Budget Woes at Buttonwillow

On Tuesday, I spent an entire day replacing almost every single bolt and nut and pin that I touch whenever I do a brake job, and replaced my Goodridge Stainless Steel Brake Hoses (junk, IMO) with those made by Endless. On Thursday before the S2000 Challenge Event, I drove to Evasive to get the J's S2 Camber Joint installed in the front, relocate the SPC Camber Kit to the rear, then get it aligned with more aggressive specs. I also learned that if you rotate the top washer 90-degrees, then the SPC camber joint is fixed in place and it won't slide around whenever I spin or go over harsh bumps. I was hoping for the following alignment specs:

Front Camber: -3.3
Front Caster: 6.5 degrees
Front Toe: 0
Rear Camber: -3.0
Rear Toe: 1/8" Total

It turns out that the J's S2 has just enough offset to give me the -3.3 camber, but not enough to give me the caster that I want. Also, since the top washer of the SPC camber joint was rotated 90-degrees, it was fixed in place and gave me a large amount of extra negative camber. We couldn't get any less negative than -3.15 degrees. So my final alignment specs were:

Front Camber: -3.3
Front Caster: 5.2 degrees
Front Toe: 0
Rear Camber: -3.15
Rear Toe: 1/8" Total

Even driving home, I was able to appreciate what a huge impact caster has on the steering feel. I remember when I first drove an S2000 and commenting on how numb the steering felt compared to my 2000 Honda Prelude. When I realigned my S2000 with 6.45 degrees of caster, the steering felt much better. Now, at 5.2 degrees, I was back to that bland, numb steering. I figured, at least what I lose in steering feedback I gain in ultimate grip. Turns out I was wrong...

Before I left Evasive, I also picked up a Greddy Oil Catch Can since I was getting huge blow-by at Lost Hill at Buttonwillow and the Bowl at Streets of Willow. All told, I spent about $350 for the J's S2, $100 for the Catch Can, $250 for the labor. So while JDM goodies make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, it also makes my wallet significantly lighter. So light that I was forced to roll the dice on my tires that had long ago become full slicks. I also forced Kragen to resurface my rotors that had heat cracks in them because I didn't want to pay for new rotors. Turns out I was also wrong...

A record 28 S2000's showed up for the Challenge!

My first session out, I took it real easy because I wanted to bed in the pads on the freshly resurfaced rotors. I didn't really push the car much, but I knew the handling had changed and I'd have to relearn the car again. My second session out, I took Ben (a new S2KC competitor) out with me to show him the lines. This is when I started to explore the limits of the S2000.

New alignment specs make the car very, very loose

It turns out that the new alignment specs finally made the fronts grip like they're supposed to, and the car had insane turn-in. Unfortunately, mid-corner and corner-exit balance was much more toward oversteer than I was used to, so I spent almost half a session sliding all over the place. When I pit in mid-session to check out the car, Ben promptly took that opportunity to get the hell out of this quirky-handling car. After a couple more laps, I got much more used to the handling balance and clocked in a respectable time of 2:05.949, which was a full second faster than I had ever done before, on tires that were nearing death. Except I forgot to put in my CF card in the G2X unit, so I didn't get any data on that lap. Doh!

My third session, I started to feel the grip of the rear tires really take a dive. I did a huge drift through Riverside at 90+mph, so after a cool-down lap, I pitted in early to take a look at the tires.

Such a fine line between grip and no grip...

After I took a look at those tires, my heart sank. I knew I should have gotten new tires before this event! That's what I get for trying to budget expenses. I figured this was the end of my day, and that I wouldn't be able to compete in the S2000 Challenge Time Attack. I was moping around, until Si mentioned that he saw a pair of 255/40R17 NT01s lying around that probably belonged to Aaron Bitterman. It turns out Aaron gets those NT01s for advertising Nitto tires at each SpeedVentures event (obviously it worked on me). Magnanimously, he agreed to let me borrow these tires for the day. I skipped (figuratively--these tires are heavy after all) to the tire shop to have the rear tires mounted.

Buttonwillow Tire Shop to the Rescue!

At this point, two of my friends Javi and Shawn showed up. They're both S2000 fans and needed a bit of convincing to finally go out and buy an S2000 and take it to the track where it belongs. In my fourth session, I took Javi and Shawn out as passenger but found that something had changed. The alignment was off and now that I had new rear tires and bald front tires, the car was an understeer pig. It literally blew my mind what a difference there is between old and new NT01s. (There is truth to the statement that old NT01s are like good street tires.) The car understeered so heavily, I had to frequently lift off the throttle to get the car to turn, losing so much speed. Despite having more grip in the rear, I was now so much slower because the balance just wasn't there.

After my fourth session, I decided to crank the wing angle all the way up. That way I could minimize the downforce in the rear, and the car would rotate better. I set it at +1.5 degrees (that is, front of the wing higher than the rear of the wing), but on a surface that made the car roll forward, so I'd say it was closer to +5 or more. I took it out as is during my fifth and final session before the time attack. This should do the trick, and I should be able to go faster. Turns out I was wrong...

Actually, the effect of the rear wing doesn't really make much of a difference in the slower corners like Cotton Corners, Grape Vine and Sunset, where I was understeering the most. It definitely did help a little, to the point where I was able to manage the understeer by trail braking or using abrupt steering inputs to upset the car. At the same time, reducing the rear wing angle made the car really floaty at high speeds such as Riverside. So I had low-speed understeer and high-speed oversteer, which is actually the reverse of what I prefer. (I like to set up the car for slight oversteer then get the wing to balance it out.) The best I could do that session was a 2:08, 3 whole seconds off my pace earlier when all four tires were dying. I was out of ideas, so I left it as is for the Time Attack.

William in an AP2 with nearly the same setup as mine (225/255 NT01, Front Aero, Rear Wing) had been running low 2:05's all day. I figured he had won this time. Either way, I would give it my best shot. I suppose it was the pressure of Time Attack, but magically I was able to produce a 2:06.5 during my second lap. It was good enough to beat William, but not enough to beat Emilio (who drove William's car to a stunning 2:04.5--with a mis-shift that cost him 0.6s) and a new competitor, Eddie, whom I'd never heard of until the Time Attack (who drove a 2:05.7). As Emilio is a sponsor and isn't allowed to collect prizes, Eddie took both the 1st place prize for Street Class (a free alignment from West End) as well as the prize for PAX (a vacuum cleaner worth $600).

At the end of the day, Fil kindly reminded me that if I had just gone and bought new tires like he said, I would probably have beaten Eddie and won the vacuum cleaner. Ironically, the value of the vacuum cleaner was almost exactly the cost of a new set of tires. Doh! That vacuum cleaner would've hit E-bay so fast!

