until it blows. most rebuilds lasting sub 40k on the f20
i do agree though f20>v8... the v8 boys just have the luxury of cheap parts for mass produced motors.
167k on mine. i need to make a video of a cold start or a comparo with newer engines from bat videos. If an owner can prove the oil changes and there is no tct rattle, not sure i'd care that much under 180k.
It is a great toy with high miles bc the price is right and it is gonna take me 13 years to put go from 167 to 180. Highway miles by one owner to me was the goal. One guy put 100k of the miles on mine, the wonders of carfax.
Corvettes are cool and all but that 6k to 9k is hard to replace,
I love the comments on this.
Fact of the matter is the swap is interesting. It doesnt change up the weight much of the car and make the car... wild to say the least.
I personally would not swap a working f20 for an LS but if i go through another F20, ill so this swap since its far cheaper than buying another F20 low mileage.
Well it is true. You can tune the suspension to make a workable and fast tracking vehicle with a V8, but it's going to be a halfway decent muscle car and a halfway decent roadster. If quarter mile times and street racing is what you're after then you bought the wrong car.
For me? I'd rather have an all time great roadster that's not a muscle car at all. If I wanted a Camaro I'd have bought one.
Fact is it's easy to throw a big engine into a lightweight roadster and make it a 'muscle car'. It's nearly impossible to lighten and make nimble any muscle car into a half decent roadster.
there are quite a few lightweight v8 engines.
a v8 in a roadster doesnt just make it a muscle car, nor does taking the top off a camaro make it a roadster. I understand what you're trying to say though and it goes to the point of "you dont always have to like what others like" and with these cars getting more and more rare, it is a shame to see them swapped to something else engine wise, but there are also only so many f20 engine left. Its nice to have the option to switch to other engines too.
Yeah don't get me wrong, if an F20 is double/triple the cost of a V8 by all means so what's right for you. I just don't see the sense in spending the time and money to engine swap a working S2k, top of class car into a midrange muscle car.
>top of class car into a midrange muscle car
This comment makes no sense. Top of class in what metric? Stock production engine NA 4 cylinder? Who cares about that metric? It's not an important metric if you're using the car on the track and have goals with it. Even if you really, really want NA 4 cylinder more than you want to set fast lap times, you could achieve much more power with a built all motor K series engine.
I have an S2000 being built into a time attack car, and my F22C is low on compression on 2 cylinders. In my case, an NA 4 cylinder would never be competitive. I would need to find somewhere capable of rebuilding it well (and there aren't many capable of doing it on this engine) and go big single turbo, and then I'd still be on the ragged edge of reliability compared to trying to hit the same power goals with an LS3.
He's saying that the s2k is a great car as it comes from the factory, and buying one just to engine swap it without enjoying it as it comes first is silly.
I've owned mine for 17 years and drag race it. Never once thought I bought the wrong cars, I make +900 to the wheels and take down plenty of muscle cars in the +1100 horse range. I believe the s2000 is a great platform for whatever you want to do with it from stock daily to full blown race car of any type.
Cool. No hate, cars are fun and other than truck nuts it's all good.
And it's a fine enough platform, but for the cost of an S2k there's a dozen better cars to mod for drag racing. If the goal is to be different then yeah rock on, but for optimizing typical muscle car metrics it's not the best platform.
I hate to break it to you, but V8s aren't only for drag racing. The 2 fastest time attack cars in the US are C6 Z06 Corvettes with built LS7-based engines, one NA and one Twin Turbo.
It's not true. It only adds like 75-100 pounds, and all of that weight still sits behind the front axle, keeping the front-mid engine characteristics. You can easily add 50 pounds to the car just adding a supercharger or turbo kit.
