Kenny's build thread

[Kenny]

Hello all, copying my build thread over from the other site, going to try and streamline it a little more too. I've owned an S2000 for the better part of a decade. My story starts with my Silverstone 2001 Honda S2000 that I bought in 2003. The car had ~15,000 miles at the time and had some small cosmetic modifications made by the previous owner (who I did not know as the car was purchased from CarMax).



Here is a picture from when I first got the car, I won't go into great detail on this car, but I modified it mostly for aesthetics (springs, wheels, audio). After my kids were born I sold this car for something slightly more practical and a backseat.



Five years passed and I never strayed too far from the S2000 or the community. It was still my favorite car I had owned, and I knew someday I would be back. In late summer of 2012 I once again started looking for another S2000, this time I was focused on buying a Grand Prix White, with my preference being the 06+ AP2 for the ease of tuning with FlashPro and the all black interior (which I prefer over the red, tan, and red/black).

I got lucky and quickly found a local member selling his mint 2006 S2000 with OEM hardtop. I had always liked the hardtop, but never considered buying one due to the associated costs, but once I saw the car in person I knew I had to have it.



The car had the following modifications when I bought her:

• OEM Hard Top
• Enkei PF01SS in matte black 17x9 +60 square
• Dunlop Direzza Star Specs (255/40/R17 square)
• CR front bumper
• K&N FIPK
• Tein S-Tech Springs
• Greddy Spectrum Elite dual (v1)
• Moddiction Knob
• Gutted Soft Top
• Unkown Strut Brace
• Unkown Drilled Rotors

Overall I was very happy with the car and how it drove, but I really wanted to dive into the tuning capability of the AP2 DBW cars, so my first modification was buying FlashPro and getting the car tuned by the FlashPro guru Gernby. For any of you 06+ owners, I highly recommend FlashPro and Gernby's eTune!



After FlashPro, no major changes were made, tires were changed to the new Dunlop Direzza Z2's when those became available.



During the holiday's I decided to tackle an issue that had bugged me from Day 1, the previous owner had painted the calipers red with some high temp spray paint, which had started to flake and looked terrible



To fix this, I bought G2 Enamel Caliper paint as well as S2000 vinyl graphics from StreetGFX.com (no longer in business), I also took the time to grind off the casting marks from the caliper to clean up the calipers and give them a custom/aftermarket look you typically see in some of the BBK.

[Kenny]

In 2013 came across a great deal on a used Comptech Supercharger (Novi 1000) that I really couldn't pass up (thanks Brad/8000RPM!). Decided to scoop it up and go down the rabbitt hole of Forced Induction!





To make sure that the supercharger would be reliable in the blistering Texas heat, I reached out to Science of Speed for their racing heat exchanger as well as the Koyo radiator.





Along with the cooling being addressed, went with the Injector Dynamics 1000cc injectors, and upgraded to the 3.4" pulley (9psi on the AP2) and its corresponding belt





Also bought the AEM FailSafe gauge with the combined Boost and AFR in one gauge, and the Science of Speed single gauge pod





Rather than weld in additional bung, I also bought the PLM header which comes with two bungs.



Lastly, as I knew the stock clutch wouldn't hold the increase power and torque, I also bought the Science of Speed Sport clutch with OEM bearings, and SOS lightweight flywheel.

[Kenny]

The Supercharger install went off mostly without many issues, I was missing one of the brackets for the SOS Racing Heat Exchanger which rather than waiting a few days to get one shipped from them, I decided to fabricate.



While installing the Supercharger I read many threads of what others had done, and one of the things many mentioned was upgrading the water pump that came with the Comptech standard heat exchanger to the Cobra/Bosch water pump



I ran into some snags while routing the heat exchanger, thanks to the folks in the FI section, they got me straightened out





Instead of hacking up the OEM Fuel Injector harnesses, I bought the Plug and Play harnesses from Science of Speed, there has been some speculation of issues with the PNP harnesses, but I have never had any issues.



Finally with some help from my wife and her much smaller hands, we had the Supercharger installed









Up next was tuning, I tried to get a decent etune, but unforutnately the quality of the tunes I received were terrible... the car was barely running and extremely rich. Rather than chance causing any damage while trying to work the kinks, I took the car to a local tuner and tuned the car on the dyno.



The car put down 304 RWHP at 7psi with some belt slip above 7500 RPM. I was happy with the results and while I knew the system was capable of more, I did not want to chase every last HP and sacrifice reliability.

[Kenny]

A few months later during a dyno day put on by the local North Texas S2K group, saw some issues with the car pulling a ton of timing during VTEC engagement. I worked closely with my tuner and we tweaked the tune and got the car running perfectly, still not sure what caused the change.





Not long after that the started getting some significant clutch slip, so I had 00MUGENS2 install the new clutch. Getting used to the lightweight flywheel and engagement of the Science of Speed clutch took a little while, but after the break in period the clutch is perfect.



