CaliPatriot88

This is a comparison and performance evaluation of the older S2000 AP1 and some of its more modern day rivals. We decided to use the remote canyon roads in the Santa Monica Mountains because of the mixture of straights and many curvy sections of these roads to test power and suspension. We eventually decided on Stunt Road just off Mulholland Highway as it was isolated and not really used by the general public or other enthusiasts as much as The Snake is. All three cars had completely stock suspension and some performance mods. Due to the fact that all the cars participating have performance mods but the gains are unknown only the stock engine specs are presented. There were three 5.0 Mustangs so we used the most recent one with a stock suspension setup and then used the others as spotters. We had originally decided to record the test with an on-board camera in the chase car and would then switch it to the other car when it was their turn to chase but unfortunately the footage was only partially complete as the camera died before we even got halfway through so we had to scrap it. We are planning on doing another test in the future and will try again to record correctly next time so I apologize but for now bear with me. The course:






The cars involved are all RWD with a manual gearbox. They are as follows:


2002 Black Honda S2000 AP1
Stock Specs: 2.0 Liter F20C w/ 240 hp/ 153 ft-lbs of torque. Double wishbone suspension front and back.

Mods
Carbon Fiber Cooling Plate
K&N FIPK Intake
T1R-70R-EM Single Exhaust System (Stainless)
Gladman Performance Strut Tower Bar w/ Integrated Heat Shield (made of solid steel, not weak aluminium)
BBS LMs 17's (17x7 and 17x8 on 225/ 245 Potenza RE760 Sport tires)

2013 Silver Scion FR-S
Stock Specs: 2.0 Liter Boxer w/ 200 hp/ 151 ft-lbs of torque. MacPherson strut front/ double wishbone rear suspension

Mods
Performance intake, the rest of the car is bone stock including tires.

2013 Blue Ford Mustang GT
Stock Specs: 5.0 Liter V8 w/ 420 hp/ 390 ft-lbs of torque. MacPherson strut front, solid live axle rear suspension

Mods
Performance intake
Borla stainless dual exhaust system, rest of the car is bone stock including tires.


The "test" we came up with was to run a touge style or chase race with an up hill and down hill sprint, one car in front and one following the lead car behind to measure the performance of each car against another. We are not professional drivers and drove at speeds we felt were safe and comfortable with at our own risk. One Mustang watched the road from the bottom and the other at the top using smartphones to communicate. Safety was paramount and the test was not allowed to proceed until the road was clear of all other cars(and cops lol). The drivers agreed to not take any unnecessary risks and we decided to strictly adhere to the specified lane, overtaking in the opposite lane or trying to do anything stupid around corners was not allowed, the focus was purely grip driving and being as safe as possible. If other cars came onto the road while preforming the test the driver's phones would ring with a specific tone and it meant traffic was on the road and the test was stopped. If a driver felt unsafe at any point they would either stop or simply slow down and double-tap their brakes to signify they want to stop the test. The rules were if the chase car was still running close to your rear bumper with no increase in gap from the start towards the end they won, if there was a significant gap larger than when we started between the chase car and lead car the lead was declared the winner. This is something we have enjoyed doing as a group for years and we do it for fun, but never to endanger ourselves or others. Again our safety and the safety of others was absolute priority.

1. S2000 Lead Car, Mustang GT Chase Car- Uphill And Downhill

My S2000, even though with its additional age was still able to thoroughly thrash this road. On the uphill it still accelerated fairly quickly and was able to dive into the corners much quicker than the Mustang GT who had to take it slower, giving my car a good lead for a time but that advantage was immediately offset by the Mustang's superior advantage in power and torque as it was able to instantly catch up on the straights. In the end they were still on my ass so we declared this run a victory for the Mustang GT. On the downhill portion however the S2000 was easily able to get away from the Mustang because of a much faster corner entry speed and the fact the Mustang's power advantage was almost totally negated on the downhill because the Mustang was forced to again go much slower at the corners and brake more often. The S2000's superior suspension however gave me a bigger confidence to drive faster and also allowed me to involve a lot less braking on the way down while the Mustang was forced to again go much slower at the corners and brake more often. In the end however it was the really the fact the Mustang driver took a corner too sharply and slammed on his brakes to stop himself from losing control. We agreed however that because he did stop the S2000 had won the downhill by default. At this point we felt it was time to stop but my friend wanted to continue. Great attitude!