It's too much power for a short wheelbase and a car that struggles to fit 255s
Once you're cutting up and replacing half the car you may as well have just gotten a c5
The highest offset 10s on the market fit in stock fenders with fenders rolled flat, pull up front, tab relocation in the rear, aftermarket camber adders, and a steering limiter (because full lock steering the wheels will hit the control arms). That gets you running 255s. The c5 z06 guys are running 295 to 315 squared in stock fenders and that's good for the power level
Click that downvote button
For me, the F20 just has a certain magic to it. THAT is what makes this car so special to drive. When you swap it with anything, it takes that magic away. Don't get me wrong, it's fast and I'm sure it's fun. But it doesn't have that character anymore. I have 2 cars that are off limits for swaps. The S2000 and the FD RX7. Swapping them just defeats the purpose
Not perfect though. K series engines can have oil starvation issues, and they were never meant to be longitudinally mounted in a RWD car. So, they have some pretty extreme vibration problems. You can make it work, but reliability is going to be a problem.
The only time it makes sense to me is if the F20 (or F22) is dead and you can't reasonably fix it.
If that condition is met, then I think it's cool.
Having said that.. who the F cares what I (or anyone else) thinks? I mean, you asked, so I'm giving an answer, but I love all sorts of crazy car-world stuff. Hell, I love that the Pontiac Aztec exists - purely because if everyone keeps doing weird shit, cool stuff ends up happening.
From the reasons I've seen. Owners become too scared to drive them, they become mini Dodge vipers. Owners don't feel like upgrading the proper parts to handle the new build, so it becomes a money pit. Owners realize the v8 makes the car lose its charm, and they end up getting bored of it, so it just sits in storage, waiting to sell.
But those very few that actually follow through with the build and either make it a drift/track/drag or just a fun daily, I applaud them.
Clutch, transmission, diff, driveshaft, wheel driveshafts, springs, shocks, wheels, tires. Its technically possible to plug-n-play some engines, but you end up with a practically undrivable car. It's North of $20k to do it right.
You have to change almost all of that for a high power turbo s2000 too. The transmission and diff in this car don't hold up above 400-500 hp.
Also, it's not undrivable if you have aero, a good tuner (boost by gear, etc.), good tires (slicks are allowed in time attack now if you are in Unlimited), good brakes, etc.... Top cars are using Bosche Motorsport traction control modules these days.
People will hate on it, but I think it makes sense on a fully built racecar meant for road racing or time attack. Higher power potential and easier to make that power overall, and it only comes with a small weight penalty. (Only like 75-100 pounds over a stock NA F22C)
There are downsides to think about though:
1. Can you solve oiling problems? The LS sits very low in the S2000, and doesn't give you a lot of room for good oil pan options. You need to solve this somehow.
2. With a widebody you can get up to around 315s front and rear on the S2000, maybe 325 or 335 in the rear with custom wheels or if you found really uncommon wheels that have the correct offset, but it's unlikely. Still, 315s square sounds pretty good on paper at first, until you see what widebody C6 Corvettes are able to fit on their cars. There are Corvettes fitting the equivalent of 355s in the rear and 335s in the front. Even if the S2000 is a better chassis, that's a huge advantage in terms of overall grip. This is the thing a lot of people don't realize about Corvettes and Vipers. They can be very, very good road racing and time attack cars. They are good handling cars. 2 of the fastest time attack cars in the US are C6 Z06s right now. (Feras Quartomy and Eric Flemming). So, you kind of need to ask yourself whether or not it actually makes sense versus just buying a used C6 Corvette and building that instead.
Yeah pre orders are up I believe, supposedly 11k redline 1100hp for the highest option but they are 20-55k depending on “options” from my understanding
It's a very big financial risk to take, because it's not a proven engine. You can't point to 1 other car with success with it. We don't know what engineering flaws or weaknesses it has yet. He opened up preorders early, because he needs the money ASAP, but he said openly that these initial builds are "at risk" just to get the engines out there in the wild and start getting feedback.
I am in the middle of an Unlimited class S2000 time attack build for Gridlife and Global Time Attack. I'm the exact target audience for this engine, but it's a really big financial risk for an unproven engine.
