JamieP
15-11-2011, 10:30 PM
In 2009 I made the decision (partly coerced by my girlfriend at the time) it was time for me to grow up, part with my beloved Honda prelude and purchase a more practical 4 door car. Initially I put a deposit on a blue Audi A4 but at the last minute, I changed my mind and pulled out of the deal. Just like that girlfriend, my dream of growing up and buying a practical car didn't last long at all! I just wasn't ready for the world of 4 door and practical and to tell you the truth, I really don't know if I ever will be. Theirs something about driving a sports car that leaves you feeling both exhilarated and free at the same time.
So this began my hunt for the next sports car to buy. Very briefly I looked at buying a Porsche Boxster but I quickly realized that would be a total waste of my money. I then ummed and ahhed at getting a nissan 350z for a little while but I just found them a bit too boxy in looks for my taste. Then I moved onto the idea of an S15, a car I still love to this day but looks wise I just don't find them all that appealing. Then it struck me, the s2000! It was the perfect car. It had both the looks and the performance. Another selling point for me was the great fuel economy it had in comparison to a lot of other sports cars on the road.
I searched for the perfect s2000 for about 7 or 8 months. My girlfriend at the time would say it had become an obsession. I guess in a way it had. I was checking carsales.com.au at least 2-3 times a day. I checked out quite a few before finally settling on a 2000 model silverstone that was not only in superb condition but was at a great price too. The only catch was I had to pick it up from Sydney and drive it back down to Melbourne. Which to be honest wasn't too bad a deal since I enjoyed every minute of that long drive home.
http://i43.tinypic.com/rr5hr4.jpg
My s2000 story is quite similar to that of Ozhonda legend Ludercrs (best known for his recently parted out blue, supercharged s2000). My prelude was quite sex spec. I had the flashy chrome wheels, it rode about an inch off the ground sporting a veilside body kit. I look back on it now a days and wonder what was I thinking!? but back then it was my pride and joy and hey, the girls did love that car in its prime! lol. It was very show boaty. When I got my s2000 I really didn't expect I would modify it at all. My taste in cars had begun to mature and I thought it looked incredible stock, handled like a dream and with the VTEC engine why would I ever want any more power right?
a couple of months down the track is where it all started... I purchased a set of 19" Ozzy Racing RS-GT rims just to give my car a bit of a unique look. In retrospect I wish I had got 18"s and I think one day I may invest in a lighter set of wheels, but for now I'm very happy with them and they are very attention grabbing without being too flashy. I think they look great. The one and only reason I plan on one day going down to 18's is for a handling.
http://i40.tinypic.com/ip60kj.jpg
My second mod was one of necessity. Like most AP1's my roof was an absolute mess! their was a crack through the plastic window, it was all fogged up and no matter how many different products I used on it, it never really cleaned up. I also had a couple of annoying little holes that were an absolute nightmare the few times I was caught in torrential rain storms. No matter how many do it yourself jobs I tried for patching it up (I even sewed them up and then glued leather patches on the inside of the roof but it still didnt keep the water out) So I purchased an EZON soft stay fast cloth soft top with a glass window from the US. To any of you AP1 guys who don't have one of these, I highly recommend going out and getting one! you will be amazed by the difference it makes to your car. It really brings it back to life and makes it look at least 5 years newer. Also it was so great actually being able to see out my rear window again! lol.
http://i41.tinypic.com/xf0w1v.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/i3cprp.jpg
Next up came a set of Buddy Club N+ Coilovers. Originally I purchased a set of King Springs to lower my car with, but I just couldn't bring myself to put springs on my pride and joy. So I forked out my hard earned cash and purchased some mid range coilovers. The N+ coils are great, I recommend them to everybody. The price is quite reasonable for what your getting and they made a real difference to the way my car handled, after a lot of trial and error with adjusting the damper settings. Their now at a point where they are perfect for the way I drive. I've got to give a big shout out to my buddy and fellow S2K owner Vyet for helping me install these bad boys.