After the race, Emilio had commented what a huge difference a bumpsteer kit makes on AP1s. After some more discussion, I decided to take the plunge on a new J's Bumpsteer Kit. I'll have to install this, and then get a new alignment (Doh!). So next time, I'll have a fresh set of NT01s, new XP12 front pads, new rotors (the front rotors finally cracked all the way through--yikes!), J's Bumpsteer Kit, and a new alignment. I really didn't like how numb the steering feels, so I think I will reduce the front camber and try to get back some caster (to at least 6 degrees). If Emilio can do a theoretical 2:03.9, I will be looking for low 2:04s. Scary to think that Emilio's own car is faster, still! One day--I'll catch up to you, Minamoto!

Things I need to do better at Buttonwillow:

1. Sunset: be more aggressive with the throttle at corner exit
2. Club Corner: don't lift, the car will stick (I think...)
3. Left Turn into Bus-Stop: transition faster (BSK should help here)
4. Riverside: turn in later, try to get as much exit speed while sticking to the right
5. Left Turn into Lost Hill: don't lift, the car will stick (depends on how well I do #4)
6. Sweeper: watch out for that fresh patch of pavement--it's got less grip so don't be as aggressive with the throttle on corner exit or take a wider line
   
7. Sunset: late brake and turn in a tad later to favor exit speed
8. Be more aggressive with the brakes overall (new XP12s should help here)
9. Stop granny shifting! (William made fun of me for this...)
   

Till next time...

JDM makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside...

Just in from Japan: J's Racing S2 Camber Joint! Unfortunately, J's Racing does not make one for the rear, so I'll be using the SPC Camber Joint for the rear.

Even the box makes me happy!

J's S2 Camber Joint: maximize camber for OEM suspension

For comparison: J's on left, SPC on right.

Endless Brake Hoses to complete the JDM touch

How to mount a G2X display

GPS dataloggers like the G2X and Traqmate are becoming more and more popular among the weekend racers, taking self improvement to a whole new level. Unfortunately, none of these devices come with a convenient mounting option. I found a simple solution, and now I pass it on to you.

I found a universal GPS window mount kit made by Bracketron at Best Buy. It comes with several different mounting options, but one of those options is a flat plate that can then be screwed onto the back of GPS displays. I wouldn't try to screw anything onto the back of the G2X display, so I decided to use heavy-duty double-sided tape instead.

Front Packaging

Rear Packaging

Kit Contents

Heavy-duty double-sided tape from Home Depot

Peel off the red cover, attach to G2X display

Allow the tape to adhere to both sides overnight before mounting

View from the cockpit

Cheers!

S2000 Challenge Hat Trick... Sorta

S2000 Challenge Series - Event #6 - Streets of Willow
The next event in the S2000 Challenge Series was at Streets of Willow Springs (SOWS) on May 10, 2009. I finally got my CR lip installed, but didn't have time to install the MY2008 front spring. This was the weekend right before year-end finals, so I had a bit of guilt going to this event and not spending the weekend studying.

Grabbing some lunch at Fosters with S2ki buddies

This was my third time at SOWS, and my second time doing the clockwise (CW) configuration. Last time I was here, I was on old, tore up RE-01R street tires and APR GTC-200 wing. It was also much cooler, with some scattered showers, and I was able to manage a best laptime of 1:30.596. This time, I returned with Nitto NT01 race tires, Project Kics 10mm spacer, and CR front lip. I was hoping to break into the low-1:29 mark or even into 1:28s.

Hmm, do you think a wing is an important element in a fast S2000?

Unfortunately, because of the heat, everyone was running way off pace--by almost 2 or 3 seconds. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break into the 1:30s. By the end of the day, right before the Time Attack, I was a bit disappointed to learn that William and Joel (Street Class competitors) had both broken into the 1:29s, leaving me gridded third. Fil, with a best laptime of 1:32.279 was gridded fourth.

Fil and I are gridded side-by-side on the second row

During the break before the Time Attack, I overheard Emilio and William discuss the proper line for turn 3, a tricky off-camber turn that sets up for an uphill charge to turn 4 and the esses. I had been braking in a straight line, late-apexing turn 3, to set up for turn 4. According to their datalogger, it turns out it is much better to trail brake into turn 3, use the oversteer to carry more momentum into turn 4. I decided to try this on my Time Attack run.

As I was putting on my helmet for the Time Attack, Sarang came up to me, looked me dead in the eye, and said: "win." Whenever I am put in a pressure situation, I tend to focus just a little bit better, my senses are heightened, my reflexes quickened. Not only was this the Time Attack, but Sarang demanded the win. I drove the car as fast as I could, and as I finished my first lap, my G2X displayed: 1:29.486. I was able to drop over half a second from my best lap all day, and I knew it was good enough for the win. I ended up taking first, William took 2nd with a 1:29.707, and Joel took 3rd with a 1:30.106. Emilio had run in Modified Class this time, so with this win I was the new Street Class points leader... at least for the time being.

Points leaders as of Event #6
Nam Yoon 34
Emilo Cervantes 30
Joel Perez 18
Dino Antonov 16
Dustin Dessero 14
Paul Asterline 10
Filip Craciun 9
Charles Ng 8
Tom Liang 8
Mike Skowron 8
William Chen 8

S2000 Challenge Series - Event #7 - Willow Springs International
Over a month and a half later, on June 27, we were back in Rosamond, this time on the Big Track--the track that separates the men from the boys. Willow Springs International Raceway is a 2.5-mile course with only nine turns. Some of these turns are pretty heavily banked, and the last turn (Turn 9) has been labeled, "the most dangerous corner in motorsports." Even street cars will routinely see sustained lateral G-forces of over 1.0G, and in my car with NT01, I was seeing over 1.5Gs according to the G2X accelerometer. Coming out of Turn 5, drivers are usually full-throttle all the way until the braking zone for Turn 9. I was taking Turn 8 full-throttle, going 118mph and pulling over 1G and counter-steering to keep the car from sliding out of control!

View of Willow Springs Raceway from the 14-Fwy

Since I had a retreat to go to this weekend, I left for Rosamond from Big Bear Lake. I drove down the mountain in a hurry, drove through Apple Valley and cut across using local streets to 14N. It was a grueling 3+ hour drive, and I finally made it in time for a few sessions. Aaron was kind enough to give me all three wristbands (basically I could go out and come in as I please). I worked my up to speed slowly, and during my first session out, the best I could do was a 1:43.311, which was slower than the last time I was here on a bone-stock S2000 on old S-02 street tires. People looked at my times and reassured me: "it's really hot out there, people are running 2-3 seconds slower." I appreciated the comment, though I knew that was an exaggeration.