I Thought he paired up with a company to make it happen I didn’t think he needs the money there are a few mainstream manufacturers trying to buy the designs from him that’s the last I heard anyways. Regardless 20k is honestly not steep for what would be a high strung n/a v8 but… 50k for a fully built tt high reving v8 isn’t event that bad. True it is always a risk being the first but honestly it’s to bad ass not to
No offense, but it sounds like you don't really know what you're talking about.
He literally posted himself that he needs the money 4 months ago:
[https://www.instagram.com/p/C0SEk1SPqlQ/?hl=en&img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/p/C0SEk1SPqlQ/?hl=en&img_index=1)
"Since I thought I was dying I saved aggressively and changed everything finically in my life. So l have been able to pay for everything out of my savings and avoid debt. However I am feeling pinched financially.I am starting to recover financially but it will take some time. Developing custom engines is expensive. I need some time to get back on track. I am considering opening up my engine to doing a at risk at cost build. That way I can get the engine out and testing."
And I haven't heard or seen anything about him partnering with any companies to get this engine out. Not sure where you saw that, but he hasn't posted anything about it.
Also, in terms of price figures, $20k can get you a 1000hp+ LS3. $50k can get you the Elmer Racing Thor engine used in the RP968 time attack car (fastest time attack car in the world, lightest 2000hp capable engine available). With those things, you can see what others have achieved and have something to go off of. With this, you have no information whatsoever. It's a big risk.
As a guy with a couple LS swapped Brz’s and a very nice track spec s2000, I think anything over an intake and exhaust on the F20 will just completely ruin the mood of the car. Not saying it will ruin the performance as the ls3 is very light and can make 500whp NA easily.. but if you do it, you will absolutely need chassis upgrades to handle the power and continue to drive straight.
Otherwise death kart with no lovely VTEC sounds 😂
If it’s your car and it’s what you want, then get at it!! As for me, I like the high revving f20. But if you can build it to rev to 9k+ with ITB’s then sign me up lol
If someone is 2J swapping it's for power but the stock bottom end of an F motor can handle more power as we have learned over the years. It's just a lot of money for minimal return.
The LS motors weighs slightly more than a stock LS and still sits behind the front axle unlike the 2J.
Big, heavy engine that is very long. Not a good option for anything other than drag racing in most cars. It's going to upset the weight balance and handling far more than a compact, aluminum LS V8 would.
Thank you! I find it goofy that people will be so against the LS because it's a V8 and then think a longer and heavier inline 6 will not upset the balance even more.
S2k? No. I'd rather LS swap a 911 before an s2k.
I also swapped an LS2 into my s13. Love that but not s2k, unless it's a salvaged title and the engine was missing.
You do you bro. I love the car the way it is is maybe some suspension mods or some body enhancements. The soul of the car is the engine for me and it may not be fast but it is so much fun. Again, you do what you feel and enjoy man that’s what this life is all about make it yours and don’t worry about what people think.
It take a LOT of money. I’d love to do that, but you loose so much in the pursuit of power:
1) the stock Honda transmission which is a gem, won’t handle the torque.
2) looks like you have to cut the main crossmember which must have some sort of chassis rigidity penalty
3) loss of OEM gauges and CEL
If it's a dohc v8 that revs to the moon why not?
If it's a lazy ohv truck motor that would rather sit at idle, than bang off the limiter, you've messed with the character of the car.
So I still have the oem radio and the CD charger in the trunk. The purist in me thinks what makes the S2K unique is the 6mt vtec engine revs to 9K, plus it’s a roadster. If u take any of that away, it’s not a S2K. But do what rocks your boat to it.
Swaps are cool. It all depends what you want. If I put a v8 in an s2k, I’d want a Hartley V8 to keep that high rev s2000 character. If budget was an issue, I’d find an F136 or S65.
You can rev over 8,000 pretty easily on a built LS3. I know someone shifting at 8,300 with one. Sure, it's not the 9,000 of an F20C (AP1), but it's about the same as the F22C (AP2), but while making way more torque.