Initially I had it dumped about as low as it would go, but it just wasn't practical for the way I drive so I had to raise it just a little... but she still sits pretty low!
http://i41.tinypic.com/qqs9rr.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/5yeu0x.jpg
Next up I installed a K&N FIPK kit. Man these things sound GREAT!! Aside from the amuse and Js racing intakes, the sound of the K&N has to be my favorite and considering the price of a J's and amuse kit, I think the K&N is the obvious choice for most of us S2K guys. Theirs a bit of a debate around the performance increase these kits have. K&N claims a 10 HP increase and I swore I felt a tiny increase in power and throttle response when I installed this. But without dyno testing I can never be sure if it was just placebo effect or not. Either way, just for the beasty sound alone, I would highly recommend this upgrade. It sounds 100 times better than just running your car with the airbox off.
http://i44.tinypic.com/33esy14.jpg
The next thing I decided to upgrade was the stereo. As all us S2K guys know, the stock stereo is horrible to say the least. When your cruising with the top down, good luck hearing your music playing... even if you have a good set of speakers in the stock set up, your going to be pushing your luck to get any clarity with the top down. So I installed a set of custom speaker brackets behind my head rests. Paired with a set of Focal 165 CVX speakers all around. I also installed an Alpine PDX amp to run the 4 speakers off and then an alpine v power amp to run my 10" sub in the boot. Thanks to Ali (topl3s) and Alen for the help on the amp install.
http://i39.tinypic.com/2vjbynt.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/117aik3.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2inqx5.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/zn3pqu.jpg
Next up I did something that all us S2K guys who have lowered our cars at some stage need to do and thats installing some drive shaft spacers. I opted for the 2 piece Exediums, as the 2 piece are so much easier to install and do just as good a job. For the first 3 or 4 months of driving my car lowered I didn't have any problems, and then all of a sudden the vibration kicked in and it wasn't going to go away until I installed these. After installing these, not only did it solve my problems, but my car felt a hell of a lot more responsive as well. It made me fall in love with driving it all over again.
http://i41.tinypic.com/zwxnqb.jpg
Next up, time for an exhaust. I live in Geelong and spend a lot of time in Melbourne, which translates to a fair bit of highway driving. So an exhaust with a lot of drone was totally out of the question. I was really fussy when it came to picking the right exhaust. I looked at everything from Js to buddy club (worst exhaust system I've heard so far for the drone factor) and nothing was sounding upto scratch for me. Everything was too loud, too quiet or just too droney. And then my friend Ali (Topl3s) purchased a HKS high flow dual exhaust for his S2K and told me I had to come for a drive with him and check it out. It was perfect! At low revs it was nice and quiet but then when the throttle really opened up it was like a banshee. It had that real jekal and hyde factor I was looking for in an exhaust system so I managed to source one at a really good price from a guy in Malaysia and had it shipped over.
http://i42.tinypic.com/21j3ewo.jpg
One of my favorite and most painful mods had to be my Amuse front bumper. Man this thing was a pain in the ass importing from the states! But 3 months later, after a lot of headaches it finally arrived at my door. Initially I wanted to get the Js racing kit for my car. As far as I know, theirs no Js racing s2000s in Australia. Well none that I've heard of anyway. So I thought it would be cool to be the first one. But after a long time of over anylising the kit, I came to grow a bit sick of it. The same thing happened with all the other kits I looked at. They were all too aggressive or not aggressive enough. I really liked the AP2 front bumper with a lip, but I just felt it looked too common and generic. The one and only bumper I never grew tired of looking at was the Amuse. Its so sleek and simple. The lines flow perfectly with the car. And to anybody who doesn't own an s2000 or know a lot about them, it looks as if it could be a standard bumper. I think it really adds a lot of class to the car.
http://i39.tinypic.com/2m4vezc.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/168902e.jpg
Forced induction... Thats the big question for all S2000 owners eventually. Lets face it, most of us guys who buy an s2000 end up wanting to keep it for the long hawl. Its one of those cars you just fall in love with and cant imagine ever being able to give up. When you first get it, the car is pretty ballsy stock and you think you will never need it to go any faster. But eventually you get to that point where you just want to go faster!!!! That moment for me was when I went up against a Holden Monaro and it left me eating its dust by more than I would like to admit.. It was at that point I vowed to one day be able to put up a much better fight against those V8's in my "little Honda S2000".
So which route do you take? Do you go turbo or supercharge? Custom or bolt on? I agonized over this question for a long time. I was contemplating it for a good year or so before I finally bit the bullet and purchased my Vortech Supercharger bolt on kit. I can see all the advantages of going Turbo, but being that I use my car as a daily driver still, I decided that a supercharger was going to be a much more reliable option.