Budweiser Balcony at Willow Springs

Next session out, I dropped almost 3 seconds and managed a 1:40.885. Better, but definitely nowhere near what I'd need to be competitive. I drank some water, went out again and dropped another second to 1:39.442. I cut that run group short because of all the traffic, and went out in the last Red run group. Free of traffic, I finally figured out the flow of things. I got 3 laps in the 1:39.2, but I really wanted to break into at least 1:38 (I initially was hoping for high 1:36, but that was contingent on me being there for a whole day). I took Sarang out during the last White group serssion during the driver's meeting, and went straight from the track to grid. I was hoping to be in the 2nd group, but I was gridded last in the 1st group.

Ed and Mark battling it out down the front straight

During the Time Attack, I decided to push my luck just a little bit. I charged down the front straight and planned to do some late-braking. Except because I had just gone out in the previous run group, and sat baking in grid without a cool-down lap, my brakes were faded. I had no choice but to turn in almost 5mph faster. My rear slid out, and I had to drift my way through Turn 1, scrubbing off a ton of speed. I lost exactly 0.425 seconds during Turn 1, and lost another .293 seconds down the straight that connects to Turn 2, for a total of 0.718 seconds! The rest of the lap I drove pretty well, but managed a 1:38.543. The second lap, I was doing quite well, except my tires started to get hot. I started to slide through Turn 4 and almost lost it in Turn 5, scrubbing off a ton of time. My second hot lap came out to 1:38.408.

G2X Datalogger Plots: 1st lap (yellow); 2nd lap (magenta)

Looking back on the G2X Datalogger, if I didn't have brake fade in Turn 1, I could have been 0.718 seconds faster in my first hot lap, for a laptime of 1:37.825, and if my tires hadn't gotten greasy in my second hot lap, I could have pulled a laptiome of 1:37.252. Sure, there are a lot of if-only's in that equation, but I'm fairly confident that if I had a bit more time to practice, I could have broken into the 1:36s like I had originally hoped. We will return to Willow Springs International for the penultimate S2000 Challenge Event in October. Hopefully the weather will be a bit cooler, and I will be able to achieve my 1:36 or better.

The next two events will be at Buttonwillow Raceway. I plan to finally install my MY2008-2009 front springs in time for the Buttonwillow Open Test Day in July 11. Depending on what my low-speed handling characteristics are like, I might even install a thicker front sway bar from MY2000-2001. My goal is to get low-speed handling to match my high-speed handling (which I can tune using the rear wing angle). I will also try to install the SPC Camber Kit in the rear to allow more camber, and re-align using less rear toe-in. My goal for Buttonwillow is high 2:04 or low 2:05 to win PAX and a nifty $800 vacuum cleaner. That should please the missus...

S2000 Gets a Facelift

Since the APR GTC-200 wing is so amazingly effective at high speeds, producing high-speed understeer, I have been lusting after Fil's CR lip. This would hopefully improve front aerodynamics, improve high-speed balance, and ultimately cornering speeds and lap times. The process I went through to obtain this CR lip was quite circuitous.

The CR lip does not work on an AP1 front bumper. So I had to find an AP2 bumper, preferably in Grand Prix White (because I hate dealing with body shops and non-original paint). So after scouring the S2Ki pages for weeks, I found one... sorta. This guy was selling his GPW front bumper with OEM lip for $550. Except I didn't want the OEM lip. After another week or two going back and forth with him, I finally decided to pick up the bumper and lip for $500... from San Diego. Seven hours, $500, and 5 California Burritos later, I had my bumper back at home.

I quickly found a buyer for the OEM lip, and in a few days he came to pick it up for $250. Excellent, as now net cost to me for the front bumper is $250. I ordered my CR lip and all the hardware from Majestic Honda, except they waited till the last minute to tell me that the CR lip was oversize, and they couldn't ship it at all. But they were gracious enough to ship out all the hardware for the lip they could no longer give me. Amazing customer service! Luckily, I found a place in Oxnard, CA selling a brand new GPW CR lip for $365 (almost $40 cheaper than Majestic Honda). Net cost for CR lip and all the hardware: right about $410.

Now, my theory is that the CR lip produces so much downforce, that it needs eight more bolts that must be drilled through the front of the bumper to hold it securely in place. Except this AP2 bumper (off a MY2004) didn't have these holes, obviously. I tried my best to dry fit the lip on, and using this MacGyver technique. That is, I placed a bit of chewing gum inside the nut of the CR lip then pressed it against the bumper so it would leave a small saliva imprint exactly where the holes should be drilled. It took me about two hours to drill 7 of 9 holes. Then as I was taking a break, I noticed that on the backside of the bumper, there are small, slight X-shaped depressions in the bumper that corresponded perfectly to where the holes should be drilled. Drilling the next two holes took 15 seconds. Gahhhhh! OMGWTFBBQ!!!

AS AN ASIDE: Who the hell would think that a bumper made in 2004 would have markings for a lip that wouldn't become available until 2008 (as the CR in USA and the Type-S in Japan)? Is this some sort of time-warp? Was Honda really developing the CR at the same time they were revising the AP1 to AP2? Why the hell did they wait four years to release it if they were so sure they were going to make these products that they made X's on the back of the bumper so that we could install it more easily? W...T...F?!?! Actually, it turns out that yes, Honda was developing the "CR" back in 2003. It was called the Modulo Concept (no, not the 2009 Modulo Concept that looks fubar, but the 2004 Modulo Concept). My guess is that the Modulo Concept was planned as Dealer Accessory Parts, sort of like what happened with the TSX. But they decided to sit on it for a few years and eventually just release it as the CR/Type-S.

Then as I was surfing the web looking for DIY/writeups on installing the AP2 bumper, I realized that the AP2 bumper won't fit on an AP1 because the bumper beam is different. Gah, so I'll have to buy an AP2 bumper beam. So I looked up some dealer prices on the bumper beam. The bumper beam itself is $166.52 and the little foam piece that sits on top of it is $53.52, for a total cost of $220.04. What the hell? This little bumper beam costs almost as much as the bumper itself? Are you kidding me?

