Daily Slideshow: Building a BSP S2000 on a Budget

Picking your Car

Opinions are like elbows, almost everybody has one or two of them, but the most interesting ones (opinions, not elbows) come from people who put in the work and have something to show for it. Forum member steguis, owner of the S2000 Tom O'Gorman drove to the BSP (B Street Prepared) SCCA Solo National Championship in 2017, was generous enough to share his recipe for campaigning a competitive BSP S2000 in his recent blog post, and what follows is the CliffsNotes version of how to do that, for only a modest premium over the cost of running in STR (Street Touring Roadster, aka "the S2000 class").

To finish first, you must have a car in which to finish. Steguis is pretty chill on which iteration you pick, as long as it's either an AP1 (2000-2003) or AP2V1 (2004-2005) S2000—he says to stick with the earlier cars to keep costs down. Whichever gen. you choose, be aware that you're going to be cutting and stretching the fenders, so keep that in mind. He notes that the AP1 has a reputation for twitchier handling due to the rear suspension geometry, but his car, Bumblestock, is an AP1 that he's set it up to capitalize on that characteristic, so it's a horse apiece in his opinion. "But the engines are so different," we hear you saying. True...which brings us to point number 2.

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Engine/Trans/Rack Combo

AP1 and AP2V1 drivetrains are interchangeable, which is going to come in handy because whichever car you chose, you're about to do some swapping. The hot set-up combines the AP2's F22C engine with an AP1 transmission. The F22C's 2.2-liter capacity gives you a midrange torque bump over the F20C's 2.0-liter, but since it doesn't rev as high you'll want the AP1 transmission's higher ratios to let you stay in the all-important-for-autocrossing 2nd gear longer. Steguis says that, combined with a tune and adjusting the rev limit into the 8600-8800rpm region, you should be able to hit 67-ish mph in 2nd—invaluable on faster courses. While you're doing the swap be sure to replace the stock engine and trans mounts with 75A polyurethane units, and if you went with an AP2 chassis you're going to want to swap in the Ap1's faster, S2000CR-like, steering rack as well.

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Differential

One last thing to check when doing the engine/trans swap is the condition of the clutch. If you have to change the clutch, steguis suggests sticking with an OEM unit but with an ACT HD pressure plate and recommends using an AP1 flywheel, which cuts 8 lbs of rotating mass. Another stock piece he likes is the Torsen differential but thinks a 1.5-way clutch type LSD is slightly more predictable and is better suited to BSP. S2000 differentials are prone to failure, so steguis also recommends having a spare, but cautions that the AP1 and AP2 have different driveshaft flanges, so make sure your spare will bolt up.

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Engine Mods

The SCCA keeps the lid on BSP builds when it comes to engine modifications, but a few permissible mods are essential to turning in competitive times. The basics are intake and exhaust—change the factory intake to a K&N FIPK setup, and ditch the OEM exhaust manifold for a header that's lighter and makes more power. Steguis recommends the very J's Racing-like PLM header, and if you aren't going to be street driving the car, swap in a 70mm test pipe to go with the 70mm single side exhaust you'll be adding. If money is no object you can get around 10 extra horsepower by going with a different, larger intake manifold and throttle body, but it's not a must-do. What is a must though, is utilizing a standalone AEM EMS Series 2 or Haltech Pro Plugin ECU and taking it to a performance tuner to set up.

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Suspension

If you were already racing in STR, there's a good chance you'll already have done most of the suspension mods needed for BSP. Those include running stiffer springs (steguis runs 1000lb springs up front and 900lb in the rear) with dual adjustable Moton, MCS, Penske, or JRZ shocks. Sway bars front and rear are a must (steguis recommends Karcepts bars), as is a way to add more front camber. BSP allows Hardrace offset camber joints, and to make your life easier steguis strongly recommends checking the caster bolts for movement because if they're seized you may have to either replace the complete lower control arms or cut the bolts off and replace the bushings with stiffer Mugen items. 

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Rolling Stock

It's autocross, so we don't have to tell you how important tires are. The SCCA gets that too, so they left wheel and tire specifications unlimited. Steguis doesn't mince words when it comes to tires: "Hoosier A7, no question." For the rear you're going wide: 315/30/18; up front, it's more open to personal preference: 285/30/18, 295/30/18 or 315/30/18. Here's where this BSP business gets serious—the offset required to fit tires this wide on an S2000 mean you're buying custom wheels rather than anything off the shelf, steguis likes CCW and Forgeline wheels. Step two is getting your fenders over those wheels and tires. As steguis says, "you will have to pull (I mean aggressively pull) your front fenders and cut your rear fenders and add some overfenders so it looks clean. This is the part that makes most people hesitate about moving to BSP because you can't really go back." Luckily, you'll be in good company since many S2000 owners have done the same surgery on their cars and there's an ample aftermarket providing over fender options.

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Odds and Ends

With those drastic operations over, there's not a lot left to do. Because of the reasonable top speeds involved, and the importance of carrying speed through the corners, brakes aren't a make-or-break item in autocrossing so OEM Honda units are all you need—though braided steel lines are a good idea, as are pads with more bite because those Hoosiers you just put on will be giving you loads more grip to contend with. Since your S2000 is going to be tossing you around like a go-cart now, you'll be happier and safer if you install a good racing seat, rails, and belts. In his blog entry, steguis breaks down the prices for most of the mods and answers some FAQs to boot. He figures that the bottom line is maybe $5K over the price of an STR build since the biggest changes from one class to the next are the wheels/tires/fenders. Whether you're looking for a little more excitement and are ready to move up a class, or you want to jump in with both feet, let's hear it for steguis taking the time to jot down this cookbook for our benefit—just promise that if you nudge him out for this year's championship you'll add another chapter.

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