2 weeks of ownership and ready to void my warranty

[gas pedalphile]

Im just in my 2nd week of ownership of a brand new 2006 Laguna Blue S. Got a really great deal because there were two 2006's left (and I just started as a salesman at that dealership after a couple of years of selling Nissans.) Anyway, I traded in my 2000 Mazda Miata which has given me years of excellent service despite my best efforts to break it. With only 6000 miles on the odo I installed a Jackson Racing supercharger (M45). After about six months I upped the bost with a smaller nose pulley. A couple more months and a larger crank pulley added a couple more pounds of boost. An air-water intercooler and piggyback ecu with 4 injectors and auxillary fuel rail went on simultaneously. After a brief fling with that setup the supercharger came off and a turbo went on running between 7-15lbs of boost. Many a Mustang GT owner was crushed beneath those Kumho 215s on Enkei RPF-1's, as were a veritable menagerie of other cars.
I really love the way this car looks. I love the way it handles. I love the way it is a drivers car. I could almost leave the car exactly the way it is...but somehow the extra 0.4 liters of dis placement that the s2000 has over my miata is telling me that whatever a boosted Miata could do, a boosted S2000 can do 0.4 times better. So now that I have found a wellspring of information I plan to tap into it. Forgive the NOOB questions that will shortly follow. Please dont flame me too much.

[Java Junky]

Welcome aboard Gas. I'm not familiar with "flamin'" but if it's like good ol' fashioned "bustin" you may find some good-natured stuff bein' thrown your way on occassion. But most realize that when one dishes, one must expect to be dished back on, yes?
Anyway, from your experiences with your Miata, I don't expect that you're gonna be askin' any questions that don't need askin' n' you certainly don't godda apologize. (Unless a'course it makes you feel better, in which case, knock yerself out)
Lookin' forward to you posts.
Be well.
Java

[gomarlins3]

Welcome to the site. Enjoy the drive.

[gotittoday]

im about 3 week owner of an 01'
yes i agree with the jaw dropping beatuty and the amazing drive it offers
although boost is nowhere to be found in my future ownership

id haveto say you shouldnt be felt any bit lost of info with your plans

and

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!

[john]

Welcome and keep it real, real close to the edge!

[Bubblerboy64]

Well, You're just the guy to ask. How do you compare the s2000 to the Nissan 350Z car. Pro's cons one to the other. Just interested in your opinion since you would no doubt be familiar with both. Performance, ride quality, handling, overall satisfaction of ownership. If you could have just one which one? Etc. JEH

[gas pedalphile]

Well Bubblerboy, I bought an S2000 after one month of employment at a Honda dealership. I was never seriously tempted to purchase a 350Z despite two years at a Nissan dealership. For me the 350Z was an average sports car. It did not seem to have any single defining strength. It did everything a sports car should do with an obvious sense of mediocrity. That is not a bad thing. It means that it is a well rounded car. But for me, if you can't have the fastest car, then get the quickest one (quick and fast are two different values). If you can't get the quickest one, get the one that handles the best. Excell at something. Ultimately it would be wonderful to have everything you ever wanted in your sports car - but the Bugatti Veyron is out of most peoples reach. So you have to make some compromises. The Honda S2000 compromises power. I still cringe at the thought that a v6 Accord makes more. But...its handling inspires an insane confidence that it makes me feel that I can yank the steering wheel all the way to the left and pivot the car around the front tires 180 degrees while doing 70 down the interstate. The gearbox is a joy to work. And even the feeling of the slight horsepower deficiency is allayed by the knowledge that only four cylinders are under the hood and they are working at peak efficiency.

The 350Z makes more power than the S2000 but is noticeably heavier. The extra weight makes it feels like you are driving through mud. It does have
good low end pull. So if you live in a large city and are cursed to get stopped at every traffic light, and you like to run full-on for a city block - stop at the light and when it turns green do it all over again...you would prefer the 350Z.

The S2000 top takes about 5 seconds to raise and lower...the 350z takes about 20 seconds. Fit and finish on the s2000 - particularly the interior seems to be better. There is a kind of cheapness about the interior of the Z. The shifter is appreciably better on the S2000. It "snicks" into place and the Z "clunks" into place. The Z has a lot of bracing...a shock/strut tower brace in front and the same in the rear cargo area, but the car still doesnt seem as stiff as the S.

I could go on, but my fingers are getting tired as are some peoples eyes.

[mrossi]

Hi "gas". I bought a 2006 S2K last year, and fell in love with the car, but wanted more power, and started a turbo project with unfortunate results to date. Let me share my experience, and I woul be grateful for any information you or others could share. Apologies for the long message, and I'm sure I'll get flamed for my predicament, but here goes. I got a recommendation from my Honda dealer for a tuner. I hired the tuner to put the turbo on it. He bought a turbo kit for me, and told the supplier the car was a 2006 S2K. He was assured the turbo kit would work. It didn't. The 2006 S2K, unlike 2005 and earlier models, does not have a fuel return line, which was needed for the turbo kit purchased. My tuner guy said, "no problem," we can install fuel injectors, a "piggy back" EMU and then dyno tune it. I said "okay" and spent more more on these parts. Unfortunely, the dyno tuner's electrician could not get the "piggy back" EMU that was purchased to work; he advised me that, unlike the 2005 and earlier models, the 2006 S2K is "drive by wire" and that he was not aware of any EMU that would work with the 2006 S2K. Since then, I've read that the EMU in the stock 2006 S2K is "programmable." So I can't tell if no "piggy back" EMU is needed, and you just program the stock EMU, or you need to use an EMU that works with the 2006 S2K. I'm stuck on this project, with a brand new car sitting in my garage that cannot be used until I resolve these problems. Does anybody have any answers? Mike