Now that the car was performing great, needed to address some issues with the brakes which were warped and really needed to be replaced. Decided to go with Stoptech Slotted rotors paired with the Stoptech Street Performance pads





Love the Stoptech brakes, they perform better than stock but they do dust a little more and you will get the occasional squeak. Overall a great upgrade for those not quite ready to go to a BBK, but what some extra performance from their OEM system.



About this time I started thinking of getting my seats reupholstered, they were exhibiting the classic bolster wear, and the passenger seat had a few tears in the perforated seat bottom. After doing some research I decided to go with the Clazzio seat covers instead, and in keeping with the black/red look of the wheels I went with the black seats with the red stitching.



The seats look OEM and fit perfectly, most people who see them think they were reupholstered. A great upgrade for those who have worn seats, really can't beat the value. I also bought a shift boot with the same pattern to finish off the look.



Up next decided to add the soft top back, I love the look of the car with the OEM hard top, but really hard to beat the ease of dropping the top at a moments notice. Bought a top off a totaled S2000, and installed it with a friend. This is an immense pain in the rear, but in the end very much worth it.

[Kenny]

Time to move on to the suspension, while the OEM suspension is adequate for most uses, when its time to replace it... most folks look for "better" options. In my case after much research, I decided to upgrade to the Bilstein PSS9 coil overs.



The Bilstein's come packaged amazingly well with high quality throughout, and extreme attention to detail



Compared to the OEM shocks with the Tein S Tech springs, its a night and day difference



Only negative to the Bilstein's is the included instructions, which are some of the worst I have ever seen. Luckily there are several very good DIY guides out there which make the install much easier. Here is how the car sat after install of the Bilstein's.



Up next I decided to order some new wheels, the Enkei PF01SS wheels were great I wanted something with a little more style... after much research I decided to order the Forgestar F14's in Black Graphite. I ordered the wheels from Modbargains, Alan was my sales guy, and he was very helpful and communicative. I highly recommend them. :thumbup:





While the shipping took a little longer than I would have liked, they did deliver them within the promised 6 week period, and the wheels are amazing.



I also decided to go with the new Dunlop Direzza Z2 Star Specs to replace my worn Z2's (non-StarSpec)



The wheels were well balanced, and had no issues getting them installed at my local NTB







The wheel specs are 17x9 +58 wrapped in 255/40/R17 square, I was trying to maintain as close to the same setup as I had with the Enkei's, as they had worked perfectly for me and had no fitment issues.

[Kenny]

Well I wanted to get better pictures of the car with the new setup (wheels/tires/coilovers) but the weather here in Texas had not exactly been cooperating. Fortunately the weather finally cleared up, so I decided to take the opportunity to shoot some pictures of the car at a nearby town and lake.

























ModBargains did a little write up on my car with the F14's http://blog.modbargains.com/quick-snap- ... lack-17x9/

[Kenny]

I had signed up for my first track day (Track Night in America @ MSR Cresson on June 14th). So in preparation for that needed to get a few things taken care of. Had John Wallace do some work on the car, changed out my A/C compressor which had given up the ghost last fall, install a new condenser, and dryer. While he had it he also replaced my master clutch cylinder which had been leaking, and installed the AP1 slave (no more CDV!!!). Also got one of the diff mounts replaced, it had a crack and was leaking fluid.



When I got the car back I also changed out the diff fluid with Mobil 1 75w90, changed the tranny fluid with Honda MTF, flushed and bled the brakes with Motul RBF600, and did the Modifry soft top strap fix.



Also not recently installed, but I forgot to post it previously is the Modifry GoPro mount which I will put to good use on the track day.



Also got my first Digital SLR, a Canon EOS Rebel T5i, camera as an early father's day present, with a bunch of extra lenses, filters, and other stuff (my wife is the best)! Still learning how to use the camera, but will hopefully have much better quality pics in the future.

[Kenny]

Got our helmets, after doing some research and asking some of the local track guys, decided to get the RaceQuip full face SA2010 helmet for me and the wife. With the new SA2015 standard in place, RaceQuip had closeout on the SA2010 helmets, and picked these up really cheap. They are not the lightest or most well ventilated, but hard to beat for the price. These will be good for 5 years, and honestly don't plan on keeping the same helmet longer than that anyways.






Installed my Carbon Fiber mudflap/rock guards from Bama Dave, very easy install and they look great.







See this thread for more info on the mudflaps: https://www.s2kca.com/S2000/showthread. ... -Number-II

[Kenny]

Was messing with the new camera and trying to learn which settings work best, took these in the local park very early in the morning.






Finally got around to doing my first track day! I participated in the Track Night in America at MotorSports Ranch Cresson, and it was an absolute blast. To start off with I was slow... really really really slow. I was braking way too early, was not hitting the apex, was not shifting into the right gear, etc... pretty much a total noob.

