In reality is there a huge difference between handling of a pre facelift S compared to an 04 (and later) car?

Really talking about driving at 8/10 th's rather on, or past, the limit.

I know that fitting 17" wheels to pre facelift cars is a popular upgrade(?), does this narrow any handling gap?

 

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/uk-irela...rences-755380/

Its the internals, diff, gearbox and exterior i like more. <MY04 looks a tad dated now.

 

I'd say yes, there is, although many disagree.

The first S I drove was an 08 (when Honda went back to stiffer settings) and I loved it. I bought an 05 and just couldn't connect with it in the same way owing to the weaker rebound damping - no feel from the rear end (I know others who complain of the same issue) and it just seemed to fall (can't think of another way to describe it) into dips in the road surface and not recover like it should.

I ended up swapping coilovers and fitting MY99 ARB's to mimic the earlier set up and it transformed the car.

 

So the 08 felt better than an 05?

When did the 08 settings come in (2006?)?

 

thanks for the link - this looks to be US specific, are the changes exactly the same for U.K. Models?

 

Yes, 08 was better than my 05.

04/05 were softer than any of the PFL cars, 06/07 were softer still, 08/09 the rear was stiffened up again.

The specifics are in the tech faq's. Someone added a spring and ARB rate chart somewhere too.

 

Thanks FB - didn't know that, will check out the FAQ's

 

This might help...
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/alabama-...000-spring-rat

 

Basically, PFL is stiffer but with a rear bias, so they're a little more lairy, 04-07 are softer and less lairy, helped by the 17 inch wheels and associated wider tyres. 08 onwards stiffen up a bit and retain the stability.

Don't forget that parts for all years are interchangeable, so quite a few people have customised it to suit them. I've got ARBs from MY00 and the CR model, plus coilovers. Those ARBs are a nice combination. Stiff like MY00, but not so rear biased.

 

That's pretty much sums up the differences I feel in my facelift V's the '99 I had before and been searching for ideas to correct it.

I live in the boonies in the west of ireland so not keen on coilovers and want to keep it as standard as possible, so a stiffer ARB is a start.
Looked into Bilstein B8's but the only set-up they offer apparently is coilovers and they're very pricey.

Any other ideas as I've an order pending with Hendy's for a headlight and 2 piece matts?