Now the next question is, who do I trust to fit and tune my kit? Its very hard to find a good, reliable tuner. Especially one who really knows what he's doing with Honda's. I kept hearing good things about the guys at MSC performance in Reservoir and one thing that really drew me in was the fact that Steve from MSC is an avid Honda Enthusiast. He owns an S2000 himself, one which he is currently in the process of boosting (I've seen this car in the garage, and Id put money on this thing being the fastest boosted S2000 in Australia once its finished). I spoke to Steve via instant message on ozhonda for a little while and then via phone afterwards. He seemed like a pretty good bloke and was very confident and excited about getting a lot of power out of my car, while still being able to run stock internals.
I purchased a Haltech Platinum computer and had Joe and Steve at MSC work their magic. I couldn't believe it when Steve showed me the dyno chart! With the vortech supercharger kit installed, Steve managed to tune my car to get 212 KW at the rear wheels, while only running 6.5 PSI! These guys are hands down the best shop I have ever dealt with, both in terms of mechanical know how and customer service. I've since been recommending them to everybody I know. The amount of extra work Joe and Steve put into perfecting my car in every way shape and form is unheard of. They really took pride in getting my car just right, and worked on it as if it was their own.
http://i41.tinypic.com/9sxg61.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/3517pk7.jpg
The first time I took my car for a drive with the supercharger in, it was unbelievable! It felt like a completely different car. Everything about it felt 100 times better than it did when it was NA. The increase in power can be felt all through the rev range, but especially between 6-9K, where it really catapults you. The first time I put my foot right down to the floor and took it right through the rev range I was giggling like a school kid. I know now, as much as I love NA S2K's, after driving a supercharged one, I could never go back to NA.
My Forced Induction journey has only just begun. As much as I love everything about my car the way it is now, the truth is, really its perfect. But their is at least one more step to come. I will be upgrading to 655 CC injectors and changing the pulley to run more boost. I hope to eventually push about 250 KW at 12 PSI
Thanks for taking the time to read my thread. A lot of people have been asking about my car, so I decided it was time to write its story in full detail. Ive put a lot of work into it and theirs plenty more to come. My S2K has become fare more than just a hobby, its become a real passion.
JamieP.
P.S
check out my new music single "Smiles For Miles". If you like it, make sure you download it on iTunes as ALL PROFITS are being donated to The Angels Childrens Home in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Its a great track for a great cause. All you Hip-Hop Heads will love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz25eZSSjrM
So this began my hunt for the next sports car to buy. Very briefly I looked at buying a Porsche Boxster but I quickly realized that would be a total waste of my money. I then ummed and ahhed at getting a nissan 350z for a little while but I just found them a bit too boxy in looks for my taste. Then I moved onto the idea of an S15, a car I still love to this day but looks wise I just don't find them all that appealing. Then it struck me, the s2000! It was the perfect car. It had both the looks and the performance. Another selling point for me was the great fuel economy it had in comparison to a lot of other sports cars on the road.
I searched for the perfect s2000 for about 7 or 8 months. My girlfriend at the time would say it had become an obsession. I guess in a way it had. I was checking carsales.com.au at least 2-3 times a day. I checked out quite a few before finally settling on a 2000 model silverstone that was not only in superb condition but was at a great price too. The only catch was I had to pick it up from Sydney and drive it back down to Melbourne. Which to be honest wasn't too bad a deal since I enjoyed every minute of that long drive home.
http://i43.tinypic.com/rr5hr4.jpg
My s2000 story is quite similar to that of Ozhonda legend Ludercrs (best known for his recently parted out blue, supercharged s2000). My prelude was quite sex spec. I had the flashy chrome wheels, it rode about an inch off the ground sporting a veilside body kit. I look back on it now a days and wonder what was I thinking!? but back then it was my pride and joy and hey, the girls did love that car in its prime! lol. It was very show boaty. When I got my s2000 I really didn't expect I would modify it at all. My taste in cars had begun to mature and I thought it looked incredible stock, handled like a dream and with the VTEC engine why would I ever want any more power right?
a couple of months down the track is where it all started... I purchased a set of 19" Ozzy Racing RS-GT rims just to give my car a bit of a unique look. In retrospect I wish I had got 18"s and I think one day I may invest in a lighter set of wheels, but for now I'm very happy with them and they are very attention grabbing without being too flashy. I think they look great. The one and only reason I plan on one day going down to 18's is for a handling.
