dariusdontdolauv

Hello all,
I'm very new to these forums and am I looking for some help on how I should build my future s2k. I plan on getting an AP2, still looking around, I want to be able to run near 450whp on 91-93 with a turbo setup. I understand a lot of money will need to poured on this setup but I would really like all and any recommendations on how I should go about this. Also while I'm at it, what's a popular wheel spec for this car. Thanks again for any and all help.

RolanTHUNDER

Popular wheel spec: 17 x 7.5 +45 and 17 x 8.5 +50 (for great fitment and to retain stagger). 17 x 8.5 or 9 +63 (for square setup). Anything more aggressive either in rim width or offset and you will have to do fender work.

Boost: glad you're keen on it! Are you familiar with the differences between turbo and supercharger on this platform? If you're certain you want to go turbo then get the P tuning kit (P fab?). Pretty solid setup for the money. For 450 wheel on pump gas you will need about 20 pounds of boost. If you can, go flex fuel and tune for E85 as well. On E85 at that boost you will hit or exceed 500 wheel so you can dial back the boost a bit for 450 wheel while advancing your ignition numbers more compared to pump gas. You need a good test pipe and exhaut setup (go 70mm single exit for max power and weight savings). Get ID, Grams or similar 1300x injectors and an E85 compatible 340 lph minimum fuel pump (440 Walbro for more headroom). You must rewire it with either the SOS or a custom made fuel pump rewire kit (direct to battery with a relay). Get a 3 or 4 bar Hondata or SOS MAP sensor. You may as well convert to a return fuel system if your AP2 is DBW. Got a good tuner in mind? Find out what they're comfortable tuning then make your ECU choice from there (AEM, Haltech, Link, etc). You need an upgraded clutch. The community favorite for all the right reasons is the ACT HD H021 pressure plate plus OEM everything else.

dariusdontdolauv

Thanks for the reply with all of that great info. Is this the turbo kit you had in mind, https://www.ptuning.com/ptuning-s200...-ptp-tbk-30300 . Would there be any complications with trying to run pump gas while trying to hit those numbers? The only reason I'm trying to stay away from going on E85 is because I live in California and the availability is pretty low. Luckily in my case I only live about 10 minutes away from a pump but I also want to be able to take this car out and about. I'm not too familiar with the differences between turbo and supercharger on this platform but I'm heavily leaning towards turbo because I've always preferred them, but I'm open to new ideas. I haven't looked for a tuner just yet, still looking for the car itself lmao, but I will definitely discuss with them my ideas and hopes with this car. I see that you mentioned upgrading the clutch but what about the gears? I have a 10th gen Civic and a big thing on that platform is to upgrade the gears to better combat the torque from all the boost. Thanks for the wheel specs, as for wheels itself are TE's pretty popular? I have some enkeis on my civic but I was thinking TE's for this car.

RolanTHUNDER

You're welcome
Yes that's the kit. I like how the turbo sits down low which will alleviate heat build up in the engine bay as opposed to an upfront style manifold. California 91 doesn't have the best reputation as far as I know. Do you have a tuner in mind? You should ask how they feel about tuning you for 450+ wheel on pump gas. Run 93 instead of 91 for added safety. Go flex fuel for the best adaptability and have your tuner tune you for pump and E85. When tuning on pump fuel we are far more knock limited than on E85 so we have to run conservative ignition timing numbers for safety sake which leaves some power and torque on the table. As for the differences between SC and turbo - both work great on the S2K but each one provides a distinctly different feel. SC retains that iconic, linear S2000 high RPM character with boost ramping up naturally as the RPM increases. Turbo has a different boost curve where it usually makes max boost earlier in the power band creating a different torque curve that you can feel. This is not linear. Yes there are many turbos and ways to tune them for a certain kind of response but in general, you will change the character of your S2K quite drastically. In the end it's up to you and what you want. There are pros and cons to each power adder. Get the car first, experience it as is then take it from there If you find a good tuned one for sale, you might score.

The gearbox is good even at 600 wheel. There are many guys here with that kind of power figure on stock transmission and even a stock diff. They don't drag race their cars. This is key since the gearbox, diff and axles won't like being hard launched often with bucket loads of torque and HP. If you do that, one of those parts is gonna break.

Wheels: yeah TE's are popular. Enkei's as well. I run Advans and I love 'em There are plenty of great wheel options for the S2K so you will be strapped for choice!

dariusdontdolauv

Thanks again for all of this great info, I think I'm gonna find a tuner to tune the car for an E85 setup and then a 91 setup as well. Are there any internals that should be upgraded for better reliability? Also how's the trunk space for bags? Still on the fence for the setup whether I wanna go coilovers or air suspension.

RolanTHUNDER

Find a good tuner with experience tuning F or at least K series engines. And find out what ECU they are most comfortable with. Internals are factory forged If you buy an original AP1 ('00 to 01) you will want to swap out the intake valve retainers for AP2 ('04+) including matching keepers for the new design. You will also want to get the new 4 hole oil jet banjo bolts (unless its a mid '02 AP1 which already has those). All AP2's have these parts already so no need to swap them out. Trunk space is adequate for reasonably sized bags. Coilovers are best. If stance really is your thing then air will suit you better. Just remember that the S2000 is a hardcore time attack weapon

R00567

I'll bite and please don't take this the wrong way because I want you to enjoy your car for a long time. I have built and have both (Turbo and SC) examples of these cars + hopefully my two cents can help save you some money and pain LOL.

I will preface this with saying that the F series engines can be a lot of fun with just a taste of boost (7-10 lbs) to seriously wake them up and last a long time. More boost does not necessarily equate to more problems but other considerations will come into play if you want it to run of a long time. The type of fuel (pump vs E85) you want to use can also help you determine realistic power goals.