I guess I could just remove the bumper beam and hope that I don't run into anything (as without the bumper beam the front bumper would disintegrate on impact and transmit all the forces from impact straight into my engine bay). Then, I looked through several different S2000 part-outs. One good thing about the S2000 being so tail-happy is that people crash them quite frequently doing their cAnYoN rUnZ and dRaG RaCeZ. All I had to do is find one that crashed rear-end first and try to acquire the bumper beam. Turns out, there was a black 2004 S2000 being parted out from a rear-end collision. Best of all, his car was in San Bernadino, 15 minutes from my place. The guy obviously didn't know much about how much things are worth:

Me: So how much do you want for the bumper beam?
Him: I don't know. What is that?
Me: [Points to it] That metal piece.
Him: Hmm... how about $30?
Me: [Almost stupefied] Deal!

I paid that man as fast as I humanly could and ran off with the bumper beam and foam.

AP1 (White) vs. AP2 (Black)

The foam piece and corners are slightly different

I had to do a few more MacGyver tricks to get the bumper and beam off, install the new bumper beam and bumper with lip.


In the end:



Turns out the splash shields are slightly different between AP1 and AP2, such that the bolts that fasten the under tray and splash shields to the bumper don't line up correctly. I was only about to get 2 of 9 bolts. I'll have to visit Home Depot and either get nuts that fit the Honda bolts (as the original bolts are attached to the splash shield), or get a new set of bolts and matching nuts. It will be interesting to see how this lip actually performs.

How to build a competitive S2KC Street Class car...

This post is mainly for my friend who is in all likelihood going to buy an S2000 and join me, Fil, Nino and just about everyone else in the S2000 Challenge Series. The subject is: how to build a competitive S2000 Challenge Street Class car from a bone-stock non-CR S2000. I also hope to include a realistic cost analysis of the different modifications possible. So let's get started. First, the rules:

AERO
0.25 = air dam bumper, any add-on lip (including OEM), canards, wind deflector
0.50 = splitter
0.25 = diffuser
1.25 = level 1 wing (CR, APR200 low mount, Mugen)
2.25 = level 2 wing (Voltex, J's, APR300, APR200 high mount, C-West)

TIRE/WHEEL
0.75 = level 1 street tires (RT615, RS2, MX, CSC3, PS2)
1.50 = level 2 street tires (Z1, AD07, RE01R, R1R, 595RSR, NT05, RE070)
3.50 = R-comp (RA1, R888, NT01, A048, PSC)
1.00 = 235~265 front tires
0.5 = 9" wheel or wider and/or widening front/rear track with wheels or spacers lower than OEM offsets (front +55, rear +65, not counting camber effect)

POWER
0.25 = non-oem intake system or any mods to OEM intake (including filter, snorkel, or piping)
0.25 = non-oem header
0.25 = test pipe
0.25 = cat-back exhaust
0.75 = ECU
1.50 = engine internal mods
3.00 = FI

SUSPENSION
1.00 = non-coilover suspension including CR suspension
2.50 = coilover suspension

DRIVETRAIN
0.50 = clutch type LSD
0.75 = final drive

WEIGHT REDUCTION
0.25 = softtop removal (but you must run a hardtop). Note: Penalty for soft-top removal waived if you have a 4pt roll-bar, 5-6pt harness, and an approved race seat. Interior removal on installation of safety equipment are not penalized.
0.25 = passenger seat removal

Street Class is limited to 5 points.
Modified Class is limited to 11 points.
Anything above 11 points is Unlimited Class.

Let's begin...

Aerodynamics
I feel like the S2000 is decent, but not great in this category. It does generate a significant amount of high-speed lift, especially in the rear. That is, as speeds increase, lift increases and your cornering ability decreases. This could even be dangerous, especially at a track like Willow Springs International Raceway, where you should be apexing Turn 8 at over 110mph!

Therefore, a Level-1 wing is a must. I recommend the APR GTC-200 wing because it is light, adjustable and I think more efficient (i.e. more downforce, less drag). The CR wing will do as well, especially if you want that OEM look. Anything more would be a Level-2 wing, and would not be an efficient use of the 5 points allotted for Street Class. Front aerodynamics would also be quite nice, but not as necessary. In fact, I would recommend going with the rear wing first, then assessing the high-speed handling balance, then deciding whether or not to get front aero. On a staggered 225/255 tire setup, I found that rear wing induced too much understeer, and I hope to acquire front aero to help increase front grip. On a non-staggered 255/255 tire setup, front aero may induce too much oversteer.

1.25 = APR GTC-200 Wing - $530
0.25 = OEM CR Lip (optional) - $450

Tire/Wheel
The AP2 (MY2004+) S2000's come with 17" wheels, which are the perfect size for our needs. The wheel size is 17x7 +55 front, 17x8.5 +65 rear. The tire size is 215/45R17 front, 245/40R17 rear. There are two ways you can build a Street Class S2000 car, and it is based on which tire you choose: street tire or DOT-R tire.

The best street tire now is the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, which is reported to be a full second quicker at a 1-minute 15-second course than its predecessor, the RE-01R (also another excellent tire). When DOT-R tires (Toyo R888) were tested, they were shown to be only 2 seconds quicker than same-sized RE-01R at a 2-minute 5-second course like Buttonwillow. So clearly, the RE-11 is closing the gap between street tire and R-compound tire. The R-compound may have the advantage over longer track sessions in the heat, but since S2000 challenge is Time-Trial based (you get two laps to make it count), R-comps may even have a hard time getting the tires up to temperature, while Street tires will be at their optimum operating range. Given this information, there are two options:

Street Tire: Since RE-11 is only 1.5 points, you can run a non-staggered setup with 255/40R17 tires all around for another point. On a budget, the Dunlop Z1 Star Specs can be used.

1.50 = Level 2 Street Tire (RE-11 or Z1 SS) - $945 (minus $100 rebate) or $713
1.00 = 255-width front tire
0.00 = AP2 Rear Wheels in Front - $400

DOT-R Tire: Since DOT-R tires are already 3.5 points, you don't have much room for anything else, especially if you're going with the rear wing. You are forced to use 225/45R17 front and 255/40R17 rear. If money is no object, the Toyo R888 would be a great choice (since the 225 front tire is much wider than any other 225-size tire), whereas if one is on a budget, the Nitto NT01 is the better alternative.

3.50 = DOT-R Tire (R888 or NT01) - $656 or $792

Suspension
This is completely dependent on what type of tire you choose, above. Again, if you're going with DOT-R, there is just no room for any non-OEM modifications. In fact, even CR suspension parts are excluded. So the best thing is to get the stiffest non-CR springs you can find. That would mean the front springs from MY2008-2009 (284lbs/in) and the rear springs from MY2002-2003 (306lbs/in). You could also go with the matching shock absorbers, but they're all valved so similarly and the spring rates are so close together, that it wouldn't make much difference, especially for the cost. Sway bars are a free modification--you can go with the thickest or thinnest OEM or aftermarket sway bars for no point penalty. Therefore, sway bars should be used to fine-tune the handling characteristics once everything else is set. You could even go with an adjustable sway bar to fine tune balance from one track to another.