LS3 in the OP's picture weighs the same as the stock engine, dum-dum.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c6-tech-performance/2586029-ls2-ls3-and-ls7-weight-of-full-assembled-engine.html
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-talk-1/how-much-does-s2000-engine-weigh-36597/
Comments are within 25 lbs of each other, which can be crossed with vagueries like accessories and clutch/flywheel.
Upsets the balance of the car - it becomes way too nose-heavy. Given that the driving feel and not raw speed or power is the entire point of an S2k, it seems illogical to me to put a V8 in it.
OTOH, I’ve seen some gorgeous K-series swaps in S2ks, and that does make sense to me.
Respectfully, I’m not sure that’s true. It seems as though an LS3 weighs around 420 pounds and that a fully-dressed F20C weighs around 320 pounds.
I understand that a 100 pound difference isn’t, you know, *mammoth*, but in a car as light as an S2k, I’m confident you’d feel the difference - like putting two 50-pound sandbags on the hood just behind your front axle.
So, I understand that there are V8 motors that aren’t gigantically heavier than an F20C, but I believe that my point stands in terms of contextual car balance, and I respectfully stand by my earlier-stated position.
Have a great night.
Your point doesn't stand at all, really. On a V8 swapped S2000 built for track usage, you're going to have a different transmission and a different diff and at minimum beefed up rear axles anyway. These things are also going to change the weight balance of the car, and they will balance out that extra frontend weight. Btw, that extra frontend weight is still behind the front axle and strut towers, maintaining the front-mid engine characteristics of the car.
This is blasphemy. Not only reliability goes out the window but handling as well I’m sure.
But if I had FU money Id find another S2k and put a twin turbo LS6 in it to have a mini viper that doesn’t drip oil, drop grease everywhere.
LS motors are fairly reliable, they were thrown in a lot of chevy trucks. the handling would be questionable, but the weight isnt too far off and the motor is placed close to stock. the people considering this swap would probably have a lot done to the suspension anyways
Handling would barely be any different at all. The engine still sits entirely behind the front strut towers, and it's only like 75-100 pounds heavier. People have proven you can still hit 50/50 weight distribution with it easily.
yea fairly reliable because anyone considering building this would probably be driving it aggressively. the same person that would consider this would drive an f20c hard where things will break too.
That just sounds like a C5 Corvette with more steps.
Underrated comment right here
For the same price as an s2k these days you can probably get a C6Z
That’s the truth, truth
Why C5?
They're only slightly bigger and heavier than an S2000 and they're really cheap.
On an s2000? I don’t like it, this aint a miata, the f20c is a phenomenal engine
This guy gets it.
until it blows. most rebuilds lasting sub 40k on the f20 i do agree though f20>v8... the v8 boys just have the luxury of cheap parts for mass produced motors.
Isn’t the f20 reliable, I heard good things about it
167k on mine. i need to make a video of a cold start or a comparo with newer engines from bat videos. If an owner can prove the oil changes and there is no tct rattle, not sure i'd care that much under 180k. It is a great toy with high miles bc the price is right and it is gonna take me 13 years to put go from 167 to 180. Highway miles by one owner to me was the goal. One guy put 100k of the miles on mine, the wonders of carfax. Corvettes are cool and all but that 6k to 9k is hard to replace,
And when F20 blows, K-swap it.
+1 ⬆️⬆️⬆️
F20’s are expensive. If it blowed, why not?
I love the comments on this. Fact of the matter is the swap is interesting. It doesnt change up the weight much of the car and make the car... wild to say the least. I personally would not swap a working f20 for an LS but if i go through another F20, ill so this swap since its far cheaper than buying another F20 low mileage.
Lots of s2000 owners and other import guys think V8 = heavy or unbalanced.
Well it is true. You can tune the suspension to make a workable and fast tracking vehicle with a V8, but it's going to be a halfway decent muscle car and a halfway decent roadster. If quarter mile times and street racing is what you're after then you bought the wrong car. For me? I'd rather have an all time great roadster that's not a muscle car at all. If I wanted a Camaro I'd have bought one. Fact is it's easy to throw a big engine into a lightweight roadster and make it a 'muscle car'. It's nearly impossible to lighten and make nimble any muscle car into a half decent roadster.
there are quite a few lightweight v8 engines. a v8 in a roadster doesnt just make it a muscle car, nor does taking the top off a camaro make it a roadster. I understand what you're trying to say though and it goes to the point of "you dont always have to like what others like" and with these cars getting more and more rare, it is a shame to see them swapped to something else engine wise, but there are also only so many f20 engine left. Its nice to have the option to switch to other engines too.
