there is plenty that can be gained with work to an s2000, the question is what is the purpose of the build. dropping the stock exhaust for a lighter single or titanium system not only frees up a few hp but also eliminates quite a bit of weight. a good intake and header along with some tuning to go with the exhaust will net you in the neighborhood of 20whp...you won't really need much beyond that. all the large companies produce suspension and chassis parts as well to stiffen up the handling. the aftermarket is large, just many people aren't aware of how big it really is.

 

Do you have any actual dyno graphs of otherwise stock S2000's that made +20 rwhp on just i/h/e and maybe a VAFC2?

 

I've seen a dyno video with i/h/e/testpipe/vafc making 228rwhp at s2ki.

 

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=657083

18whp with header and aem ems only

 

DUDE, forget what these people are saying right now! The 06 has been blessed because the ECU for the 06 can be reflashed by Hondata. Go to Hondata.com and look at the gains you're going to get with a reflashed ECU. All the other years can only dream of such a thing happening. It's around 600 bucks but a complete bang for the buck mod. Increased redline, huge increase in midrange power, vtec kicks in sooner, and the vtec dip is eliminated! Combine that with a bigger final drive and you're looking at a mid 13 sec car with an average driver no problem!

 

I've owned S2000 since February of 2000. I bought it on a very special deal and had to wait a few months to take possession.

Outside of the factory and mule cars, it was the first running with a Comptech supercharger (serial number 0003). It was also the first to have a VAFC installed. I tried lots of mods along the way; mostly Mugen.

If I had to list mods by priority I'd say:

1. Mod the driver (drive it a lot and take it to a few HPDE days to learn it's characteristics)
2. Final Drive (suggest 4.57 gear ratio. The guys at www.hardtopguy.com run some great deals.)
3. Adjustable coilovers.
4. Reflash
5. Sticky tires
6. If you still need more.....Supercharger with aftercooler or water injection (gaseous intercooling)
7. Reflash again

The money (and I spent a healthy five figures on mine) that you spend on headers, exhaust, pullys and such are clearly the least effective for the cost. I started out with Mugen header and exhaust. I ended up with stock and found no difference on the dyno with a supercharger.

I now have an MY04 and it's stock. I may do a final drive but I'm not sure. That is likely to be the only mod. It's very capable on the track just the way it comes from the showroom.

BTW - If you go to the S2KI.com forum, my handle there is hecash.

 

FYI, My car is a Suzuka Blue '06. Here're some simple but sometimes very effective ideas to start with.

1. Modifry's RPM/Redline Shift buzzer - My 1991 RX-7 came with a shift buzzer stock, and I became addicted to it. I found Modifry's and installed, so now I have that on my S2000; very nice.
2. X-Brace - You can really feel the difference as less (undamped) bounciness over rough roads. I choose Rick's.
3. (Custom) Alignment - Set to your preferred specs. I prefer less rear camber for a street machine, so adjusted mine near the minimum spec (-1 is minimum, actually I used -0.9). The rear end feels much more stable, plus, much better tire wear. (Also feels better putting down lots of power during turns as both tires have good ground contact.)
4. (Custom) Valve Adjustment - Increase engine acceleration smoothness, increase throttle response crispness, increase full power especially 4-6k (e.g. below vtec), lose some power below 2k (doesn't matter though). Use minimum factory specs (0.008 intake & 0.010 exhaust). I had mine done at 4500 (4.5k) miles, and would do it again in a heart beat - really worth it.
5. Air Box Modification - increase throttle response (cut out internal divider, remove air flow directors), get better sound (block resonator port). Reported at 2-3 hp increase. Can't beat free hp.
6. Throttle body coolant bypass - decrease temps at throttle body (maybe don't do if worried about throttle icing due to operation in cold weather).
7. Coolant mixture - Improve engine performance in warm weather. Reduce/eliminate "kangaroo" effect on hot days. Drain some coolant and replace with (pure, distilled) water to acheive a 70/30 mixture or so. 70/30 is good down to about +4 deg F, I think. (Obviously don't do if you have a snowy winter.) Use Redline Water Wetter (NOTE: if you do this, especially if you use the WW, you must flush & change your coolant at least every 15k; I choose every 10k / once a year. It's worth it though.)
8. Experiment with fuel - 91 octane is the best we have here in CA, but still I have options. Here's a comparison of my available fuels. 91 Chevron: smooth, high driveablity, good on low end, but can't hardly tell when crossing into VTEC. 91 Shell: explodes into VTEC, there's no missing VTEC engagement!! somewhat less drivability in low end - a bit of occasional stumbling at less than 3k rpm (though coolant mixture and valve adjustment basically cure this). I choose the 91 Shell. (NOTE: both of these gasolines are TOP TIER.)

 

So you really can tell a power difference between different brands of gas, and a slightly different valve lash setting? I find this hard to believe.

 

I notice a bit between 91 and 94 at full throttle. Glad we get 94 octane.

 

That I could understand. With 94, the ECU wouldn't have to pull as much timing. However, noticing a difference between brands of gas is kind of a stretch...as is the valve lash setting.