http://i40.tinypic.com/ip60kj.jpg
My second mod was one of necessity. Like most AP1's my roof was an absolute mess! their was a crack through the plastic window, it was all fogged up and no matter how many different products I used on it, it never really cleaned up. I also had a couple of annoying little holes that were an absolute nightmare the few times I was caught in torrential rain storms. No matter how many do it yourself jobs I tried for patching it up (I even sewed them up and then glued leather patches on the inside of the roof but it still didnt keep the water out) So I purchased an EZON soft stay fast cloth soft top with a glass window from the US. To any of you AP1 guys who don't have one of these, I highly recommend going out and getting one! you will be amazed by the difference it makes to your car. It really brings it back to life and makes it look at least 5 years newer. Also it was so great actually being able to see out my rear window again! lol.
http://i41.tinypic.com/xf0w1v.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/i3cprp.jpg
Next up came a set of Buddy Club N+ Coilovers. Originally I purchased a set of King Springs to lower my car with, but I just couldn't bring myself to put springs on my pride and joy. So I forked out my hard earned cash and purchased some mid range coilovers. The N+ coils are great, I recommend them to everybody. The price is quite reasonable for what your getting and they made a real difference to the way my car handled, after a lot of trial and error with adjusting the damper settings. Their now at a point where they are perfect for the way I drive. I've got to give a big shout out to my buddy and fellow S2K owner Vyet for helping me install these bad boys.
Initially I had it dumped about as low as it would go, but it just wasn't practical for the way I drive so I had to raise it just a little... but she still sits pretty low!
http://i41.tinypic.com/qqs9rr.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/5yeu0x.jpg
Next up I installed a K&N FIPK kit. Man these things sound GREAT!! Aside from the amuse and Js racing intakes, the sound of the K&N has to be my favorite and considering the price of a J's and amuse kit, I think the K&N is the obvious choice for most of us S2K guys. Theirs a bit of a debate around the performance increase these kits have. K&N claims a 10 HP increase and I swore I felt a tiny increase in power and throttle response when I installed this. But without dyno testing I can never be sure if it was just placebo effect or not. Either way, just for the beasty sound alone, I would highly recommend this upgrade. It sounds 100 times better than just running your car with the airbox off.
http://i44.tinypic.com/33esy14.jpg
The next thing I decided to upgrade was the stereo. As all us S2K guys know, the stock stereo is horrible to say the least. When your cruising with the top down, good luck hearing your music playing... even if you have a good set of speakers in the stock set up, your going to be pushing your luck to get any clarity with the top down. So I installed a set of custom speaker brackets behind my head rests. Paired with a set of Focal 165 CVX speakers all around. I also installed an Alpine PDX amp to run the 4 speakers off and then an alpine v power amp to run my 10" sub in the boot. Thanks to Ali (topl3s) and Alen for the help on the amp install.
http://i39.tinypic.com/2vjbynt.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/117aik3.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2inqx5.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/zn3pqu.jpg
Next up I did something that all us S2K guys who have lowered our cars at some stage need to do and thats installing some drive shaft spacers. I opted for the 2 piece Exediums, as the 2 piece are so much easier to install and do just as good a job. For the first 3 or 4 months of driving my car lowered I didn't have any problems, and then all of a sudden the vibration kicked in and it wasn't going to go away until I installed these. After installing these, not only did it solve my problems, but my car felt a hell of a lot more responsive as well. It made me fall in love with driving it all over again.
http://i41.tinypic.com/zwxnqb.jpg
Next up, time for an exhaust. I live in Geelong and spend a lot of time in Melbourne, which translates to a fair bit of highway driving. So an exhaust with a lot of drone was totally out of the question. I was really fussy when it came to picking the right exhaust. I looked at everything from Js to buddy club (worst exhaust system I've heard so far for the drone factor) and nothing was sounding upto scratch for me. Everything was too loud, too quiet or just too droney. And then my friend Ali (Topl3s) purchased a HKS high flow dual exhaust for his S2K and told me I had to come for a drive with him and check it out. It was perfect! At low revs it was nice and quiet but then when the throttle really opened up it was like a banshee. It had that real jekal and hyde factor I was looking for in an exhaust system so I managed to source one at a really good price from a guy in Malaysia and had it shipped over.