2. Mustang GT Lead Car, S2000 Chase Car- Uphill and Downhill

In the beginning on the uphill the S2000 was completely all over the Mustang riding him all the way up until the straight section of the road which at this point the S2000 was unable to keep up with the Mustang GT on the straights and the corners on the way up didn't slow them down long enough for me to seriously narrow the gap, the pure advantage of power from the V8 was more than enough to once again declare victory on the uphill for the Mustang. On the downhill the Mustang murdered the straights but again because of the S2K's better handling aspects I was once again push my car harder and catch up while the Mustang once again seemed unwilling or unable to avoid braking more often (especially after what happened before) especially at corners and near the bottom of the road the S2000 was so close to the Mustang's bumper we nearly touched, luckily with no one behind me I was able to immediately back away and avoid doing something I'd regret. The S2000 once again won the downhill with little effort.

The Result

Final score was 2-2. We were going to do one final race to break the tie but we were pressed for time and had to move on to the S2000 and FR-S so we decided to call it a draw. Later on using Google Maps to verify some suspicions we had about the road we discovered that the road seemed to straighten out towards the top and got a bit more twisty on the way down. Essentially it favored both our cars at different portions of the road and agreed it really came down to driver skill in the end. The S2000 despite its age performed better than I expected and she held her own. I was way more impressed with how well the Mustang GT performed in the corners, I have never seen a Mustang with stock suspension hug the corners so well. I couldn't believe it had a live rear axle and the power it put out (not to mention the sound) made me jealous. Ford has done a fantastic job in revamping the Mustang and making it into a very decent driver's car and with a few suspension mods would have no problems keeping up at the track. The S2000's lack of power compared to most performance cars today became painfully evident during this test though, it really was hard pressed against that kind of raw power. Ten years ago my AP1 would have easily beat a Mustang GT in this kind of performance test but Ford has really done their homework and made a truly great car, one that I would gladly pick up when the price is right.

3. FR-S Lead Car, S2000 Chase Car- Uphill and Downhill

This test I have to admit wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, in fact I was rather disappointed. In the uphill the S2000 definitely had the power advantage and was able to stick to the FR-S like glue the whole way up, but in the corners the FR-S still performed brilliantly and easily matched the S2000 in the handling department and honestly I really expected nothing less. In the end however the gap didn't really change at all and the S2000 was declared the victor. On the downhill it was the same result; the FR-S achieved greater speed on the downhill both the straights or the corners but just couldn't escape and once again the S2000 won.

4. S2000 Lead Car, FR-S Chase Car- Uphill And Downhill

On the beginning of the uphill the FR-S once again easily kept up with my S2000 in the twisties but once we got into the straights the S2000 was able to widen the gap by a good margin, but nothing spectacular. It was the same result as our first uphill, the S2000 won again simply because it had more power where it counts. The downhill with the FR-S chasing however was a much better performance and easily my favorite run of the day. This little powerless wonder stuck to my S2000 like glue, I just could not shake him off at all. The downhill allowed for both of us to go faster but also resulted in my car not being able to really take advantage of that extra 40 hp. The FR-S stuck with my S2000 the entire way and he was declared the winner which made the owner very happy.

The Result

Final score was 3-1, everyone agreed the S2000 won hands down. The FR-S once again truly impressed me with its handling characteristics but the lack of power was once again very noticeable (Me and my buddy in the FR-S have done this more than once before.) If the car had that extra 20 to 40 hp it would easily have kept up with the S2000 the whole way through the test and been solely down to driver skill. As other reviews have stated the FR-S is a great car but it's no S2000. Still Toyota and Subaru built one hell of a car and hopefully it gets what it deserves, more power. Then it will be perfect.


Overview

I felt this test truly demonstrated to me and the other owners of the cars the ups and downs of our cars and areas to improve on both on our cars and as drivers. We all had lots of fun as we usually do on our group drives but occasionally like on this outing we like to spice things up and test our cars and driving skills and I just wanted to share our experience with you all and show our car is still a force to be reckoned with even after all these years. Also to show some of the doubters on here that these other two great machines are just as awesome as the S2000. I don't condone racing on public roads but we have to have some fun once in a while, hitting canyons with no competition gets dull after a while! To my fellow S2Ki members if this makes you upset I apologize but I say live life and enjoy it, you only go around this world once.

-CaliPatriot88

closetgeek

I like this review. Can't wait to see future videos. Goodluck