F1 Racing, Minus the Helmet

You may remember my previous post about the Honda S2000, where I briefly commented on the car's unbelievable engine and moreover, my strong desire to own one. My respect for this car has only grown exponentially since then, and this review will bring it up a notch, scratching beyond the surface of what makes this car (in my humble opinion) so special.

I'll start by stating what this car isn't (something this guy should read). It isn't a practical daily driver or a cushy cruiser convertible. So if that's what you're looking for, go buy a Toyota Solara. However, if what you're looking for is a legitimate, bona-fide roadster in the purest sense, look no further. This is your car.


To say that the 2.2 (or 2.0) litre, in-line 4 VTEC engine in the S2000 is an engineering masterpiece would be a vast understatement. To illustrate this, I'll use an analogy. Pick up a heavy rock, hold it above your shoulder with a 90 degree bend at the elbow. Raise the rock above your head by extending your arm upwards and bring it back down repeatedly at a gradual rate. No sweat, right? Now, do it twice as fast many times over and your muscles, tendons and ligaments (pistons, crankshafts and connecting rods in an engine) will start to break down. The S2000's engine was meticulously designed to withstand such strain, but obviously on a much larger scale: 8,900 revolutions per minute, to be exact (8,200 in 2.2 litre version). To offer a sense of scale, most modern engines reach their maximum capacity at around 6,000-7,000 RPMs, at which point they're itching to come back down to "normal" operating levels of around 3,000-4,000 RPMs. When the S2000's engine reaches 6,000 rpms, the VTEC (Variable Valve Timing/Lift, Electronically Controlled) kicks in and the fun is just beginning, and continues for another 3,000 rpms. This alone is well worth the price of admission.


Another notable performance metric of the S2000 is horsepower output per liter. It generates 240 horsepower from a 2.0 litre engine, which equates to an impressive 120hp/liter. Even in the newer 2.2 liter versions, that's 109.9 hp/liter. Not many engines today can claim numbers even close to this. While the venerable BMW M3 at 333hp comes close, generating 104hp/liter (333hp/3.2L), it still falls short of the S2000's hp to liter ratio. To the BMW enthusiasts out there (I'm one of them), put your flamethrowers down. I'm not belittling the M3's engine, but merely using it as a performance benchmark to compare it with a car with a significantly smaller engine (2.0L vs. 3.2L) costing significantly less ($34,500 for the S and $49,000 for the M).


It's interesting to note that when I push my BMW 3 relatively hard, she's willing to oblige, but push beyond that and she respectfully asks that I take it easy, reminding me that a blown wheel bearing or control-arm will cost me (European women can be somewhat high-maintenance, what can I say). Conversely, when I push the S2000 hard (in either it's 2.0 or 2.2 engine configuration), she laughs at me hysterically and asks "is that the best you can do?" and urges me to push that much harder (at which point I happily oblige). This is truly a car designed to be driven like it's been stolen. It can best be described as a feeling that is so wrong, yet so damn right.


So what would my ideal S2000 look like? Well, I'd spring for either engine (2.0 or 2.2), as both are great and have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Color combination of white paint on red interior is a must and I'd throw some wider wheels/tires on her. My practical, responsible side is telling me that purchasing an S2000 as a second car would undoubtedly be a mistake, but my irresponsible, capricious side is telling me that it must be done (I'm currently leaning more towards the latter). Stay tuned...

Adriana's new shoes

Not Manolos, but you know, the staggered, 19 x 8.5(f) / 19 x 9.5(r) black w/polished lip-type of shoe. I had them wrapped in General Exclaim Ultra High Performance tires and balanced appropriately with some wheel locks.

Overall impressions are that the wheels feel solid and look good. I was set on getting black wheels to really set off the color of the car. Initially, I was worried about impending wheel gap, but they fill the wheel wells nicely with the car riding on the OEM BMW Sports suspension.

The fact that I don't have to swap my suspection out with stiffer coilovers is a good thing, since the ride in my car is already somewhat stiff (if you've been in my car while going 85mph on an uneven portion of highway, you know what I'm talking about). The car's steering responsiveness has increased, resulting in crisp turn-ins and smoother hard-corning.

The tires are a good balance between performance and comfort. The sidewalls are stiff enough to hold corners, but not so hard that you feel every imperfection in the road. They are also unidirectional and very good in the wet, which was one of my top priorities (after what happened in my Audi).

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View more pictures here.

Toyota FJ Cruiser

Preface: A few times during any given year, my father has an odd tendency to leave the house unexpectedly and come back hours later with new and interesting items. This tendency has resulted in several family pets, including (but not limited to) puppies and kittens, desktop computers (it was in the early 90's when computers were just getting mainstream) and most recently...

The story (as I heard it):
My parents were at home one night, when my father decided to head out for a bit. Little did my mother know that he was a man on a mission: to buy that new toy or gadget that would keep life interesting and fun (guys, you know what I'm talking about). Hours later, much to my mother's chagrin, my father arrived in his new toy: a Toyota FJ Cruiser. I can only imagine the lecturing that took place at that point by my mother, but the damage was done. My father had purchased his second, mid-life crisis car designed for young beach bums.

I actually had a chance to drive this thing to the beach and I can confidently say that my father does not fit the demographic that Toyota was trying to hit with this car: it's styled to cater the adrenaline-deprived "Mountain Dew" generation, the exhaust is tuned to be loud and aggressive, rearward visibility is poor and interior comfort is moderate at best. But ultimately, does that matter? He likes it as a weekend car and that's all that really matters. Besides, I tore up his first mid-life crisis car as a careless 16 year old teenage punk, so he deserves at least this.

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View more pictures here.

Honda S2000 : Highline Exhaust

As much as I love Europeans, this thing is irresistable. Where else can you find a roadster in the S2000's price range with a 9,000 RPM redline? Granted, the small displacement 2.0 liter engine produces very little low-end torque, the thrill of open-top driving with the engine revving at such high revolutions (without worrying about surpassing the redline) is a feeling that few cars (under $35k) can replicate.

White exterior + red leather interior = Tae's ideal S2K

I'm seriously considering buying a used S2000 between now and end of year. If you know of anyone selling one or have any leads, let me know.

In other news, I swapped out the OEM exhaust on the E46 for a Highline exhuast last weekend. My buddy Mugu is the guy behind Highline Tuning and he was able to get me the setup at a darn good price (despite the fact that I told myself I wouldn't replace the original exhaust). Overall impressions: the tips are beautiful, with the Highline logo on them; the note is deep, throaty, non-ricey and not too loud or obnoxious. I'd post some sound clips, but that would require too much effort. Instead, here's a Google Video clip of another E46 with the same exhaust system (this guy probably has some other crazy mods that I probably wouldn't put on my car, but for what it's worth)...

Yes, I need a car wash and yes, I'm getting new tires.