Ozy's Supercharged S2000 Date: January 14, 2003 Article: Norm | More by this author

2001 Honda S2000 Owner: Ozy Location: Fremont, CA Website: http://www.carandmodel.com 301.5 rwhp , 202 ft/lbs rwtq   Question & Answer What made you decide on an S2000? I have always drooled over this car even way back when it was shown as a concept car in the mid 90's. I had always dreamed of owning this car, and eventually it became a reality! Rear wheel drive, 50/50 balancing, nimble go-kart handling, 9000 rpm redline, what else could I ask for? The S2000 was Honda's gift to itself celebrating it's successful race car history. So why blown? Why not? Actually, this is the first car I've owned that I actually heavily modified the engine. None of my other cars would have become as "silly-fast" as this did after dropping $5k into making it a super rocket. 4.2 0-60, 12.6 1/4 mile time! Gotta love that! Your car isn't heavily modified externally, but the CF hood lets people know that there's something you're hiding. What were your reasons behind that? The CF hood was for show. I don't believe in modifying a car if it actually degrades it's performance. The CF hood wasn't really necessary. The stock hood is 17lbs, the CF hood is 7. I wanted to match up the black and yellow colors. Carbon fiber hoods are either a love-it or hate-it thing. I think it looks good. You've put so much into the engine, why not the suspension? Many magazine reviews and postings have revealed that lowering the car introduced worse oversteer, and the S2000 already has a very twitchy rear end. I feel Honda did an amazing job matching the race suspension with street drivability. What's next? Well, I've always thought the hardtop looked nice, but since it adds weight, and I wouldn't have a place to store it in the summer, I don't think I'll get it. Plus, this is a ragtop. There is nothing better than flying down Highway 1 on the Cali Coast, top down, hair blowing in the wind, and the F1 sounding engine filling the air. My next purchase is the upcoming intercooler kit from Comptech. It will give me another 25 to 35 rwhp. Why Comptech and not Vortech? I've been asked this question many times. First of all, Comptech has been building Honda Indy engines for quite some time. They know their stuff around the F1 circuit. Comptech's approach to their kit is no hidden surprise. Quality components tested thoroughly to verify longevity. The kit has quite a bit of heat soak. Because of that, my first run is my best run at the track. This is because the S2000's ECU is pretty aggressive at retarding timing to protect the high compression motor. I am ok with that because it is safeguarding my engine. In order to keep that from happening you need to reduce heat. An intercooler or aftercooler kit is the solution. Vortech's kit is slightly different. They try to make more midrange torque by using a blower with different boost characteristics. They then use an electronic "fix" to prevent the ECU from retarding the engine so aggressively. I personally feel this is a risk that I am not willing to take. I have had the Comptech kit on my car for about 30,000 miles now, and besides one broken belt, I haven't had a single problem with it. Not to mention that the whole Comptech crew (Bob & Shad especially) have the best customer service and satisfaction I have ever seen. They stand behind their products and will work with you through any issues that might arise. I am not getting anything for saying this, trust me, this is how they are. Comptech is also one of the ONLY brands of aftermarket equipment that can be purchased directly from Honda when you buy a new car from them. This should be a strong indicator also! I'm not saying that Vortech can't be similar, as they do have a strong history in the supercharger industry, but I don't want to be their guinea pig while they work the problems out of their new kit. Another reason is that the Comptech kit is CARB legal in California and does not violate any laws. The Vortech kit does not currently have CARB certification. This is a big issue if you get pulled over and asked to pop the hood! Why no pics of your stereo? Well, my trunk is small. And since this is my daily driver, space is very valuable. I built a custom fiberglass box to replace the stock location where the jack used to be and fit a single Eclipse 12" sub in there. It sounds amazing. The amp is attached to the back wall as well. But since I need the space, everything is stealth. It is covered to protect the equipment yet let me use my trunk for storage. So there really isn't anything to see! It still bumps though! What other cars do or have you owned? My first car was a '99 Honda Civic EX. I bought it just a few months before the SI came out. The dealer denied the existance of the upcoming SI and I got burned. I then bought a '00 Prelude Type SH, traded in my EX and got an '00 Civic SI as well. As my income improved, I was able to save up enough and buy my dream car S2K. I then sold my SI & Prelude and bought a WRX Wagon as my practical counterpart to the S2000. So what are some of your best stories about the car? Well, hmmm.. The car is amazingly fast. Its highend performance is quite impressive with the blower. The car is hard to launch, but once its going, its a monster. I've chased a Z06 up to 165mph before I was scared to death and shut down. He was still pulling, but just barely. I spun out on 880 once. The car has some pretty touchy bump steer. I was merging onto 880 south at Winton in Hayward. There was a very large height change of about 4 to 5 inches that I didn't see. When I dropped down, the car lost it and I spun a 360 into the middle of 880. I was VERY lucky no one was around. I think I aged about 2 years instantly!   Car Specs Engine and Drivetrain APEXi V-AFC Comptech CatBack Exhaust Comptech Spark Plug Cover Comptech Supercharger Comptech Aftercooler Comptech Oil Cap Denso Iridium Spark Plugs Greddy Type S Blow-Off Valve Hose Techniques Show Kit RM Racing full engine billet kit Suspension Comptech Rear Lower Tie Bar Comptech Upper Tower Brace Spoon X-Brace Exterior Fiber Images Carbon Fiber Hood Grillcraft 3-piece Front Grills Honda OEM Front Spoiler Honda OEM Rear Spoiler JDM Sidemarkers Interior Comptech Dead Pedal Defi Boost & Fuel Pressure Gauges In-Car Entertainment (I.C.E.) JVC KD-SH99 Head Unit MB Quart Components Eclipse 88120.4 Sub Custom Stealth Fiberglass box Rockford Fosgate 800.4 amp Valentine 1 Radar w/ Remote Display & Sound relocation Sponsors and Shouts-out Shad @ Comptech for being "Da Man"! Diablo Autosports in Livermore for all the goodies.

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