Force Induced S2000 Bullet

All this heavy duty braking and suspension components must be backing up some heavy horsepower, don't you think? The entire F20C power train was removed from the chassis and the block was sent out to Benson for sleeving and bullet proofing. Benson went through the entire procedure of boring, honing, decking and o-ringing the bottom end for some serious horsepower figures. Tapp Auto Spec CP forged pistons were then slugged back into the block, along with Tapp Auto Spec Pauter forged rods. As the block and head was reassembled, a custom turbo kit was fabricated to provide the F20C with insane amounts of air and fuel. A Turbonetics exhaust manifold was ceramachromed and bolted onto the head of the F20C. Attached to the manifold is a Tapp Auto Spec Garrett GT 3037 liquid cooled ball bearing turbo. Quenching the thirst for additional fuel are Tapp Auto 750cc injectors along with a Walbro 255lph fuel pump upgrade. Helping cool the new forced induced pressure is a custom Tapp Auto front mount intercooler and custom fabricated 6061 aluminum intercooler pipes. A TiAl Blow Off Valve can be seen and heard when the rare occasion comes that the driver has to let off the gas pedal. Also from TiAl is a 38mm wastegate to regulate the boost. All of the excess exhaust is expelled through a custom Tapp Auto 3" downpipe and 3" exhaust system and out an APEXi N1 muffler. 

The F20C motor - 2.0L, 240hp of high revving fun stuck in a perfectly balanced handling roadster. More popularly known as the Honda S2000, this creative piece of machinery offers crazy amounts of fun for the seasoned driver, or a great cruiser with the top down. Amazingly enough however, a great number of S2000 owners don't find 240hp power enough, nor do they find the stock bodylines attractive enough. As a result for their desire for more, a handful of S2000 owners out there have dug deep into their pockets to make their S2000 a little more personable.

The silver S2000 that you all are staring at right now is a true piece of art. Building off the foundation that Honda had already established, this S2K takes on a whole new aggressive look that's easily backed up with forced induced air all the way to 9000rpms. Starting off with the exterior, the stock front and rear bumper were removed. Replacing the mild stock pieces are rare Garage Defend fascias matched painted as if they were factory. Garage Defend side skirts help flush out and widen the entire stance of the car. Ditching the stock hood for a lighter piece, this S2000 becomes a donor for a Top Secret carbon fibre Vented hood. When the S2000 was first introduced in 2000, it was available in a convertible only with rumors of a hardtop incoming. Once the hardtop was introduced, many fanatics jumped on this along with a specialty company named Mugen. Once again building a more beautiful piece than Honda, the Mugen carbon fibre hard top is like icing on the cake.

With near perfect handling on the RWD roadster, it's hard to believe that certain companies were able to further enhance the handling capabilities through rigorous research and development. One of these companies, Cusco, has been known worldwide for their high quality suspension components. This S2K has been outfitted with every Cusco product that's available for the roadster. Starting off with the front and rear sway bars, the Cusco units replace the stock ones with thicker pieces to really balance off the under and over steering. Two lower tie bars were then added - one in the front and one in the rear, tightening up the suspension in ways Honda didn't think to. Under the hood is a Cusco front titanium strut bar, and in the rear is a Cusco rear upper aluminum strut tower bar. Both of these bars help fasten up and stiffen the chassis, along with the Cusco floor bar chassis reinforcement. No suspension is complete without swapping out the factory spring and strut combination. This S2K is no exception to the rule, as a full Powerhouse Amuse Hi-Tech Damper coil over kit takes place of the boring stock units. Think the S2K handled well out of the box? You should try taking this one for a spin - hugging the road and begging for another curve is the only language it speaks.

Having put the suspension components together, a wheel and tire package was to be decided. Offsetting the silver hue of the exterior, this S2K is equipped with black-shaded SSR Professor SP1 3-piece wheels on all four corners. Running an 18x8 in the front and a much wider 18x9.5 in the rear, the wheels are wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R tires. 225/40/18 rubber can be seen on the 18x8's while a pair of 265/35/18 round off the rear 18x8.5's. If the mere sight of the wheels wasn't enough to take your breathe away, your eyes twitch noticing the Brembo brakes behind each wheel. Brembo 4-piston aluminum calipers can be seen on the front with a 13" cross drilled 2 piece floating discs on each side. In the rear are Brembo cross-drilled rotors taking place of the stock pieces. Lastly, Goodridge steel braided brake lines were installed to ensure absolutely no gaps in braking performance.

 Helping get the power to the ground is a Tapp Auto Spec Bully Stage 3 clutch system. A Cusco Type RS 2-way LSD was also thrown into the differential to ensure every horsepower gets on the ground through both wheels. While the differential was torn apart for the LSD install, a Comptech reinforced differential housing found its way onto the S2K as well.

With the combination of all these parts, one can only imagine how much fun this RWD roadster is to drive now. Forced induction along with a wicked suspension setup on a perfect wheel and tire combination is the formula for the perfect driver. 

 |   Photos: Tunerzine Staff   |   Words: Jason Siu