engifineer

Brake upgrades are about the last thing needed on most autox setups. Just get some good performance street pads and run stock. I have run Hawk HPS, HP+ and Stoptech pads and all work perfectly well for autox. The HP+ has more initial bite which is sometimes useful depending on your setup.

At a nationals level, the S2k (All models) is effectively not competivie in STR. There are zero running in STR at nationals this year as opposed to 65 a few years ago. The ND Miata took over completely and with the ND2 coming into STR next year it will not get any better (I am codriving an ND at nats this year).

Locally though I am sure you can have a blast in STR. STR setup makes the S2k a LOT of fun and also does well enough on short tracks as well (And I assume larger ones). Mine is an AP1 and on the short track events near me it is a hard car to keep up with when I am driving it well

BSP .... not with my AP1. While it would be a blast and I treat my s2k as mostly an autox/track day toy, I am not quite willing to start cutting my fenders yet I would like to get one in worse shape and go that route someday though.

There is street class, but I think it is effectively out of the running there as well anymore at a high competition level.

If you are just running local, chances are you can do well in any of those unless you are just in an area loaded with top nationals drivers. We have a lot of trophy winners/national champ folks in our local club, and I was able to run mid packish (when I was not in mistake mode lol) in our local pro index class with mine. I think at the last event I ran locally, out of 150 drivers I was the 6th or 7th fastest raw time, with a Birkin being the top. I think that was 9th in pax. So not too bad for a car no longer "competitive" in its class.

Personally, I think STR is a great mix of making the car more fun overall, still somewhat streetable (your opinion may vary depending on how stiff you set it up), locally competitive and really has no mods you cant easily undo other than rolling fenders, which if done properly is not really noticeable. You an put the car right back to stock if you like. Once you go BSP ... well ... you then have BSP car if you fully prep it unless you start buying new fenderst to make it stock again!

spaded.racer

Stock brakes and stockish pads honestly. If I were going to step it up(BBK) I'd get the basic Stoptech kit and run the Wedsport TC105X +49. I have the Origin offset bushings so I don't think I'd have fender issues up front, rear might be close.

I'd have to re-check the rules but running the Urge 2 piece rear rotors, and Girodisc 2 piece front rotors would be a nice compromise and able to run the normal +60/+63 STR offset type wheels. I think I'd be okay on my local tracks with that setup as well.

I've built an AP1 STR car, sold it for an AS C5 Z06. Missed the S2k life, sold the Z06 and found a clean GPW(my favorite color) AP2 and built another STR car. Looking to mix it up and fix some shortcomings of the car in STR trim. I'm most excited about more rubber(duh), but also running a lightweight flywheel to wake up the car some more, and getting an AP1 transmission so I'm on the limiter less in 2nd will also up the fun factor for me personally. More HP with a test pipe and some other small stuff will be nice down the line as well.
It will be maybe geared more as a BSP-lite build and should still be fairly at home on the street too so I don't totally shoehorn myself into a sole autox only car.

Me either. 285/295s are doable with the right offset and roll on stock fenders. My fenders are already rolled and I'm willing to do a slight pull if I must.

tom9933

Interesting that you and I have some what similar stories, I purchased an 06 NFR new but only drove it on the street. Kept the car for 10 years and upgraded to a 2014 9114S cab. I got into autox after a trip to the dragon with the local S2K crew and then decided on a dedicated car (exocet) after a trip to the track. Was always thinking about another S and one showed up at a recent autoX so now I have another 06 but this time blue. For me the car will be the wet weather car for autox and HPDE. The exo is in pieces right now getting a heavily built K20 and quaife sequential... I want to upgrade the S but I also don't want to loose the feel of the stock car so I agree something close to the STR spec seems like a good target. I was considering the brake upgrade for the HPDE use and I need to nail that down before I order wheels. I thought I could keep the car stock but that didnt last long, I've already ordered aFe intake, the car is just too quite with the stock box Shocks will likely be the Ohlins setup from URGE and I'm really thinking about their full exhaust setup, I'm just worried it might be too loud.

