youngjun91

Please let me know if this is the wrong place to ask this question. I've got a 04 AP2 with Direzza 225/255 staggered UK-ish alignment (modded with -1.3 camber front, -2.3 camber rear) and stock suspension. I only HPDE and autox, and nothing beyond that, and I commute with my car. The car seems pretty balanced between under and oversteer in most situations.

Last HPDE, I realized I have a huge amount of body roll. I don't know if that's seriously hurting my cornering speed per se. But some non-Honda guy suggested I can just get stiffer anti-sway bars and keep my stock suspension and greatly improve my cornering speed. I don't know if that's true. I starting researching Gendron and wasn't sure if I needed both front and rear (don't want to just increase understeer), but either way, it was more expensive that I had imagined.

Then I read one comment on this forum that said that sway bars with stock suspension actually doesn't make THAT much difference for HPDE, although it makes a bigger difference for autox. So then I started researching the KW v3 suspension, and it looks good, but cost beyond what I originally hoped to pay for a tweak for a little better cornering speed.

Can I get the recommendation of some of you more experienced racers on this whole upgrade path? Would Gendron or CR sway bars help my cornering speed significantly with just the stock suspension?

Or do I have to pony up for the KW v3's plus maybe the CR bars? I was hoping to spend < $1K for some improved lap times, but please let me know if the original idea of sway bar only would be a waste of money for HPDE, and that I should be looking to pay >$2K to see some real improvements.

Thank you in advance for your help,
Young

spdracerut

How many miles are on your car? If it is high mileage (which I expect it to be since your car is a 2004), I'd expect the stock suspension to be shot. Therefore, upgrading to new suspension would be worthwhile.

Though, an alternative may be to find someone who took off the CR suspension with low mileage giving you much fresher suspension on the cheap.

youngjun91

Thanks, < 37K miles on it. I drive a Civic in the winter and maybe 33% of the time in other seasons to keep the S2K mileage down.

urBan_dK

The 04/05 suspension and sway bars are the softest of all the years offered for the S2000. The cheapest worthwhile upgrade would be CR suspension with AP1 or CR sway bars.

A used KW V3 set would be an even better option, but more $$$. Then, if you still think it rolls too much, sway bars can still be upgraded.

That said, just because it rolls a lot doesn't mean your slow. The S2000 suspension is quite good from the factory.

robrob

You won't need a new upgraded rear bar because many of us are actually moving to softer than stock rear bars. I'd recommend going for a set of used KW V3s to start and then decide if you need a stiffer/adjustable front bar later. You can use the V3s to lower the car a little (1/2 to 1 inch) too which will help the handling without hurting the ride.

Croc

Rob, isn't stiff bar at front only is usually recommended for non staggered setups?

IMO body rolls too much with kw v3 with stock spring rates

youngjun91

That's what I assumed too. That is, a stiff front bar only is what people are doing either with (1) AP1 cars or (2) non-staggered tires. Would AP2s also benefit from stiffer front sway only while not changing the rear sway bar? I don't want any increase in understeer.

thomsbrain

On staggered tires, you will want both front and rear bars. I recommend the Eibach bars. Cheap and effective.

psychoazn

You'll need to make a decision as to whether you want to focus more on HPDE or AutoX.

Either way, body roll isn't TOO big a deal, as we have double wishbone suspension front and rear, and contact patch isn't too badly hurt by roll.

$1000 would likely be better spent on seat time.

berny2435

For the OP, I'd pick your $ range and your more than likely end goals and then address your options from there.

More HPDE oriented with all around DD/AutoX/HPDE ability = get the KW V3s first IMO and look up some setup tips on them for Track use. I've rode in a car with V3s and not much else around the track and it was a really nice ride.

More AutoX oriented car
- assuming stock class with stock shocks and OEM or similar to OEM wheels - I don't see an issue going with a 1/4 wall Gendron Bar front bar, increasing front camber and giving it a go.. . The competitive guys in stock run stiffer bars and obviously different tires but it should still work for both AutoX and HPDE with the adjustability range of the Gendron bar. I purchased the 1/4 wall Gendron bar assuming I'd run HPDE with my car as well as AutoX.

- if AutoX and trying to be competitive within STR and you might want to rethink those KW V3s and start saving for something else and maybe get some cheap swaybar(s) first that will help with both AutoX and HPDE. Eibachs might do but runing them front and rear boots you out of stock class if you are in fact still running OEM like wheels. I don't really like the idea or runing a stiffer rear bar either though. I run a softer RSB. It should be noticeable if your shocks are going bad if you do the bounce test on each corner.