How about just taking an S2000 and droping in an LS1?

 

When I went from a 2002 Trans Am to a 2001 C5 I thought to myself, that TA was huge inside & out. LOL, now my C5 Coupe seems extremely roomy compared to my wife's S2K.

We have taken 3 hour trips in both my C5 and her S2K. My C5 is definitely more suited for long trips. Whereas, my wife's S2K is strictly a twistie hwy car. I'm 100% C5 Enthusiast, yet the S2K has a similar feel to the C5 in the twisites, and I do like the high rpms of the S2K.

C5 = #1
S2K = #2
All the rest...

 

 

"if ... all you ever need a car for is going to play in the mountains"

& perfectly said!

 

I owned a 2000 S2000 for a year. Sold it for a 1999 C5. Here are my impressions: Prior to the S2000, I drove a M3 for 5 years, and 3rd Gen RX-7. The M3 and RX7 are my benchmarks for handling. That said, the S2000 handled extremely well. The feedback through the steering wheel was dead on perfect, and was confidence inspiring. When I went to the C5 (with F45 suspension), I felt like I gave up a lot of handling and steering feel. If you look bakc at the numbers in the car magazines, the base C5 looks to handle well -- however, my observations on handling are strictly subjective based upon my perception of how the car responds to my steering input. I just replaced the sways and shocks with Z06 components, and I have the Z06 springs in the garage, waiting to go on. I drove a Z06 prior to buying these parts to check it out, and can say that the Z06 suspension starts to come close to that of the S2000. It's too bad that all C5s don't come stock with that suspension. Then again, I think the C5 is marketed towards a demographic that wants a comfortable freeway ride, automatic transmission, etc.... You just have to mod it a bit to get what you want.

Other observations -- build quality is top grade on the Honda. The C5 fit and finish are just OK and leave a lot to be desired. The overall package is where the C5 shines -- the wide/low semi-exotic look, lots of torque/hp, acceleraction, targa top, etc. The S2000 just doesn't compare on those points. For me, those things make the C5 my all time favorite car -- and for very little $$$, I can achieve the handling that the car should have come with in the first place.

Hope this helps.

 

I was thinking the same thing I've seen it done to an RX-7.

 

Undecided:

What did you think of the C5 compared to your RX7?

I just sold my LS1 powered 93 RX7 and am pretty sure I'd be taking a step down in nimbleness but picking up alot in comfort and liveability. I[ve never owned a car that was so easy to hang out and bring back in whenever you felt like it. Instant stunt car driver

I pick up my C5 this weekend and it has BMR bars and Z06 shocks already on it.

I've driven a bunch of C5's but none of them very hard in the corners. One vert I drove into a corner I took in my wife's Miata at speed and it was way heavy going in.

For those who may not give the Honda credit, or the Miata even need to go down to Deals Gap and run that hard.

I've run it very hard in a 94 Miata with Toyo T1S's, Koni's and RB springs, running the entire thing near red line the Miata was so much faster than the larger cars through there. I wouldn't even attempt to take a C5/Viper through there at speed, no room for error.

Hell I wouldn't even take my RX7 there unless I was on slicks and REALLY confident in the car and thats not what a RX7 is about. It handles great but you go into corners saying "I really shouldn't be doing this" and thinking your going in the weeds for sure but the car just turns like your taking a Sunday drive. Then the next corner comes up and your saying the same thing. I've heard many people call the RX7 a faith based driving experience :d

In the end, it still is the driver and for the C5 drivers who have never been to a open road course it would do alot to humble alot of people when a stock Neon on slicks comes walking by you and the first one who thinks that can't happen to them, is the first one it will happen to.

 

If you think thats fun, try taking Deals Gap on an R1, or any sportbike for that matter.

 

Thanks for the additional input guys.

Undecided, You said you put on Z06 sways and shocks is that correct. Do you feel that your coupe is now equal to the S2000 in the handling department.

Do you have any other suspension mods? If you don't mind me asking what was the price of the Z06 components, and what exactly did you put on.

Johnny

 

O.K. I re-read your post. Undecided, you got shocks, sways, and springs. Do you think the springs will benefit. Will they lower the car.

Johnny

 

Anybody else that knows anything about these mods, or has done them themselves.

Johnny

 

Vettes are born and bred as sports cars.... they are built to turn accelerate and stop. hondas are built for economy and longevity, everyonce in a while they glue on a body kit, and cool steering wheel and call it a sports car. the only reason any one woudl get wooped by an s2000 is due to poor driving. jmho

 

the s2000 will be an extension of yourself while the vette is a machine that you must learn how to handle.

don't count a vette out in the twisties, if you aren't happy you can always dump some cash into a coil over setup! I'd say test drive them both, see what you feel more comfortable with and then take it from there.

