Joined
·
6,352 Posts
Here's my new ride, an '02 S2000 Spa Yellow Pearl. The 2.0L with the 9000rpm redline.
beans2000
Modifications:
If shit breaks/To-Do List:[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
vs '04 Mazdaspeed Miata impressions:
Shift feel and acceleration feels like an MSM, very mechanical and rough during city driving. Freeway up/downshifting is great with the s2k. Miata has lots of grip and a hint of understeer during turns while my s2k is a bit tail happy- something I have to learn to exploit later on. I thought the steering on the MSM was precise and quick, boy was I wrong, this one definitely beats that. My only gripe is that the cabin sounds like you're in a u-haul truck while accelerating from a stop; the MSM however is very loud due to the exhaust, which gets quite unbearable on the freeway. A/C is way better on the S2k.
vs my old '04 3s sedan
Hitting those Botts bumps on the freeway feels like my 3's when I had my pro-kit + RX8 wheels on and the tire pressure set high... but a little more harsh. I have to make a conscious effort to miss as much of them as possible, even with the 16" wheels. Thanks to the 3's smooth shifter, I've been spoiled and have to "re-learn" shifting on the s2k. This one has to be either revved high or you have to shift quickly or else you'll get a nice nudge. The s2k has a cable driven TB, so throttle response is instantaneous, which means very quick downshifting
Sweet spot on the freeway on the 3 was 80mph with all my mods; with the s2k, i can happily cruise at 70 and it still feels like it's pulling stronger than the 3. Could be the weight and Cd playing a big part? Having the A/C and a passenger on the 3 feels slow-- not the case with the s2k, which is really surprising. The interior sucks and I can't find a place to put anything. The worst thing is the HU and speakers. Anything that comes out of the speakers sound like it's an MP3 being played by my cell. It's that bad. That will have to go.
Future plans:
Several baseline dyno runs of course I'm glad that bolt-ons do little on the already tuned FC20. The money I save will go to tires and some Volk TE37s. Soon, I gotta take out the exhaust resonator(s) and fiddle with the intake resonator or get an intake to make it sound a little more aggressive. I'm not too sure why honda made the engine so quiet. I'll possibly get a Comptech supercharger kit down the line.
Overall:
Big blind spots when you have the top up, so you'd really have to be careful if you're the kind of driver who changes 2 lanes over. Also, backing up safely is a bit of a challenge due to the small "window" on the soft top. I like the on-off vtec. I can cruise normally shifting at 3-4k during normal driving, then wind it up on the freeway.
![]()
![]()
CURRENT MOD: VOLK RACING TE37 + RAYS LUGS
![]()
HKS HI-POWER CAT-BACK
![]()
REPLACED RADIO DOOR TO '04
![]()
COMPTECH STRUT BAR SOLD
![]()
![]()
"Old" pics:
I apologize for the all amber lighting. It was way too windy to be fixing the settings on my camera and some people were watching me take pics :?
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Here are my stock and K&N drop-in dynos.
Looks like my stock run is around: [email protected]/[email protected] With the new filter it went up by a little bit to [email protected]/[email protected] with the whole graph gaining 1-2hp/tq throughout while running richer. I'm not sure how fast the ECU adjusts, but I was only able to do 2 runs with the mod. I drove to the shop with the stock filter to get a real baseline. The drop-in sounded throatier at the lower rpms but got REALLY loud when it hit VTEC.
The readings kept cutting out just after 7k then picking up just before peak. They tried reading from the other coils but it just kept spiking. The same thing happens with the RX8 dyno files. The HP readings are more consistent if I change the bottom to MPH instead of RPM- which could be why some magazine's s2k dyno tech show MPH instead of RPM.
I wanted to request a run without the intake box lid and the hood down to see how heat soak really affects the filter, but I was already over the 3-run limit I'll try that next time for giggles.