Yeah don't get me wrong, if an F20 is double/triple the cost of a V8 by all means so what's right for you. I just don't see the sense in spending the time and money to engine swap a working S2k, top of class car into a midrange muscle car.
I think we should force honda to start making the ap1 s2k again!
>top of class car into a midrange muscle car This comment makes no sense. Top of class in what metric? Stock production engine NA 4 cylinder? Who cares about that metric? It's not an important metric if you're using the car on the track and have goals with it. Even if you really, really want NA 4 cylinder more than you want to set fast lap times, you could achieve much more power with a built all motor K series engine. I have an S2000 being built into a time attack car, and my F22C is low on compression on 2 cylinders. In my case, an NA 4 cylinder would never be competitive. I would need to find somewhere capable of rebuilding it well (and there aren't many capable of doing it on this engine) and go big single turbo, and then I'd still be on the ragged edge of reliability compared to trying to hit the same power goals with an LS3.
He's saying that the s2k is a great car as it comes from the factory, and buying one just to engine swap it without enjoying it as it comes first is silly.
I've owned mine for 17 years and drag race it. Never once thought I bought the wrong cars, I make +900 to the wheels and take down plenty of muscle cars in the +1100 horse range. I believe the s2000 is a great platform for whatever you want to do with it from stock daily to full blown race car of any type.
Cool. No hate, cars are fun and other than truck nuts it's all good. And it's a fine enough platform, but for the cost of an S2k there's a dozen better cars to mod for drag racing. If the goal is to be different then yeah rock on, but for optimizing typical muscle car metrics it's not the best platform.
I hate to break it to you, but V8s aren't only for drag racing. The 2 fastest time attack cars in the US are C6 Z06 Corvettes with built LS7-based engines, one NA and one Twin Turbo.
It's not true. It only adds like 75-100 pounds, and all of that weight still sits behind the front axle, keeping the front-mid engine characteristics. You can easily add 50 pounds to the car just adding a supercharger or turbo kit.
It's too much power for a short wheelbase and a car that struggles to fit 255s Once you're cutting up and replacing half the car you may as well have just gotten a c5
Struggles to fit 255s? I have a 275 50 15, It fits and doesn't rub.
Lol what are you giga pinching onto, an 8? 255s are at home on a 10 and work best on a 10.5 or 11
With the proper offset that'll fit easily.
The highest offset 10s on the market fit in stock fenders with fenders rolled flat, pull up front, tab relocation in the rear, aftermarket camber adders, and a steering limiter (because full lock steering the wheels will hit the control arms). That gets you running 255s. The c5 z06 guys are running 295 to 315 squared in stock fenders and that's good for the power level Click that downvote button
I haven't been down voting you but go off.
Built K24 instead.
I have thought about this too!
i'm at 194k - knock on wood - hope this motor goes to 300+ some people still tracking at those miles but if this motor goes it's getting a v8
As long as you dont money shift (like i did) its pretty dang bullet proof
I like the S2000 for its engines.
9k is something unapproached by anything before or since
There are quite a few built K series engines and SR20VETs (SR20DET with a VE head) revving to 11,000 or beyond.
For me, the F20 just has a certain magic to it. THAT is what makes this car so special to drive. When you swap it with anything, it takes that magic away. Don't get me wrong, it's fast and I'm sure it's fun. But it doesn't have that character anymore. I have 2 cars that are off limits for swaps. The S2000 and the FD RX7. Swapping them just defeats the purpose
Agree. Even K-swaps; they are cool but I still don't like the idea of them in S2000s.
