It's been a while since I got some work done on the car and although the handling part of my setup probably makes the biggest difference, I've always hoped to improve the naturally aspirated performance of the engine. Unfortunately, being a relatively low production car with a bespoke platform, the costs of R&D to produce products for the S2000 for all motor power would be much higher which results in the offerings of products being either limited or not delivering much results for the money.
It's well known that many exhausts and exhaust manifolds routinely lose power or make low single digit gains when tested on the S2000, so most owners tend to just buy them for weight savings. The offerings on the intake side of things include the usual bored out or bigger throttle bodies, intake systems and individual throttle bodies (ITB) but none of these make significant gains in power on the F22C. ITB's cost big money and require a standalone ECU which brings the bill pretty close to 5 digit while generally being more effort to maintain from a tuning standpoint. Intake systems and throttle body mods don't make much gains even after tuning and most owners say they are happy with just a few hp gain (if any!).
This is how my engine bay has pretty much always looked
That massive hunk of carbon is the Password JDM carbon intake and when tuned it did get some small gains so I pretty much left the intake side of things like this for many years since I did not want to get CEL issues or stuck throttle plates from a throttle body mod. I ruled out ITB as well due to the high cost and the maintenance required. A reasonably priced off the shelf intake manifold solution did not exist since the options that were available were mostly unsuitable for NA setups causing performance loss at the mid range which would be bad news for track performance.
I then came across the PracWorks Carbon intake manifold for the K series which seemed to deliver excellent gains at a reasonable price point.
I reached out to PracWorks Carbon and started discussing on the possibility of a such an item being made available for the S2000. After some back and forth on dimensions, design, potential interest level and protoyping, PracWorks Carbon delivered this quality item to me for fitment on my ride!
Here's my video review that I did
The finish of the product and quality looks amazing in person and my iphone camera resolution does not do it justice. The pre-preg carbon fibre and billet machining are top notch quality so far the looks and quality its already worth every cent a showpiece. However, this has not been made as a pretty paperweight and here's why:
Looking into the inside of the plenum you find velocity stacks on the runners to increase airflow speed
The quality finish on inside of the runners and the tapering of the runners towards the head all help to keep airspeed up
The massive plenum is 6 litres in volume a welcome upgrade as the stock S2000 intake manifold is restrictive and limits power. When I placed a 1.5 litre drink bottle for a size comparison, you can see how the plenum absolutely dwarfs the bottle.
Can't wait to get the result of tuning this on the dyno which will happen pretty soon so keep a look out for me reporting back with the gains I hopefully am able to realize. Wish me luck!
Update:
I did some comparison to the stock intake manifold:
Weight: Both stock and PracWorks intake manifold weigh in around 4.5kg.
Runner lengths : stock manifold is about 15.5 cm or about 6 inches, PracWorks is about 12.5 cm or about 5 inches so the PracWorks is about 1 inch shorter than stock
Had a few queries from pre DBW S2000 owners on the IAC fitment and PracWorks kindly shared how the IAC is fitted to this manifold
Thanks to:
PracWorks Carbon for taking a chance for S2000 production
The S2000 is already about 10 years past the last date of production and despite model year updates, it has by and large has been similar to its launch back in 1999 which puts it about 20 years old in terms of technology. Current day competitors like the Toyota/Subaru/Scion GT86/BRZ/FR-S and the ND model Mazda Miata MX5 have updated technology incorporated into their construction and this has reflected in their superior performance numbers despite having lower absolute engine output.
Is the S2000 due for a new lease of life? Probably but I won't be selling my S2000 for any upcoming newer models considering I've already spent a fair bit of time and money on the car as it is and prices of cars in Singapore are the highest in the entire world! The following areas have been pretty much the same since I began upgrading my ride since way back in 2011:
1. Suspension: I got myself a set of Tein Super Racing coilovers which had only been used for a couple of months and have been running them for daily and track since then. I've serviced them roughly every 18 months at an authorized Tein dealer to keep them running in good condition.
2. Cooling: I've been running my Koyo aluminum radiator and Greddy oil cooler even before tuning my ride. A pretty lasting setup that has endured debris from highway and even the odd unscheduled excursion into the gravel at the track.
With these considerations in mind I got my hands on these two items that I felt would be a welcome update to my current setup staying true to my focus on highlighting the strengths of the S2000 namely, its outstanding handling and the rock solid reliability of the car.
