Lap Notes: No aberrant variations in lap time were due to spins or off-track excursions. The J's Racing car had to stop to re-attach the GPS antenna on lap three and the stock S2000 and CR needed cool-down laps for the brakes.
Continental Conti Sport Contact 3
Without a spec tire, this test would have become a slick-tire free-for-all. After a comprehensive search, we decided on Continental Tire's flagship ContiSportContact 3 (CSC3) maximum-grip summer tire. The CSC series has long been a favorite of Euro OEMs (like BMW and Porsche), on account of its superb wet and dry capabilities, predictability, stability, comfort, and wear characteristics.
The latest-generation CSC3 is an evolution of the original CSC 1 and 2. They all adhere to the same philosophy and goal: provide a competent summer sport tire that does not falter in the wet, while still maintaining wear, noise, rolling resistance and steering characteristics that the everyday consumer and enthusiast alike can appreciate.
For the purposes of this shoot-out, the CSC3 is a tire that best represents the wide range of rubber that goes on to S2000s, from the budget-minded student to track-only owners. Using a non-R-compound tire also allowed us to dictate that each tuner use street and weekend track-oriented suspensions, instead of high-spring-rate race suspensions. Another advantage is the large selection of sizes available for performance applications, starting from 17 inches up to 21.
Continental came through by providing sets to each of our entrants, as well as sending engineers and staff to support the event, and provide input on tire pressures under our test and track conditions. While our track-whore driver and senior editor, Andy Hope, was initially skeptical of the non-R-comp item, he came away impressed with the track capability and consistency of this street tire. Over five sizzling hot laps, they maintained consistent grip on the 60-degree day-with no signs of scaling or chunking, even on the shoulders.
Conclusion
After the dust cleared and the tires cooled at the end of our testing day, we gathered up the Continental tire engineers and the suspension tuners. The final pep talk was simple and short: there would be no winner. The methodology we created was comprehensive and thorough, but there were too many criteria to declare an outright victor.
Despite all entrants utilizing a spring rate stiffer than stock, each suspension was more comfortable than the stock AP2-chassis S2000. MSRPs fluctuated wildly, from Buddy Club's $1680 to J's Racing's hefty imported $4487. Lap times were spread wide open as well, with nearly 10 astounding seconds separating the stock S2000 from the Spoon Sports car. For the kiddie tuners who are reading this, yes, the shocks and springs even ranged in color from green to purple to nurple.
If you're enough of a cheap bastard, you're probably going to pick the lowest-priced suspension regardless of performance. And if you only care about lap times, then you'll pore over each spec box and try to figure out which mods are the most trackworthy. But taking into account all the information presented here and formulating a realistic balance toward what exactly is expected out of your car (S2000 or otherwise), then you'll arrive at your final decision easily. From there, only the downward spiral of personalized suspension tuning lies ahead. Finding out which damping settings are best, what alignment settings work for a particular track, what ride height and tire combo you want... we've all been there and done that. That's where the real fun begins.