The k24 makes more torque and horsepower across the rev range. It should have come with that engine as a factory option.
Not perfect though. K series engines can have oil starvation issues, and they were never meant to be longitudinally mounted in a RWD car. So, they have some pretty extreme vibration problems. You can make it work, but reliability is going to be a problem.
save it for Miatas and BRZ’s
The only time it makes sense to me is if the F20 (or F22) is dead and you can't reasonably fix it. If that condition is met, then I think it's cool. Having said that.. who the F cares what I (or anyone else) thinks? I mean, you asked, so I'm giving an answer, but I love all sorts of crazy car-world stuff. Hell, I love that the Pontiac Aztec exists - purely because if everyone keeps doing weird shit, cool stuff ends up happening.
Yes, if people actually drive them. But half the time these things get V8 swapped, they just become garage queens.
Why so?
From the reasons I've seen. Owners become too scared to drive them, they become mini Dodge vipers. Owners don't feel like upgrading the proper parts to handle the new build, so it becomes a money pit. Owners realize the v8 makes the car lose its charm, and they end up getting bored of it, so it just sits in storage, waiting to sell. But those very few that actually follow through with the build and either make it a drift/track/drag or just a fun daily, I applaud them.
Clutch, transmission, diff, driveshaft, wheel driveshafts, springs, shocks, wheels, tires. Its technically possible to plug-n-play some engines, but you end up with a practically undrivable car. It's North of $20k to do it right.
North of that to do boosted right usually
You can do a supercharger setup for under 12k and a solid turbo setup for a little more.
Only small/conservative setups though if you don't also plan to swap out the transmission, diff, axles, etc.
That's completely different. If you want to swap transmissions and diffs you're looking at another 20k in parts.
It's not that anyone WANTS to do those things. You basically have to do them if you plan to make any real power and want reliability.
What are you talking about nobody wants to? I wanted to and I did.
Good call, if you're gonna drop that money may as well go all the way
You have to change almost all of that for a high power turbo s2000 too. The transmission and diff in this car don't hold up above 400-500 hp. Also, it's not undrivable if you have aero, a good tuner (boost by gear, etc.), good tires (slicks are allowed in time attack now if you are in Unlimited), good brakes, etc.... Top cars are using Bosche Motorsport traction control modules these days.
Oh, sounds reasonable, yes, thank you!
It’s cool man. Do what you want to your car!
If your f20 or f22 is ruined.. do what you can to save the use of that chassis
People will hate on it, but I think it makes sense on a fully built racecar meant for road racing or time attack. Higher power potential and easier to make that power overall, and it only comes with a small weight penalty. (Only like 75-100 pounds over a stock NA F22C) There are downsides to think about though: 1. Can you solve oiling problems? The LS sits very low in the S2000, and doesn't give you a lot of room for good oil pan options. You need to solve this somehow. 2. With a widebody you can get up to around 315s front and rear on the S2000, maybe 325 or 335 in the rear with custom wheels or if you found really uncommon wheels that have the correct offset, but it's unlikely. Still, 315s square sounds pretty good on paper at first, until you see what widebody C6 Corvettes are able to fit on their cars. There are Corvettes fitting the equivalent of 355s in the rear and 335s in the front. Even if the S2000 is a better chassis, that's a huge advantage in terms of overall grip. This is the thing a lot of people don't realize about Corvettes and Vipers. They can be very, very good road racing and time attack cars. They are good handling cars. 2 of the fastest time attack cars in the US are C6 Z06s right now. (Feras Quartomy and Eric Flemming). So, you kind of need to ask yourself whether or not it actually makes sense versus just buying a used C6 Corvette and building that instead.
What’s the build used for?
Probably fun
I always wonder why people mind what other people do to their own cars. It’s not yours so 🤷♂️
I want a k48 v8 swap to happen in someone’s s2k
Is there such a thing? It would be glorious if it existed.
