Jíbaro

Currently, the car(2008 ap2) is not a DD and is used for spirited driving only. However, I will try autox in the future.

Main concerns are body roll in tight corners and feeling like the car isn't planted when pushing it on the back roads through twisting turns. My friends modified STI seemed to just glide through effortlessly through the turns as I struggled to feel any confidence in keeping up due to that the car feeling unstable.

Thus, I'm looking at SB Ohlins's and Karcepts MCS one ways as a solution.

What would you recommend for my situation and future prospect with car?

Chuck S

What tires are you running (and what's he running)? Hows your alignment?

Stock S2000 to modified STI is an apples to oranges comparison. Gonna feel different. But is it any faster?

Recommendation? Run some autocross where there are several other stock S2000s and your buddy's STI and compare results. But beware of going too far down the race rabbit hole. In any venue there are guys who will outspend you and out practice you. For fun? Sure but getting higher than mid pack or fleet takes dedication and money. Slapping random aftermarket suspension parts on the car is no assurance of increased performance and can move you to modified classes where there are faster cars and better drivers.

-- Chuck

Mr.Matchbox

Used as Weekend toy, only for very spirited drives on lonely, very twisty country roads and in the mountains. Speed up to 100 MPH.
Bilstein B16, early modell front swaybar, late modell rear swaybar, Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires. Done.
No body roll, car feels totally planted, much more grip, especially at the rear. If the rear steps out it is much better to handle, you really have a blink of a eye reaction time now in comparison to the OEM suspension.
Car feels much more safer, i have more trust. I am driving much faster know. And, best of it, it is still comfortable.

rsq2_15

I know there's been endless discussion on Bilstein vs KW vs Ohlins vs others. Good to hear your happy with Bilstein. Suspension is my next purchase and I'm trying to decide how to go. I was pretty set on Ohlins but Bilstein would definitely save some cash and may be just as good for my needs. I don't daily it. Almost exclusively used for autocross, rare spirited drives, occasional track day.

Did you install the B16's yourself? How was the install? I've already stripped my trunk for weight so I have easy access to my rear struts.

Jíbaro

I'm on 215/245 Bridgestone Potenza Sport sitting on Volk CE28SL. Car got an alignment when the wheels went on recently. However, from the notebook the previous owner left it looks like they replaced the front lower ball joints to increase the camber from .6 to .1 to reduce tire wear(Literally what he wrote down). Not sure if that would have a massive effect on the cornering.

When upgrading the suspension, I'm in the mindset of go big or go home. Thus, the SB Ohlins would be the bottom of my budget. However, if I'm spending that much, is the MCS just a better damper that is worth the extra money?

WVCR-V

Im not a suspension expert by any stretch. All I know is what I’ve tried myself. I too wanted to tighten up the feel of my 06. 5 years ago, I started with HKS Hipermax IV. 8k front and 7k rear. This settled down the rear end bounce and settled the car a bit. Ride was a little better than stock. Then the following year the HKS 20 spec came out. I had to try them. 10k/10k springs. Body roll markedly decreased now and more control with a little firmer ride but still nice. Then I added CR swaybars. Big change over stock. I occasionally struggle with some bouncing over uneven roads but that may be inherent to the S2000 as much as anything. This past week I drove with a group of type Rs and S2000s. One guy had an 07 with Ohlins and an Eibsch front swaybar. We traded cars for about 15 miles and we both agreed there wasn’t much difference in coil over feel. However we were not on rough or bouncy roads. If I had it to do over I’d still buy the Ohlins to be sure. If your budget was tight I’d say get the new Hipermax S but since it’s not get the Ohlins. I think with Ohlins and stiffer stock swaybars, you’ll really be impressed with the transformation.

B serious

Seems like you're doing this *mostly* for subjective "feel" of confidence on roads...with a sprinkling of objective result of Autocross.

Yes?

Jíbaro

Nailed it on the head!

I will add that as Im getting more into setting up my car and working on it, I would like to eventually like to learn/control more with the suspension. Therefore, I heard that Karcepts can take your MCS 1 way and make it a 2 way control. Not sure if this is true, for I've just briefly saw it mentioned on a few threads regarding their coilovers.

Has anyone tried the Karcepts MCS and would you saw it's a better damper than SB Ohlins?

B serious

You're getting into a very complex setup for what you're trying to achieve.

Regardless of whether you know how to...do you even want to tune a 2 way shock?

Do you want to buy MCS's and then customize the entire setup (springs, bumpstops, etc)? Seems like you're gonna get sick of it before you start enjoying it.

Here's some off the shelf suggestions...simple stuff is better, I think.

Bilstein B16. If you're not lowering more than 1", this one nails the space between comfort and sport. This is like a OEM+ option for a daily ripper.

Ohlins DFV. Excellent body control and super HD feedback. But...some harshness because of how solid the damping is. This is a good system for spirited street use and limited track use.

There are plenty of others. But IMO, the Ohlins is probably the right off the shelf system for you.

No idea what balljoints the PO installed in order to reduce negative camber. But whatever they did sounds like a bad idea. I would investigate it and go back to stock (genuine Honda parts) if need be.

You can always install the Ohlins and then spend your effort in figuring out how else the car should be set up to how you wanna have it.

Your buddy's STi is probably counting on slow corner entry and exit speed. It's literally the safest way to move down a backroad quickly. Your S2000 seems less stable because it is. And because maintaining momentum is more difficult than deleting it for corner entry and then re-adding it at exit using torque, weight, and soft shocks combined with AWD. I wouldn't bother chasing the same driving experience. I would buy an STi if that's what you're after.

hai1206vn

I believe many of us overestimate the actual effort we spend adjusting the suspension. Unless you're chasing lap times, I bet you'll pick a decent setting and just drive it.

How many miles do you have on the stock shocks? A low mileage or new OEM set will restore the experience. The '08 factory setup is understeery and pretty safe.

As recommended by others, the Bilstein is a good set-it-and-forget-it option.

I don't think you need Ohlins or any hyper adjustable coilovers to enjoy it. The car is far more capable than you.

Also, pick some good and responsive tires if you haven't. Sloppy tires make for sloppy feel.