Once the parts arrived, Kim took everything to David at El Monte's DTM Autobody for fitment and paint, including color-matching the headlights. With so many new parts requiring paint, the price difference between color-matching the parts and changing the color of the entire car would put either option in range. Nevertheless, Kim elected to retain the stock color, "Personally, I feel red is the classic sports car color," he explains, "and I haven't seen many highly modded red S2000s." The wider body required a wider wheelbase, so rather than resort to spacers and stock-offset wheels, Kim had Mike order a set of J-Line SL7s, measuring 17x8 and 17x9.5 front and rear, respectively. All wrapped in corresponding Falken FK452 rubber, sized 215/40/17 and 235/35/17.
With the S2K looking like a true performer, Kim decided the performance had better be up to par, lest any rival S2K owners try to test the waters. Despite the S2000's 11.1:1 compression ratio, researching the forums and Honda-only tech sites, Kim learned of some very reliable turbo builds and set out to obtain one of his own. First stop was to boost gurus Inline Pro, where they guided him through the process and what to expect with the install and maintenance. Keep in mind, every modification performed on the car until this point (save for paint and body) was completed by Kim, with or without help from friends, and he wasn't about to let forced induction break his streak. When he left Inline Pro with one of their turbo kits, Kim felt confident he knew what he was getting into. Consisting of a Precision Turbo 6176 RE turbo, Turbosmart 38mm wastegate, Walbro fuel pump, Inline Pro manifold, front-mount intercooler, piping, blow-off valve, air filter, 675cc injectors and oil relocation kit, the Inline Pro setup is very inclusive, straight forward, and user friendly. "We had no major problems with the kit install, aside from a few wiring issues," Kim explains.
For those of you not in the "know," the S2000 has a well-documented weak point-the clutch. So much so, that there was nearly a clutch recall during the early years of its production-when Kim's S2K was rolling out of the plant. Rather than argue liability and wait for a free stock replacement, Kim opted to replace the stocker with something more apt to holding power-an ACT heavy duty kit and Comptech lightened flywheel. Together, the duo reduce rotational mass and hold more torque than Kim plans to make any time soon, while remaining practical for daily driving..
One of Kim's earlier mods with the S2K was the addition of a cheap suspension. It lowered the car, improving appearance, which was OK with Kim until this point; now it was time for something that actually improved performance as well. Preston, a friend of Kim's, recommended a set of F2 Autolife coilovers at all 4 corners. Coupled with a Cusco three-piece subframe brace and lower front "A" arm, the S2K now has no trouble maintaining traction while cornering, braking and launching. All without bouncing around on the highway.
Another reason to like the S2000, is its lack of back seats. Most Honda owners I associate with on a regular basis eventually perform some kind of mod that renders the rear seats useless anyhow, so why not just start there. Besides, not having back seats puts more emphasis on your fronts, which, in Brain's case, are a pair of carbon-kevlar Bride Gias Low Maxs. The Prodrive harnesses that keep him firmly planted in them were arranged by Tommy from Go Tuning Unltd., and attach to another indispensable interior mod for all spiritedly driven soft tops-a rollcage, and in this case, a six-point model made by Cusco. Opposing the seats is a complementary Prodrive steering wheel, and a grip of Blitz 60mm gauges, monitoring water temperature, oil pressure and boost. The addition of an ARC titanium shift knob and Mugen boot round out interior mods.