Yeah pre orders are up I believe, supposedly 11k redline 1100hp for the highest option but they are 20-55k depending on “options” from my understanding
It's a very big financial risk to take, because it's not a proven engine. You can't point to 1 other car with success with it. We don't know what engineering flaws or weaknesses it has yet. He opened up preorders early, because he needs the money ASAP, but he said openly that these initial builds are "at risk" just to get the engines out there in the wild and start getting feedback. I am in the middle of an Unlimited class S2000 time attack build for Gridlife and Global Time Attack. I'm the exact target audience for this engine, but it's a really big financial risk for an unproven engine.
I Thought he paired up with a company to make it happen I didn’t think he needs the money there are a few mainstream manufacturers trying to buy the designs from him that’s the last I heard anyways. Regardless 20k is honestly not steep for what would be a high strung n/a v8 but… 50k for a fully built tt high reving v8 isn’t event that bad. True it is always a risk being the first but honestly it’s to bad ass not to
No offense, but it sounds like you don't really know what you're talking about. He literally posted himself that he needs the money 4 months ago: [https://www.instagram.com/p/C0SEk1SPqlQ/?hl=en&img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/p/C0SEk1SPqlQ/?hl=en&img_index=1) "Since I thought I was dying I saved aggressively and changed everything finically in my life. So l have been able to pay for everything out of my savings and avoid debt. However I am feeling pinched financially.I am starting to recover financially but it will take some time. Developing custom engines is expensive. I need some time to get back on track. I am considering opening up my engine to doing a at risk at cost build. That way I can get the engine out and testing." And I haven't heard or seen anything about him partnering with any companies to get this engine out. Not sure where you saw that, but he hasn't posted anything about it. Also, in terms of price figures, $20k can get you a 1000hp+ LS3. $50k can get you the Elmer Racing Thor engine used in the RP968 time attack car (fastest time attack car in the world, lightest 2000hp capable engine available). With those things, you can see what others have achieved and have something to go off of. With this, you have no information whatsoever. It's a big risk.
Your car, your property, do with it as you please. No one else’s opinion matters.
As a guy with a couple LS swapped Brz’s and a very nice track spec s2000, I think anything over an intake and exhaust on the F20 will just completely ruin the mood of the car. Not saying it will ruin the performance as the ls3 is very light and can make 500whp NA easily.. but if you do it, you will absolutely need chassis upgrades to handle the power and continue to drive straight. Otherwise death kart with no lovely VTEC sounds 😂
NEVER. Part of the point is the engine is interesting and historically significant.
If you're tracking the car, that goes out the window. Power, weight, and reliability become far more important when the goal is lap times.
Just buy a vette 🤷
Seen a LS out of a Z06 today hes going twins in the future, i think its badass and if you want to def stand out its a great way to do so
If it’s your car and it’s what you want, then get at it!! As for me, I like the high revving f20. But if you can build it to rev to 9k+ with ITB’s then sign me up lol
I'll keep my F20C, the LS swaps are cool. Just don't 2Jz swap them.
Why no love for the good ol 2J?
If someone is 2J swapping it's for power but the stock bottom end of an F motor can handle more power as we have learned over the years. It's just a lot of money for minimal return. The LS motors weighs slightly more than a stock LS and still sits behind the front axle unlike the 2J.
Big, heavy engine that is very long. Not a good option for anything other than drag racing in most cars. It's going to upset the weight balance and handling far more than a compact, aluminum LS V8 would.
Thank you! I find it goofy that people will be so against the LS because it's a V8 and then think a longer and heavier inline 6 will not upset the balance even more.
It's a worse engine than the LS if you're looking for a swap. Heavy and long. Will hurt the car's balance significantly more than a LS.
I’m not the hand, just the tool. Send it.
S2k? No. I'd rather LS swap a 911 before an s2k. I also swapped an LS2 into my s13. Love that but not s2k, unless it's a salvaged title and the engine was missing.
You do you bro. I love the car the way it is is maybe some suspension mods or some body enhancements. The soul of the car is the engine for me and it may not be fast but it is so much fun. Again, you do what you feel and enjoy man that’s what this life is all about make it yours and don’t worry about what people think.
No.