http://i42.tinypic.com/21j3ewo.jpg
One of my favorite and most painful mods had to be my Amuse front bumper. Man this thing was a pain in the ass importing from the states! But 3 months later, after a lot of headaches it finally arrived at my door. Initially I wanted to get the Js racing kit for my car. As far as I know, theirs no Js racing s2000s in Australia. Well none that I've heard of anyway. So I thought it would be cool to be the first one. But after a long time of over anylising the kit, I came to grow a bit sick of it. The same thing happened with all the other kits I looked at. They were all too aggressive or not aggressive enough. I really liked the AP2 front bumper with a lip, but I just felt it looked too common and generic. The one and only bumper I never grew tired of looking at was the Amuse. Its so sleek and simple. The lines flow perfectly with the car. And to anybody who doesn't own an s2000 or know a lot about them, it looks as if it could be a standard bumper. I think it really adds a lot of class to the car.
http://i39.tinypic.com/2m4vezc.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/168902e.jpg
Forced induction... Thats the big question for all S2000 owners eventually. Lets face it, most of us guys who buy an s2000 end up wanting to keep it for the long hawl. Its one of those cars you just fall in love with and cant imagine ever being able to give up. When you first get it, the car is pretty ballsy stock and you think you will never need it to go any faster. But eventually you get to that point where you just want to go faster!!!! That moment for me was when I went up against a Holden Monaro and it left me eating its dust by more than I would like to admit.. It was at that point I vowed to one day be able to put up a much better fight against those V8's in my "little Honda S2000".
So which route do you take? Do you go turbo or supercharge? Custom or bolt on? I agonized over this question for a long time. I was contemplating it for a good year or so before I finally bit the bullet and purchased my Vortech Supercharger bolt on kit. I can see all the advantages of going Turbo, but being that I use my car as a daily driver still, I decided that a supercharger was going to be a much more reliable option.
Now the next question is, who do I trust to fit and tune my kit? Its very hard to find a good, reliable tuner. Especially one who really knows what he's doing with Honda's. I kept hearing good things about the guys at MSC performance in Reservoir and one thing that really drew me in was the fact that Steve from MSC is an avid Honda Enthusiast. He owns an S2000 himself, one which he is currently in the process of boosting (I've seen this car in the garage, and Id put money on this thing being the fastest boosted S2000 in Australia once its finished). I spoke to Steve via instant message on ozhonda for a little while and then via phone afterwards. He seemed like a pretty good bloke and was very confident and excited about getting a lot of power out of my car, while still being able to run stock internals.
I purchased a Haltech Platinum computer and had Joe and Steve at MSC work their magic. I couldn't believe it when Steve showed me the dyno chart! With the vortech supercharger kit installed, Steve managed to tune my car to get 212 KW at the rear wheels, while only running 6.5 PSI! These guys are hands down the best shop I have ever dealt with, both in terms of mechanical know how and customer service. I've since been recommending them to everybody I know. The amount of extra work Joe and Steve put into perfecting my car in every way shape and form is unheard of. They really took pride in getting my car just right, and worked on it as if it was their own.
http://i41.tinypic.com/9sxg61.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/3517pk7.jpg
The first time I took my car for a drive with the supercharger in, it was unbelievable! It felt like a completely different car. Everything about it felt 100 times better than it did when it was NA. The increase in power can be felt all through the rev range, but especially between 6-9K, where it really catapults you. The first time I put my foot right down to the floor and took it right through the rev range I was giggling like a school kid. I know now, as much as I love NA S2K's, after driving a supercharged one, I could never go back to NA.
My Forced Induction journey has only just begun. As much as I love everything about my car the way it is now, the truth is, really its perfect. But their is at least one more step to come. I will be upgrading to 655 CC injectors and changing the pulley to run more boost. I hope to eventually push about 250 KW at 12 PSI
Thanks for taking the time to read my thread. A lot of people have been asking about my car, so I decided it was time to write its story in full detail. Ive put a lot of work into it and theirs plenty more to come. My S2K has become fare more than just a hobby, its become a real passion.
JamieP.
P.S
check out my new music single "Smiles For Miles". If you like it, make sure you download it on iTunes as ALL PROFITS are being donated to The Angels Childrens Home in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Its a great track for a great cause. All you Hip-Hop Heads will love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz25eZSSjrM