OK, by the end of the year I'm going for a wheel, tyre and spring upgrade. Mainly for aesthetics. Experiences? Best buys? second hand options? I'm in the north of england and would prefer to take my car somewhere and try a few things on rather than order in something that ends up being a bit shit

views?

 

Should probably ask in the UK subform. Personally I would save money and not do just springs but rather save for full coilovers. As for the other stuff your question is to general so go research and come back with wheel styles or sizes or something more specific.

 

If you just want to improve the handling without a drop, the CR suspension is an excellent option. Likewise, Konis with ground controls is a great option on a budget, as are the Fortune auto or Bilstein PSS/PSS9 coilovers. All of these are good options and still very streetable, and can be had at or around the $1000-1200 range. If you want to do springs you can't really go wrong with Swifts, but the'yre compromised compared to a true matched coilover.

KW Variant 3 and Clubsports are more track oriented but probably more available in Europe considering they're made in Germany. Anything north of that (ohlins, etc) is getting into big money and on the track-only side of things.

As for wheels, go with whatever you want that works with the high offsets and widths the S2k requires. OZ Allegritas are nice if you want to retain stock sizing, and Enkei PF01 or RPF1 if you want to go .5" wider but maintain the factory stagger. Going square generally requires a fat front swaybar. Not sure if Tire Rack Ships to England or what your options for vendors are there.

For tires, I guess it depends how much the English weather affects you, but Michelin PSS should be a good option that's track-capable if you so desired, otherwise Conti DW are a great all around tire. With the weather up there I'm hesitant to recommend an extreme performance tire unless you're really going to be using the car on track/Auto-X frequently.

 

I love how these look. The specs are: SSR GTV01 18×9.5 +45 wheels, 215/35R18 front, 245/40R18 rear. Required some rolling and pulling but it sure looks good.

 

Beautiful CR!
Thanks for sharing this

 

Thanks for the response. You're right, that was vague. I'm new, not only to the S but to motorcare (at this level) as well as mod talk. Allow me to elaborate...

I don't want to change the stagger of the current setup all that much from stock. I've a lot to learn and think small changes are better for now. The ride needs to handle similarly to how it does now so I'm not looking for a slam of a drop or a change in stance too much. If I continue with 17" rims I can afford to lower the car by around 1.5" before I'd need to start faffing with arches and managing any rubbing, which I don't have the time, patience or know-how for. I also understand that any lower will lead to a need for a camber kit, which reverses the natural bending in (excuse my terminology - negative camber?) of the wheels as the chassis is lowered? That's correct right?

When I said springs, I think I meant coilovers, as aftermarket springs on stock shocks can probably do more harm than good after speaking with a mechanic.

In terms of wheels, I need to know what fits, and fits well roughly in line with the current stock set up of Front: 17" x 7.0", +55 offset, 215 tire and Rear: 17" x 8.5", +65 offset, 245 tire. It would be nice to hear of anyone whos looked at 18" wheels as that seems to look that bit better but is the loss in handling/turning circle noticeable enough to warrant not to do it. I don't drive hard and I stay away from the track so perhaps not.

In terms of styles, Enkei PF01 are more appealing that the RPF1 to me with the OZ models just seems that bit too much expensive. I think you're right Manga, I'll speak in the UK forums for any suggestions where I can grab a great deal from. I've searched for a few dealers and the prices I'm seeing for most of these are starting to fall outside my price bracket. Buying from ebay could be worthwhile, after I know what I'm doing.

Tyres are often over looked but I need something with some grip that's not gonna cost me the world.

Hope that's all OK

thanks

 

thanks Duffman. I've heard of somewone else mention Bilsteins in another post I read. This all need to be more street than track so they sound like the first point of call all considering.

OZ Allegritas, as mentioned in my response to Manga, are a little too expensive but guess worth the cash as they look great and a likely to be solid from OZ. I've not read up much on swaybars yet so forgive my lack of knowledge around that but have again heard that a square stance does change things and I need to be sure I know what I'm letting myself in for should I change anything like that too much. The wheels on the yellow S posted above look good, those are 18s so would need to know how that's going to effect handling if at all. The chassis looks too low for my liking but I'd have thought that was more of a show stance than for driving.

You'll probably tell by the tone of all this, I'm trying to make sure I know what I'm doing (as much as I can at least) before I do it. Appreciate the help thanks

 

Don't go 215 on a 9.5 rim. You could die

 

These also look good. Similar style to the OZ, but I'm not too convinced that the OZ is a strong wheel. Coming in at only 6.3kg for $300 that kind of sounds alarms in my head. They say you can have lightweight, cheap, and strong but you can only pick two. Lightweight and cheap won't be strong..

 

Though I also like the look of Regamaster Evo wheels on the s2000...



Tough find though in the right sizing..