 

I work at a Honda Dealership here in the SF bay area.We think the S2000 is the Prelude replacement.It's completley different and very sporty.At first it's like no other car you've been in.BUT....The car -I feel - is very cramped.I'm 6.1. Slender.Don't like it. Also to get the car really moveing you have to tach it out to power band.Reminds me of 1970's two stroke street bikes(Kaw.500 &750) Ya..there fast in the power band,but who drives around all year long between 6-9 K rpm? Small,No room,Rag top, Also not a real attention grabber. On the other hand,the Vette,Plenty of room,attention grabber,power everywhere,classic body style,etc. I love Hondas..there great cars. But if you want a sporty 2 seater with real style..you can't go wrong with a Corvette. IMO..have fun

 

C5 compared to the RX-7? Well, if the RX-7 had come with the NA straight 6 out of the M3, I'd still have it to this day. That car looked awesome, had a nice interior, was light, and had great handling. The rotary engine just bummed me out -- an unusually high number of RX7s out there with 60 to 80k miles with new engines. When I approached 30k miles and was up on the warranty, I sold it to avoid the headaches later on. Now a RX7 with a LS1 sounds very interesting -- if it maintained the handling characteristics of the original RX7, but with a good dose of HP and TQ, that seems like a hard package to top.

Interior fit and finish on the C5 is not as good as the RX7. RX7 had nicer seats, gauge cluster, controls, plastics, etc. The C5 has more gizmos, if that's important to you. Also, I'd take the manual seats from the RX7 any day over the power seats of the C5 -- C5 seats just seem cheap. It sounds like you've had enough seat time in the C5 to know what you'd be giving up there. Oh yeah, the manual transmission --- you'll give up the slick short shifting feel of the the RX7/Miata/S2000.

I think that short of buying a Z06 from the start, the handling on a stock C5 is going to be disappointing (if your benchmark is the RX7). I've had incremental improvements in handling feel (totally subjective here) with the upgrade to Z06 sways, and then the Z06 shocks. I bought the Z06 springs but haven't installed them yet, but I imagine that those will bring the handling within 90% of a stock Z06. I've driven enough stock Z06s and would be very satisfied with that handling level.

I know where you're coming from when you talk about the Miata handling. My wife had a 95 R edition that was a lot of fun to push to the limits. The S2000 had a similar dynamic, but with more power. Both of those cars were very easy to throw around corners -- corners that would take some serious finesse with the C5.

Bottom line, however, is that I have no regrets moving from the RX7, M3, S2000 to the C5. Overall, it's a lot of car for the money, and the upgrades are cheap.

 

Yes -- So far, just the Z06 sway bars and shocks. I'm putting on the springs next month when I get a free weekend. I bought all of the parts from the forum sponsors, and I've spent $1300 on parts for the entire Z06 suspension setup. I've done the work myself, which has been suprisingly easy. I'll need to spend $170 or so after doing the springs to get a 4-wheel alignment. Overall, it's been a good investment. I don't have any other mods to the suspension and don't have any plans to do so. Z06 handling levels are good for me. One other thing...I don't have runflats on the car.

Equal to the S2000? Not with just the sways. Not with the sways and shocks. I think once I put on the Z06 springs, and get the right alignment, it's going to be there...hopefully my new benchmark. I'll certainly post my evaluation of the transformation.

 

Shocks and springs go hand in hand -- engineering dynamics. You cannot replace one without considering the impact to the other. An underdamped, stiff suspension system causes problems, as does an overdamped, softer suspension. As such, my plan from the start was to replace shocks and springs together. There are a lot of options out there for aftermarket shocks/springs, however, for the money it's tough to beat the price and performance of the Z06 package.

You can lower a C5 with any stock suspension, base or Z06 included. However, it is my understanding that the stock ride height is set for optimal suspension geometry (e.g. suspension arm position, etc.). Lowering gives lower center of gravity at the expense of compromised suspension geometry. I think it's more about the look than the handling.

I'd recommned doing a search on these forums for info about the suspension mods, lowering, etc. Lots of good threads on these topics. I learned a lot about those things through this forum prior to buying the C5. It's a great resource.

 

Get a vette. chicks will dig you more than having a Honda.

 

Before i bought my vette i looked at that car that's what i did i just looked at it then i went to the chevy dealer and bought the vette.I love the wave and you just don't get that in the honda

 

Good observations here. I also owned a 1994 Third Gen RX7 R2 that was highly modified, and which I raced consistantly with SCCA. There was no comparison to that car, and I still miss it. The main problem now is, that both the M3 lightweight (1995), and the RX are history.

I keep up on what's out there, and IMO, the S2000 just doesn't give enough. It's heavy and underpowered. Have you considered anything else??? Will this be strictly a toy for the weekends??? Maybe a race every now and then???

The best choice for handling out there at a modest price would have to be the Lotus Elise. Lots of potential from the Toyota motor, and the handling of a go-cart on steroids!!!!

Don't take this as a knock against the Vette. I absolutely love my car, but it is no race car. It is heavy and feels cumbersome compared to my RX. Even though I've modified it intensely: full zo6 springs, bilstein sport shocks, bmr bars. I built my car for exactly what I enjoy it for, a fun weekend street car that will dust just about anything on the street (720 rwhp)

My tastes have changed over the years. If I had the urge to get back into racing, I wouldn't even bother with a modified street legal car, and would go right to a Formula Ford

Have fun deciding!!!

PS: Just as another thought: It would really really bother me in today's climate to buy a foreign car. Screw every one of them. The only country that has ever backed us up and is truly our friend is England.