2k,Feb 12 2006, 09:55 PM]Oh i totally understand what you mean about the weather and even altitude.

Wisconsin S2k

it's all about the street cred yo!

RED MX5

[QUOTE=Wisconsin S2k,Feb 13 2006, 10:42 AM]it's all about the street cred yo!