I'm planning to pick up the HKS Hi-Power dual. It sounds as good as the Comptech and 2/3 the price, but it's probably just as heavy if not heavier due to the extra long resonator in the back of it. The Veilside teardrop arrived (4lbs total shipping weight) but I'm having second thoughts on installing it cause I still need to find a shop that can weld Ti. I have a good idea on how to repair it with a stainless sleeve to keep costs down though... still undecided on that.
![]()
![]()
![]()
beans2000
Modifications:
vs '04 Mazdaspeed Miata impressions:
Shift feel and acceleration feels like an MSM, very mechanical and rough during city driving. Freeway up/downshifting is great with the s2k. Miata has lots of grip and a hint of understeer during turns while my s2k is a bit tail happy- something I have to learn to exploit later on. I thought the steering on the MSM was precise and quick, boy was I wrong, this one definitely beats that. My only gripe is that the cabin sounds like you're in a u-haul truck while accelerating from a stop; the MSM however is very loud due to the exhaust, which gets quite unbearable on the freeway. A/C is way better on the S2k.
vs my old '04 3s sedan
Hitting those Botts bumps on the freeway feels like my 3's when I had my pro-kit + RX8 wheels on and the tire pressure set high... but a little more harsh. I have to make a conscious effort to miss as much of them as possible, even with the 16" wheels. Thanks to the 3's smooth shifter, I've been spoiled and have to "re-learn" shifting on the s2k. This one has to be either revved high or you have to shift quickly or else you'll get a nice nudge. The s2k has a cable driven TB, so throttle response is instantaneous, which means very quick downshifting
Sweet spot on the freeway on the 3 was 80mph with all my mods; with the s2k, i can happily cruise at 70 and it still feels like it's pulling stronger than the 3. Could be the weight and Cd playing a big part? Having the A/C and a passenger on the 3 feels slow-- not the case with the s2k, which is really surprising. The interior sucks and I can't find a place to put anything. The worst thing is the HU and speakers. Anything that comes out of the speakers sound like it's an MP3 being played by my cell. It's that bad. That will have to go.Future plans:
Overall:
Big blind spots when you have the top up, so you'd really have to be careful if you're the kind of driver who changes 2 lanes over. Also, backing up safely is a bit of a challenge due to the small "window" on the soft top. I like the on-off vtec. I can cruise normally shifting at 3-4k during normal driving, then wind it up on the freeway.
CURRENT MOD: VOLK RACING TE37 + RAYS LUGS
HKS HI-POWER CAT-BACK
REPLACED RADIO DOOR TO '04
"Old" pics:
I apologize for the all amber lighting. It was way too windy to be fixing the settings on my camera and some people were watching me take pics :?
Here are my stock and K&N drop-in dynos.
Looks like my stock run is around: [email protected]/[email protected] With the new filter it went up by a little bit to [email protected]/[email protected] with the whole graph gaining 1-2hp/tq throughout while running richer. I'm not sure how fast the ECU adjusts, but I was only able to do 2 runs with the mod. I drove to the shop with the stock filter to get a real baseline. The drop-in sounded throatier at the lower rpms but got REALLY loud when it hit VTEC.
The readings kept cutting out just after 7k then picking up just before peak. They tried reading from the other coils but it just kept spiking. The same thing happens with the RX8 dyno files. The HP readings are more consistent if I change the bottom to MPH instead of RPM- which could be why some magazine's s2k dyno tech show MPH instead of RPM.
I wanted to request a run without the intake box lid and the hood down to see how heat soak really affects the filter, but I was already over the 3-run limit
I'll try that next time for giggles.I'm planning to pick up the HKS Hi-Power dual. It sounds as good as the Comptech and 2/3 the price, but it's probably just as heavy if not heavier due to the extra long resonator in the back of it. The Veilside teardrop arrived (4lbs total shipping weight) but I'm having second thoughts on installing it cause I still need to find a shop that can weld Ti. I have a good idea on how to repair it with a stainless sleeve to keep costs down though... still undecided on that.