If you decide to go with non-stagger street tires, then a very affordable solution is to go with CR suspension. CR has much stiffer spring rates (389lbs/in front, 349lbs/in rear) and increased damping force to match. The front-biased spring rates (i.e. the front springs are stiffer than the rear), would work perfectly with the non-stagger tire setup (since non-staggered tire setups on the S2000 chassis tends to induce a bit of oversteer). Or, you could use the CR shock absorbers and go with any aftermarket spring for even higher spring rates. If money is no object, then custom-valved Koni's with custom springs (for example 650lbs/in front and rear Hypercoil springs), would do very nicely! In fact, these may even be better than full coilover suspensions offered by the likes of KW or TEIN, without the 2.5-point penalty!

1.00 = non-coilover suspension

Prices:
CR-suspension used: $500-800 (recommended)
CR-suspension new: $1200
Custom Koni with Hypercoil: $3000+

Also, camber kits are free-mods. The S2000 has some camber adjustability, but its range is limited, especially in the front. For example, if you were to max out the camber front and rear, you would achieve something like -1.2 front camber and -2.4 rear camber. That is not nearly enough camber to make full use of the tires, and it will lead to rapid outer shoulder wear and even disintegration. There are two very good options:

SPC Performance Camber Kit - $170/pair
Pros: adjustable sliding bolt, increases dynamic camber
Cons: more moving parts

J's Racing Camber Kit - $400/pair
Pros: no moving parts, increases track, will correct suspension geometry if lowered
Cons: expensive

Engine / Power
This should be the last thing to modify, and should be approached only if there is free room for points. Two things definitely worth getting is a lightweight cat-back exhaust and the Berk Technology High-Flow Catalytic Converter. The OEM exhaust system weighs a staggering 65 pounds, and much of that weight is concentrated behind the rear axle (compared to 7 or 8lbs for titanium exhaust systems and 24lbs for stainless-steel ones). The exhaust is also very restrictive, and people have measured gains as large as 15 whp. So, if there is extra room for points, a cat-back exhaust with high-flow cat would be a very good option. I would recommend T1R 70R V3 ($850, stainless steel) or the T1R 70RT ($1400, titanium).

0.25 = Cat-Back Exhaust - $850 to $1400
0.00 = Berk High-Flow Cat - $250

Safety
Safety modifications are all considered free mods, but are definitely recommended. First, a bucket seat is probably the best investment you can make in terms of driver improvement. You are held in place snugly, allowing you to focus on driving rather than using your elbows and knees or even your hands to brace yourself against high lateral-Gs. A roll bar is also a worthwhile investment, and allows you the ability to use a 5-point harness for even more safety and comfort.

0.00 = Recaro SPG w/ Taitec Rail - $850
0.00 = Bethania Garage Roll Bar - $600
0.00 = Schroth 5-Point Harness - $275

Miscellaneous
Another excellent investment for driver improvement is a GPS Datalogger. GPS Datalogger systems such as RacePak G2X and Trackmate have GPS antennas that track your exact location on track 20 times a second and built-in accelerometers and computers to track your car inputs. You can see where you're not making the most out of your car, compare different driving lines and see which is faster, etc. The biggest advantage is being able to compare data with fellow drivers and seeing where they're faster than you and why. Therefore, the decision of which datalogger to buy should be based on which is more popular amongst your friends. Hint: I've got a G2X, and so will Fil very soon.

0.00 = G2X Datalogger - $850

Conclusion
So while the rules make it appear as though there are infinite ways to build an S2000 Challenge Street Class car, there are actually very few was to make one that is competitive. In reality, there are really only two ways.

Non-Stagger Street Tire
1.50 = Level-2 Street Tire (RE-11) - $845
1.00 = 255-Width Front Tire
1.00 = Non-Coilover Suspension - $800
1.25 = APR GTC-200 Wing - $530
0.25 = Option*
*Option: based on the combination above, if you need more front downforce, buy the CR front lip. If front downforce is not an issue and high-speed balance is good, buy the cat-back exhaust.

Free Mods
0.00 = AP2 Rear Wheel in Front - $400
0.00 = Camber Kit - $350-800
0.00 = Berk High-Flow Cat - $250
0.00 = Bucket Seat - $850
0.00 = Roll Bar - $600
0.00 = 5-Point Harness - $275
0.00 = GPS Datalogger - $800

Staggered DOT-R Tire
3.50 = DOT-R Tire (R888 or NT01) - $656
1.25 = APR GTC-200 Wing - $530
0.25 = OEM CR Lip - $450

Free Mods
0.00 = Optimize OEM non-CR spring - $120-240
0.00 = AP2 Rear Wheel in Front - $400
0.00 = 10mm Front Spacer - $120
0.00 = Camber Kit - $350-800
0.00 = Bucket Seat - $850
0.00 = Roll Bar - $600
0.00 = 5-Point Harness - $275
0.00 = GPS Datalogger - $800
0.00 = Berk HFC (probably small gains with OEM exhaust) - $250

Must Have Modifications
Regardless of whether or not you buy any of these above, there are some things you should do to keep the S2000 track worthy. This is mainly on brakes.

Carbotech XP10 Front, XP8 Rear Pads - $325
Centric Rotors - $190
Motul RBF600 - $17/bottle

Any questions, comments, opinions?

Great success!

Only four months ago, when I ran Buttonwillow with SpeedVentures, someone from the SV crew (I think his name is Dave) looked at my laptimes and said to me during a download meeting: "how's it going out there? Is your arm tired from giving point-by's?" I am obviously still a beginner and have a long way to go, but it is nice to see some progress and a bit of reward and recognition as well.

With the assistance of some very key modifications, namely the APR GTC-200 wing, 225/255 Nitto NT01 tires and SPC camber kit, I ran a laptime of 2:07.3 to win First Place Street Class in the SpeedVentures S2000 Challenge. The wing and tire combination was magical out at Buttonwillow, and the only complaint was some high speed understeer. Now the only trick is to increase front grip, which I will work on before the next event.

Since I am running AP2 rears all around, the front tires are at +65 offset. I will push that back out using a Project Kics 10mm spacer (to reach +55 offset specifications). I will also try to get some front aero via AP2 bumper with CR lip or APR GT front bumper. This will hopefully solve some of the high speed understeer I was experiencing at Buttonwillow. I am now getting quite a bit of body roll with the R-comps, so I think ordering MY2008 front spring is a good idea. Especially nice is that I won a $100 gift certificate to HardTopGuy.com, who can probably order those for me.