My new SakeBomb Garage (SBG) custom long stroke Ohlins DFV with Swift springs
CSF dual pass radiator
I made my decisions based on the following areas I determined might yield some benefits that I could enjoy over the years without too massive a cost:
A) Rear suspension stroke:
Performance upgrades for coilovers would commonly run out of stroke and bottom out on compression unless they ran very stiff spring rates or damping. The lack of droop travel was also an issue that has come up pretty often but was never really addressed in most of the aftermarket options available.
My experience with this facet of the shortcoming on the circuit I usually run at was that at points where I needed to run over the curbing , the car would not be particularly stable mid corner which tended to delay the point I could get on the loud pedal. The only way to get around this would be to stay on the tarmac but I didn't feel I could continue sidestepping the issue and would rather address the problem directly.
Modifications to the circuit I usually ply resulted in a large change in elevation for the corner leading onto the front pit straight. From my layman point of view, this penalizes suspension setups which aren't able to have sufficient droop travel to pick a line that allows the driver to get to full throttle at the earliest point and thus lose a whole bunch of acceleration momentum on the long pit straight. This is especially a problem for a car like the S2000 which isn't great in the acceleration department and has a very peaky torque curve.
With that in mind, I opted for the long stroke version of the Ohlins DFV by SBG to maximize bump and droop travel while taking the opportunity to upgrade to floating top hats and spherical bearings. The great thing about getting this kit outside of the hardware would be the consultation done with SBG to identify key areas of performance one seeks from their setup. Being an enthusiast, time and expertise is always in short supply so this is a welcome value add to a modification.
Pic of the floating top hat
Swift springs catered to my requirements
Billet lower mount to get that longer stroke
Suspension consultation form to ensure the setup matches the usage
Heading to the track on this suspension, I immediately noticed an immediacy in response especially over uneven sections like curbing and the car seemed much more planted when I had wheels over the curbing. The car seemed much more stable post curbing allowing me to get on the throttle confidently. Although my track session o try them out was cut short, the difference in handling was abundantly clear compared to my previous setup. Heath and his team are super responsive and helpful even for aftersales service which is pretty confidence inspiring for me as an overseas customer.
B) Enhanced cooling requirements
I thought it prudent to get the cooling sorted since I had been running a Koyo down-flow radiator for quite some years and cross flow or dual pass radiators were now delivering increased cooling so I thought it would be time to get this added longevity mod done.
CSF has been well known the market for their performance radiators and through RockStar Garage, I purchased the S2000 specific setup with 12 and 10 inch Spal Fans. This setup comes with an aluminium shroud to enhance flow through the core.
Fresh and shiny out of the box
Back view with Spal fans and shroud
Comparison with the outgoing Koyo
In it goes! Plenty of clearance
I'm looking forward to the proving of this radiator on the track though the quality of the kit was pretty impressive so I have no doubts this would be a great insurance policy against the searing temperatures of the Sepang circuit.
A word of appreciation to SakeBomb Garage and RockStar Garage for the great pricing and customer service!
Thanks to:
LTM Performance for the trusted support for all the work done to my ride
Many a time in discussing the results of motorsports endeavor, there is great focus on the driver and the machine including parts used to achieve improvements in performance. Most of the time, the less glamorous but equally vital maintenance support goes unacknowledged when this is positively critical for long term care to keep the driver in the running over the years.
Since in Singapore virtually no one has the space to work on their own car, my work schedule definitely rules out wrenching on the car myself, I needed to look for a workshop that could support me in installation and servicing needs. I was already acquainted some years earlier with the head mechanic of the workshop Alvin and was subsequently introduced to Edmund who owned the business. We shared alot of common viewpoints and I'm truly grateful to his trust in me to run the decals of LTM Performance as a showcase of the capability of the business to support cars prepped for the racetrack.
Visiting their website at LTM.sg , we see their history from as far back as the 60's and their continued success until today is a testament to their experience and repute in the industry. The entire span of car related services are available spanning car performance enhancement, servicing / repairs, accident claims, spray painting, car purchase/sale and even car leasing. They have recently said their farewell to the iconic workshop at Sin Ming Industrial Estate Sector C and are currently housed at 176 Sin Ming Drive #03-06/09/10.
I managed to get some pics of the old workshop just before they completed the move and I was kind of sad to see it go seeing how it had become a familiar haunt of sorts for me.