I saw that you are in CA - I dont think the PTUNING kit will pass smog. To get renewed - I am pretty sure you would need to uninstall the kit each time... have you thought about this? I know some kits like the COMPTECH kit I think is CARB legal. I just checked and the new Greddy kit IS CARB Legal but only has an application for 06-09). Just a heads up...

https://www.greddy.com/products/s200...genii-11550051

https://comptechusa.com/Products.cfm...-041&pID=57425

Step 0: I would drive the car for a while STOCK and see how you like it and if you can out-drive the STOCK power level.

• I trying to not making any situational or dispositional attributions about you or your driving skills (everyone is different) because I don't know you, but a lot of people do these cars a disservice when they immediately go down the boost to the moon rabbit hole. I say this with the deepest conviction bro - its a DEEP and EXPENSIVE rabbit hole depending on what kinds of demons you are trying to placate or make happy (ASK ME HOW I KNOW) LOL.
• How many miles are the AP2s you are looking at? AP2s generally are more heartier than their AP1 counterparts (diff, transmission, etc.) but AP1 v2s (2002-2003 are also wonderful).
• What year of AP2 are you looking at? AP2 v1 vs v2 will have different tuning solutions (with the older ones being more costly for an EMS depending on what you select vs 2006+ you can get away with hondata flashpro / ktuner).
• Have you allotted some cash for doing preventative vs. reactive maintenance before you start demanding more from the engine / transmission? (The factory F series engine is EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG and a little TLC can go a long way).
• By driving the car stock for some indeterminate amount of time, you can then get a better gauge if you want more power (low end, mid range or top end) or if you want to focus on handling / suspension mods, etc.
• Clean examples are definitely an appreciating asset and I think modifying them without enjoying them stock really does the car a disservice.
• Are you mechanically inclined? Will you be doing all the work / installations? that will save you a lot of money but if you have to pay a shop to do that too - you need to take that into account as well.

Step 1: Establish a budget and scope for your build- - pick two of the following (Cheap, Fast, Reliable).

• If you want a cheap and fast setup - its not going to be reliable.
• If you want fast and reliable - its not going to be cheap LOL.
• Cheap and reliable - its necessarily going to be the fastest.
• 400-450hp seems to be the happy place for the driveline (for longevity and how hard you drive it).

Step 2: Turbo vs SC (what do you want out of your setup)?

• I saw you mentioned you wanted a turbo setup. My question is why turbo? is it for the choo choo noises? or do you want a higher power level later? I am trying to understand your allure to a turbo setup vs a SC setup. A well sorted turbo kit falls in the not cheap department. A well sorted SC car can be LESS headache and will hit 350-425hp ish depending on pulley and what other mods you have done (exhaust etc.).
• Will you be buying a NEW kit or USED kit?
• Do you have any friends close by that can give you a spin in well sorted SC and turbo S2000s? I think being in both would help you decided on what you like more...
• The SC kits (SOS or TTS) definitely are less overall maint. and invasive of an installation vs turbo kits. (Kraftwerks was not mentioned because of how problematic they are).
• The s2000 engine is quite cramped and heat is going to be your enemy.
• I have a PTUNING kitted 07 AP2 and a 01 AP1 that previously had a COMPTECH SC kit i took off and sold and is awaiting a SOS kit to be installed.
• My turbo car definitely took a lot of time and money to get sorted out. It is definitely more "violent" to drive and is a lot of fun (TO ME). It definitely can be a handful to drive in canyons etc. and respect / care needs to be exercised when you put your foot down.
• The SC car - power is more smooth and ramps up very linearly. Driving characteristics are more tame but the speed is still very real. It felt like a bigger engine that still needed to be revved up. The harder you revved it the more jam (power) it makes.
• The PTUNING kit definitely changes a ton of things out (motor mount, oiling system, etc.) and takes a decent amount of upkeep. This is one of the more expensive kits - SOS makes a nice kit and I know Greddy just released a nice kit as well.
• The SC didn't need a special engine mount or oiling system provisions and car drove like a stock car with more power + a very angry coffee grinder singing in the background (much easier upkeep).

Step 3: Modifications to support more power

1. Heat management is going to be one of the battles you are going to face - I would plan on upgrading your COOLING SYSTEM, the necessary heat shielding to protect wiring etc.
2. How are you going to drive the car? track? canyon? the CLUTCH will also need to be upgraded. AP2 diffs can tolerate some abuse but that is another potential weak link.
3. TRANSMISSION - the elephant in the room with these cars when you start putting power through them. Stock trans can hold power north of 500 but if you plan on shifting it fast - time is not on your side. (I have a friend with a turbo AP2 that is on his 7th or 8th stock gearbox ).
4. FUEL SYSTEM - target power level and fuel type help drive what pump to get. 2006+ cars have returnless fuel systems (should be considered if you want e85 or higher power later). Don't forget larger injectors as well.
5. EMS - the computer that will let you tune and adjust all of the engine's operating parameters.
6. BRAKES - not a big deal if you are not overwhelming the stock pads - but if you want to track etc. will you be doing anything to add stopping power?

These cars are a LOT OF FUN and I hope this helps. Definitely take your time and do your research.

07 AP2: 420 ish hp / 11-12 lbs on 91 pump fuel (need to find dyno)

• went from a Gt3076 ==> GTX3582 ==> GTX3076 Gen 2
• I didn't like the top end as much as I would have hoped and switched back down for newer aero smaller sized turbo

01 AP1 (old setup):

• was installed by previous owner.
• lots of corners cut, was on piggy back, butt dyno was suggesting around 260-275 hp ish. was taken off and sold.
• will be installing a SOS stage 2 + EMS as soon as I get more free time.