Emilio, the current points leader in the S2000 Challenge Series, did not compete this weekend due to some car troubles. He told my friend whom he was instructing: "if I brought my car, it was going to be an easy win." Last time at Buttonwillow, he ran a 2:06.9 in much cooler temps with a much bigger wing. Sure, he probably got a bit faster by fine-tuning his setup, but so will I. Hopefully some of us will continue getting better so that the 10 points are no longer automatic... for anyone.

Where I am and where I'm going...

So I figure I should try to jot down some notes on where my S2000 is at this point, my impressions and where I'd like to go from here. My ultimate goal is to be competitive in the SpeedVentures S2000 Challenge Street Class. Obviously, most of the work needs to be on driver improvement (as I've only done a handful of track days with the S2000 so far), but I want to at least build a competitive car sooner than later. The S2000 Challenge Rules.

Right now I've got a stock MY2003 S2000 with the following point modifications:
1.25 = APR GTC-200 Wing
1.50 = Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R Tires

That's a total of 2.75 points out of the 5.00 points possible to stay in Street Class. Where I'd like to go in terms of point modifications:
1.25 = APR GTC-200 Wing
3.50 = DOT-R Tires (Toyo R888 or Nitto NT-01)
0.25 = OEM CR or APR GT Front Bumper

I think the DOT-R tires will give me a definite advantage over running street tires, especially in the summer heat when even the best street tires will start overheating within a few laps. Supposedly, they are worth about 2 seconds at Buttonwillow, but I am willing to bet that the difference is larger than that, especially once the car is optimized for R-compounds. Also, I am going to try a little trick to get the staggered 225/255 tire setup to behave more like a nonstaggered setup by increasing the grip of the 225 tires (by putting them on AP2 rear wheels with a 10mm spacer to get 17x8.5 +55). Also, I plan to get a CR front end or APR GT front bumper to increase downforce in the front as well.

Of course right now I've also got a good amount of "free" modifications, that is, modifications that don't count as points:
SPC Camber Kit Front
4 x AP2 Rear Wheels (Front and Rear)
Carbotech XP10/XP8 Brake Pads
Goodridge SS Lines
Recaro SPG on Taitec Rails
K&N Drop-In Filter

I'd also like to make some changes in terms of the "free" modifications.
Add SPC Camber Kit in the rear
Upgrade to Carbotech XP12/XP10 Brake Pads
Replace with StopTech SS Lines
Replace with MY2008 Front Suspension
Replace with MY2004+ Rear Swaybar

When I had the front SPC Camber Kit installed, I had hoped that I would be able to get around -2.8 camber in the rear so I could run -2.5 front and -2.8 rear. Unfortunately, while the rear right was able to get -2.8, the rear left maxed out at only -2.4. This was the weak link that forced me to go with -2.4 all around. My current alignment specs:

Front Camber: -2.4
Front Castor: 6.5
Front Toe: 0
Rear Camber: -2.4
Rear Toe: 1/8" toe-in

From my last session at Streets of Willow, I felt like the car was a bit too loose, especially without the help of the rear wing in low-speed turns (30-60mph). I would get corner entry oversteer, mid-corner understeer that would sometimes snap out, then corner exit oversteer. So mostly oversteer that required a very careful right foot and lots of correction to the steering wheel. Running worn-down RE-01Rs probably didn't help the cause here.

I really don't want to solve the problem with messing with camber. I believe that there is an optimum camber angle for a given tire and suspension setup, and messing with it to adjust handling characteristics will result in less grip. That means I'll be out there next event with a probe-type tire pyrometer to measure the temperature spread across the tire. I'll be doing this especially if I upgrade to DOT-R. I am willing to bet that both the front and rear tires will want more negative camber, which will necessitate me installing the SPC Camber Kit in the rear.

Next, to tackle the oversteer issue, I think I will try installing MY2008 front suspension (hopefully the whole coilover if I can find a used set for a good price, otherwise just the spring). This will increase the front spring rate from 249lbs/in to 284lbs/in. Yes, that seems like only a little, but my spring rate ratio would go from 249/306 to a much more manageable 284/306 (almost equal spring rates all around). If this doesn't solve the problem, I may opt to install a thinner rear sway bar, either by swapping sway bars with Fil (from 27.2mm to 26.5mm) or buying a 2004+ rear bar (27.2mm to 25.4mm).

I also think that the extra grip of the R-compounds will require an upgrade to the brake pads. From Carbotech XP10/XP8 to a more temperature resistant XP12/XP10, which also has more bite. As far as brakes, I've never been satisfied with the feel of my brakes. I think I will do a complete brake job sometime in late May or early June involving a complete brake caliper rebuild, replace the Goodridge SS kit with some made by StopTech or Endless, adjust the parking brake, inspect the lines, etc. There is a weak link somewhere, and I will find it (I suspect it may be as simple as a parking brake adjustment).

The next event coming up is S2KC #5 at Buttonwillow Raceway. When I was last there with Redline, I was able to do a 2:12.9 with a passenger and a bit of traffic at the end. I think without a passenger and without running into traffic, I would have done a 2:11.7 or so. Supposedly a wing is worth about 4 seconds at Buttonwillow, and R-comps are worth about 2 seconds, so if I everything goes well and I can get my act together, I stand to lose 6 seconds or so next time, which would put me in the 2:05 range. Last Buttonwillow event, Street Class was won with Emilio's best lap of 2:06.9. I'm sure he's got some new tricks up his sleeve, so it should be an interesting match... not that I would hold such lofty dreams of actually winning Street Class... not yet at least.

In preparation for this next event, I need to order some new rear pads. Since I'm planning on going up a step, I will order XP10 rear pads (so I can order XP12 front replacement when the time comes). Then, I need to acquire 4xAP2 rear wheels and get some DOT-R's mounted on them. I will either have to machine out two wheels to fit the front 70.1mm bore, or I might run a 5mm spacer in the front. Who knows, maybe I'll get lazy and just run the 225 R-comp on the 7" front wheel...

My goal for the next event is to figure out how to optimize what I've got. This means taking my angle indicator and playing around with the rear wing's angle of attack to find the perfect tradeoff between downforce and drag (hopefully my G2X datalogger will help in this department). This also means figuring out how to use a tire pyrometer and optimizing tire pressures and figuring out approximately how much more camber I need to dial in.

Based on my impressions at the next event, I will most likely install the front MY2008 springs, install rear SPC Camber Kit, then get the car realigned once the front springs settle (if I buy them new). I figure if I still want more rear grip, I could always swap out rear sway bar later which shouldn't affect my alignment at all.

