If you start with junk, you end up with junk. It doesn't matter if you spend tens of thousands of dollars on a car, the end product will always be junk. It might be a fast piece of junk, but still junk. The key to building a rewarding project car is to start with a good, solid foundation. With the growing popularity of time attack racing and DSPORT Magazine sponsoring the Redline Time Attack series, it was only fitting that a project build should be geared toward road racing.

The Chosen One

From the half dozen vehicles considered (350Z, 240SX, RX-7, WRX, S2000 and Miata) for the build, the platform selection was narrowed down to two, Miata or S2000. The reasons why the Miata and S2000 were considered came down to the ease of serviceability (V6, Boxer-4 and Rotary are nightmares to work on). Both vehicles feature extremely well-balanced chassis (50:50 weight distribution) with ideal suspension geometr (double wishbone) and have great aftermarket support. On top of it all, both chassis cater to the grassroots enthusiast with plenty of track competition dedicated to just the Miata and S2000 (Spec Miata and S2000 Challenge). Eventually, the S2000 was chosen over the Miata for its more potent powerplant and better aftermarket support.

Born to Race

Driving the S2000 is like being with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. On the streets, the Honda is a mediocre streetcar. The S2000 is pretty gutless below 6,000 RPM and to get the Honda moving the RPM needs to be tached out to redline in every gear. Fortunately, the S2K was not purchased as a fuel miser and fuel economy is for people who drive hybrids. Driving a stock S2K as a daily driver is disappointing. However, the Honda transforms into a track star on the road course. In stock trim, with 280 treadwear Goodyear tires (stock tires were 140 treadwear Bridgestone) the S2K was lapping Streets of Willow Raceway (Clockwise) in 1:34 and change.

Plan of Attack

After the Streets of Willow testing, there were several areas that needed to be improved. One area was the rear suspension geometry. The rear suspension produces a nasty toe-out condition when the shock is compressed causing dangerous snap oversteer. The S2000 also exhibited some body roll under hard cornering. For the suspension issues we enlisted the help of KW Suspension and J's Racing. KW Suspension offers both the Variant 3 and Clubsport coilovers for the S2000. Taking in to account the amount of track events the Honda would be seeing the Clubsport was chosen over the Variant 3. The Clubsport incorporates slightly stiffer springs, (570 lb/in Clubsport vs 516 lb/in Variant 3) more fine-tuned shock dampening and pillow-ball top hats. The Clubsports feature 14-level adjustable compression dampening and infinitely-adjustable rebound dampening. The infinite combination of rebound and compression dampening offers limitless fine-tuning options for all types of road courses. The stainless-steel body casing also improves shock durability and prevents rust. The adjustable ride height permits lowering of the vehicle's center gravity but also increases the vehicle roll center height. The roll center can be adjusted back to the correct height with roll center adjusters that aftermarket manufacturers offer.

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