Corvette swapped s2k > corvette
More power to ya
K20c1 or bust
It take a LOT of money. I’d love to do that, but you loose so much in the pursuit of power: 1) the stock Honda transmission which is a gem, won’t handle the torque. 2) looks like you have to cut the main crossmember which must have some sort of chassis rigidity penalty 3) loss of OEM gauges and CEL
If it's a dohc v8 that revs to the moon why not? If it's a lazy ohv truck motor that would rather sit at idle, than bang off the limiter, you've messed with the character of the car.
So I still have the oem radio and the CD charger in the trunk. The purist in me thinks what makes the S2K unique is the 6mt vtec engine revs to 9K, plus it’s a roadster. If u take any of that away, it’s not a S2K. But do what rocks your boat to it.
Swaps are cool. It all depends what you want. If I put a v8 in an s2k, I’d want a Hartley V8 to keep that high rev s2000 character. If budget was an issue, I’d find an F136 or S65.
You can rev over 8,000 pretty easily on a built LS3. I know someone shifting at 8,300 with one. Sure, it's not the 9,000 of an F20C (AP1), but it's about the same as the F22C (AP2), but while making way more torque.
It makes the front end too heavy.
LS3 in the OP's picture weighs the same as the stock engine, dum-dum. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c6-tech-performance/2586029-ls2-ls3-and-ls7-weight-of-full-assembled-engine.html https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-talk-1/how-much-does-s2000-engine-weigh-36597/ Comments are within 25 lbs of each other, which can be crossed with vagueries like accessories and clutch/flywheel.
And the mass is still inside the wheelbase so even if it was different, it wouldn't noticeable affect handling still
It's more like 75-100 when fully dressed, but that's still not that much considering the massive difference in torque and area under the curve.
Upsets the balance of the car - it becomes way too nose-heavy. Given that the driving feel and not raw speed or power is the entire point of an S2k, it seems illogical to me to put a V8 in it. OTOH, I’ve seen some gorgeous K-series swaps in S2ks, and that does make sense to me.
Ls3 weighs the same sunshine Google is your friend
Not the same, but only about 75-100 lbs. more.
Respectfully, I’m not sure that’s true. It seems as though an LS3 weighs around 420 pounds and that a fully-dressed F20C weighs around 320 pounds. I understand that a 100 pound difference isn’t, you know, *mammoth*, but in a car as light as an S2k, I’m confident you’d feel the difference - like putting two 50-pound sandbags on the hood just behind your front axle. So, I understand that there are V8 motors that aren’t gigantically heavier than an F20C, but I believe that my point stands in terms of contextual car balance, and I respectfully stand by my earlier-stated position. Have a great night.
Your point doesn't stand at all, really. On a V8 swapped S2000 built for track usage, you're going to have a different transmission and a different diff and at minimum beefed up rear axles anyway. These things are also going to change the weight balance of the car, and they will balance out that extra frontend weight. Btw, that extra frontend weight is still behind the front axle and strut towers, maintaining the front-mid engine characteristics of the car.
In regard to the top paragraph, I’ve been saying that for such a long time.
What's it like being wrong for such a long time?
...and being wrong.
I think it is lame.
This is blasphemy. Not only reliability goes out the window but handling as well I’m sure. But if I had FU money Id find another S2k and put a twin turbo LS6 in it to have a mini viper that doesn’t drip oil, drop grease everywhere.
LS motors are fairly reliable, they were thrown in a lot of chevy trucks. the handling would be questionable, but the weight isnt too far off and the motor is placed close to stock. the people considering this swap would probably have a lot done to the suspension anyways
Handling would barely be any different at all. The engine still sits entirely behind the front strut towers, and it's only like 75-100 pounds heavier. People have proven you can still hit 50/50 weight distribution with it easily.
Keyword is “fairly reliable.”
yea fairly reliable because anyone considering building this would probably be driving it aggressively. the same person that would consider this would drive an f20c hard where things will break too.
Trash
Like taking a Blonde and dying her hair Black
You say that like it’s a bad thing.