This should be interesting...

Streets of Willow

This past Friday (April 10, 2009), Fil and I went out to Streets of Willow Springs. This was a joint event with SpeedVentures and Redline Track Events. We stayed at the Town House Motel in Lancaster as usual the night before. I like Town House Motel because it is considerably cheaper than the SpeedVentures-sponsored Inn of Lancaster, and Town House Motel gives you little freebies that make you chuckle. Like free travel aspirin, tampons and granola bar. They clearly know whats up. Unfortunately, when I was showering, I found a stand of red hair stuck over the bathtub drain. Uh, I don't even like redheads, so don't look at me...

Two winged S2000s ready to duke it out

Since SpeedVentures was also hosting an event at Thunderhill (Willows, CA) on Saturday, Aaron had to hit the road after lunch, at which point the Redline crew would take over. Now, I am a huge fan of Aaron and SpeedVentures. Redline, not so much. I feel like the SpeedVentures crew are the professionals of HPDE hosting out in California. Aaron is super competent and business minded, everyone is very professional, and they do little things to make the day more pleasant. Like freely giving out passes to other run groups that aren't full. Like free bottled water and lunch. Last time I went to an event with Redline, I had to pay over $20 out of pocket to buy the overpriced lunch and $3 bottles of water throughout the day. This past weekend with SpeedVentures, I never had to pull out my wallet at all. It's a nice feeling.

Sure, one could argue that you could just bring your own lunch and your own bottles of water. But I bet you that person doesn't drive an S2000 to the track. You try to haul all your tools, jack, jackstand, brakes, rotors, etc. in the measly five cubic feet of trunk space. Try it, then see how much room is left over for an ice chest. Come to think of it, I don't think I could even fit my ice chest in an empty S2000 trunk.

Anyway, the point is this: when Aaron said that the SpeedVentures crew were going to leave in the afternoon, I had an ominous feeling. Redline guys, in comparison, seem total amateur. I don't know why, but for some reason there seem to be less point-bys, more offs and more serious collisions in Redline events than SpeedVentures events. Maybe people who track with Redline just have more testosterone. Or maybe they have more ego than talent. Who knows...

Well, during the fourth Black Group session (after the SpeedVentures guys had left), a Porsche started smoking on the track. The driver was quickly meatballed (a flag that says, "hey your car is breaking down and you better pull off the track so you don't spill your guts all over the track and make it slippery for other people"). Well, either the driver didn't see the flag, or didn't want to get dirt on his precious Porsche so he continued on his merry way spilling coolant right at the blind crest leading into the esses. What happened next was a massacre.

A 350Z slid over the coolant, was launched sideways, and somehow managed to avoid wrecking his car. A Suzuka Blue S2000 was not so lucky. He entered the esses going over 100mph, pitched sideways, hit the dirt berm on the right and was launched 5 feet in the air and landed 20 feet downstream shedding bits and pieces of its body all over the track. Fil also lost control and after seeing the fat of the Suzuka, elected to spin the other way. Then the Silver S2000 lost it and slid sideways into the dirt berm crushing the left side of his car. I somehow managed to keep the car straight (maybe the four cars that traveled before me managed to clear out some of the coolant making it less slippery).

Upon questioning, it turns out that the Porsche driver knew he had a radiator hose that would intermittently come off. I am absolutely amazed at his negligence. Wait, you knew you had a problem with your car that could spill this super slippery fluid all over the track and you not only took it out to the track with this problem, but also stubbornly decided to keep the car on track while your car was smoking and after being flagged knowing full well that you were spilling coolant all over? Thanks to your amazing judgment, we've got three damaged S2000s, one of which is completely totaled.

Fil's car only suffered minor damage. His two right tires became unseated from the wheel, and had to be remounted, and his front control arm was bent. Luckily, there was no frame damage nor any serious body damage at all. But still, what a headache that could have been avoided with some common sense and dignity and respect for fellow drivers. Hopefully, Aaron will handle this appropriately. I think this Porsche driver needs to be suspended from future events. I mean, he did indefinitely terminate the Suzuka's track time.

Aside from this major catastrophe, the rest of the day went rather smoothly. I was able to test out my new APR GTC-200 wing, but because I hadn't driven this course before in this configuration, I had no baseline for comparison. From what I can tell, I am now slightly understeering during high-speed turns, then oversteering as I lose the aerodynamic downforce in low-speed turns. But at a place like Streets of Willow where the road is so uneven and there are so many camber changes, it is hard to tell what's really going on.

Something happened this day that I want to remember. During my last session, it started to sprinkle and the track became just a little bit damp. As I drove through the series of turns leading into the bowl, I went just a bit faster than I would have if I had realized the track was slightly damp. Up to this point, I thought I had figured out the limits of my car. Any faster than this set speed and I would oversteer or understeer at certain parts of the track. But during that brief moment, my car reached a new level.

It wasn't oversteering or understeering in that just the rear tires or front tires were sliding. Rather, all four tires were sliding at approximately the same rate. It was nothing like the sliding around I had done previously. Instead, the tires were slipping just the right amount to produce levels of grip I had not felt before, even for the damp conditions. I was on the very edge, and I could manipulate where the car would go by the slightest of throttle and steering adjustments. At that moment, the car was under my control in a completely different level. I wasn't merely piloting the car, instead the car was an extension of me.

Reflecting back on this moment, I realize that this is probably where professional racers are 100% of the time. Not just in those corners leading up to the bowl, but everywhere. And not just at corner entry, or mid-corner, or corner exit, but throughout the corner. Slipping ever so slightly at the very edge of maximum adhesion, walking that fine tightrope in the windy fog. At that moment, I developed a profound respect for these drivers that are in this zone for an entire race with all the distractions of having to fend off competitors. I tried the best I could to find that zone again, but all I got was understeer, oversteer, countersteer and just sloppy driving.

At the end, my best time of the day was a 1:30.596, which is a decent time, but not nearly as fast as I could or should be going. I hope to be in the sub 1:30s next time.

Why I bought an S2000

I am beginning a journal for my car. I have always wanted to keep one, but I have been too busy and lazy (actually just the latter). I want to keep a journal so that I can remember some of the history behind the car that I've always wanted since I was 16, and finally bought when I was 25.

In the spring of 2008 my current car, a 2000 Nighthawk Black Pearl Honda Prelude 5MT, was beginning to show its age in many ways. It would soon be the summer before I would start medical school, somewhere in California (I had been waiting on Loma Linda, UCLA and UCD) or Chicago (I had been accepted to UIC and CMS). My friend Nino had just purchased a 2007 Grand Prix White S2000. Though he thought he was doing me a favor by letting me buzz around town in his newly acquired sports roadster, it caused me great agony and grief and extreme jealousy.

