Robi Offers 6 Ways to Improve Your Ride
In this article, I chat with Robert Fullerton (aka Robi) about the 6 things you need to do to your S2000 today. These are the go-to modifications to build a better platform and all-around faster 2-liter screamer.
About Robi
Robert Fullerton (aka Robi) is a Southern California based tuner and driving coach. He has helped names like Oscar Jackson Jr. win the SCCA runoffs as a chassis consultant and has been contracted by big names like KW and P7 Racing for his knowledge of suspension setup. Here’s what we talked about!
1. Rear Roll Center Correction Ball Joint
Robi Says: The rear roll center correction ball joint needs to be addressed. When you lower the S2000 the rear roll center becomes very low to the ground and you don’t get a lot of weight jacking across the back of the car… until it jacks all at once! So, the lower an S2000 goes all things being equal the more snap oversteer it tends to exhibit. As you add more steering input it starts to jack weight and doesn’t give you a lot of warning into the transition. The idea is to get the front of the car to be precise so you don’t have to jack the back end into the oversteer.
2. Rear Toe Link
Robi Says: Rear toe end links need to be bump steer adjustable. J’s Racing is a company I like to use. Their parts just work. No failures and high quality. When you go into a heavy braking zone in a stock S2000, what happens is, as the back end comes up the tires toe out and it becomes unstable during heavy braking. On corner exit when you accelerate and the rear end squats down it causes the tires to toe in which causes understeer. I adjust bump steer using washers so it does the opposite. You want toe in under braking to make the car more stable. As the car squats corner off the car starts to toe out.
3. Under Fender Braces
Robi Says: The stiffest part of the car is the firewall and the weakest part of the car is where the centerline of the front suspension is. Chassis cross section has to go to the absolute smallest dimension in order to make all the suspension pieces work. So, you have the most rigid part of the car right next to the most flexible part of the car. As you try to plant the outside front wheel the chassis potato chips the front end up. As you load the outside front tire the chassis flexes enough to require you add a little more steering input in order to get the front to turn. Of course, once you do that here comes the snap oversteer.
4. Square Tire Setup
Robi Says: Under the stock car with some fender massaging you can easily run a 245mm and you might get some 255mm tires. I run a 9.5” wide wheel with a +44 offset. You can go up to +48 or down to +40, but +44 seems to be the sweet spot. Make sure you run the same size tires in the front and back. Don’t stagger.
5. Big Front Bar
Robi Says: Remove the rear bar completely out of the car. Run a big front sway bar or one with a ton of adjustability.
6. AP2 Uprights
This mod is AP1 specific, only for 1st generation S2000s).
Robi Says: AP2 uprights have the rear ball joint casting lowered by 10mm over the AP1. Anyone with an AP1 should swap out for AP2 uprights.