What drama? There is already a sticky that discusses MY differences, but no sticky can answer every question. In this case the OP wants to knonw which motor will respond best to NA mods, and that's not answered in the sticky.

Since the F20C is in a higher state of tune right out of the box it is *probably* safe to assume that the F22C leaves more room for improvement. It's got more displacement, non-staggered valve timing (off VTEC), a heavier flywheel, thicker valve spring retainers, and milder cam profiles (among other things) ... lots of places for NA improvements.

LOL, the very things that some of us don't like about the F22C make it a better choice for the NA tuner.

Even so, the OP needs to drive both pre and post 04 cars, becuase there is more to the cars than just the engine.

 

the original 2.0 liter powerplant fit the criterion as a typical high-performance Honda engine. While brilliant at high speed, it was a bit of a dog during launching, not even being capable of breaking grip with the road (spinning the rear wheels) at takeoff. ..The extra 200 cc of displacement came from a longer stroke, while the engine's compression ratio has also been raised slightly to 11.1:1, up from 11.0:1. Despite these physical changes, the engine still yields 240 horsepower..With the '04 update, the engine has been tuned to produce more torque at lower rpm for more energy off the line..Ap2 is definetly a more refined car

 

Exactly. The original was more of what many call an "inertia car;" Such cars are not about launching. AP2's are a totally different kind of car; More refined, more civilized, and easier to drive. Slower responses (slower steering, heavier flywheel, lower redline, etc.) are just a part of what makes it so. What's funny to me is that we all seem to agree on this, yet some still find one opinion or the other somehow involve "drama."

 

I haven't really had a lot of seat time in an AP2, but raw performance doesnt really attract me. I LOVE the 9K redline. Thats why I have a 02 with a glass rear window and F20 under the bonnet.

I've heard some stuff about AP2 with the AP1 ECU ups the revs to 9K and gives a shite load more power? I'm by far no expert tuner, but that would be pretty sweet as well.

I DO however like the styling of the AP2 a little better. Just seems more grown up. I see the older Civics and that was Honda's brand language back then, and my semi-newer car has those same attributes.

 

thank you for everyones opinion.

now i have driven both cars and i know the differences between every model year from 00-07. now just going around the block with a salesperson does not satisfy me for a full test drive.
s2k are great when you are going around corners and this is something that you cant really push on a test drive.

the opinions that i was going for was from a tuners aspect and people that have owned both models. i have a better understanding of the s2k now.

sorry for beating the dead horse with this topic but this site has always seemed very cool about things like that. threads with picture requests usually produce a picture which is awesome.

well i appreciate everyones opinions and im sorry for wasting the time of certain people.

 

I picked an AP1, but that was w/ for a weekend toy.

It would be a mindless decision to get an AP2 as a daily driver IMO.