I thought to myself: Here I am, working my butt off trying to get into medical school, and I will probably slave away another 10 years before I am ever financially secure! I thought it the biggest injustice that I would have to work so hard for a future so distant whereas others just out of college could afford to move on with their lives. They could earn money, save money, get married, buy a house--but far, far more importantly (at least in my mind at that moment), buy a Honda S2000. If I am going to retain any sanity whatsoever in the future years, I am going to have to buy an S2000 of my own. Right now.

I was so consumed by my desire for an S2000 that I probably spent the better half of my workday scouring Autotrader, E-Bay, S2Ki, Honda Certified Pre-Owned, and Craigslist just to name a few. I blew off project deadlines, missed timetables for experiments, conveniently forgot to go to meetings all for this very cause. If I was going to satisfy this burning desire, this car would have to be perfect. Exactly the way I've always wanted it.

It would have to be a 2003 model year. The 2003 models were last of the AP1 chassis with a super high-strung 2.0L 9000RPM engine and quick steering ratio. Starting 2004 (and continuously on with changes in 2006 and 2008) the S2000s were watered down because too many fat, ham-fisted Americans couldn't get the "puny torqueless engine" to haul their 240lb carcasses around the Malibu Canyons safely enough. They would either stall going uphill or the twitchy suspension would swap ends around a corner and send them over the hill to their doom.

So the Honda Corp. lawyers gathered together with the engineers and decided: This sports roadster is clearly too raw for the Americans to handle. We must increase the size of the engine to 2.2L to give the American people more torque. We must revise spring rates and rear suspension geometry so that the car now understeers around corners (at least if they plow headfirst over the hill they can't blame us for building an "unstable" car). Heck, we'll even give them stability and traction control. Their fat hands are clearly are not articulate enough with steering inputs so we must decrease the steering ratio. But most importantly, we must shave the door panels and center console so that their bellies can fit more comfortably in the cabin.

Besides, it's not called an S2200. The S2000's F20C motor won acclaim because it was able to make more horsepower per liter than any other naturally aspirated mass-produced four-stroke engine ever made. A staggering 120 horsepower per liter. For comparison, if the 2003 Dodge Viper had that kind of specific output, it would be making nearly 1000hp instead of 500. The F20C also had a wicked 9000RPM redline, which meant that it would reach piston speeds of 4965ft/min, the highest ever. This is the about the same piston speed as a 2.4L V8 Formula 1 engine at its redline of 19,000RPMs.

It would have to be Grand Prix White. My last car was black and I was sick of waxing and polishing the car and seeing every dust and imperfection magnified on its black canvas in a matter of days. Grand Prix White is also the cleanest and best shade of white I have ever seen. It's name even alludes to Honda's heritage in and previous dominance of the Formula 1 Grand Prix. This paint choice, however, would require a huge sacrifice. In 2000-2002, the interior color combination with GPW was red. Beginning 2003, they decided on a much more European tan. Yuck. But I figured it would be easier and cleaner to swap interior panels, carpet and seats with someone who grew tired of red interior than to repaint Silverstone (the color that came with the red interior combination in 2003). Fine, whatever.

Speaking of obstacles, there was that one little issue of not knowing where I was headed. I had been accepted to two schools in Chicago, but so far no acceptances to sunny California. I had visited Chicago most recently in mid-January, and it was a blistering -6F with 30-40mph winds. With the wind chill factor, it was the coldest Chicago had ever been in years. I knew an S2000 would not be a wise choice for a place like Chicago where they salt the roads and the windshields crack due to extreme cold. I figured, I'll start shopping for an S2000 now since I have three schools in California I'm still waiting on--I'm bound to get into one of them. So as an acceptance present to myself, I'll buy an S2000.

Except I found one a bit too soon. A single-owner 2003 GPW with only 17,000 miles. Driven around as a golfing/weekend car by a retired 68-yr old pediatrician up in Oregon. Never driven during the winter (he had another coupe, sedan and SUV for general purpose use). Asking price within budget. Could anyone ask for more? I still hadn't heard back from the California schools, but I made an executive decision to go for it. I'll worry about staying in California later. Besides, even if I don't, I won't mind putting the car in storage six months out of the year and walking to school in the snow in -6F and 40mph. I would just have to make such sacrifices for this car. If I miss this opportunity, I'll probably never get another chance to drive an S2000 and my teenage dream would just have to die along with any passion I have for life and living. Just kidding ... sorta.

So I called up Nino and pretty much swindled him to flying up to Oregon with me. I bought the plane tickets and went on a flight straight to ... uh, Salt Lake City. Then we walked over to the terminal to our connecting flight. Except it wasn't a terminal. It was more like a parking lot. And instead of a Boeing Jet, it was more like a 15-seater toy plane. And instead of regular sized seats, they were more like oversized child seats. And instead of normal sized people, it was more like 400-lb Polynesian ukulele players. Good thing the flight was only 45 minutes. Felt like 45 hours.

Nino: OMG, you couldn't afford a better flight?

We finally arrived in Salem, OR. Except the airport wasn't really an airport, more like an annex building. The pilot opened the door, walked us over to the building, took out the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door and turned on the lights. OMGWTFBBQ. So this is how it's done in Oregon's capitol? No wonder Oregon is the only state that allows physician assisted suicides.

Trust me, you don't want to go in there.

Too cheap to call a cab, we walked from the ghetto bus-stop of an airport to the nearest motel in pitch dark, no sidewalk and no street lamps. I felt like I was going to either get jumped by ninjas or bitten by a rattlesnake. Instead, we got hollered at by some college kids as they drove by: "Hey Ching Chong Chang!" Nice. Clearly, Oregonians are kind, classy, well educated folk. A few more blocks away, we found a Howard Johnson Inn.

The next day:

All mine. Mine mine mine!

I signed all the paperwork, and soon I was on my way. We gassed up at the nearest Chevron and hit the freeway. As I merged onto the freeway, I revved the engine to 9000RPM in 2nd year, then 3rd and soon I was doing almost 90mph as I cut through a couple lanes to avoid slower traffic. I also cut off a state trooper who was not so amused. I begged, pleaded, showed him the bill of sale, and finally managed to get out a speeding ticket or worse. Apparently I had merged onto a stretch of highway that was undergoing construction and its speed limit was now 45mph instead of 65. Yikes.

Many, many hours of going exactly 65mph later:

My S2000 showing some 5-o-clock shadow

The rest is history...

Welcome to California

Oh, and then that following week, I got a call from Loma Linda University. Called it.