Just to give you an idea, my fastest time in the first session was approximately 1:48:52 (using video reference points as I was not running a lap timer). For comparison, a decently quick NA Honda S2000 runs the same track about 1:28 (and the faster guys are in the low 1:20's), so as you can see I have a lot of work to do. That being said I was offered some coaching during the 2nd set of paced laps which really helped me understand the "line" and braking points, and then did a ride along with an advanced driver in his S2000 and that helped immensely. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off my GoPro in between one of the sessions and didn't get to record any of my 3rd (and last) session where I was much, for me, quicker.

Anyhow, here are some pics and video from the event. I've already signed up for the next TNiA in July, and hoping to do some dedicated HPDE events as well.

[Kenny]

Tthe Novi 1000 had started weeping a small amount of oil from the inlet, and while it didn't impact performance it was annoying to have constantly clean up the oil from under the charger. I had two choices, either rebuild the existing supercharger, or spring for a new one. After some consideration, I decided for the latter route and scored a great deal on a lightly used Novi 1200.



While I was going to be replacing the supercharger, I decided to also upgrade the hoses and fittings, the old ones had seen better days and were starting to show their age. So I ordered all new silicone hoses and t bolt clamps from Siliconeintakes.com




Lastly as I am planning on doing at least one track day a month, and we all know how hot the oil can run in our cars, I also ordered the thermostatic Mishimoto Oil Cooler from Moddiction





I spent the weekend installing the new supercharger, everything went together fairly smoothly... no major snags in the install




I used an existing calibration someone on here provided me to ensure the car was running decently. Will get the car fully tuned this upcoming weekend.



Next up will be installing the oil cooler and installing a vented hood (purchased a spare hood so that I can keep my OEM hood). The vents are from Singular Motorsports, and unlike the typical ones you see on here, the louvers and integrated gurney flap should guarantee that hot air is pulled out from under the hood. Once I get everything installed I will be doing some testing to document how much venting the hood impacts both under hood temps, as well as Coolant and IAT temps.

[Kenny]

Had Matt Duncan work on the car for me to get it ready after the install of the new 1200. He cut out the hood and installed the Singular Motorsports Louvers, they came out great... now just need to get the hood repainted.




Matt also installed the Mishimoto 19 row oil cooler, this one came with the Thermostatic sandwich plate with the 200* thermostat. He also added some aluminum sheeting around the cooler to force the air through the cooler and out the back into the wheel well (not pictured).




Did my 2nd track day with Track Night in America (TNIA) at MSR Cresson. Had a blast and the car was running very strong, even though I was short shifting at 7k RPM due to still finalizing the tune.

[Kenny]

Finally got the Autometer oil temp gauge installed into the Mishimoto sandwich plate, and also replaced my Science of Speed single gauge pod with the Autometer dual gauge pod.



Here's the back side of the oil cooler, you can see the lines and also the fender liner cut to aid in airflow



Completed my first official HPDE day with Apex Driving Academy at MotorSports Ranch Cresson. The day started off cold and rainy, but by afternoon when we were doing our sessions it had dried out and the weather was perfect.









Here's a video from my second session in the afternoon, still have to work on my braking points and gear selection, but have learned a ton.

[Kenny]

Completed my second official track day, ran the 1.3 configuration at MotorSports Ranch Cresson, and it was a blast. Love that configuration, has a ton of elevation changes and keeps you on your toes. Ran a best of 1:13.3 on the last lap of the day, which was a huge improvement from the 1:20's I was running in my first session. Big thanks to my instructor Brad Boyd for really helping me get the most out of myself and the car. I've already signed up for my next track day November 5th, will be running the full 3.1 at MSR, and I can't wait.

Before this latest track day I had my fenders rolled, the fronts were scraping slightly on some of the tighter corners. After getting them rolled I went and got a good alignment at Texas Track Works, the one I had done after the Bilsteins was done at an NTB, and I just didn't trust they knew what they were doing.


Max front Camber I was able to get was 1.2, so I had them add .6 more at the rear, here's where it ended up:


I arrived just as the sun was rising on the track, and got an amazing picture of the car


Had a blast on the track, there were over 20 S2000's at this track day, and made new acquaintances


Here is video of the last few laps of the day

[Kenny]

So decided to take some advice and purchased some Hard Race offset ball joints. I found that robrob's install DIY was extremely helpful, I have his page bookmarked as many of the upgrades he's done are on my list for the future.



As recommended in this thread I replaced the bolts with Honda bolts, part number 90165-SDA-A00 (Civic Si engine mount bolts) as the ones included where of unknown quality. Probably not necessary, but a little extra piece of mind.



I also purchased a Front End Service Tool kit from Amazon, this one was $20 cheaper than the one Rob recommends in his DIY.



The install was extremely easy, though I did have to use a "persuader" a couple of times to get the ball joint seperator correctly seated on the stock ball joint



Up next is get the car back to Texas Track Works for alignment, hopefully can get -3 up front with the new ball joints.



Next track day is November 5th with Apex at MSR Cresson, we will be running the 3.1 CCW, should be fun!

[andrewhake]

Very nice! Hadn't seen this car before.