Hello - my name is Dave and I don’t own an S2000 but my 2014 Westfield S2000 runs an engine and transmission from a 2001 Honda S2000. The car was built for autocross but I also use it on the street just for fun. The engine is the perfect match for the chassis and it has an easy time getting the lightweight car (1230 lbs) around a solo course pretty quickly.

The car is very simple and the electrical demands are few…aside from keeping the battery charged and the headlights lit the alternator has little to do. With that in mind I’d like to replace the stock alternator with something lighter. The stock item is pretty hefty and I’m guessing that I could replace it with something that weighs much less.

So…the question is what lightweight alternator will fit the engine? Has anyone here replaced the stock item with something lighter? If so what did you use and how has it worked out for you?

Thanks so much for your help - I look forward to your input.

dave

 

I mean, you can make a new bracket, right? Or add a spacer to existing bolt if new alternator has smaller lower mount, etc.

But the reap question is, not a lot of cars that are smaller than S, and with less electronics. Not sure where you're gonna find a smaller, lighter alternator. A mini car like smart car is only thing that comes to mind.

 

Thanks for the reply.


I think there are plenty of cars with a lower draw than the S2000. Of course most modern cars will have an even greater draw than the S2000 but there are lots of older small cars and offroad vehicles that won’t have a radio, heated seats, dome lights, heater fan…etc.

I know some guys run Geo Metro alternators on Food Duratec cars as it’s an easy swap with just some spacers. The bolt configuration needed to fit the S2000 is different enough that fitting the Geo unit would be tough so I’m looking for something else.

FWIW…my understanding is that the S2000 unit weighs a bit over 12 pounds and a Geo alt weighs a little less than 6. So one can take off more than 6 lbs and for me that’s a huge amount of weight.

This is why I asked if anyone has had luck fitting a non-stock alternator to save weight.


Thanks again.

Dave

 

Cut the alternator mount off the large bracket its part of. Get a Geo Metro alternator abd its mounting bracket. Figure out how to graft the metro alternator bracket to the engine, or use it as a model to fab a custom bracket, that can be made to mount to engine.

 

Doesn't the S2000 spin in the opposite direction than most cars? Wouldn't that be a problem with using an alternator from another car?

 

Always thought a S2000 powered "seven" would be a near perfect fun car! Good to see one here.

To my knowledge an alternator doesn't care which way it rotates. Six pound difference? Heck skip the double cheeseburgers for a couple of weeks and save the lunch money too.

-- Chuck

 

Electrically, it shouldn't matter. Unlike an old-school DC generator.

The only thing that might be affected is the alternator's cooling fans (in the front of the alternator), may not be as effective spinning backwards.

 

No, it doesn't, I run a 165 amp alt from a Mitsubishi

 

Cool . Do you happen to know how much the Mitsubishi until weighed?

dave

 

Oh it's heavier than the stock one, that's no good for you, it also doesn't bolt in the standard mounts. I run it because I need the extra power for my electric power steering and cooling fans.