thothtp

So I just bought a 2008 s2000, and I need to set it up for B street. I have been reading every thread on here, and while there is lots of info on setups with R comps, there is very little for road tire / new street class- if you can find any, they tend to be people that had a stock setup and just switched tires.

That being said, I think that there are two approaches here. One being the old stock setup with a big bar up front and the biggest tires you can fit, probably in the 245/255 neighborhood. However, road tires are known to not tolerate being pinched on the wheel nearly as well as R comps, so the other approach would be 225/255 or something close, with either the stock bars or something fairly light.

What do you guys think? Having just bought the car, I am not sure I want to drop a fortune on a Gendron right away, so I am trying to figure out if I can get away with either no bar or maybe a used saner/new moddiction bar if they come out soon. What do you think, will 225/255 with stock bars work for me? I am not a national competitor, but fairly experienced regionally and want to be competitive.

The other question is tires. I have one set of wheels and daily drive, including heavy rain, so I think the Rivals and RS3v2s are out. Should I grab a set of Ziis before they run out, or is there a better option?

Thanks for the help guys, loving the new S2k!

iamxpl

see my link on my signature. 245/255. you can spend money on a good set of shocks if you want.

ViperASR

I wouldn't daily a 245 on a 7" wheel, but I tend to err on the side of caution, especially as the OP only has one set of wheels.

To the OP, if you are just starting out with autocross, and aren't ready for the dedicated set of wheels, a 225/255 ZII setup should work for you. As you become more competitive, and start dropping the $$$ on nice front bars, then I'd move up to the bigger front tire.
Also, the Saner bar endlinks make a lot of noise. It doesn't bother some people, but on a daily it might get old. The Moddiction endlinks may be better, but it might be worth it to keep an eye out for a used Gendron bar or save up for a new one as you feel like you need it.

No, you don't need a set of $3000 shocks, and a $1000 front sway bar when you are starting off. Despite what s2ki will tell you.

viccath5

this will be my second year with the S running B stock on street tires. I too, started out trying to keep everything stock. I have run the dunlops and rivals in 225/255 sizes. Both are very good. While I think there is minimal gain going to wider front tires, the Gendron bar was a big plus and in my opinion should be on your list of must haves. I would suggest staying with the dunlops in 225/255 and spring for the Gendron.

thothtp

I'm not new to autocross, been at it off and on for 12 years. That being said, I am not going to nationals due to lack of time/budget, and stick to local events to have fun, so spending a fortune to get every last tenth isn't quite in my wheelhouse.

That being said, I do compete regularly locally and its a competitive region, so I want to be prepared as best I can, best bang for the buck so to speak.

I also daily drive the car, and only have one set of wheels - I am not prepared to buy a second set just for autocross, mostly because I am lazy and don't want to change tires twice every weekend.

So that being said, what is the best setup I can make that is still driveable (in the summer only) on a daily basis without spending a fortune for the last 10th? From what I see it seems like I can either go with 225/255, or go with 245/255 and a bar, either gendron or moddiction. Is the 245/255 way more competitive and still driveable on the street? If so, I will do that, but if its only a very tiny advantage or equal to the 225 and stock bar, I will stick to 225/255. Stock everything else for now.

I know with R comps the big front tire and big bar were extremely important to keep from lifting a rear wheel and dumping power, but on the less sticky street tires is this still true? Is it really necessary still?

For tire choice, it looks like the Ziis are my best option, since they are fairly competitive and driveable in rain, whereas the Rivals and RS3s are not, correct? Had Ziis on my last car (BMW 135i) and had no trouble with them in autocross or daily driving.

Thanks again!

thothtp

So 225s with a gendron didn't understeer horribly? Was it controllable without the bar? What exactly did the bar gain you without changing the tires?

iamxpl

i daily drove with my 245/255 set up on ZII's and they were just fine. and i wasnt suggesting to buy 3000$ shocks. a set of koni yellows would suffice especially if you are still on your original shocks ( since they may be worn ). i do not have any baller parts on my car. while i did spend the money on a gendron bar, i saw it as a necessity to compete locally. a friend whom is a national level driver suggested me to go with the 245/255 set up and it did awesome with the front bar. my brother now has my 245/255 set on stock wheels and daily drives it. just my .02

jeffjanzen

Where is everyone getting these quotes of $3000 for shocks, the year 2000? Everywhere I look they're $4200+.

On topic: You should get a big front bar. They're not cheap, but they come up in the Racing FS forum a few times a year and they hold their value quite well, so the net cost isn't bad. Well worth the money to keep the car flatter and help you put power down on corner exit.

For tire advice, I'll offer this: Square setups allow you to rotate tires, and that becomes important later in the season. If the last tenth or two isn't important to you but budget is - and judging by the thread title, it is - I would run 245s all around. You probably won't get any more grip up front than a 225 on a 7" rim, but you'll be able to rotate them front/back and use all four up at the same time. This can actually have a performance benefit later in the season (or next season, depending how much street driving you do on them), as you won't be stuck with rear tires that are falling off before the fronts. You also won't have to make the decision to buy two more rears or sell your still-good fronts to switch tire models.

viccath5

I don't want to give up 255s in the rear so a square setup is not an option for me. I do end up with fronts that have life left in them, I am accumulating a stash of 225s that I hope can be used someday. You would think the big Gendon bar would induce understeer but not so much. I started out on the softest setting and am now up to third softest. You can get it to push but not in a steady state sweeper, you have to be hard on the brakes while turning. Where the bar really helps is in the slaloms, transitions are more settled and the steering feels quicker. Also you can get on the throttle much quicker coming out of a turn, seems to tame the throttle induced oversteer a bit. Besides tires and alignment, the big front bar is the next best improvement, IMO. I honestly don't think you will find many (any?)top B street drivers competing without it. I don't have any data, but gut feeling is maybe .3 second on a 60 second course?????

Is it worth it? I doubt there are any B street guys that would go back to a stock bar once they have driven on a big front bar.

iamxpl

^^ haha you're probably looking at Motons/penske/JRZ/MCS.

I was talking about revalved Koni's which would be way undedr 3k. I dont know where the guy before me got those numbers.

But i agree with this suggestion.