How to start beefing up the S -- rookie thread

[selvi]

Hey There guys!

I just went through the threads -- but could not find a match on the question/s. I just got a S '06 and am happy with it the fastest thing ive ever driven -- although the craving for speed never ends and i want to beef it up pretty soon, and being a rookie i thought ill take your advices because you seem to be knowing a lot about this stuff...

i was wondering i would start a sticky thread that could be up for a while for other rookies like me to lookup -

The S is my only car now and does a great job of a daily commute for a total of about 20 miles. I don't plan on taking it too long (> 200 mi per day) Keep in mind when you read these questions that

1) First id like to work on the looks of the car (exterior). I got about $2K to spend on exterior.. What would be a good kit for a black S. Is the Veilside aero kit worth it - i see atleast a couple here who have it - do you guys like it... where do i buy it? and are there other options?

2) Then id like to work on the perf... When should i start doing performance mods on my car? i got it about a week ago and already got 1K miles on it.. should i start right away (in about 2 months once i save up some cash) or should i wait till some golden odometer value?

3) Since i have limited income and whatever i spend ill be saving for it(probably 10K for the whole perf mods) -- what is the order of the perf mods, should i start from modding the Air intake and then the Engine (T/c or S/c) and then the exhaust manifolds and all the way down through the mufflers/ exhausts... or is it the reverse?

4) i almost decided to go with the comptech S/C when i figured out that they still don't got the version for '06. i know a lot of guys here like T/C but i don't got the extra cash to spend... im okay with lags or high rev boosts -- since the S/C sounds more reliable and easier to install... for the amount i described about what would be a good option?

5) What do you guys think about rick's 4.57 gear set - howmuch of a gain is it providing practically? is it worth it? can anyone who tried it let me know?

6) Also have any of you programmed the ECU to kick in the VTEC earlier? is it risky? what brand of programmer do you guys think is good - is it the APEXi?

7) Finally a question about tuning? with all these parts in -- how frequent do you guys tune your S?

I live in the South bay (Sunnyvalle?/ Santaclara) California, which mechanic does the best job here any referalls?

Finally, thanks guys for taking the time to read and reply to this - i hope this thread sticks around for a while for a good rookie start..

thanks again.

KTK

[pvr3384]

as an aspiring S2k owner, i only have limited knowledge of nice mods to the car. I do know that cold air intakes (around $300) really give the car a beautiful purrr and supposedly add a little more HP. That might be a thought.

Good luck!

[smihalik]

if your really serious about forced induction make sure you beef up your rear diff, it wont be able to handle more than 50 or so more hp without running into serious problems. personally i would never turbo or sc my car. too much wear and tear. n/a all the way. intake,headers, exhaust, and ecu is all you need. trust me the car will be fast as hell. oh, not to mention forced induction is f'ing expensive and will kill your resale value since no one wants to buy a car that has had the shit kicked out of it.

[Halo]

Originally Posted by smihalik

if your really serious about forced induction make sure you beef up your rear diff, it wont be able to handle more than 50 or so more hp without running into serious problems. personally i would never turbo or sc my car. too much wear and tear. n/a all the way. intake,headers, exhaust, and ecu is all you need. trust me the car will be fast as hell. oh, not to mention forced induction is f'ing expensive and will kill your resale value since no one wants to buy a car that has had the **** kicked out of it.

Not quite. 13K on my diff with the SC and no problems. I don't do clutch drops, however.

The CT SC is removable and leaves no visible traces of ever having been installed. The Vortech does have a hole in the oilpan so you may need to purchase a new one to put it completely back to stock.

There is quite a market for used SC's, currently I have 2 people that PM me on a regular basis to see if I'm going to sell the car and therefore have removed the mods. When you're ready to sell, demod the car and trade it in as a stock S2000. Sell the mods separetely.

[gomarlins3]

Originally Posted by smihalik

if your really serious about forced induction make sure you beef up your rear diff, it wont be able to handle more than 50 or so more hp without running into serious problems. .

Completely false. Many boosted S2K's have the stock rear end. I also have a stock '04 diff in my car with 4.77's and have not had a problem. Like the previous poster, I do not do clutch drops and rarely spin my rear tires when I leave the line at an autoX. It does happen, but I try to limit it to be safe. Drag racing from a dig is out. I would like to reinforce the diff with the CT items, but do not feel I HAVE to do it.