Looking for any suggestions on the best way to increase low-end torque. I want to get into racing and hate getting beat off the line!

 

Do you mean drag racing? Don't forget you only have 2 litres of displacement.

A Eaton/Whipple Supercharger or a correctly sized turbo would help a lot. But no one makes any of them.

 

Not drag racing per se. There's this track up in NH that you can race 1/4 miles all night long, and I want to be able to compete with some of the bigger cars. Adding turbo isn't really an option, so are there any minor mods that make some difference?

 

Headers to start with. Mugen or Spoon or DC Sports.

Other than that, be patient. Development work is still ongoing with the F20C.

 

What kind of gains can I expect from an aftermarket header?

 

A few lb/ft of torque in the low and mid range. Smooths out the VTEC transition. That's about it.

 

Change the differential from 4.11 to 4.44.

 

That's an even better one, but I would wait until the speedo error correction is figured out. No sense racking up extra miles on the odometer for no reason.

 

As Pepe have stated your best option is the final gear change.
And may I also recommend Mugen ECU...
The combination of final gear change and Mugen ECU will get you off the line fast without revving at all. I recommend the same 4.44 change in final gear.
You can always wait and wait for something other to come out but right now nothing beats above combination.
Here is why.
For an easy fix, try the Mugen ECU first.
Price is little steep at $1500 Installation: straight plug and play do it your self about 10-30 minutes. If you are oversized then maybe more than 30minutes because of the tiny working space under the dash. Your car will noticeably get off the line better than before due to fuel curve tweak in the low rev range. Also as an added bonus full power is at your disposal by bypassing power cut(ignition retard due to hot temperature especially) safety measure. You can also go with catless for tiny bit more power.
Installation is very easy, plug and play and there is no anomaly by changing it. You can easily go back to your stock ECU if you choose to do so.
Drawback: you are no longer protected by immobilizer.

Then if you want more, get serious with ring/pinion gear change in the differential to change final gear ratio.
Price $1100-$2400 + installation. Installation time 3 hours-12 hours depending on the skill level of the mechanic.
Vendor: J's Racing(recommended) choice 4:3 4:4 4:7or Jets(I have this one, also recommended) only 4:3 Spoon( too pricey ) $2400 also only in 4:3 ATS(changing out the secondary mission, I also have this one) approx. 4:5 price $1800 (due to some gear noise and difficulty I do not recommend unless you are very experimental and adventrous as I am)
Go with 4:4 of the J's Raing for best overall driving situation.
At first you will be startled with how better your car accelerate.
Do this and get more bang for buck oppose to doing exaust or header.
Drawback: Loose top speed, Speedo and Odometer error(critical to many because the mileage builds faster)

There are other stuff you can also try.
As discussed in this tech section under "is this a joke?"(something like that) read my post.
It is SEV tuning or MIRE tuning. price is $30-$3000
The pricier SEV tuning is strictly from Racing and it is about using negative ion energy to aid in better combustion and get up to about 25hp depending on the set-up.
Imitation SEV is called MIRE and it is developed by couple of enthusiasts in Japan and it is definitely working believe it or not( I also have one installed) and it is currently on very advanced stages (more report from me to come) which very noticeably increases the low-end especially starting off line.

Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator $100-$300 for better throttle response (need to experiment quite a bit but stay on the high side, mine is at 55psi)

Weight reduction.
Amuse exaust $2000 saves 40lb Header Amuse or Mugen can save 10-17 lb.
Spoon wheels or Rega master saves 7-8 pounds per wheel.
Take off the spare saves 20 lb $400 each ?
Switch to racing bucket seat saves about 30lb I think, it depends.
Yank out the shitty stereo system and speakers if you don't really use it much as I do.
Go with lighter component, such as battery, hood&trunk(available in carbon fiber can save up to 20 lb)body panels(not yet) Mugen intake(lighter than stock airbox) Plug cover.. etc....
Also you can always hit the gym and loose 'god knows how much' weight

There is lot more actually I haven't said it but due to the time constraint I will stop here.

 

easiest way to get lots of good low end torque....





......trade the s2k for a viper =)


simple enough