Here is my ride in front of another S2000 awaiting our turn for some TLC
Some of the cars being worked on Continental, Japanese and even GTRs get work done here.
Even a Thai registered plate Silvia track car gets it work done here
Some of the past magazine features and history of their racing exploits
Showcase of the turbos on sale, something to whet the turbo car owners appetite!
Workshops in Singapore have had to deal with rising labour costs, rising rents and dwindling demand in areas such as modifications. LTM has taken these in their stride with the diversification of the business into areas such as spray painting and commercial vehicle maintenance housed in the the flatted Sin Ming locations.
Commercial vehicle workshop in the new building at Sin Ming Auto City
The spray painting workshop is situated at Sin Ming AutoCare building, right alongside the main LTM workshop
All prepped for the paint job
Spanking clean facility to get the paint job done perfectly
The main workshop for their car maintenance and operations also at the 3rd floor of Sin Ming AutoCare like their spray painting shop
Cosy waiting area while you wait for collection of your car
Yet another track car being worked on, this one being a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution deliciously covered in classic Advan Racing livery. If i'm not mistaken this belongs to the owner of VP Racing , racing fuels and additives company, locally
The performance arm of LTM, obviously titled LTM Performance, focuses on maintenance and enhancement of cars much like mine and the vast experience the mechanics hired have in this line has been of great value to on my motorsports journey. I attended the Nakama R and Super GG trackdays to test out my new Ohlins DFV long stroke suspension which had been setup by SakeBomb Garage. I'll share a bit more on how I came across this setup and how it has worked for me in a following post but here is a snap of the suspension set as a whole.
Here are some pics of me making my runs during that those trackdays where there was a lovely variety of machines blasting away through the corners
You know Malaysian motorsports scene is vibrant when Ron Celestine of SpeedHunters is also trackside and I'm pretty pleased he got a snap of my ride
In the first trackday the car felt sluggish and only felt worse at the next trackday where I began to experience a fair bit of backfire or misfire. The oil levels had fallen perilously low which led me to cut short the track time I could muster. These symptoms were truly worrying and I immediately sent my car in to LTM once I got back from the track.
Their checks confirmed the compression seemed a bit on the low side although still within acceptable ranges but revealed my coil and plugs were drenched with oil (my entire catch can was full!) as the pic below shows
Some searches on S2000 International Forums (S2KI) revealed that engine oil apparently was not drained fast enough when it is on the baffle plate in the valve cover and thus gets sucked into the vents and into the intake manifold side of the engine especially when successive hard cornering is done. RAIN H8R on S2KI suggests to drill drain holes in the baffle plate allowing it to drain quicker back to the oil pan and road racing S2000 owners have had their oil consumption issues resolved when they followed his guide.
Here are his suggested spots to drill drain holes for the AP2
The mechanics at LTM Performance used this example and did the modification for me as per the pics below, following the guide that RAIN H8R had detailed.
Testing at the API Racing trackday, no issues with excessive oil consumption thereafter!
I later decided to upgrade my radiator to a CSF Dual Pass radiator to enhance cooling efficiency on the track which I will expand on later in a separate post along with the coilover upgrade but some months down the line had issues with high coolant temperatures at idle or low speed. LTM Performance once again came to the rescue by narrowing down the problem to a malfunctioning fan which was spinning far too slowly and needed to be replaced.
Here is the video of their testing which shows clearly the poorly performing fan
It's tough enough figuring out as an enthusiast the various chassis specific related enhancements or fixes required so the support that LTM Performance has given as my trusted workshop has been absolutely vital to my upkeep of my ride. There not many S2000s on our shores or even in the region and as such I have needed to many a time consult forums in the USA to get more information and have LTM act on it as best they can. At all times, they have gone out of their way to accommodate and keep my vehicle in the best of shape so I am proud to run their livery as a testament to their excellence in keeping my S2000 ready to race!
Big smiles from the boss Edmund and here's to many more years of racing with the strong support of LTM Performance!
Thanks to my partners in motorsports:
LTM Performance
Achilles Radial
Thian Seng Motors
Ardeca Lubricants Singapore
Photo and Tech information Credits:
Ad.Am Photography
aziemphotography
Tune Photography
#SYAZ_ONE Photography
Ron Celestine of SpeedHunters
RAIN H8R from S2KI for valve cover modification information and photos
