New to Hondas. Shopping now for an AP2 and waiting on job offer before I pull the trigger.

Very versed in Porsches.... there are a lot of aftermarket companies with great propaganda and claims. One example is that I tried a race header setup without cats that actually lost power.... reset ECU, dyno car, install new headers while still strapped to dyno, clear ECU and dyno. LOST power.... Lots of intakes for the car - tried 3.... all LOST power. There are however some parts that have proven power like the headers that have people complain about being too expensive, intake plenum and even a tune that had the most conservative claims.... out performed the "fancier" ones by a good margin. I've got pretty much the full bolt on plus tune setup now. It's great because it didn't change the dynamics of the car from when stock. It sharpened them and made them a better version of what was already there. For example, there used to be a noticeable dip @~4500rpm when the cam came on. That's gone now.

This OEM plus - or just a better version with less compromise of what Honda developed 20 years ago is what I'm after. So what are some of the more proven formulas? Lightweight pulley's? Looks like an intake that adds anything other than sound is hard to come by, not that the sound is a bad thing. What are the basic things you recommend that actually enhance the car? I picture chasing 300bhp and eventually shedding some weight from the car. In my mind that would be ideal but I don't know if I can realistically get that on a stock internal engine or without some sacrifices.

Thoughts?

 

If you want 300bhp on stock internals you will have to go forced induction

 

 

Not even with ITB's?

 

Nope. Honda pretty much maxed out the S2000 engines at the factory.

Find the Speed Academy videos on their Badass2000 and note their efforts and lack of significant results other than getting rid of the snow tires. These guy are accomplished race drivers and builders with some good shops supporting them. ITBs, custom exhausts, suspension mods, etc.

Jason (?) of Engineering Explained just mildly supercharged his S2000 for some significant power gain.

-- Chuck

 

Watched the dyno episode.... that sure was disappointing. I have a lot to learn about these. I like the idea of NA and it's perfect in my other car at ~440bhp from a flat 6. I like the Kraftwerks kit but would be happier at 350bhp and half the boost. I had the rotrex 38 on an old M roadster and it was in fact a fantastic unit with no lag and very linear.

 

Get an 06+, High flow cat, Flashpro, and a tune. This can lower Vtec and give significant bump in mid range torque.

Other than that forced induction.

 

I concur. '06+, Flashpro, a hfc, and an etune from Gernby. Otherwise its forced induction.

I suggest the former, and once you try it, go FI if its not enough. You won't have wasted anything, as you'd want the hfc and Flashpro with FI anyway.

I would include modifying oem airbox and uk mod, both for sound enhancement. Give it the sound it ought to have had from the factory.

Other PLUS mods I would recommend, that retain the oem dd ability and level of nvh, but enhance the core experience:

Lighter flywheel, and remove the cdv from clutch slave cylinder.

Diff mount collars

Subframe collars

Engine Torque Damper

CR rack stiffeners

CR steering rack (skip this if on a budget)

Ohlins dfv coilovers (keep stock suspension if on a budget)

 

The engine is already at 8.7/10 from the factory anyway. If you want big NA power it needs more stroke, but more stroke lowers max rpm.

In reality the things this engine is missing would make it too expensive for Honda to have produced it. A dry sump oil system, a track ready oil cooler, and ITBs from the factory wouldn't have been worth the marginal gains, and often in practice it isn't.

Not to mention that the F20/22c is so damn reliable unmolested that logically it doesn't make sense to install components that lower the reliability while making minimal gains.

The way to make this car really fast is to focus on its strengths, handling and braking. A good set of coilovers, wheels with sticky tires, and some good agressive brake pads, and you'll instantly be 4-5 seconds faster than stock. You will never make that kind of gain just going FI or NA tuned within an inch of its life.

Once you start really dialing in the aero there's another 5 seconds there. Sounds like an exaggeration, but it's true, the stock aero is not good, and I dont mean just slapping on a lip and rear wing. That helps a lot but that's amateur hour compared to what's possible. Just sorting out the cooling on the car is worth a fair bit of speed, because the cooling system is roughly 1/3 of the drag on the entire car.

 

You can retain the NA character and feel of the car with a centrifugal supercharger kit. I recommend Vortech. Easily net 350 at the wheels reliably. Make sure your suspension, tyres and brakes are upgraded as well. Other good kits are Kraftwerks, Comptech and SOS. No personal experience with those though. If you go turbo you get aggressive torque gains down low more than a supercharger will offer you but you sacrifice the NA feel. Actually you don't sacrifice it, you delete it. ITB's are cool but like said (and seen in Speed Academy's videos) they don't net that much power and cost a fortune anyway. A good tune is imperative too.