S2Race

got a test pipe and HKS exhaust already and an AEM intake, lighter wheels(O.Z. ultralagerras), scrapped the spare in the back. im guessing since im not boosting it that gears and the e-manage are the best things i can do.

s2000Junky

[QUOTE=Hero,Feb 7 2008, 06:04 PM] there's no cheap way to go faster....just less expensive ways.

if you do one mod and one only on your ap1, go with the e-manange ultimate and tune.

s2000Junky

Your waisting your money on higher octane for less performance. The ecu sets full advance for 91 octane. To think that your car will advance timing further if you put in 93 octane is ignorant. In fact you are doing the very opposit you are trying to accomplish by doing this, higher octane fuel has a slower flash point. For maximum performance you want to run the lowest possible octane your car will handle without detonation or if equipped with automatic timing retard, run to the lowest max before triggering this. We have 92 in Washington state. If you have a choice of 91, I would use this unless you have some upgraded ECU which would allow you to adjust your own timing. If not it doesn't make sense.

s2000Junky

People have there own ideas on gearing and thats fine for them, but I have played around quite a bit with gearing and know and understand how it relates to the S. I would recommend 4.44 as the best all around performer. You will notice these big time compared to stock and still fall inline with your cars power curve. These also provide a perfect 0-60 one shift and still only 3 shifts in the quarter mile with ending at max rpm, if your concerned with exuding every ounce of your cars potentul to 100mph and beyond.

The 4.44 in my opinion is about the max gearing for still streeting your car you will be happy with. In my observation the higher gears don't propel your car as fast, you just end up learning to be a faster shifter, or you don't learn and suffer. You need a certain amount of time in each gear to maximize the cars power curve and propel the car for max forward exceleration, not just engine exceleration, If that makes sense. When you shift to the next gear you want your rpms to land right where your engine makes max trq, and on the S it is 6300-6500rpm and starts to slowly fall from there. 4.44 is the sweet spot.

Everything in my book points to (4.44)

Neutered Sputniks

You do realize that:

1) The EM-U is superior to the VAFC as the VAFC partial throttle settings are overridden in a week, whereas the EM-U's are not? So the price difference is justified as on the track, WOT is not always possible.

2) By the time you put new tires on, you're looking to spend (for 615's) close to $800. At that point, you might as well put gears in and have more traction with wider tires. Your S will handle better and put more power to the ground.

3) While it might only cost $280 for a lighter flywheel, you run the risk of compromising the daily driveability of the S. Additionally, install of a flywheel is approx 8hrs labor. I don't know what they charge for labor where you live, but all the quality shops I've ever taken my S to have charged $70+ /hr. So unless you want to see if you can get friends to come over and help, your flywheel exchange will run you close to $1000. For that amount, you can get more out of gears, higher traction tires, or the EM-U with tuning.

4) It appears that the man has the J's racing hood. As such, I doubt there is any real heat-bog as the engine bay is kept relatively cool while on the track.

5) Rather than the $60 test pipe on eBay, you're better off getting a test pipe that matches the exhaust you have/want to have. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking, but I'd like to think that some of these companies actually R&D their full exhaust systems to work better as a unit rather than piecemeal with others.

s2000Junky

[QUOTE=Neutered Sputniks,Feb 10 2008, 03:01 AM]

You do realize that:

1)

Neutered Sputniks

Now you're just being misleading.

I've had a clutch job done, it's an 8hr job. For the record, I had mine done by SOS here in Phoenix, a shop that specializes in S2000 and NSX maintenance. I don't see how doing just the flywheel is going to cut that time estimate in less than half... But I guess I just am not taking it to the right people?

Ok, so for the 615's, instead of $800 we're looking at $600 mounted... Point is, for a bit more, one could have real gears without putting narrower tires on. It is NOT a free mod when he already has tires that don't need to be replaced. Also, it is HIGHLY recommended to not mismatch tires on this car. Especially not when the car is being taken on the track. (I, in fact, refuse to mismatch tires on ANY vehicle I own)

VAFC POT settings are well documented to be overwritten by the ECU whereas the EM-U's are not, I don't know how you feel comfortable arguing that the VAFC is a better choice. Simply because it's less expensive? If I could get the performance factor and spend less, I'd be all over it. However, the idea is to get the most for one's money. Spending less on a piggyback system that is nullified in a few days is akin to when my mom bought me clothes I'd never wear, but she saved money because they were on sale - would've saved more just getting me what I would wear in the first place without wasting money on something that wasn't going to be worn and then still spending money on clothes that I would wear. Do it right the first time, even if it means saving up just a little longer. You'll save yourself $$$$$ in the long run.


IMO, staying NA, for the money, the EM-U+tune or gears are the only way to go. Everything else simply attempts to cut corners, and that can be dangerous on this car. On a civic, why not - unless it's a really tuned Civic. The S is already a well-tuned vehicle.

vader1

If I only had a budget of $1000 to spend, I would spend as such......

$60 for a Hondata gasket. (This will also cost you a day or two of wrenching)

$2 for some tubing to do the throttle body coolant bypass.

$160 for 02-03 ECU and reprgram immobilizer. (thats what I paid. $100 for a used ECU and $60 at the dealer for a reprogram) If you buy engine management later, this will become sort of lost investment, but I did the 02 ecu and was very happy because it was cheap and the 2000-2001 ecu map is lousy. And hey, its only $160. Put a WTB post in the WTB forum and you will get MANY offers for around $100 for an 02-03 ecu but you to be sure, make sure you get the right part number and look at scrapyards sites. I got mine from a boneyard. I know some people have bought ones from the board but were sold just another 2000-01. MAKE SURE it is the right part number for an 2002-03.

$250 for the Berk Cat. (or $60 for the test pipe if you are not a bunny hugger like me)

~$500 for the cheapie Titanium single. (I forget the brand, somebody chime in) It will make a few extra hp than what you have but save a couple extra HP worth of weight. (Every 13-14 pounds is worth about 1 whp in terms of power to weight ratio of a stock car)

Then you can try to sell you HKS used for a couple hundred. They have a reputation of losing a couple hp but some people LOVE the sound.

It will not be earth shattering, but you will have 10-13 hp more than you have now, most of it across the entire power band and be a few pounds lighter.

Then if you feel like another $1000 after that you can get and emu and tune and make 10-15 hp more. If you buy the emu first, you have to keep retuning and spending money each time you buy a part. I prefer parts first, tune last.

Or you could do the gears option instead of the EMU. If I were to do gears though it would be more than $600, because you really need a qualified person to do it and that costs several hundred. And if you are going to do it, might as well spend the extra few hundred on reinforced differential bearing caps. Install parts, gears themselves, yellow box. Sounds like about $1500-2000 to me.

S2Race

ok i already said it but ill say it again. i DO have a test pipe already. i do have an intake and exhaust. i do have low profile lightweight wheels.

i know it will cost big money to do gears, the gears is the only thing to make it a lot faster. people have claimed that the dual HKS looses hp, but mine deffinetly didnt. it might not be a 10-15 hp gain, but it did gain slightly. the guy i bought it from had a dyno chart and showed that the hks system did give it a few extra hp over baseline. and i personally do love the sound. as for the ECU, i dont see much point in getting it since i do plan to do some sort of oftermarket ecu or a piggyback programmer like the vafc or the e-manage

Vik2000

More of argument than helping the kid. Get rid of the HKS Exhaust and get a single lol.