spaded.racer

I've heard the Urge setup is stupid loud. Nothing against Urge or Ohlin's but give Brian Karwan at Karcepts a call before you plop money down on anything.

massiah86

The S can still run locally in STR and even sneak wins at Pros/Tours in some cases. It's still a trophy capable car at nationals in STR, but it probably wont win if everyone is on their game. Even in C Street, I think it has a chance to do something in the trophies for sure. Actually, had the ND2 not come out and reshuffle the game, I think the car would have been really competitive with the ND1 in CS.

Personally, I really, really did not like the car in stock/street-trim. With STR mods it's a lot more satisfying to drive.

spaded.racer

I hear you. The original plan was to campaign my current car in BS for a few years before going full STR with it.
I lasted one year before I moved some money around to make a decent stab at STR.

tom9933

Similar situation here my original NFR 06 S had an fugita intake which I did back then for sound. Funny enough I never raced that car, I didn't get into racing until purchased a 911 which replaced it.. I also had plans of staying in CS for a while, but on the ride home with this Blue 06 it was just too quiet.... Sooo an intake (aFe Takeda) was ordered the next day.... I did already order the dual V4 full urge setup, I really liked the sound of the one youtube video and the poster was nice enough to respond back saying he had not had any noise problems at noise sensitive tracks. I don't mind some roar I just wanted to not have issues at noise restricted sites
RE71s and 949 racing wheels are also on order, I was going to try the yokes but they are sold out right now. For brakes I'm about to pull the trigger on the URGE rotor setup and seriously thinking about getting bars and shocks from them while I'm at it. Thinking of 12k/10k for the springs and still not sure if I need the offset bushings up front or not... Based on the post above I'm also going to look into the Karcepts option. For what its worth there is a pretty fast local guy (he sometimes wins PAX) in STR and my car will likely be similarly setup. At this point I'm not worried about having a nationally competitive car its more about having another fun car to drive and something that has a roof or can be used when the DM (Exocet) is out of commission. That is currently the case now as I tore it down at the end of last year for a K20 swap project thats gone way beyond the original scope...

spaded.racer

The 17x9 +55? You'll have to roll the rear fenders. Front might be okay. Just a heads up.

engifineer

Other way around. Even with 63mm offsets, a 17X9 with 255s garauntees rolling the fronts, but not the rears. All of us running 17X9 +63mm square setups that have lowered at all have rolled fronts and untouched rear fenders. Frontt are much worse in the clearance realm. So running +55mm will definitely require rolling the fronts, but I am thinkin rears may still be ok. I know my friends running the same setup as me (About 25mm of drop, STR setup yadda yadda yadda) with the 6ULRs havent touched their rear fenders at all.

engifineer

I have to disagree there. I do not think the S2k stands a chance agains the ND1 at a national championships level. Hence why there are literally zero signed up this year when the entire class minus a few older miatas was S2000 just a few years ago. The CR had the best chance, and to quote one of the top drivers in STR at nats (multiple trophy winner) he loves his CR but "decided to stop banging his head against a brick wall trying to compete with the ND1". There was one S2000 in the trophies (8th) last year and the next one was in 10th. And we are talking pointy end of the stick drivers there.

Having started co-driving an ND1 this season, within 4 runs (and having never even sat in an ND before, let alone drove one) I put down one of my best local finishes in a long time. Too hard to compete with a car that is 500 lbs lighter in STR prep than our S2k. So at the pointy end at nats I do not see the S having a chance. There may be an alien or two that could make a good run at it, but those people bought ND's because they could do even better there. You will always have the aliens that can drive a slower car into the trophies, but car for car the ND1 is better for this class.

Now local events? sure, you can probably still do ok. But at the nats level, the ND is going to take it.