Hello all - very happy to be here. I'm sure this site will become a useful resource for me in the near future. I have been a honda lover all my life, and have gotten serious about tuning over the course of the last 5 or 6 years, owning a 2003 DC5 Type-S and a 2005 6-speed TSX.

My situation is this: I will be looking to pick up a used s2k (finally!) within the next year, and I feel you can never research too much. Anyway, I am sold on getting an AP2, but my dilemma lies in which model year I should be looking for. I am wondering what the pros and cons are to AP2 V1's vs. V2's. I know the big difference is that after '05 they began implementing DBW and VSA....but practically speaking, what does this really mean for your average s2k driver? Are these generally considered to be positive or negative changes? Also, what other changes have there been throughout the AP2 years - either interior or exterior wise - that I may not be aware of?

Any input into these questions is greatly appreciated. And by the way, there are so many beautiful cars on this site, I can hardly believe it! Mad props to all!

Thanks.

 

let the debates begin....

I like the AP2 ver1.

 

It's basically:

DBW VSA, all black console and cd door and new rims/seats
-vs-
No traction control, cable throttle, silver console and cd door and AP1 seats

I hear VSA is awesome in the rain, and DBW really doesn't hurt performance in a noticeable way.

 

as much as i would like to have a v1 for ease of modability (easier to tune/go FI) I'm glad I got the 06. It keeps me from spending all my money on my car lol

 

Personal preference dictates a lot. The DBW means the elimination of some mechanical parts from the car. On the flip side, if the electronics go bad, you'll be paying more to replace compared to a mechanical fix. Down the road, 10+ years from now, electronic components may be harder to find.

Traction control is a definite plus in my book. It means that if you drive too fast for conditions, you won't necessarily spin out. A possible life/car saver depending on how and where you drive. Why wouldn't you want a backup? Plus, you can deactivate with the touch of a button. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Interior-wise, the center console tray has a brushed cover on V1 while V2 has a black cover. The seats on V1 have the helmet cutouts. V2 has new seats without cutouts and two speakers mounted on each side on the rollbar.

Exterior, rims are different between V1 and V2.

V2 is heavier slightly.

You'll probably find pro/con divided by v1 and v2 ownership, as it should, since we all purchased based on our own analysis.

 

Depends on if you plan on modding your car. DBW is difficult to mod. And if you use AEM EMS, you lose the OEM ECU and the VSA along with it. So you're basically paying more to get less.

If you plan on modding or going FI, you might as well get an AP2v1.

Of course, I'd go for the quicker steering ratio of an AP1... but that's just me.

 

You're asking the wrong question - you should be asking which color is best.

Seriously though, follow the last link in my sig.

 

if you like to mod the car get an AP2v1.

 

Well, considering five of the seven who bothered to respond have Sebring/Silverstone Silver, I think the OP knows which color is "best."

J/K!

*pst* OP, seriously though, Silverstone Silver.

 

i live where it snows all winter, and so i'm very glad i have traction control, as its a great safety feature in case/when i hit ice unexpectedly.

ap2v2 is harder to mod now, meaning it cam cost an extra $1000 for a workaround to use ap2v1 and previous FI kits/reflashing, but on the flipside, there are also a few mods available only to DBWs. search if you want real info, but one is a hondata reflash, and the other will be jackson racing/rotrex/kraftwerks' high boost supercharger kit, which is an out-of-the-box 350-400whp (not yet in production) kit for $6500. you need to add a clutch and maybe a spare differential.

most people prefer ap2v1 rims over ap2v2 rims, and i've heard ap2v2 is a bit softer on the spring rate.

in any case, ap2v2 is generally more expensive than ap2v1.

if you're in a snowy area and want to DD it in winter (like i do), go ap2v2, but otherwise, i'd just get the best condition car for the money, ap2v1 or ap2v2. if traction control is the only valuable feature you're getting and you dont DD in the snowy winter, that alone isn't worth a $2000-3000 premium IMO, and to me, thats the biggest difference besides the rims.