This Track Day S2000 is Supercharged and Supersafe
What's the best way to build a track day S2000? Read on to see one man's answer.
Baby Steps or Specificity of Training
When you learn to play guitar almost every teacher tells you the same thing: start slow and build up speed over time. But is practicing being slow really the best way to get fast? Not if you asked the fastest guitarist of all time, the late Shawn Lane. He practiced fast and worked on eliminating errors. You can see where we're going with this—which of the two approaches is the preferred technique for achieving speed behind the wheel? We'll tell you which way Tom Nguyen went: he went the fast way.
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All In
Tom just didn't have the patience to upgrade one area at a time, which, when you think about it, maximized his time on the track. No having the car half-finished from the last mod, no breaking parts because one system is stressing a weaker one, and no time spent learning the ins and outs of a platform that would be totally different a month or three later. Science of Speed’s S2000 had put a glint in Nguyen's eye and so they were the first ones he called.
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Supercharged Goodness
Opening the hood exposes a Science of Speed Stage 2 supercharger aided by a high-performance intercooler; engine cooling is covered by a KOYO radiator and SOS oil cooler kit. Early dyno runs were plagued by a malfunctioning boost controller but still yielded 466 hp and 230 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. Tom figures 500hp is no problem with that problem fixed.
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At the Corners
With all that power, excellent brakes were essential; Tom's S2000 has no worries in that department with Stoptech calipers (ST-40 front, ST-22 rear) and Carbotech performance pads. Toyo R1R tires on RAYS 57Extreme 18-inch wheels (9.5 front, 10.5 rear) make sure all that braking power translates well to the ground, and coilovers with external reservoirs from JRZ RS Pro make sure the tires stay in contact with the tarmac at all times.
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Keeping it Safe
Things really get interesting when you look inside. Remember, Tom built this car to go fast, so he stripped the interior out, save the dash, and installed a full DTM roll cage from Science of Speed. Race cars need fire systems and Tom obliged with a full Firesafe Suppression set-up covering the engine bay, interior, and fuel cell. Always easier to go fast if your car, and yourself, are protected.
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In the Driver's Seat
Other improvements inside include Race Technology's Dash2 display, MK2 datalogger, and Video 4 recording system. Tom built custom brackets to allow Kevlar Status racing seats to work with the OEM rails and adjusters and special mounts for the sleek Mracing carbon mirrors.
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The Color and the Shape
Supercharging, and safety gear up the wazoo, aside, what catches the casual observer's eye first is always the outside of this beauty. What you see here is a J's Racing GT widebody kit with a gigantic and effective DTM wing from Science of Speed anchoring the rear. Tom's happy knowing his creation isn't just for show. "I plan to do some HPDE [High-Performance Driver Education, driving schools held on dedicated race tracks] events as well as Time Attack once I get some good seat time under my belt," said Tom about his future with his S2000. Baby steps... in a white rocket.
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