Newbie here....

[Allen]

I am very new to this site, so is to autocross. I been wanted to start race cars for many years now, and never had chance to participant any events....

I love cars, also love race cars. I bought my s2000 little over two years ago and now i want to bring it to the track, but i have no idea what to start with.

The car is basically stock with wheels and exhaust upgrade (has all inter and bumpers etc) use as a daily driver , not sure what class should i run but i dont really care what class..

Will i also need to go to class before i start driving?? And is there any safety mods i need to do before i bring the car to the track?..

[Leafy]

What size are the wheels? If they are the same size and offset as stock (width is important here) you will likely be able to run in B stock if your exhaust is just a cat back. If you have a non-stock cat, header or wider than stock wheels you'll be in STR with me. Then we can both lose to my co-driver.

[J_Anderson]

Allen

Welcome to NER and Autox. This is a great place to start getting you and your car out to some fun events.

The S2000 is a great platform and more than capable stock. It sounds like the only thing you have done that may move you out of stock class are the wheels. If they are different in terms of size than stock, then you will be running in a class like STR. This is a class for street tires cars with modifications ranging from bolt on engine parts, suspension, minor interior stuff, etc... If the wheels are the same as stock you can run in stock class, BS.

In terms of coming out to drive, don't worry about classing just yet. We can help you get in the right spot and teach you the basics of the sport. We have a great novice program with a number of national level drivers who will be your instructors.

Basically the only thing you need to do for your first event is show up. We have loaner helmets. You'll need some tape for putting class numbers on your car, clean out all loose things like coffee cups and floor mats!

If you want to attend our first event navigate over to our Solo calendar and follow the link.

I'm the novice steward so look for me at the event. I'll be wearing Orange, probably my University of Florida Gators hat or custom painted helmet.

Jeff Anderson
Solo Novice Steward

[Allen]

Thanks for the helps.. And i think i am  out of the stock class for sure lol

Here are my upgrades:
17X7( Wheels with hankook ventus v12 evo (They are different than stock size, 16x7( for stock)
Magnaflow catbacks
Tein s tech springs all around
Rotora 13" 4pot BBK with stainless steal lines..

so far this is all..
Yes i will try to attend the next event which will be the 7th???
beside the tap and helmet, will i need anything else?

[Forcednduckshn]

Thanks for the helps.. And i think i am  out of the stock class for sure lol

Here are my upgrades:
17X7( Wheels with hankook ventus v12 evo (They are different than stock size, 16x7( for stock)
Magnaflow catbacks
Tein s tech springs all around
Rotora 13" 4pot BBK with stainless steal lines..

so far this is all..
Yes i will try to attend the next event which will be the 7th???
beside the tap and helmet, will i need anything else?

Welcome to Autocross.  Sounds like you have an AP1 and are enjoying it.   You will be competing in the STR class with those mods (Though not sure about the Big Brake Kit - funny because the stock brakes are awesome.)  I have ran the s2000 nationally for many years now (AP1 and CR in BS and STR) and can offer a lot of advice on setup and driving technique.  Please don't hesitate to come over and chat me up at some events this year, I would be more than happy to help and look forward to meeting you.

I also have a set of AP1 wheels with Old Hoosier A6's that I am selling for Dirt Cheap.  Let me know if you are interested in buying them and I will cart them up to an NER event for you to pick up.

Good luck.

-Nick

[Allen]

Thanks Nick.. I would love to get those wheels if I didn't have my bbk...I don't think that the ap1 wheels will fit over the big ass calipers I got.... Thanks anyway.

[Leafy]

Yeah the brakes should be legal in STR so long as the rotor diameter is larger than stock, it has magnetic friction surfaces on the rotor (it does unless you have carbonfiber, which you dont), and the cross drilling isnt to the point of swiss cheese (it shouldnt be unless you did it).

[Allen]

The rotors arent swiss cheesed....The reason why i did this upgrade was because, i got those brakes for a good deal..

I also have another question, early model s2000s have 16" wheels (what i should have) and later model come with 17" and i have 17"s right now. does that mean i am still out of  for stock class because the wheels are bigger than the stock??

[Forcednduckshn]

The rotors arent swiss cheesed....The reason why i did this upgrade was because, i got those brakes for a good deal..

I also have another question, early model s2000s have 16" wheels (what i should have) and later model come with 17" and i have 17"s right now. does that mean i am still out of  for stock class because the wheels are bigger than the stock??

AP1 Stock Sizes:

FRONT: 16"
Width: 6½"
Offset: 55mm

REAR: 16"
Width: 7½"
Offset: 65mm

You are out of stock because they are larger than AP1 wheels.  Stock class requires you run wheels that are the same dimensions as the stock wheels, in terms of overall Diameter (16"), Width (6.5" Front, 7.5" Rear) and Offset, (55mm and 65mm.)  There is an allowance for offset, where you can have wheels that are +/- 5mm of the OEM offset (there or thereabouts.)

No matter, because you would need to take off your springs and BBK, in addition to picking up stock wheels, in order to be legal for stock.  If you want to go that route, let me know.  There is a wealth of info on s2ki.com, racing and competition forum.

Nick

[Allen]

Thanks for the info Nick..

So am i qualified for STR class? as you guys mentioned this class seem to be a lot harder than stock.. will those BBK keep me out of STR too??? because they are bigger size rotors..

[Forcednduckshn]

Thanks for the info Nick..

So am i qualified for STR class? as you guys mentioned this class seem to be a lot harder than stock.. will those BBK keep me out of STR too??? because they are bigger size rotors..

Haha, don't let the level of prep fool you - EVERY class is hard to do well in at the national level, and some of the very best drivers in the United States can be found in stock.  It is arguably harder to win in stock than any other class, because the cars are most similar, allowing the driver to have a huge impact on performance.  That said, stock class tuning is an unique bag of tricks, and the competition becomes even more intense as guys do everything within the rules to squeeze every last bit of performance from the car, whether it be on an engine build, buying $5000+ fancy shocks and other go fast goodies.  Stock class cars are often faster than their ST equivalent by virtue of r-compound grip. 

Not to mention, your AP1 is now the also-ran of B-Stock.  Once on top back in the early 2000's, the lack of power, unattractive tire sizes, soft spring rates, small wheels and tall gearing have all put the AP1 out of the running for winning at the National Level.  In STR, the car is allowed to overcome many of it's stock-class deficiencies, and with proper engine tuning, comes alive as a worthy competitor to it's big-brother AP2.  Trust me, you want to be in STR in that AP1, not stock class.

Nick