bolt on enhancements

[lonestarbuzz]

This question pops up all the time in different variations. People want to know what mod they should do first or bang for buck, etc. I don't mind that, but what is a little frustrating is the 1,000,000,000 replies that say "save your money, only go FI" or "FI is the only way to get power and you're just a ricer if you try anything else."

That get's annoying. Yes, the car is spectacular out of the box. Mine is stock except for the shift knob and radio and I love it. (I am looking for an exhaust, so if you see something like an invidia q300 or tanabe super medallion hyper for sale for a good deal, let me know.)

I asked repiv at S2KCA if I could post one of his responses over here, he has given me his permission. This was in response to a question he received in a thread on bolt-on's and I think his answer is spot on. Most everyone knows about Dave, but if you don't, go spend some time in the xviper's den and you will learn more than you thought you could.

My point with this is that bolt ons do serve a purpose. No, you won't get 300HP from exhaust and intake, but you might notice some changes with certain products.

Originally Posted by repiv

Since it would address the OP's original question, my first "performance" mods on this car were intake (AEM) and cat back (Neuspeed). These didn't make a huge difference except to improve throttle response somewhat and to tailer the sound to my tastes (not to mention weight reduction). At the time, I was very happy with these. (My very first mod was a billet aluminum antenna that felt like it gave me another 10 whp. ) My next most favorite mod was the countersunk Voodoo shift knob. This lowered the shifter and shortened the throw to make shifting a quicker and more precise science. Getting lighter wheels (Volks CE) reduced the unsprung weight, which made the car feel more nimble and freed up some usable power. Then came the 4.44 rear gears. This alone, was the most noticable improvement in performance up to that point. All the rest (except for F/I) were for convenience, looks and pretty much pure "fluff".

If I had to do it all over again with an AP1, it would be intake, exhaust, Voodoo knob, 4.44 gears and AP2 transmission. Although F/I has been very good to me (very reliable and huge kick in the pants), looking back, I think I would have just saved the money. The power is thrilling but I don't use it that often. For me, it's a nice to have option, but no longer absolutely essential.

[gomarlins3]

Dave knows his stuff.

[lonestarbuzz]

He sure does. I've been a Dave fan since before I got my S.

[JDMzimbo]

Great post, thanks lonestar.

[RL1924]

I made a "newb thread" and got pretty flamed for it, this question does pop up every other day. I wouldn't care but if you do the SLIGHTEST bit of searching you can find out the answer.

[lonestarbuzz]

the point of this thread is to show that a respected S2K enthusiast is not going to say, "don't do bolt-ons." if you look at the recent threads, everyone is jumping on the op saying, "don't waste your money on bolt-ons."

i just think that we sometimes suffer from a severe case of group think and this specific topic is one of those times.

[Dr. Jimbo]

Try a Tornado or Turbinator. Put that in your intake. How it works is by wasting your money thereby decreasing how much money you have in your wallet which in turn making your wallet lighter and therefore making your car lighter and thus, increasing performance.

[takeshi]

Repiv's great but, still, there are countless newbies on every S2000 discussion forum site with unrealistic expectations of significant power gains from bolt ons. It's pretty rare in my experience to see a thread from a newbie that isn't just looking for HP. For those unusual threads, I definitely agree though.

[Red Stwokay]

HONDA'S got the S dialed in right from the box. Not much you can do for more HP other than turbo or super charger. I hear super is best. No personal experience with either.

I just put the Invidia Q300 V4 on my S but unlike everyone else my HP gain was an additional 250 HP.

You all get I'm joking I hope... Anyway it did improve the breathing and once the computer fully understands maybe I'll get a wee bit better performance. It'll probably help gas milage a wee bit as well. Weight though is a nice cut to 49.6 pounds total on the system. The wonderful exhaust note does make you think it runs better. It's sweet sounding, not thunderously loud, but a very pleasant quality sports car sound. I say it's what they should sound like right from HONDA.

Probably won't change anything else. I'm stock other than the Invidia which isn't radical anyway... I really don't think I'd be comfortable changing the intake like some do but I'd never say never. I've looked it over many times and HONDA did a good job with it. HONDA'S exhaust from a quality stand point is better as well but the sound just never seemed right to me, hence the Invidia...

[Neil]

F1 will change the outlook on your Honda warrenty, and most of all your insurance